Under One Person: Feng Shui Master, I Will Protect the Mountains and Rivers with My Own Body

"In that case, things are much easier. I'll send a report to headquarters right away and request the transfer of a few sorcerers."

Gao Lian let out a long sigh of relief, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. "They can't withstand the backlash from something as important as divining the dragon vein, but they can still figure out where those rats in the gutter of Quanxing want to dig their holes."

After discussing this matter, Gao Lian and Yan Sen spent the next half hour exchanging information about the Japanese sorcerer and the patrols along the company's main routes.

With Gao Lian's final operational order issued, this small strategic meeting, which concerned the safety of the Northeast's geopolitical landscape, came to a temporary close.

"Alright, the meeting's over. Go back and rest now, you'll have to keep working tomorrow."

Xu Si stretched, his joints cracking. He casually put his arm around Yan Sen's shoulder, his nonchalant manner resembling that of a street urchin just released from prison: "Come on, Woody, how about I take you to experience the bathhouse culture of Northeast China? It's really something..."

"Fourth brother."

Before Xu Si could even hint at the words "Great Sword," Gao Lian suddenly interrupted him.

The head of the Northeast region took off his glasses, gently wiping them with a cloth while lowering his eyelids. The lenses reflected a cold white light under the lamp, making it impossible to see his eyes.

"You should take this baby and go back first. You must be tired from your journey. I've arranged your food and lodging at a nearby guesthouse."

Gao Lian put his glasses back on, his gaze passing over Xu Si and landing directly on Yan Sen. "I have some personal issues that I'd like to discuss with Xiao Yan alone."

Xu Si paused slightly as he held Yan Sen's arm.

As someone who had been in the business for many years, a glint of shrewdness flashed in his seemingly nonchalant eyes.

A private matter?

At this critical juncture, what personal issues are there to worry about?

Xu Si didn't ask any more questions. He just smiled knowingly, patted Yan Sen's shoulder hard, and then decisively let go.

"Uncle Gao, since you've spoken, we won't be any more third wheels here."

Xu Si winked at Yan Sen, his eyes clearly saying: Kid, be smart, don't let this old fox sell you out.

"Baby, let's go! Go back to sleep!"

"Oh, I see."

Feng Baobao scratched her messy hair, her innocent big eyes darting between Yan Sen and Gao Lian as if she were thinking about something, but in the end she said nothing.

She waved goodbye to Yan Sen, then followed Xu Si out the door with her signature arrogant gait.

As the heavy conference room doors slowly closed, only Yan Sen and Gao Lian remained in the large room.

"Uncle Gao, you can say whatever you want to say now."

Yan Sen showed no sign of panic. He casually pulled over a chair, straddled it, draped his arms over the back of the chair, and rested his chin on his arms, looking languidly exhausted.

"I'm exhausted too. Let's finish this quickly so I can go back and catch up on some sleep. We have to go back into the mountains tomorrow night."

In fact, Yan Sen knew exactly what was going on.

This is Na Du Tong's territory, and Gao Lian is a high-ranking official. If he really wanted to harm me, he wouldn't have been so polite to Xu Si just now.

Now that Xu Si has been sent away, what we're going to talk about is definitely not "official business," but rather "family matters," or... "immortal matters."

Gao Lian looked at the calm and composed young man before him, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

He didn't beat around the bush or use bureaucratic language; instead, he dropped a bombshell.

"Sir, put everything else aside for now. Third Aunt wants to see you."

Yan Sen's pupils contracted slightly.

Although he had long suspected that Gao Lian had a powerful backer and that the immortals in the Northeast might pay special attention to this incident, he did not expect that the level of attention would be so high.

"Third Madam?"

Yan Sen held up one finger, pointed at Gao Lian, then at the ceiling above him, his tone tentative: "Is it...that person?"

In the black soil of Northeast China, there is only one person who can be respectfully called "Third Grandmother".

Along with Hu San Taiye, she is known as the highest leader of the Hu Family Immortal Mansion, the head of all the shamanic shrines, and the core deity of Northeast folk religion—Hu San Tai Nai!

Gao Lian nodded with satisfaction. It was so comfortable talking to smart people; they understood everything immediately, without the need for tedious explanations of who was who.

Why isn't this clever younger generation one of our own?

Gao Lian sighed inwardly, then asked seriously, "So? Do you dare to go?"

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Yan Sen laughed, a completely open and honest laugh.

He felt neither flattered by the invitation from such a top figure nor apprehensive about facing the unknown.

He spoke as if he were being called to eat dumplings by the neighbor's second aunt, his tone so indifferent it was infuriating.

"Where? When? Do you need me to bring some local specialties? I have two pounds of crispy candy that I brought from home in my bag. I don't know if the old lady will mind."

Yan Sen's words sounded carefree, but in reality, they were making his stance clear: I am a descendant of the Yan family, I respect the immortals, but I am not a disciple, and I am not inferior to you.

We are equal.

"Hehe... What a little kid."

Suddenly, a low, hoarse sound, like sandpaper rubbing against rust, was squeezed out of Gao Lian's throat.

The temperature in the conference room plummeted, and the overhead incandescent light flickered twice without warning, emitting a buzzing sound.

A dense, almost tangible black aura rose from Gao Lian's feet and instantly enveloped his entire body.

Gao Lian slowly lowered his head, his body trembling violently.

When he looked up again, his elegant black-rimmed glasses had slipped down to the tip of his nose.

His once gentle eyes were now completely devoid of white, replaced by pitch black. And in the center of that blackness, two dark golden vertical pupils were radiating a chilling light that was utterly captivating.

Gao Lian grinned, revealing a wild and domineering smile that was completely out of his own.

"Brother Biao, how long has it been since I've seen someone who isn't afraid of 'us'? Hmm?"

He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. "Even that pretentious little brat Gao Lian secretly peed a couple of drops in his pants when he first met me! Hahahaha! You little brat from the Yan family, I'm really growing to like you more and more!"

The moment the black energy began to spread, Yan Sen had already abandoned his nonchalant sitting posture.

He stood up, straightened his slightly disheveled collar, and bowed respectfully to the imposing "Gao Lian," clasping his hands in a gesture of respect that was the most formal etiquette between a junior and a senior in the martial arts world.

"Junior Earth Master Yan Sen greets the Hu Family Immortal Abode and Master Tianbiao."

Yan Sen spoke respectfully, but his back was ramrod straight, like a pine tree rooted in the rocks.

Hu Tianbiao.

The Hu family, a prominent immortal family of the Tian generation, is known for their formidable fighting prowess and fiery personalities.

"Get up, get up! I, Biao Ye, have the utmost patience for this pedantic formality!"

With a wave of his sleeve, Gao Lian (Hu Tianbiao) sent a gentle yet irresistible gust of wind that lifted Yan Sen up.

He clicked his tongue, looking at Yan Sen with a regretful expression: "Alas, it's a pity I've been cultivating my character lately, giving up alcohol and meat. Otherwise, I would have definitely dragged you, little kid, for a drink. Back in the day... your deadbeat ancestor Yan Hong, what a character he was! I got him drunk for three days straight, lying unconscious in the snow, and in the end, it was my fox cubs who carried him back! Tsk tsk, I really miss those days."

Yan Sen's eyes twitched as he listened.

Good heavens, it turns out that my great-grandfather's "glorious deeds" back then were not limited to fooling around with Wugensheng, but also had his "story" in the Northeast!

Just as Hu Tianbiao was about to pull Yan Sen aside to reminisce about the glorious past, Gao Lian suddenly uttered a different tone.

That was Gao Lian's own voice, filled with helplessness and exhaustion, like a beast of burden who had worked overtime for three days and three nights pleading with his boss.

"Brother Biao...can we talk about serious matters? Let's talk about serious matters!"

Gao Lian's left eye twitched slightly, as if struggling to regain control of his body. "When Yan Sen gets to you, you can chat with him however you like, drink as much as you want! I haven't slept for over ten hours, so please don't try to distract me by chatting idly with him! My body is about to fall apart!"

In the past few days, Gao Lian has been dealing with the sabotage caused by the Japanese, juggling one issue with another, and occasionally even acting as a henchman. His mental state has long been stretched to its limit.

Now he has to be possessed by his own spirit and used as a chat tool. Is it easy for him?

"Hey! You little brat!"

Hu Tianbiao instantly became displeased. His right eye's vertical pupil glared sharply, and he raised Gao Lian's right hand high, as if he was about to strike him down at any moment.

"Who do you think you are, talking to yourself? Huh? You have no manners! Believe me or not, I'll slap you across the face! I'm only bothering to chat with you because I think highly of you! Others would beg me to do this!"

Yan Sen stood aside, watching the two, one human and one immortal, perform a double act in the same body, and almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Is this the legendary "cultivation with immortals"?

Why does it look like someone has a split personality?

Despite the amusement, Yan Sen could also see that Gao Lian's relationship with Hu Tianbiao was much closer than that of ordinary disciples and immortals. Rather than a relationship of worship and being worshipped, it was more like a grandson coaxing his grandfather.

This kind of relationship is much more reliable than a simple exchange of benefits.

"Mr. Tianbiao, please calm down."

Yan Sen quickly stepped forward and tried to smooth things over, "Uncle Gao is working so hard not only for the people of Northeast China, but also for you all. Besides, these Japanese devils are still running rampant on your territory. If Uncle Gao collapses from exhaustion, who will run errands for you? Please forgive him this time."

Hu Tianbiao's hand stopped in mid-air. After thinking for a moment, he felt that Yan Sen's words made sense.

"Hmm! You're lucky, kid, that a eloquent young man will plead for you!"

Hu Tianbiao took the opportunity to back down, put his hand down, and turned to look at Yan Sen, his vertical pupils full of admiration.

"Hey, kid, I didn't mean to hide it from you, but you actually figured it out. Your eyesight is much better than your ancestors who were like saw-through gourds. Yan Hong's descendants have truly surpassed their masters."

Hu Tianbiao stopped talking nonsense, his black energy surged, and his voice became ethereal.

"Then I won't beat around the bush with you, sir. You'll be heading to Benxi by yourself in the next couple of days."

"Nine Peaks Iron Mountain, Eight Treasures Cloud Light Cave".

"We'll be waiting for you there. We'll chat when we meet! On our way!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the suffocating black energy receded like a tide, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

The lights in the conference room returned to normal.

Gao Lian's body went limp, and he almost collapsed into the chair. He gasped for breath, took off his glasses, rubbed his throbbing temples, and his refined face was flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry you had to see this, Xiao Yan."

Gao Lian shook his head with a wry smile, put his glasses back on, and transformed back into the decisive regional manager. However, the weariness in his eyes was impossible to hide. "My old masters... are rather straightforward and sometimes don't consider the occasion."

"Not at all, Uncle Gao."

"You're the one who's worked hard. What I said just now wasn't entirely to flatter Master Tianbiao." Yan Sen put away his smile, pointed to Gao Lian's already somewhat graying temples, gave him a thumbs up, and said seriously, "Your starting point was indeed for both the people and the immortals. I admire this kind of great love."

"Come on, stop bragging about me."

Gao Lian waved his hand, feigning impatience, but the barely suppressed smile on his lips betrayed him completely; he was clearly quite pleased. "Do you think I don't know myself? I'm just destined to be a workaholic! Alright, alright, that's all we have to say. You should go back and rest now! We'll need your help later!"

"Alright, I'll take my leave now. Take care and get some rest."

Yan Sen knew that going too far was not good, so he didn't linger. He slung his canvas bag over his shoulder, gave Gao Lian a few words of advice with a smile, and then turned and pushed open the door to leave.

A cold wind blew through the corridor.

Yan Sen's smile gradually disappeared, replaced by a playful expression.

Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs; hey, even immortals can't escape this fate.

"I am a carefree man from Wolonggang—I can discuss Yin and Yang with ease and secure the universe!"

He hummed a little tune, put his hands behind his back, and strode away.