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

The night wind rustled through the pines, and the ridge of Ironclad Mountain resembled a sleeping black dragon, undulating under the moonlight.

The little white fox led the way, its fluffy tail swaying back and forth, looking absolutely adorable.

Yan Sen and his group of four walked along the quiet mountain path, creating an eerie atmosphere where everyone seemed to have their own hidden agendas.

Ding Shian carried Yan Sen's faded canvas bag on his back, his steps steady, not even his breathing rhythm fluctuating.

This person is like a precise machine, every step they take is perfectly accurate.

Xu Si, a cigarette dangling from his lips, scanned back and forth between Yan Sen and Ding Shian's backs. He subtly nudged Yan Sen with his elbow, gesturing with his chin forward, the meaning clear: "Go ahead and try to get some information out of him. Who exactly is this guy?"

Yan Sen rolled his eyes and gave him a look in return: Your dad is still the regional head of the company. Intelligence is your specialty, why don't you go?

Xu Si: I'm just afraid of alerting the enemy.

Yan Sen: Am I not afraid?

Two men, each with a combined capacity of eight hundred cunning schemes, reached a tacit understanding of "cowardice" at this moment.

So, two pairs of eyes fell on Feng Baobao, who was kicking pebbles at the back of the line out of boredom.

Feng Baobao felt the gaze, looked up, and her big eyes, which seemed to be full of 'wit,' were filled with question marks.

Xu Si winked and pointed to the back of Ding Shian's head, making a "get him to talk" gesture.

Feng Baobao: "??"

Feng Baobao: "!!"

No one knew which wire this silly woman's magical brain circuits were connected to, but she nodded in sudden realization and gave Yan Sen and Xu Si a reassuring thumbs-up.

The next second, as if by magic, Feng Baobao's hand pulled out a folding entrenching tool from the side of the huge backpack.

Under the moonlight, the shovel blade gleamed with a chilling light.

Feng Baobao crouched low, making no sound as she moved, like a raccoon hunting its prey, stealthily approaching Ding Shian from behind. She gripped the shovel handle tightly with both hands, raised it high, and aimed at the back of Ding Shian's head, her eyes focused and serious.

Yan Sen: "!!!"

Xu Si: "!!!"

Holy crap!!!

If Xu Si could speak right now, his voice would probably be split open from shouting.

He and Yan Sen pounced almost simultaneously, each grabbing one of Feng Baobao's arms and dragging her back.

"What are you doing?" Feng Baobao asked innocently, still holding the shovel. "Didn't you want me to mess with him?"

Ding Shian, who was ahead, paused and turned around in confusion.

As a top-tier expert in the world of supernatural beings, he did indeed feel a chill down his back just now; it was the intuition that he was being targeted by something dangerous.

But when he turned around, he only saw two people who were "panting".

The disheveled girl was seriously hiding something behind her back, while the two men were covered in sweat, pale-faced, and looked like weak college students who had just run five kilometers.

Ding Shian: "?"

He glanced at the few hundred meters of mountain path he had just walked, then at the two young men, his eyes revealing a hint of incomprehension and... sympathy.

Are you tired already?

Has the physical fitness of the younger generation in the current world of supernatural beings deteriorated to this extent?

"If you two are tired, don't push yourselves." Ding Shian's voice was sincere, revealing the kindness of an honest man. He specifically pointed at Yan Sen, "Especially you. Judging from your appearance, you are not very old, and your foundation is not yet stable. Although your Qi is amazing, your physical body is not tempered enough. There is no need to rush to temper your physique. If you can't hold on any longer, I can carry you up, as a way of repaying the favor you did for helping me out earlier."

Yan Sen and Xu Si exchanged a glance, and both wore awkward but polite smiles.

"Haha, Brother Ding, you're joking. We're just... just a little excited because the scenery is so nice." Xu Si chuckled and casually shoveled the entrenching tool from Feng Baobao's hand back into his bag.

How can I defend myself?

They said we were just planning an operation to "extract information" from you, but it failed because the person carrying it out had a misunderstanding?

We're sweating so much not from exhaustion, but from sheer terror! That doesn't make sense.

However, although Ding Shian is quite capable, his personality... seems to be quite easy to talk to?

A gentleman can be deceived by his principles.

Xu Si's eyes darted around, and that old fox's nonchalant attitude returned. He quickened his pace, walked alongside Ding Shian, took out a cigarette case, and offered him one: "Brother Ding, you're a man of taste. Judging from your demeanor, your steady gait, and your long, drawn-out breathing, you don't seem to come from some small sect. May I ask where you studied? I'd like to pay you a visit sometime and learn a few tricks from you."

Ding Shian glanced at the cigarette, then waved his hand and refused.

He smiled, a clean smile, like a friendly boy next door: "So, you and that little brother were whispering and exchanging glances behind me just to ask me this? Didn't I already say I'm a free spirit, currently without any sect or faction?"

Yan Sen and Xu Si's pupils contracted simultaneously.

Ding Shian's perception is frighteningly sharp. They barely spoke, exchanging only glances and micro-expressions, yet he noticed all of that while his back was turned?

Yan Sen thought about it more deeply: since even such a subtle movement was noticed, how come he didn't notice when Feng Baobao's shovel was almost down?

I really don't know if Feng Baobao hid her presence too well, or if I and Xu Si were just too incompetent.

"In that case, I'd also like to ask Brother Ding a question. Of course, if it's inconvenient, you don't have to answer me." Yan Sen quickly took two steps to catch up with them, falling half a body length behind. "With your abilities, in today's world of supernatural beings, you'd be an honored guest wherever you go. You could solve most things in this world with your fists; you wouldn't need to pray to Buddha or gods. Why are you staying here at the foot of Ironclad Mountain in the middle of the night, insisting on seeing those old immortals? What's your purpose?"

Yan Sen didn't bother with any of those roundabout methods. His intuition told him that the best way to deal with this person was to be straightforward.

"Haha, little brother, you don't need to worry." To make it easier to talk, Ding Shian actually turned around and started walking backwards up the mountain. Even so, his speed did not decrease, as if he were walking on flat ground.

"Whatever your purpose in coming here, I will not interfere. I am here only to exchange skills."

"A friendly spar?" Xu Si stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "A friendly spar with immortals? What's the point? You'll get hurt if you lose, and even if you win, what's the point? You won't get a house or any land."

"Just for peace of mind."

Ding Shian raised his head, looking at the cold moon overhead, his tone becoming somewhat detached, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself.

"I've always felt insecure since I was a child. I'm just too weak."

He reached out and made a grasping motion in the air.

"A stone, a piece of broken glass, or even a slightly stronger gust of wind, if they appear in the right place at the right time, can hurt me or even kill me. This sense of vulnerability stemming from myself makes me restless and unable to eat or sleep."

"So I started training relentlessly, honing my skills, and learning all sorts of martial arts." Ding Shian pounded his solid chest, making a deep, resonant sound. "Technology is developing too fast now, with all sorts of high-tech weapons emerging one after another, but I don't think about those. What I pursue is to be the strongest, no one can harm me anymore."

"Perhaps reaching that state will dispel the unease in my heart."

Ding Shian's eyes gradually turned fervent, a kind of unwavering dedication unique to seekers of the Dao.

"To reach this level, it's natural to cultivate and become stronger. At the same time, I also need a threat of sufficient quality and substance. Only by walking on the edge of life and death can I test how far I've come."

Yan Sen was shocked to hear this.

It is a morbid, extreme, yet awe-inspiring purity.

"What if...this kind of threat becomes less and less frequent?" Yan Sen suddenly asked. "What if you find that reputable sects all value restraint, and you find that there are fewer and fewer people in this world who can make you feel 'dangerous'? What will you do then?"

Ding Shian paused for a moment, then flashed a bright smile.

"Then maybe I'll join Quanxing."

He said it so casually, as if he were saying, "Then maybe I'll go get some dumplings."

"Join the Quanxing Sect?!" Xu Si nearly bit his tongue. "Even if it means becoming a monster in everyone's eyes, you're willing to do it?"

Xu Si couldn't understand.

As a seasoned veteran who has been working within the system since childhood, he is used to weighing the pros and cons and taking sides.

He couldn't understand why someone who could be described as "pure" in a certain sense would choose a path destined to be abandoned by everyone.

"I know what kind of person I am," Ding Shian said calmly, her eyes clear and unwavering. "Others may misunderstand me today, and they may misunderstand me tomorrow. But no matter what, no matter when, I welcome them to look at me again."

"As long as I am still me."

Xu Si's mouth dropped open, completely dumbfounded. This was far too profound, exceeding his reading comprehension.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's just..."

Feng Baobao, who had been silent and fiddling with the entrenching tool, suddenly spoke up.

She raised her head, her eyes devoid of any impurities, possessing only a clarity that points directly to the source.

"Don't worry about what others think. Find your own path and just keep moving forward. As for the rest... once others realize he's not a bad guy, no one will say anything about him anymore."

"That's about right...that's the idea." Ding Shian nodded, then solemnly cupped his hands in thanks to Feng Baobao. "Thank you."

Then, he looked at Yan Sen and Xu Si.

"Any other questions? If not, then I'll take my leave."

Ding Shian pointed to a side path that led deeper into the mountains, where the faint roars of wild beasts could be heard.

"I sensed something big over there. Since the main party doesn't want to see me, I'll go find that big guy and spar with him. After all, I'm here to seek a friendly exchange, and a fight is inevitable. I don't want to interfere with your business."

Before Yan Sen and the others could speak, he gently placed the canvas bag on the ground and leaped into the air.

"Whoosh—"

The figure moved like lightning, disappearing into the vast forest in a few moments, leaving only a sentence carried on the wind:

"Young man, if we meet again by chance, I'll teach you a couple of self-defense techniques."

Yan Sen picked up the canvas bag from the ground, dusted it off, and looked in the direction where Ding Shian had disappeared, a playful smile appearing on his lips.

"This guy is interesting," Yan Sen muttered to himself. "If I could learn a few moves from him, maybe I could even master Bajiquan."

Xu Si rolled his eyes: "He's just a nobody. Let's wait until you can find him before we talk about it."

The three continued on their way.

With Ding Shian gone, the atmosphere became much more relaxed. The little white fox seemed to have become cheerful after seeing off that "annoying guy," hopping and skipping away as fast as it could.

They walked for about fifteen minutes.

The surrounding trees gradually thinned out, and the cool, grassy scent in the air became increasingly strong, even mixed with a faint sandalwood fragrance.

"We've arrived, this is the place."

Suddenly, the little white fox in front spoke in a clear, human voice.

It stopped in front of a huge reclining ox rock, stood up, and respectfully bowed three times in front of it.

Yan Sen and his group walked out of the woods, and their view suddenly opened up.

What came into view was neither a magnificent palace nor a gloomy cave.

Instead, it was a Taoist temple that was as simple as could be.

The house features blue bricks and gray tiles, a weathered wooden door, and a couplet hanging at the entrance, the characters of which have long been blurred by wind and rain.

Only the black plaque with gold lettering above the lintel gleamed in the moonlight, exuding an ancient and awe-inspiring aura.

【Babao Yunguang Cave】.