One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

The first hint of dawn was breaking in the east.

The first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the thin mist that had not yet completely dissipated, casting their light upon the devastated ruins of Biyou Village.

Although the near-mad riots of last night have subsided, the traces left on this land are shocking.

Collapsed houses, broken cobblestone roads, and a huge depression in the center of the village, resembling a meteorite crater.

A faint smell of burning still lingered in the air, the remnants of the destroyed cultivation furnace.

"yawn--"

Zhang Taichu stood on the broken walls at the village entrance, stretched lazily with no regard for his image, and his joints cracked and popped.

He was still holding the teacup he'd somehow produced, though the tea inside had long since gone cold. He didn't seem to care, just casually swirling it around.

And not far from his feet.

Ma Xianhong, like a broken rag doll, was still tightly bound by those golden ropes and lay unconscious on a haystack by the roadside.

"Good morning, Uncle-Master."

Zhang Chulan, sporting two enormous dark circles under his eyes, emerged from the temporary tent next to him, munching on a fried dough stick.

He glanced at Ma Xianhong, who was still unconscious, and asked indistinctly:

"It's already daylight; the main force of the company should be arriving soon."

"Shouldn't we... hand this person over?"

"transfer?"

Zhang Taichu glanced at him, a playful smile curving his lips:

"To whom should it be handed over?"

"That fat old man Zhao Fangxu? Or those temporary workers with water guns?"

Zhang Chulan swallowed the fried dough stick in his mouth, somewhat dazed:

"No... Uncle-Master, according to procedure, the main culprits of such a large-scale riot by supernatural beings should definitely be escorted to the Dark Fortress."

"If we detain them without permission, that would be..."

"Pack."

Zhang Taichu ignored his nonsense and simply waved his hand, pointing to Ma Xianhong on the ground:

"Take it back to Longhu Mountain."

"ah?!"

Zhang Chulan nearly dropped the fried dough stick in his hand, his eyes wide with surprise:

"Take...take him back to the mountain?!"

"Grandmaster, you're not joking, are you?! This is the successor of the Divine Craftsman! The company has been eyeing this lucrative opportunity for a long time!"

"If we just blatantly steal him away like this, Chairman Zhao will definitely fight me to the death!"

"Fight to the death?"

Zhang Taichu sneered and turned to walk towards the huge golden cloud boat that was parked on the open ground:

"If he were really that capable, he wouldn't call me for help every time something happens."

"Stop talking nonsense and get moving."

"If you dawdle any longer, I'll tie you and this kid together, hang them under the boat, and drag them back."

Zhang Chulan shuddered. Seeing his uncle's serious expression, he immediately stuffed the remaining half of the fried dough stick into his mouth and ran over to carry the person.

Just then.

Ring ring ring—!!

A sudden, piercing telephone ring broke the silence of the early morning.

Zhang Chulan frantically pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Upon seeing the two large characters "Chairman Zhao" on the screen, his face instantly turned ashen.

"Oh no... they've come knocking on our door..."

Holding the phone, Zhang Chulan didn't know whether to answer or not, so he could only look at Zhang Taichu with pleading eyes:

"Grandmaster Uncle... this..."

Zhang Taichu stopped, turned around, and beckoned to Zhang Chulan with his finger.

Zhang Chulan felt like he had been granted a pardon and quickly handed over the hot potato.

"Feed".

Zhang Taichu pressed the answer button, his voice lazy and completely unaware that he was committing a crime.

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Fangxu's voice sounded extremely anxious, and the chaotic commands and the roar of propellers could even be heard in the background.

"Feed? Chu Lan! I'm Zhao Fangxu!"

"Our people are already on the outskirts! The helicopter will be at the village entrance soon!"

"How's the situation on the scene? Has Ma Xianhong brought it under control? That cultivation furnace..."

"it's me."

Zhang Taichu uttered two words calmly.

The other end of the phone went silent instantly.

A deathly silence.

A full three seconds passed before Zhao Fangxu's now cautious voice came through again:

"Uh...it's...it's Master Taichu..."

"Um... cough cough, thank you for your hard work, Daoist Master, regarding the matter at Biyou Village this time..."

"The village is ruined."

Zhang Taichu didn't want to listen to that bureaucratic nonsense and interrupted him directly:

"The stove is ruined."

"Those villagers who went mad were also cured by that kid from the Zhuge family."

"The mess you're left with is yours."

Zhao Fangxu on the other end of the phone visibly breathed a sigh of relief:

"That's good, that's good..."

"As long as it didn't cause a major disaster, that's good."

"Where is Ma Xianhong? Our men will go there immediately to hand him over. The special cell at the bunker is ready..."

"I'm taking him with me."

Zhang Taichu's voice remained calm, as natural as if he were simply saying that the weather was nice today.

"Wh...what?!"

Zhao Fangxu's voice instantly rose eight octaves, even cracking slightly:

"Took them away?! Where did they take them?!"

"Master Taichu! This is against the rules!"

"Ma Xianhong is the mastermind behind this incident and also a successor of the Eight Extraordinary Skills. The issues involved are far too sensitive! You can't..."

"rule?"

Zhang Taichu chuckled and looked at the several black dots on the distant horizon that were rapidly growing larger; those were the company's helicopter formation.

"Little Zhao."

"Do you really think your few dilapidated cells can hold a madman who's a master strategist and whose brain has been tampered with?"

Zhao Fangxu on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment:

"Your brain has been tampered with? What does that mean?"

Zhang Taichu pointed his finger and gestured in the direction where Ma Xianhong was being held:

"Dual-wielding hands".

"Someone placed a restriction on his consciousness, trying to turn him into an obedient puppet."

"If I hadn't intervened last night, this kid's brains would probably be turned into mush by now."

"With the level of security your company has, believe me, the moment you lock him up, someone could remotely dismantle your bunker?"

Zhao Fangxu remained silent.

As the company's chairman, he certainly knew what having two hands meant.

That's a legendary skill that allows one to freely modify the body and soul; it's a dangerous ability that's even listed as top secret in the company's archives.

If Ma Xianhong was indeed controlled by someone using the "Double-Handed Technique," then he was indeed a ticking time bomb.

"But……"

Zhao Fangxu was still somewhat hesitant:

"Master, even if there are risks, this is ultimately the company's responsibility..."

"If the board finds out I handed the person over to you to take back to Longhu Mountain, my position will be..."

That's your problem.

Zhang Taichu ruthlessly interrupted his attempt to elicit sympathy:

"I am merely informing you, not discussing this with you."

"I want to take this person back to the Celestial Master's Mansion."

"Only the Old Celestial Master's restrictions can suppress what's in his head and save his life."

At this point, Zhang Taichu looked up at the helicopter that was already close to his head, the wind whipped up by the rotor blades making his Taoist robe flutter.

But he stood ramrod straight, like a pillar of strength, unmoved by the howling wind.

"certainly."

Zhang Taichu spoke into the phone, a provocative smile playing on his lips:

"You can try to steal it too."

"As long as you think your few beat-up helicopters can block my way."

beep - beep - beep -

The call was immediately disconnected.

Zhao Fangxu was not given any chance to refute.

"Walk."

Zhang Taichu tossed the phone back to the terrified Zhang Chulan, then turned and strode onto the cloud boat.

Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing were already waiting on the boat.

Looking at Zhang Taichu's imposing figure and then at the company helicopters hovering in mid-air in the distance, neither able to advance nor retreat, the two exchanged a glance, both seeing deep awe in each other's eyes.

"So this is Master Taichu..."

Wang Ye sighed with emotion and pulled his hat brim down a little:

"In the world of supernatural beings, there's probably only one person who can treat a company like a cleaning crew."