Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Xiangfan City.

Xia He was carrying three jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes) when she saw the woman walking towards her from the opposite side.

Dou Mei wore a gentle smile and walked with a composed gait, like a neighbor auntie who happened to be passing by.

Xia He smiled naturally: "Aunt Dou, what a coincidence."

"Unfortunately, I was waiting for you."

"Wait for me?" Xia He tilted her head. "Wait for me for what?"

Dou Mei said with a kind smile, "We'll have a good talk with you then."

Xia He looked at the jianbing guozi in her hand, then at Dou Mei: "Aunt Dou, have you eaten? Why don't you eat something first?"

Dou Mei shook her head: "I've already eaten, but your jianbing guozi smells delicious."

Xia He laughed: "Then Aunt Dou will smell it, and I'll eat it."

Dou Mei glanced at them and said with a smile, "Are the other two for your parents? Miss Xia is so filial."

Xia He said, "It's nothing compared to Aunt Dou's efforts in helping my parents solve such a big problem."

Dou Mei waved her hand: "It was nothing, just a small favor."

Xia He bowed and said, "It was just a small favor for Aunt Dou, but it was a life-saving grace for my family."

Dou Mei smiled and said, "Miss Xia, you're too kind."

Xia He shook her head: "It's not just politeness, it's the truth."

Dou Mei looked at her with admiration in her eyes: "Miss Xia is so sensible, no wonder your parents love you so much."

Xia He took another bite of the jianbing guozi: "Aunt Dou, you flatter me."

They both laughed.

People come and go at the alley entrance; some glance at them, while others hurry past.

Dou Mei suddenly said, "Actually, I came to see you, Xia He."

Xia He blinked: "Oh? Aunt Dou wanted to see me about something?"

Dou Mei sighed: "I'd like to talk to you."

Xia He tilted her head: "What does Aunt Dou want to talk about?"

Dou Mei said, "We talk about you, about me, about many things, such as the fact that we are the same kind of people."

Xia He raised an eyebrow: "A kindred spirit?"

Dou Mei nodded: "You have your special abilities, and I have my skills. We are both the kind of people who are not understood by ordinary people."

Xia He said, "I don't think I'm being misunderstood at all, Aunt Dou is right."

Dou Mei said, "Really? Then Miss Xia must have had a very happy life from childhood to adulthood."

Xia He didn't say anything.

Dou Mei continued, "Being looked at with strange eyes, being talked about behind one's back, being avoided by others—Miss Xia must have experienced all of these."

Xia He looked at her.

Dou Mei said, "I've been through it too, which is why we should be together even more, understanding and supporting each other."

Xia He's smile faded: "Aunt Dou, are you here today to try and recruit me?"

Dou Mei said, "We just want to make friends."

Xia He said, "Making friends doesn't have to go through such a roundabout way. You contact my parents, help them through their difficulties, and then follow me—Aunt Dou. Making friends like this is a bit complicated."

Dou Mei said, "It's better to be a little complicated. Friends who are too simple aren't very interesting."

Xia He said, "Whether it's interesting or not depends on the kind of friends you make."

Dou Mei said, "Friends like us are very interesting."

Xia He said, "I wouldn't dare to be friends with someone like Aunt Dou."

Dou Mei asked, "Why?"

Xia He said, "Because my parents have become your bargaining chips."

Dou Mei's smile faded slightly.

Dou Mei paused for a second: "That's not a bargaining chip, it's sincerity."

Xia He laughed: "Sincerity? Aunt Dou, I don't even know how to respond to what you're saying."

Dou Mei said, "You just need to understand that we have no ill intentions."

Xia He said, "No one with malicious intent would approach someone else's family in this way."

Dou Mei looked at her, her gaze becoming somewhat complicated: "Xia He, you are very smart."

Xia He said, "Thank you for the compliment, Aunt Dou."

Dou Mei said, "A smart person should know that some things cannot be avoided."

Xia He said, "I will face what I can't avoid, but not now, and not in this way."

Dou Mei said, "Then what do you want?"

Xia He said, "I want Aunt Dou to stay away from my parents."

Dou Mei smiled and said, "So you went to Na Du Tong?"

Xia He narrowed her eyes: "Aunt Dou is quite well-informed."

Dou Mei said, "I wouldn't say I'm well-informed, I just happened to see you come out of that door."

Xia He said, "Aunt Dou must have seen it too; I came out alone."

Dou Mei looked at her and understood what she meant: coming out alone meant she had no cooperation with any of them.

Xia He continued, "I can find a way anywhere because Aunt Dou overstepped her bounds."

Dou Mei nodded: "You're right. Involving family members is crossing the line, and your claim that you can go anywhere is also crossing the line."

Xia He said, "Aunt Dou crossed the line first. I just asked someone to talk to her about it. That doesn't count as crossing the line."

Dou Mei smiled: "Xia He, you're very good with words."

Xia He swallowed the last bite of the jianbing guozi: "Thank you for the compliment, Aunt Dou."

"What a generous young lady!"

A man emerged from the shadows, wearing glasses, looking refined and polite, with a smug smile.

He clapped his hands twice and looked at Xia He: "Now we're both being watched by Na Du Tong. Why don't we use your factory as a wager and see if we can deliver the goods smoothly before the Spring Festival? If it works out, we'll meet again after the holiday. If not, we'll see what happens then."

Xia He's face turned completely cold: "Are you determined to threaten my family?"

Shen Chong quickly waved his hands: "No, no, no, I didn't say that. It all depends on what you do. How could we do something as low as threatening someone's family?"

Dou Mei remained silent for two seconds before speaking, "You're being quite tasteless right now."

Shen Chong turned to look at her: "Dou Mei, we're on the same side now."

Dou Mei nodded: "That's right, but Xia He should also be on our side. You can't treat a young girl like this."

Dou Mei nodded: "That's right, but Xia He should also be on our side. You can't treat a young girl like this."

Shen Chong turned back to look at Xia He, tilting his head with a sincere expression: "Am I not good to you, Xia He?"

Xia He's face flushed instantly, the bag of jianbing guozi in her hand creaked as she squeezed it, and a burst of qi exploded from her body, rushing towards Shen Chong.

Shen Chong immediately stepped back, hiding behind Dou Mei and peeking out half his head: "Don't be so impulsive. This is right next to your parents' factory. It wouldn't be good if it affected the workers in the factory."

Dou Mei reached out to stop Xia He, her voice gentle: "Xia He, don't take it to heart. Shen Chong is just like that; sometimes he doesn't think things through, but his intention wasn't to hurt your parents. He just wanted you to seriously consider this."

She became increasingly sincere: "Your superpower is too stifling among ordinary people. When you're with us, you can use it however you want, play around however you want, and no one will say anything to you."

Xia He took a deep breath and suppressed her anger.

She really doesn't want to fall out with them right now; her parents live nearby, and there are dozens of workers in the factory.

But she has to give an attitude, a "fight to the death" attitude.

She was about to speak—

"Don't move! Don't move at all!"

A group of people dressed in Na Du Tong uniforms rushed out from both ends of the alley and surrounded the three of them.

Zhou Mingyuan was leading the group. He glanced around the scene, his gaze lingering on Xia He's face for a second before turning to Shen Chong and Dou Mei.

"Shen Chong, Dou Mei, you are suspected of using your supernatural abilities to influence ordinary people in public. Come with us."

Shen Chong raised his hands, looking completely innocent: "Comrade, I'm innocent! We were just chatting, we didn't do anything illegal or disorderly."

Dou Mei nodded, her tone gentle: "Yes, we're friends with Xia He, chatting isn't illegal, is it?"

Zhou Mingyuan looked at Xia He: "Miss Xia, is what they said true?"