Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Cheng Mo and Xia He arrived at the first address calculated from the interior—

It's a very ordinary little hill, right on the edge of town. It's not high, only about a hundred meters from the foot to the top.

There is a mountain god temple at the top.

The temple was small, just one room, with two pillars standing at the entrance. The pillars were inscribed with couplets, but the characters were so blurred that it was impossible to read what they said.

The two went inside and looked around, but found nothing.

Xia He asked, "Are you sure you're here?"

Cheng Mo shook his head: "It's just an answer I got from the interior. I always said it was too close to the city; it was just a smokescreen."

Xia He pouted, "Then let's go find Gao Lian."

"Let's go."

……

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Cheng Mo and Xia He arrived at the Northeast Regional Office Building of Nadutong.

The office building is quite impressive, seven stories high, with gray tiles on the exterior walls and a sign that reads "Nadutong Logistics" hanging at the entrance. Employees in uniform gray work clothes are busy pushing carts in and out.

The two walked into the lobby. The receptionist was a young woman in her early twenties with a ponytail, wearing a company uniform.

Xia He walked over and said, "Hello, I have an appointment with Gao Lian."

The receptionist gave a professional smile: "Please tell me your names."

The two gave their names, and the receptionist handed them a visitor registration form: "Please register your information: name, mobile phone number, and time of visit."

The two of them finished filling it out.

The receptionist handed them two name tags: "Please wear them properly. This colleague will take you upstairs."

A staff member came over and led them toward the elevator.

Just as I arrived at the elevator entrance and was waiting, another elevator door opened.

A middle-aged man walked out from inside.

The man was in his early forties, wearing a dark suit, with his hair neatly combed, a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes.

The man spotted them immediately, a smile spreading across his face as he strode over: "Young Master Cheng, Miss Xia He!"

The staff member next to him quickly said, "Mr. Gao."

Cheng and Mo understood that this was Gao Lian.

The current patriarch of the Gao family, one of the four great families in the world of supernatural beings, and also the head of the Northeast region of Nadutong.

However, Cheng Mo glanced at Gao Lian a few times—he looked much younger than he would have been nine years later. Judging from his appearance, he shouldn't have aged that much in a few years. It was probably because of Er Zhuang's incident that he aged so quickly.

Cheng Mo and Xia He greeted him politely, "Uncle Gao." "Hello, Uncle Gao."

Gao Lian said to the staff member next to him, "Go ahead and get busy."

The staff member agreed and turned to leave.

Gao Lian gestured for them to come with him: "Please come with me, both of you."

He led Cheng Mo and Xia He into the elevator and pressed the button for their floor.

……

Back at the front desk, the staff returned to their posts and whispered to their colleagues, "Who are those two? General Manager Gao came down to greet them personally."

The receptionist rolled her eyes: "How should I know? They only registered names and phone numbers, no background information or anything. But these two look quite young, probably descendants of some powerful family."

The staff member nodded: "That's true, otherwise why would General Manager Gao personally receive him?"

Another colleague chimed in, "That woman has pink hair, it's really eye-catching. If you've seen her before, you'll definitely remember her; she's never been here before."

"Alright, alright, stop gossiping and get to work."

……

In Gao Lian's office.

The decor is simple: a desk, a sofa, a few chairs, a map of Northeast China hanging on the wall, and a few potted plants in the corner.

The three of them sat down on the sofa.

Gao Lian had his secretary make two cups of tea and chatted with the two men about everyday matters.

"I've long heard of the Liangyi Temple," Gao Lian said with a smile. "The deeds of Master Cheng Shou are widely known around here, but unfortunately I've never had the chance to meet him. Now that I've met Master Cheng, it's clear that a great teacher produces a great student."

Cheng Mo waved his hand: "Uncle Gao, you flatter me. I'm still a little inferior to my master."

"Young Master Cheng is too modest." Gao Lian then looked at Xia He. "Miss Xia is also a remarkable woman. Old Liao praised you to the skies on the phone, saying you are a heroine among women, with a chivalrous heart and courage."

Xia He smiled modestly and said, "Uncle Gao, you flatter me. I was just following the little Taoist priest around."

Gao Lian shook his head: "This is no flattery. The matter of the Medicine Immortal Gathering has been reported internally within our company, and the two of you have made a great contribution."

Cheng Mo replied calmly, "We just ran into each other; we can't just ignore it."

Gao Lian clapped his hands: "Well said. We can't just ignore it when we encounter it. There aren't many young people like you two in the world of supernatural beings these days."

Cheng Mo listened without showing it on his face, but he was a little puzzled in his heart—why was this Uncle Gao always praising them?

Xia He also sensed that something was wrong.

This person is, after all, the regional head of Na Du Tong and the patriarch of the Gao family, one of the four great families of supernatural beings. There's no need to fawn over them like this.

Is this because they want something from me?

Could there be another hidden story behind the Demon Blade incident?

Cheng Mo was always direct. After Gao Lian finished speaking, he said, "Uncle Gao, is there something you need our help with? Just say it. Your praise is making me a little embarrassed—although most of what you said is true."

Gao Lian: "..."

Xia He gently patted Cheng Mo: "Little Taoist priest!"

She turned to Gao Lian and said, "But what the young Taoist priest said is true. Uncle Gao, just tell us what's wrong, and we'll do our best to help."

Gao Lian is the regional head of Nadutong, so he must have a very thick skin.

Gao Lian is the regional head of Nadutong, so he must have a very thick skin.

He laughed heartily: "What a commotion. Actually, I did have a request for you two when I asked Lao Liao to invite you over. But there's no rush. I'll host a welcome dinner for you later, and we can talk about it then."

He paused, then looked at the two of them: "So, you two have come here for another reason?"

Cheng Mo and Xia He exchanged a glance, both somewhat bewildered by Gao Lian's actions.

These two sides don't have much of a relationship, so why hold a welcome banquet?

Even if the matter of the demon sword Hirumaru has a great impact, it shouldn't warrant a regional head throwing a banquet for the two of them.

Or are there other people at the banquet?

Can't figure it out.

Cheng Mo stopped thinking about it and went straight to the point again: "We came for the demon sword Hirumaru. My master instructed me to dismantle that sword. Alas, I can't disobey my master's orders."

Xia He nodded to herself as she listened.

If a young Taoist priest is willing to use his brain, he can still speak human language.

They push the blame onto their master, telling him to go to his master no matter what tricks the other side uses. Surely no one would dare let their master take the fall?

Gao Lian was somewhat surprised: "This little matter has actually alarmed Master Cheng? Then we really haven't done our job properly."

Cheng Mo and Xia He were even more confused.

What's going on?

It seems that Gao Lian's banquet was not about the Demon Blade.

Gao Lian continued, "We've made some progress on that knife, but its final location isn't confirmed yet. You two won't find anything there now, so why don't we wait until it's finally located, and then I'll inform you?"

Cheng Mo and Xia He exchanged a glance, then stood up and said, "Alright, we'll take our leave now. As for the welcome banquet..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gao Lian glanced at the time and said, "It's about time now, let's go."

Cheng Mo: "Um, Uncle Gao..."

Cheng Mo initially wanted to decline, but Xia He pulled him back and said with a smile to Gao Lian, "Uncle Gao, you're too kind. How could we let you spend so much money? But since you've invited us so kindly, we'll just have to go."

Since Xia He said so, let's go.

Cheng Mo: "Then thank you very much, Uncle Gao."

Xia He didn't actually want to attend the banquet; she just felt obligated to give Gao Lian face since he had put it so bluntly. After all, she was still on his turf.

……

The three went downstairs, and Gao Lian drove them to a restaurant.

The restaurant is small and has a rather unassuming facade. Two red lanterns hang at the entrance, with the words "Guandong Renjia" written on them.

But once inside, you'll find a hidden world inside.

Corn cobs and red peppers hung on the wall, along with wooden tables and chairs, and a quilt on the kang (a heated brick bed). But the materials of the furniture and the workmanship of the ornaments clearly indicated that they were not cheap.

Cheng Mo and Xia He were quite nonchalant—it's just food, there's no difference between expensive and cheap, just start eating.

The waiter led them inside, eventually placing them in a private room.

There were already three people sitting in the private room, all of them women.

A middle-aged woman, looking to be in her early forties, with a gentle demeanor, was wearing a dark gray sweater.

A young woman, around twenty years old, with delicate features, sat there quietly.

There's another one... oh, this one has to be called a young girl. She looks about the same age as Duoduo, but is much taller than Duoduo. She has her hair tied in a ponytail and is secretly picking up some cold dishes from the table with her chopsticks.