Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

The car headed south.

The scenery outside the window slowly changed.

The mountains are lower, the land is flatter, and the sky is wider.

The tree changed from needle-leaved to broad-leaved, from pine and cypress to poplar and locust.

The wheat seedlings in the fields are green, stretching as far as the eye can see, and when the wind blows, they create rolling green waves.

Villages sprang up one after another, with red bricks and gray tiles, and wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.

As the car passed Shanhaiguan, the city wall stood by the roadside, its gray bricks and mottled walls bearing the marks of centuries of wind and rain.

Cheng Mo stepped on the gas, and the car sped up, heading towards Beijing.

As the car entered Beijing, Cheng Huihui suddenly spoke up: "Xiao Mo, I want to go to the square."

Cheng Mo glanced at him in the rearview mirror: "Okay."

Cheng Huihui leaned back in her seat, gazing at the tall buildings outside the car, her thoughts drifting away—

He never had the chance to meet that person back then, but now he wanted to see what kind of person Cheng Shou admired. After all, Cheng Shou had never been convinced by Zhang Zhiwei.

Cheng Mo drove the car toward the square, and a little while later, Xia He's phone rang.

She took it out and looked at it—Xia Liuqing.

connected.

"Hello, Grandpa Xia?"

Xia Liuqing's voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding both anxious and aggrieved: "Xiao Hemiao—you have to stand up for me—this bastard is a disgrace—this company is shameless—"

Xia He moved the phone a little further away, and only brought it back to her ear after the volume on the other end had come down.

She listened for a while but still couldn't understand what the old man was saying; he was just babbling incoherently.

"Grandpa Xia," Xia He interrupted the old man, "Didn't you go back to Liupanshui? You weren't able to return to Grandma Jinfeng's side?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then, Xia Liuqing's voice became clearer and more coherent: "I was betrayed by that bastard!"

Wang Zhenqiu's voice came from the other end of the phone, clear and crisp: "Hey, old man, don't talk nonsense! I was just thinking of making you some extra money, who knew you'd done such a big thing in the Northeast."

Xia He seemed to understand a little, her expression turning somewhat strange: "Grandpa Xia, you weren't arrested by the company, were you?"

The person on the other end of the phone hesitated before replying, "Yeah."

Xia He was both amused and exasperated: "You know what that golden retriever is up to these days, how did you get tricked by him? Besides, couldn't you just run away?"

Xia Liuqing's voice became aggrieved again: "That bastard only said there was good news, but he didn't tell me that the company would pay for it."

Xia He sighed: "So... Grandpa Xia, what exactly are you trying to say? It can't just be a complaint, can it?"

Xia Liuqing cleared her throat, her voice becoming much more serious: "Um... I don't trust scoundrels anymore, could you guys come and help me out? The company said that once this is settled, they'll drop the warrant for my arrest, and everything will be back to normal."

Xia He looked at Cheng Mo, and Cheng Mo nodded.

Xia He said into the microphone, "Okay, where are you?"

Wang Zhenqiu's voice came through the phone, sounding faint: "You can come directly to Huan'an County in the Yan-Zhao region."

Xia He replied, "Okay, I'll come later."

After hanging up the phone, she put it back in her pocket: "Let's go, let's go to the square~~"

Cheng Huihui grinned from the back row, her tail swaying inside her Taoist robe. "Xiao He is a good girl; she knows to side with her senior uncle."

However, he couldn't put the younger generation in a difficult position: "Actually, you can go to the square anytime. Your friend asked you for help, so let's go and finish what we need to do first."

Xia He waved her hand: "It's okay, they're not in a hurry. Let's tour the capital first."

She turned to look at Erzhuang: "Has Erzhuang been here?"

Gao Erzhuang shook his head: "No, my older sister said she came here before, but I wasn't born yet."

Xia He reached out and ruffled the little girl's hair: "Sister will take you around the capital today."

Gao Erzhuang clapped his hands: "Mmm, older sister is better than older sister~~"

Xia He chuckled: "Your sister will spank you again if she finds out."

Gao Erzhuang proudly raised his head: "She can't hit me now!"

Cheng Mo parked his car in the parking lot closest to the square.

Cheng Huihui changed into a hoodie, took out a mask and put it on. Standing there, she looked like a strangely dressed foreigner.

Looking at his attire, Gao Erzhuang whispered to Xia He, "Is this alright, Uncle-Master?"

Xia He nodded: "Don't worry, no one will recognize you."

The three people and the rat got out of the car and walked towards the square.

The square was large and quite crowded. People were scattered in twos and threes, some taking photos, some strolling, and a few children flying kites that floated in the sky.

Cheng Huihui stood in the center of the square, looking up at the portrait on the city gate tower, remaining silent for a long time.

He stood there for a long time.

The wind blew from the square, causing his hood to slide back slightly, but he didn't reach out to pull it back.

Cheng Mo stood to the side without saying a word.

Cheng Huihui's breathing was very light, almost inaudible. Its tail was tucked into its robe, and it remained motionless, as if the whole rat was frozen in place.

After a while, Cheng Huihui sniffed.

"Phew~~"

He let out a long breath, his voice a little hoarse: "No wonder we were able to change the world back then."

He turned to look at Cheng Mo, his eyes holding something unreadable: "Xiao Mo, you tell me, isn't it foolish for someone like him to speak up for the lowest of the low, spending his entire life toiling for them?"

Cheng Mo didn't reply.

There are some things he cannot say, or even think.

But in any case, he revered that person.

Cheng Mo didn't reply.

There are some things he cannot say, or even think.

But in any case, he revered that person.

I have the utmost respect for them.

Cheng Mo asked, "Want to go inside and see what the Forbidden City looked like back then?"

Cheng Huihui scoffed, "What's so interesting about it? Your master and I used to sneak in there to steal wine."

As he spoke, he strode towards the city gate.

There are quite a few tourists visiting the square now, but it's still far from the crowds of later generations.

At the entrance of the Forbidden City, there was a line of about twenty or thirty people buying tickets, and it wouldn't be long before they could get theirs.

Gao Lian got Cheng Huihui a set of foreign friends' ID cards, but they weren't used at all right now—there was no need to even check the IDs; a ticket was all she needed to get in.

When they checked Cheng Huihui's ticket at the entrance to the city, the staff glanced at her a few more times, but didn't say anything.

Once inside the city gate, a bright and open space suddenly appeared before us.

The three main halls stand in a row, with white marble steps, golden glazed tiles, and towering red walls, creating a magnificent and imposing sight.

Tourists were scattered around, some taking pictures, some looking at the information boards, and some just standing there in a daze.

Cheng Huihui stood in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, looked up at the plaque, and sighed, "Back then, let alone ordinary people, even capable people with special abilities would have to put in some effort to get in. The past few decades have truly brought about earth-shattering changes."

Cheng Mo added, "The restrictions are just in different places now. You'd still be stopped if you went to Zhonghai now."

Cheng Huihui thought for a moment and nodded, "That's true. In a few hundred years, we'll have to go to a different place again. In the end, it's still a cycle."

Several people walked inside.

I looked at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony one by one.

A few people also sneaked into the areas that weren't open to the public to take a look...

After wandering around and looking at some corners that were not open to the public, I quietly slipped out without attracting anyone's attention.

When they arrived at the treasure gallery, Cheng Huihui perked up.

He stood in front of a display case and pointed to a jade artifact inside: "This one, from the Qianlong era, is made of Hetian jade. Your master and I saw a similar one when we were in Beijing; it was still on display in the palace back then."

He walked to the next display case and pointed to the gold artifacts inside: "The workmanship here is not bad, but it's far inferior to those from the Ming Dynasty. The craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty were truly skilled; their products were exquisite and ingenious..."

A tour guide was leading a group of tourists over, and when he heard Cheng Huihui talking, he slowed down.

Cheng Huihui didn't notice and continued walking down, stopping in front of a porcelain display case. She pointed to the items inside and told Cheng Mo and the others the stories behind them.

The tour guide led the group forward, craning their necks and staring intently in the direction Cheng Huihui was pointing, their expressions as if they were listening to a lecture.

Cheng Huihui then walked to the next display case.

The tour guide followed, the flag in his hand drooping down, its tip sticking to the ground, but he didn't notice.

After a while, more and more people gathered around, craning their necks and staring in the direction Cheng Huihui was pointing. It was very quiet, with only Cheng Huihui's voice echoing in front of the display case.

A tourist whispered to the person next to him, "Who is this expert from? He speaks so well."

The person next to him shook his head and whispered, "I don't know, I didn't notice just now."

Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, Cheng Mo quickly tugged at Cheng Huihui's sleeve and whispered, "Uncle-Master, let's go, let's go."

Cheng Huihui was getting into the story when he pulled her up. She looked up and saw a crowd gathered around her. She stopped talking, still not finished, and followed Cheng Mo outside.

Several people squeezed out of the crowd, quickly walked through several courtyards, and arrived at a less crowded area.

Gao Erzhuang asked Cheng Huihui curiously, "Uncle-Master, how do you know so much? Could it be that you and Master stole all of these back then?"

Cheng Huihui chuckled and gently tapped her head: "What nonsense are you talking about? Your master and I only stole some wine and gold and silver jewelry back then, and we've returned all these antiques."

He stroked his beard: "But I specifically looked into a lot of things here. In today's terms, it was all for showing off."

Gao Erzhuang put his hands on his hips and said, "Uncle-Master, you can't swear."

Cheng Huihui laughed: "Okay, I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore."