Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Without a doubt, this must be the work of the sorcerer who possessed Liu Wenzhou.

Even if that guy wasn't Zhuge Liang, he was still an extremely skilled sorcerer. He could maintain his influence over the inner world even after death. Cheng Mo knew he couldn't do that.

Of course, there's another possibility—that guy wasn't lured out by Xia Liuqing, or a part of him remained inside Xia Liuqing's body...

But Cheng Mo clearly sensed that the thing entered Xia Liuqing's body and was then pushed out of her body by Xia Liuqing.

He was confident that he wouldn't be mistaken.

Just to be on the safe side, he asked one more question: Who is that guy who claims to be Zhuge Liang?

A ball of light appeared, its diameter roughly the same as his height.

Cheng Mo reached in.

Information flooded in, blurry and indistinct, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

This only further confirmed his suspicions. If he had received definitive information, he would have been more skeptical.

Why are all the warlocks I encounter such freaks?

He sat cross-legged on the grass in the interior, watching the pufferfish in the river float by with their bellies bulging, and thought for a moment.

Ask the question in a different way: What do they want?

A sphere of light appeared.

It was a size bigger than the previous one, with a diameter longer than his arm span.

Cheng Mo put his hand inside.

Information floods in—

Devourers seek flesh and blood; gluttons seek power.

Beneath the Nuo mask, who is performing?

The ghosts on the stage want to live even more than the people in the audience.

The play ended, but the people refused to leave.

The sphere of light dissipated.

???

Three question marks slowly floated out from above Cheng Mo's head.

Riddler, get out of Gotham!

He stared at those lines of text for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what they meant.

What is all this about?

We'll have to compare it with the actual situation.

Consciousness rises to the surface, exiting the inner vision.

Cheng Mo opened his eyes.

Xia He immediately leaned over from her chair, still clutching the county gazetteer in her hand: "How's it going? Did you figure it out?"

Cheng Mo shook his head.

Xia He looked at him speechlessly: "Little Taoist priest, are you not skilled enough? Why can't you do a proper divination every time?"

"I only have a smattering of knowledge," Cheng Mo said matter-of-factly.

Xia He thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. If you really get addicted to it, you'll probably become thinner and thinner, and who knows, one day you might really not be able to take it anymore."

Cheng Mo: "???"

He stared at Xia He for three seconds.

This girl has gone astray.

Xia He waved her hand and grinned as she leaned back, "Tell me what you figured out? It's not like you've calculated several locations again, is it?"

Cheng Mo described the situation inside the inner vision—the vague information, the interfering Qi field, and the last few prompts.

After listening, Xia He frowned and thought for a long time.

"The Devourer seeks flesh and blood..." she analyzed, counting on her fingers. "This must refer to Zhong Kui, right? Legend says Zhong Kui eats ghosts; 'seeking flesh and blood' means he's looking for someone? Who is he looking for?"

Cheng Mo thought for a moment: "Could it be cannibalism? Zhong Kui eats ghosts because he was a ghost himself. Now that he has become a human, he also wants to eat humans."

Xia He shuddered: "That's terrifying."

"Eating people is not uncommon in the world of supernatural beings," Cheng Mo said calmly. "Some cultivation techniques require devouring the essence and spirit of others to practice, but most supernatural beings abide by the rules and do not take this path."

Xia He patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, stop talking about that, let's talk about something else. The glutton seeking power is definitely Wei Zhongxian. He was a power-hungry eunuch, so 'seeking power' means he wants to serve those in power, right?"

Cheng Mo shook his head: "If that were really the case, the company would have known long ago. The people at the top aren't stupid; they wouldn't be easily fooled by just anyone."

Xia He frowned: "Then what is he going to do?"

Cheng Mo shrugged: "How would I know?"

Xia He waved her hand and continued reading the last few lines: "Beneath the Nuo mask, who is performing? The ghosts on the stage want to live more than the people in the audience. And even though the play is over, the people refuse to leave. These lines must all be talking about the same thing, right?"

She paused, organizing her thoughts: "Divine Armament is like an actor playing a god; they're always playing someone else. So, could these sentences be interpreted as—"

"Once the divine essence attaches to someone, they refuse to leave, becoming an obsession? The show's over, but the person refuses to leave. Does this mean the user of the divine weapon is unwilling to relinquish the power they've gained?"

Cheng Mo nodded thoughtfully: "Your interpretation is very interesting."

Xia He's face lit up with joy.

"But what's the use?"

Xia He's face instantly fell, and she glared at him: "Couldn't you at least say something complimentary before pouring cold water on me?"

Cheng Mo suppressed a laugh and remained silent.

Xia He was unwilling to give up, and stared at those few lines of text for a long time before suddenly slapping her thigh: "Can we think outside the box?"

"How do we disperse it?"

"Does this obsession correspond to Liu Wenzhou and that Zhuge Liang?" Xia He's eyes lit up.

"Logically speaking, he could have left directly, but he stayed, which means staying here is more advantageous for him. Could this be a scheme set up by Liu Wenzhou and Zhuge Liang?"

Cheng Mo was taken aback.

What that girl said actually makes a lot of sense.

That fake Martial Marquis never intended to leave from the beginning; he was either waiting for something or stalling for time.

After a moment's thought, Cheng Mo picked up his phone and called Xu Si.

That fake Martial Marquis never intended to leave from the beginning; he was either waiting for something or stalling for time.

After a moment's thought, Cheng Mo picked up his phone and called Xu Si.

Beep beep beep—Connection complete.

"Master Cheng, have you found a clue?" Xu Si's voice came through the receiver.

Cheng Mo got straight to the point: "The information is a bit vague, but I've analyzed it and concluded that Liu Wenzhou might have a problem. You'd better increase your surveillance efforts."

Xu Si was silent for a second, then said, "Don't worry, we've already arranged for people to keep an eye on things, both overtly and covertly."

Cheng Mo nodded: "I trust you to handle things, Fourth Brother."

Xu Si: "??"

He rolled his eyes—goodness, why does this sound like a leader praising a subordinate?

Cheng Mo added, "Oh, and tell your dad not to forget to send the money to the orphanage."

"Okay, got it." Xu Si replied, hung up the phone, threw his phone on the table, and walked to the wall panel.

On the left is a photo—a middle-aged man with a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, wearing a gray jacket, standing at the entrance of a vegetable market, carrying two bags of vegetables in his hands, looking like an ordinary person.

Xu Si wrote below the photo: Zhao Dezhu, 43 years old, host of the Zhong Kui deity.

On the right is a photo—a thin, long face with high cheekbones and shrewd eyes, wearing a dark suit, standing next to a black car, looking like a small business owner.

Xu Si wrote below: Qian Wanli, 38 years old, host of Wei Zhongxian's divine personality.

He took two steps back, glanced at the scene, and turned to Xu San, saying, "Call everyone over for a meeting."

Xu San picked up the landline on the table and dialed a few numbers.

In less than twenty minutes, the six people arrived at the conference room one after another.

They were all key figures in North China. After the incident involving the Divine Armed Forces, Xu Xiang assigned them to his two sons to participate in the operation and specifically take charge of this matter.

The six people sat down, and Xu Si stood in front of the stand, pointing to the first photo.

"Zhao Dezhu was last captured on surveillance footage three days ago." He paused, "Wandering the streets late at night, asking everyone he saw, 'Are you a human or a ghost?'"

"Those who answered 'ghost' immediately fainted and were taken to the hospital, where the cause could not be found; they were diagnosed with sudden cerebral ischemia. However, our investigation confirmed that their vital energy had been drained."

Old Liu raised his hand to add, "Even earlier, it was a week ago, and even earlier, a month ago. The frequency of his appearances is increasing."

Xiao Zhang, who was standing next to him, flipped through the documents in his hand and asked, "Does this mean he can no longer suppress his desire to absorb the essence and spirit?"

Xu Si nodded: "Therefore, we must find Zhao Dezhu as soon as possible. He is very likely being assimilated by the divine power and will eventually become a man-eating monster."

He picked up the marker on the table, drew a circle on the photo on the left, and turned to point at Lao Liu.

"Old Liu, get Uncle Hat from Handan to help us check all the police dispatch records and emergency call records from this period. Zhao Dezhu wants to find someone to ask 'Are you a human or a ghost?' He can't just be wandering around the streets; someone must have called the police."

Old Liu nodded.

"Da Zhou, take some men to check the surveillance footage, focusing on the early morning hours, in the urban-rural fringe areas, and in sparsely populated places."

Da Zhou responded.

"Xiao Zhang, you're in charge of visiting the community and asking those working the night shift, taxi drivers, security guards, and convenience store clerks, if they've seen any suspicious people."

Xiao Zhang stood up: "Understood."

Xu Si threw a marker on the table: "Increase manpower for the search, dig three feet into the ground to find him."

The three men accepted the order and turned to leave.