Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

On the other end of the phone, Xia Liuqing's voice came through: "Don't even mention it. These people in the company are completely unreliable. I'm using my connections to investigate myself, and I've found out some things."

Xia He perked up: "What is it? Can you share it?"

"Of course, no problem. This is hard to explain over the phone, so come over here."

Xia Liuqing gave an address.

The two went downstairs, and Xia He got into the driver's seat. She shifted gears, released the clutch, and stepped on the gas pedal in one smooth motion, and the car drove smoothly out of the parking lot.

"Your skills have improved."

Xia He said smugly, "Of course, I'm a racing god now."

……

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of an old apartment building.

The building wasn't tall, only six stories. The exterior was painted a beige color, but most of the paint had peeled off, revealing the red bricks underneath. Several bicycles and a tricycle were parked downstairs, with bundles of scallions in the tricycle's cargo bed.

Xia He called Xia Liuqing.

"We're here? Come on up, eighth floor, 806."

The two went upstairs.

The lights in the stairwell are voice-activated, turning on one light with each step you take. There are little GG stickers on the walls—locksmith, plumber, mover—stacked on top of each other.

When we reached the eighth floor, the corridor was quiet, and every door was closed.

806 is at the end of the corridor.

Xia He knocked on the door.

Xia Liuqing peeked out, saw the two of them, and stepped aside, saying, "Come in, come in."

He was the only one in the house.

The living room wasn't big; it contained a sofa, a coffee table, and a television. Several sheets of paper and photos were spread out on the coffee table.

Xia He asked curiously, "Where's the golden retriever?"

Xia Liuqing crossed her legs on the sofa: "He went back. He's a full-time employee of the company now, so he has to go back to take care of some business."

Cheng Mo's expression was strange... A full-time employee? Isn't he a temporary worker?

Xia He didn't care about any of that and pulled up a chair to sit down. "Let's talk about Wei Zhongxian. Grandpa Xia, do you have any news about him?"

Xia Liuqing tidied up the things on the table and spread out a hand-drawn map, which was covered with red and blue markings. The red ones were circles and the blue ones were lines. There were also words written in some places. The handwriting was messy, but it was still legible.

Xia Liuqing pointed to a red circle on the map: "Qian Wanli, or rather Wei Zhongxian, has been frequently in contact with three types of people recently."

He pointed to several red dots: "The first category is marginalized outcasts in local areas. These guys are not accepted by the mainstream and are dissatisfied with the status quo."

Xia He interjected, "Isn't this Quanxing?"

Xia Liuqing glared at her: "Nonsense. The Quanxing people have their own groups. Although they are not accepted by the mainstream, they are not dissatisfied with the status quo. Or rather, when they are dissatisfied with the status quo, they will deal with it themselves."

He paused, then moved his finger to a few blue dots: "However... he did have contact with members of the Quanxing."

Xia He laughed: "See? I told you so."

Xia Liuqing: "..."

Xia He pressed further, "Grandpa Xia, you found out about this through the Quanxing people, right?"

Xia Liuqing was silent for two seconds: "...More or less."

Xia He: "Then what are the other two types of people?"

Xia Liuqing pointed to several other marks on the map: "The second category is bankrupt small business owners. They are all losers who are eager to turn their lives around."

He took two photos out of the folder on the table and placed them on the table.

In the first photo, a man in a dark suit stands next to a black car, his hair slicked back.

The second photo shows a court seal affixed to a glass door that reads "Zhu Hong Building Materials Co., Ltd." The seal is white with a red stamp and has been torn in half.

Xia Liuqing pointed to the photo: "Zhu Hong used to be in the building materials business. Five years ago, he lost everything, his wife ran away, and creditors are blocking his door every day."

He pulled out another photo, showing him standing in front of a large truck, wearing a logistics company uniform: "Then, at the end of last year, everything suddenly turned around. Not only did they pay off their debts, but they also started a business again. Guess what they did?"

Cheng Mo leaned over for a look: "Isn't this a logistics company?"

"Yes." Xia Liuqing leaned back on the sofa. "The local partners of Na Du Tong are the ones who handle the last mile of Na Du Tong's sorting work."

Xia He frowned: "This doesn't make sense. If this person has a problem, wouldn't the company know?"

Xia Liuqing scoffed, "So what if we know? The company even sent people to monitor him for two months, but this person has no connection with Qian Wanli and is doing legitimate business. We can't really detain him, can we?"

Cheng Mo clicked his tongue twice: "See? The importance of legality. Knowing there are problems means you can't just do things haphazardly anymore, unlike you, old man."

Xia Liuqing's face darkened: "Hey, brat, don't expose someone's weaknesses."

"I hit people in the face, why would I care about this?" Cheng Mo said innocently.

Xia Liuqing: "..." She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Xia He patted Cheng Mo on the shoulder, bringing the topic back on track: "What about another type of person?"

Xia Liuqing took a breath and pointed to a few locations on the map: "The third category is a few retired local officials. Although they have retired, they still control some resources."

Xia He frowned: "I don't quite understand. Why did he hire these people? And how did he manage to do it? The company's business can be attributed to Qian Wanli's network within the company. How did these retired people manage to do it?"

Xia Liuqing leaned back on the sofa: "Help, I guess. Help A with his debts, help B pull strings, help C get jobs for his children, help D get hospital beds... basically this and that. I don't really know the specifics."

Cheng Mo calculated for a moment: "This will cost a lot of money, but it will definitely lead to a breakthrough through the collaboration between the company and the Economic Crime Investigation Department."

Xia Liuqing waved her hand: "It's not that simple. This is a network of personal connections, spanning multiple counties around Heng'an. Transportation companies, investment promotion agencies, and industry and commerce bureaus all have people with some approval authority or connections. If this were investigated, everyone would be involved in some kind of collusion. Who could possibly trace it back to them?"

Cheng Mo thought about it and realized that made sense. Since a special operation hadn't been launched yet, some problems were being covered up.

Xia Liuqing added, "Besides, how do you know they broke the law? Some things are within the rules, it's just a matter of how strict they are, and the degree of leniency is entirely in their control."

Xia He suddenly realized a blind spot: "Wait a minute, Grandpa Xia, such a network of connections can't be woven in just a few months. How long has it been since the Divine Armament project was initiated? How could it be so fast?"

Xia Liuqing chuckled twice: "I didn't say he did it after he was possessed."

Xia He and Cheng Mo exchanged a glance.

Xia He tentatively asked, "You mean... Qian Wanli started doing this a long time ago?"

Cheng Mo suddenly realized: "No wonder the fourth brother arranged for him to be Wei Zhongxian's divine weapon user; he had noticed him long ago."

Xia Liuqing nodded: "That should be the case... Anyway, he has already taken control of half of the grassroots resources in southern Hebei."

Cheng Mo said with great interest, "It seems that Wei Zhongxian's divine status is in a cooperative relationship with Qian Wanli, unlike Zhong Kui and Zhao Dezhu, who are like oil and water."

Xia He asked, "Grandpa Xia, do you have any other information?"

Xia Liuqing sat up straight: "Qian Wanli is hosting a dinner party in a place called Liulin Town under Zhang County. It's ostensibly a 'hometown gathering.' I've heard that the invitations have already been sent out, and quite a few people are expected to attend."

Cheng Mo asked, puzzled, "How do you know it was Qian Wanli who did it?"

"I'm not going to say anything more, Quanxing." Xia Liuqing leaned back on the sofa. With his legs crossed, Wei Zhongxian was contacting members of the Quanxing sect.

"What does he want to do?"

"How would I know?" Xia Liuqing shrugged.

Xia He looked at him with a smile: "Grandpa Xia, you should have managed to get the invitation by now, right?"

Xia Liuqing chuckled twice, pulled a folded red invitation card from his pocket, and patted it in his hand: "I had someone get one. What do you think? Your Master Xia has some skills, doesn't he?"

Cheng Mo gave a thumbs up: "That's why they say you're a renowned master of the Quanxing Sect."

Xia Liuqing stroked his beard, looking smug: "The gathering is in three days from now. You two will come with me then."

Cheng Mo asked, "Aren't you going to invite anyone from the company?"

"Why invite them?" Xia Liuqing put the invitation back in her pocket. "It's not even certain whether Qian Wanli will go. Besides, we need to handle things properly so the company will owe us a favor. That way, you two can ask for an exorbitant amount."

Cheng Mo and Xia He exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Okay."

The three of them discussed the details for a while and decided to set off early in the morning.