Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Several people sat down in the conference room.

Xu Si leaned back in his chair. He crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, and said, "Hey, young man from the Zhuge family, what have you discovered? Tell me."

Zhuge Qing sat opposite him, placing his backpack at his feet: "I need to know about your research first."

Xu Si laughed: "Oh, trying to negotiate? Tell me what you want to know first."

Zhuge Qing said, "Regarding everything you have studied about divinity."

Xu Si shook his head: "Those are all company secrets. It's inappropriate for an outsider like you to want to see everything right away, isn't it?"

Zhuge Qing said, "Well, I can't really say."

Xu Si flicked his cigarette ash: "Young man, now it's your turn to beg me."

Zhuge Qing said, "It is you who is begging me."

The two looked at each other.

Xu Si chuckled: "Tell me your findings first, and I'll decide how much to show you based on its value."

Zhuge Qing frowned: "This isn't fair. I obtained my information at my own risk, while your research is a company resource—"

Xu Si interrupted him: "Young man, you need to understand one thing. The place you're standing right now is Na Du Tong's territory. That Qian Wanli you just saw is one of our company's employees. If you don't want to cooperate, the door is over there. We won't see you out."

Zhuge Qing opened his mouth.

Xu Si continued, "Besides, your elders specifically called to ask us to keep an eye on you. If anything happens to you, we'll be responsible. So you either have to cooperate or go home."

Zhuge Qing paused for a few seconds, then said, "I can say part of it first."

Xu Si nodded: "Okay, go ahead."

Zhuge Qing said, "That fake Zhuge Liang is still alive."

Xia Liuqing was displeased and slammed her hand on the table: "Impossible! I saw him disappear with my own eyes!"

Zhuge Qing looked at Xia Liuqing: "What was attached to you back then was only a part; the original body left long ago."

The office was silent for a few seconds.

Xu Si leaned back in his chair, took a drag of his cigarette, and said, "You think I'm alive just because you say so? Where's the evidence?"

Zhuge Qing took out a stack of A4 papers from his backpack and flipped to a page in the middle: "The person who calls himself Zhuge Liang is not the real Zhuge Liang, nor is he a pure god. He is a personality born from faith and stories, and he needs the host's recognition to exist."

Xu Si didn't move.

Zhuge Qing pushed the paper forward again: "You'll know I'm not lying after you read it."

Xu Si then reached out, picked up the stack of papers, and turned the pages one by one.

His finger paused for a moment when he turned to the third page.

When he turned to the fifth page, he took the cigarette out of his mouth and sat up straight.

When he turned to the seventh page, he looked up and glanced at Zhuge Qing.

After turning the last page, he put the paper down and remained silent for a moment: "Was this written by that fake Zhuge Liang?"

Zhuge Qing nodded: "He wrote this when he possessed Liu Wenzhou's body. Liu Wenzhou is a descendant of the Liu family. He must have chosen this person intentionally."

Xu Si asked, "How can you prove that you didn't make this up yourself?"

Zhuge Qing said, "You can have someone authenticate the handwriting. The elders of the Zhuge family have studied their ancestors' manuscripts their whole lives, and they have confirmed that this is indeed Zhuge Liang's handwriting."

Xu Si picked up the landline on the table and dialed a number: "Old Liu, come over here for a moment."

A few minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing glasses, dressed in a white coat, walked in and carried a folder.

Xu Si handed him the stack of papers: "Analyze the handwriting and compare it with the ones Liu Wenzhou left behind before."

Old Liu took the paper, flipped through a couple of pages, and his eyes lit up: "This—"

"Go out and take a look," Xu Si waved his hand.

Old Liu nodded, took the paper, and went out.

Xu Si turned to Zhuge Qing: "Alright, your information is valuable. What do you want to know?"

Zhuge Qing said, "All the information on the Divine Armament."

Xu Si shook his head: "Impossible. I can only show you a part of it."

Zhuge Qing said, "Then I want to see the entire video recording of the experiment."

Xu Si thought for a moment and said, "Deal."

He turned on the projector, pulled up the video, and played it from beginning to end.

From the moment Liu Wenzhou donned his armor, to the burst of white light, to the empty laboratory, to Xu Si leading his men in, to that man raising his hand and shoving everyone away.

Zhuge Qing's expression remained unchanged after reading it.

Xu Si asked, "What did you figure out?"

Zhuge Qing said, "He never intended to leave in the first place. What was he waiting for by staying there?"

Xu Si put the cigarette back in his mouth: "Then why did he leave those notes? Why did he lure your Zhuge family to the old fortress? Was he trying to gain the family's support?"

Zhuge Qing shook his head: "He's just testing the waters. He's testing the Zhuge family's reaction speed and decryption capabilities, and based on that, he'll proceed to the next step."

He paused for a moment: "But in fact, I suspect that these things may not even have been done by that person."

Xu Si frowned: "Qian Wanli?"

Zhuge Qing nodded: "After seeing Lao Wei today, I feel even more strongly that he was the one who set up all of this, and that person's obsession is still hiding behind the scenes, observing everything and preparing for everything he wants."

Cheng Mo suddenly asked, "Does that thing learn things quickly?"

Zhuge Qing gave him a strange look and remained silent for two seconds.

"Very quickly. One page in the notebook was his notes on studying modern political theory. From Principles of Political Science to Public Administration, from Constitutional Law to International Relations Theory—during this period, he read at least a thousand books."

Xia Liuqing gasped, "Is this a human or a ghost?"

Xia Liuqing gasped, "Is this a human or a ghost?"

Zhuge Qing said, "It is neither human nor ghost, but simply an obsession. The deeper the obsession, the stronger the learning ability, because all the will is concentrated on one thing."

Xu Si flicked his cigarette ash: "Assuming your guesses are true, then what exactly is he trying to do?"

Zhuge Qing pulled out his notebook, turned to the last page, and read aloud: "The world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide. In this world, though there is no emperor, there are countless people. The hearts of the people are the mandate of heaven. If we can win the hearts of the people, why should we worry about the revival of the Han dynasty?"

Xia He's eyes widened: "He wouldn't want to be emperor, would he?"

Xia Liuqing snorted: "Are you out of your mind? Who the hell still believes in the emperor these days? Did he waste his education?"

He looked at Zhuge Qing suspiciously: "Little brat, this doesn't make any sense at all. If he really wanted to be emperor, why would he leave you this notebook?"

Zhuge Qing said calmly, "First of all, I didn't say he wanted to be emperor. Secondly, this manuscript was written when he was first possessed. His mind was confused at the time, so it's normal for him to record everything."

Xia Liuqing pointed to that page: "You pointed out this sentence, isn't that what it means?"

Xu Si waved his hand: "No matter what he's planning, we need to find him first."

He looked at Zhuge Qing: "Can you figure out where he is?"

Zhuge Qing shook his head: "I can't predict it. He's far stronger than me. But I can guess that he'll wait for the next activation of the divine weapon."

Xu Si asked, "Why?"

Zhuge Qing said, "Because only through divine armor can he obtain a complete physical body. He is currently just an obsession that needs to rely on a host. But if there is enough faith power, he can completely possess the host and obtain a real body."

Xu San suddenly spoke up: "Liu Wenzhou is a descendant of the Liu family. If Zhuge Liang wants to possess someone, he still has to do so through Liu Wenzhou."

Cheng Mo said, "If that's really the case, it's simple. You can just lock Liu Wenzhou up."

Xu Si said, "He's already been placed in the special care laboratory. But the question is—what does 'activating the divine weapon' mean?"

Zhuge Qing shook his head: "I don't know. I don't even know what the Divine Armament is. This is just the result of the divination."

Cheng Mo glanced at Xu Si and said, "Fourth brother, you're really something. You guys researched the divine weapon, and you're asking Xiao Qing about it."

Zhuge Qing's lips twitched: "...My name is Zhuge Qing, you can call me A Qing or I."

Cheng Mo said seriously, "Okay, Xiao Qing, no problem, Xiao Qing."

Zhuge Qing: "..."

Xu Si ignored Cheng Mo and asked Zhuge Qing, "Then can you calculate the exact activation time?"

Zhuge Qing closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, his face pale: "Within seven days, the exact time is uncertain, someone is interfering."

Xia He nudged Cheng Mo: "Little Taoist, he's faster than you."

Cheng Mo: "...That sounds weird."

Xu Si asked Zhuge Qing, "Was it deliberate interference? Qian Wanli?"

Zhuge Qing shook his head: "It wasn't Lao Wei, it was that person himself. He set up layers of interference in the inner realm, so I could only calculate the approximate range."

He paused, then asked Xu Si, "May I go see that Liu Wenzhou?"

Xu Si thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll make the arrangements."

Cheng Mo raised his hand: "I'll go take a look too."

Xia He raised her hand.

Xia Liuqing thought for a moment and said, "Count me in."

Sometimes, things take an unexpected turn.

Xu Si had just arranged a place and was about to go when someone pushed the door open and whispered a few words in Xu Si's ear.

After everyone left, Xu Si's face darkened: "Liu Wenzhou is unconscious."

Zhuge Qing stood up: "Then we should definitely go and take a look. It's very likely related to that person."

Xia Liuqing's face darkened. Wasn't this just saying that his previous actions had been completely ineffective? He had been completely made a fool of.

Xu Si didn't say anything, but arranged for someone to drive over.