Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

When Naruhu arrived in Xiangfan with two of his men, it was the afternoon of the following day.

Old Zhou picked someone up at the station and respectfully greeted him, "Brother Tiger."

Na Ruhu nodded: "Has everything been arranged with Lao Xia?"

"It's all arranged," Old Zhou said. "I have dinner plans for tonight."

Na Ruhu grunted in agreement and got into the car.

The car drove out of the station and merged into the traffic.

Ru Hu leaned back in the back seat with his eyes closed.

"Cheng Mo is here too?"

"Yes." Old Zhou glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "I also made plans with them tonight."

Ru Hu didn't say anything more.

……

That evening, at the same restaurant, in the same private room.

This time there were more people—Xia Weidong and his wife, Xia He, Cheng Mo, Lao Zhou, plus Na Ruhu, making six people in total.

Old Zhou introduced to everyone: "This is a friend of mine from headquarters, surnamed Na. He came to Xiangfan on some business and just wanted to get together."

Ru Hu was wearing a dark gray casual suit and sneakers, which looked mismatched yet very approachable.

He nodded to everyone with a friendly smile: "Brother Xia, sister-in-law, sorry to bother you."

Old Xia smiled and nodded: "Hello, sir, welcome to Xiangfan."

Cheng Mo could tell at a glance that this guy had a very well-controlled aura.

He's not an ordinary superhuman; he's a true master.

His surname is Na.

Xigu Pavilion.

Na Ruhu, one of the Ten Elders, is the owner of the Ancient Absorption Pavilion.

A top master of the Chai school of external martial arts.

interesting.

Cheng Mo is really interested now.

What benefits did Chen Jinkui offer that made Ru Hu personally make the trip?

Ru Hu was also sizing up Cheng Mo.

The young man looked ordinary, but his eyes were so clear, like mountain spring water.

They were simply ordinary people untouched by worldly corruption.

Their eyes met, and they both smiled.

At the dinner table, Ru Hu didn't talk much, mainly listening to Lao Zhou and Lao Xia chat.

Old Xia was in high spirits today, and he pulled Old Zhou aside to talk about a book he had recently read, written by an old expert on the identification of ancient jade.

"That book says that to authenticate ancient jade, you need to look at the 'patina'," Old Xia gestured. "Genuine ancient jade has been buried in the soil for hundreds or thousands of years, and the color will seep in, forming that natural patina. Fake jade, on the other hand, is all made by biting it with acid, so it looks unnatural."

Old Zhou nodded: "Brother Xia, you've made great progress. But patina is something that's easy to make, but difficult to make. Some high-quality fakes can even fool veteran experts."

"What should we do then?"

Old Zhou picked up his chopsticks, dipped them in tea, and drew a circle on the table. "The patina is one aspect, but there's also the shape, the patterns, the carving, and the quality of the jade. Only by combining all these factors can you make a more accurate judgment. If you only look at one aspect, it's easy to be deceived."

Old Xia nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Liu Yuping chimed in from the side, "Your mind is full of antiques now, you hardly care about anything at the factory anymore."

Old Xia said, "The factory manager is in charge, so I don't need to worry about it."

Liu Yuping said, "You're just being lazy."

Old Xia chuckled.

Old Zhou chimed in, "Brother Xia's shoe factory has a very good reputation around here. I know several people in the shoe business, and they all say that Brother Xia's products are of good quality."

Old Xia waved his hand: "Not at all, it's just a small business."

Old Zhou suddenly changed the subject to Na Ruhu: "Brother Na, don't you also collect things? Tell us about it."

This was what Ru Hu instructed Lao Zhou to do: before the banquet ended, the conversation had to be steered towards him.

Na Ruhu waved his hand: "My little bit of stuff is not worth mentioning."

"You're too modest, brother," Old Zhou said with a smile. "I've been eyeing your snuff bottle made by Emperor Qianlong for a long time."

Na Ruhu smiled and said, "That item isn't mine; I received it for a friend."

"You've handled those too, so tell us about the intricacies of that snuff bottle?"

Na Ruhu glanced at Cheng Mo and said with a smile, "That snuff bottle was made by the Imperial Workshop during the Qianlong period. It has a glass body and is decorated with enamel. It is painted with a 'Hundred Children' design."

He explained slowly, "To authenticate this kind of court artifact, there are two main points to consider. First, the craftsmanship must be impeccable. Second, the provenance; items of this caliber must have a clear record of their transmission. If not, it's most likely a fake."

He sighed as he spoke, "Back then, only royalty could use such things, but now ordinary people like us can easily play with them."

Old Xia listened intently: "So, brother, how much did that snuff bottle sell for later?"

Na Ruhu smiled and said, "My friend took it back and kept it safe."

"What a pity," Old Xia sighed.

Cheng Mo suddenly spoke up: "Old Na, what do you think of the current antique reproduction techniques?"

Na Ruhu finally looked Cheng Mo in the eye seriously: "There's nothing wrong with the antique craftsmanship itself; good replicas are a continuation of traditional craftsmanship. The problem lies in people's minds—but if you clearly state that it's a replica and the price is fair, then it's legitimate business."

Cheng Mo nodded: "Old Na's words are interesting."

The two looked at each other and then smiled.

After the meal, Lao Xia insisted on paying the bill, and everyone left the restaurant.

Suddenly, Ru Hu called out to Cheng Mo, "Brother Cheng, may I speak to you in private?"

Xia He immediately took Cheng Mo's arm and said to her parents, "Dad, Mom, you should go back first."

Old Xia wanted to say something more, but Liu Yuping pulled him away: "Young people have their own things to say."

At Ruhu's signal, Lao Zhou also took his leave.

There were only three people left at the restaurant entrance.

Ru Hu cut to the chase: "Master Cheng, what is your relationship with Chen Jinkui?"

Cheng Mo raised an eyebrow: "Chen Jinkui ordered someone to kidnap my junior sister a while ago, but it didn't work."

Ru Hu's expression remained unchanged.

That old fox Chen Jinkui, as expected, offended someone first before trying to make amends with "protection".

"So, Ah Hu, what about you?" Cheng Mo asked with a smile, "What's your relationship with Chen Jinkui?"

Na Ruhu didn't react much to his title, only saying, "Xigu Pavilion has business dealings with the Shuzi Sect."

"And this time?"

Na Ruhu bluntly stated, "Originally, I just wanted to see who Chen Jinkui should be wary of, but now..."

Cheng Mo looked at him.

Na Ruhu clasped his hands in greeting: "Master Cheng, I would like to spar with you."

A night breeze blows, causing the lanterns in the small shop to sway and cast flickering shadows.

Cheng Mo smiled.

This Naruhu is quite a straightforward person.

"it is good."

Xia He immediately perked up: "Over there, there's a riverbank over there. Nobody ever fishes there, it's the perfect spot for a fight."

Cheng Mo squeezed her hand: "You really enjoy watching me fight? You might not win this time."

"Hehe." Xia He tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek. "I believe you, little Taoist priest."

Na Ruhu nodded: "I'll trouble Miss Xia to lead the way."

The three walked along the old street toward the river. The streetlights cast long shadows of the three people.

After walking for about twenty minutes, we arrived at the riverbank.

This is a bend in the Han River, where the current is gentle and the riverbed is covered with pebbles of all sizes, smoothed and rounded by the river. The moonlight shines on the river surface, breaking into pieces of silvery white.

Naru took off his coat and draped it over a large rock next to him. He stretched his shoulders, and his joints made a slight cracking sound.

Cheng Mo stood opposite him, her hands hanging naturally at her sides.

"Master Cheng, let's stop here."

"Hurrah."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ru Hu took a step forward, leaving a shallow crater in the ground, and his fist went straight for Cheng Mo's chest.

A series of array patterns flashed beneath Cheng Mo's feet, and an earthen wall rose from the ground.

The tiger-like fist slammed into the earthen wall, causing it to shatter like paper, sending chunks of earth flying everywhere.

But Cheng Mo was no longer there.

He appeared to the left of the tiger-like creature, his hands forming a hand seal, and a column of water rose from the ground, wrapping around the tiger's waist.

As the tiger turned around, it punched the water column, which exploded and turned into a cloud of water mist.

Before the mist had even dissipated, five fireballs shot out from it, heading straight for the tiger-like face.

The tiger neither dodged nor avoided, but simply blocked with both hands in front of him. The fireball struck his arm, exploded, and sparks flew everywhere.

The skin on his arm gleamed with a metallic sheen, and the fireball didn't even leave a mark on it.

The tiger-like creature swung its fists repeatedly, one punch after another, shattering all the fireballs. Sparks fell to the ground, burning several black spots on the pebbles.

As the tiger continued its charge, its fist slammed towards Cheng Mo, and the ground beneath its feet suddenly softened.

quicksand.

Naruhu glanced down, stomped his feet, and leaped out of the quicksand into the air.

Several wind blades flew from Cheng Mo's fingertips, slicing through Ru Hu's body with a crisp clanging sound, like cutting through an iron plate.

Not even a white mark was left on its tiger-like skin.

Cheng Mo made a hand seal again.

The ground cracked open, and soil surged towards the tiger like a river. At the same time, wind pressure descended from above, wind blades blocked its sides, and water columns surrounded it from behind.

Four techniques, four directions, sealing off all escape routes.

As the tiger took a deep breath, its muscles tensed suddenly, and a faint golden sheen appeared on its skin.

The mud surged to his feet, but he stepped on it, and the mudslide was abruptly stopped, splitting into two streams that flowed past him.

The wind blades sliced ​​through him, producing a crisp metallic clang, and shattered completely.

The water jet hit his back and exploded into a mist.

As the wind pressure came down, he raised his hand to brace himself against it.

Cheng Mo exclaimed "Oh!"

This level of defense is a bit outrageous.

As Ruhu withstood the four layers of magic, he walked step by step toward Cheng Mo, leaving a deep footprint on the riverbank with each step, crushing the pebbles under his feet.

He walked up to Cheng Mo and threw a punch.

An earthen wall rose in front of Cheng Mo. He slammed his fist into the wall, causing it to explode. But behind the wall was a curtain of water. His fist passed through the water curtain, but his speed slowed down slightly. Behind the water curtain was a wind barrier.

Triple defense, weakening the enemy layer by layer.

By the time the fist reached Cheng Mo's face, most of its force had already dissipated.

Cheng Mo dodged back and stood on a rock: "Ah Hu, that's enough, okay? Want to fight again?"

As the tiger took a deep breath, its aura suddenly surged.

A pale golden light emanated from his skin, clearly visible in the moonlight. The surrounding air was stirred by this aura, forming a visible vortex. The pebbles beneath his feet could not withstand the pressure and cracked, with fissures extending outwards from his feet.

"Master Cheng, I'm going to get serious now."

Cheng Mo said calmly, "Come on."

"Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain" is currently being serialized on Cola Novels and is not to be missed!