Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Qiu Rang's expression became complicated.

He was both happy and sad, the two emotions alternating on his face, finally forming a very awkward expression.

"Of course there are," Qiu Rang sighed, "but the proportion is very small, and almost all the losers suffer physical breakdowns."

Ding Ziheng also sighed: "The sect leader has maximized the effectiveness of the Body Refinement Furnace, but it still fails occasionally. Every time it fails, the sect leader is sad for several days."

Cheng Mo asked, "Do the others know the consequences of failure?"

"Of course I know, the leader has never hidden anything." Qiu Rang nodded. "The leader explains the risks and success rates clearly to everyone who comes to Biyou Village, letting them decide for themselves."

Cheng Mo thought for a moment and then said nothing more.

Now that most of the people in the village have been reformed, there's no point in dwelling on it anymore.

He said to the two of them, "Take me to see Old Ma. I've missed him quite a bit since I last saw him."

Qiu Rang turned around and led the way.

Ding Ziheng leaned close to Cheng Mo's ear and whispered, "Brother Cheng, I've got some game. How about you cook it? Don't tell anyone else."

Cheng Mo was shocked: "Old Ding, you want to eat it all by yourself?"

Qiu Rang turned his head with an unfriendly expression and stared at Ding Ziheng.

Ding Ziheng waved his hands repeatedly, lowering his voice even further: "I mean, let's eat at the leader's place, don't tell anyone else, there won't be enough to go around."

Qiu Rang's expression softened, and he nodded in satisfaction: "Yes, that's what I meant too."

Cheng Mo laughed: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The three quickened their pace and headed deeper into the village.

Xia He asked curiously, "What kind of wild game?"

Ding Ziheng said mysteriously, "You'll find out when the time comes."

……

Cheng Mo spotted the body-refining furnace at a glance.

The thing looked even bigger than before, with all sorts of pipes and gears crisscrossing it. However, all the components were assembled according to the modular structure he designed when he left last time, which should make disassembly and maintenance much easier.

But the most crucial position...

Cheng Mo frowned.

It was a closed metal cabin, its surface covered with densely packed runes, with a faint glow flowing between them.

Cheng Mo could sense that there was something inside.

Just as Cheng Mo was about to go closer to take a look, he heard a series of hurried footsteps beside him.

"Brother Cheng! Miss Xia!"

Ma Xianhong strode in from outside, looking pleasantly surprised. His hair was a little messy, and he had dark circles under his eyes, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

"What brings you here?" Ma Xianhong walked over and patted Cheng Mo on the shoulder.

Cheng Mo looked at Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng with a puzzled expression.

The two were also quite puzzled.

Qiu Rang scratched his head: "Hey, Master, didn't Little Liu come to tell you?"

Ma Xianhong was taken aback: "Huh? Didn't he say a brother and sister were coming?"

Cheng Mo and Xia He exchanged a glance.

Then the two of them pointed at each other at the same time.

Xia He said, "Where do you see that she's younger than me?"

Cheng Mo said, "Where do you see that he's older than me?"

Ma Xianhong: "...?"

Qiu Rang: "...You two are so particular about this?"

Cheng Mo said seriously, "Of course, this concerns my older brother and sister."

Xia He rolled her eyes: "When did I ever call you 'brother'?"

Cheng Mo grinned and said, "You can call me now."

Xia He chuckled twice: "Dream on."

Qiu Rang coughed twice and interjected, "Um, Master, what siblings is he talking about? Only the Cheng brothers came to our village today, no one else came in."

Ma Xianhong frowned: "Hmm?"

He suddenly slapped his forehead: "Oh dear, I've been so busy modifying the body-repairing furnace these past few days that I've been completely confused. Wu Kui and the other guy arrived yesterday."

Ding Ziheng reminded him, "Master, you're mistaken. Wu Kui and his sister came the day before yesterday."

Ma Xianhong glanced at the sky: "The day before yesterday?"

Qiu Rang nodded firmly: "Yes, the day before yesterday, I remember we had braised pork for lunch that day, and Wu Kui ate two bowls of rice."

Ma Xianhong: "...Oh."

Cheng Mo stretched out both hands, poking Qiu Rang with one hand and Ding Ziheng with the other: "Hey, is Old Ma getting dementia?"

Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng exchanged a glance and sighed in unison, "Alas."

Ma Xianhong's face darkened: "I can hear you!"

Cheng Mo: "Then how come you got the date wrong?"

Qiu Rang chimed in, "That's right, Master. We can't ignore our illnesses and avoid seeking medical help. I've heard that early control of Alzheimer's disease can delay its onset."

Ding Ziheng chimed in, "Yes, yes, I specifically consulted a top-tier hospital in Qianyang, and they said that since you're still young, there's a possibility of it being controlled early and even cured."

Cheng Mo glanced at Ding Ziheng and said, "You're kidding, right? That thing is irreversible."

Xia He nodded: "Yes, that's right. My grandfather died from this disease. It took him three years from diagnosis to death. There was no cure at all."

Ma Xianhong's face turned from black to purple: "That's enough! I just didn't pay attention to the changing weather!"

Cheng Mo stepped forward and hooked his arm around Ma Xianhong's neck: "Come on, come on, I have a really good treatment method here."

Ma Xianhong looked bewildered: "What—"

boom.

Cheng Mo's fist slammed directly into Ma Xianhong's forehead.

Ma Xianhong didn't even react; his eyes rolled back, and he went limp.

Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng were shocked: "Cheng Mo! What are you doing?!"

"Let him get some rest." Cheng Mo carried Ma Xianhong into the house. "I just checked, and Old Ma is overworked and his health is failing."

"Let him get some rest." Cheng Mo carried Ma Xianhong into the house. "I just checked, and Old Ma is overworked and his health is failing."

Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng quickly followed, wanting to take over their leader.

Cheng Mo waved his hand, took two steps back into the house, and placed Ma Xianhong on the bed.

The two then stepped forward to check and confirmed that Ma Xianhong had simply fallen into a deep sleep, was breathing steadily, had a normal heartbeat, and was otherwise fine.

Qiu Rang turned around and complained, "Brother Cheng, you should have given us a hint before you made your move."

Ding Ziheng also said, "That's right, it wouldn't be good if we impulsively started fighting."

Cheng Mo waved his hand: "There's nothing wrong with it. It'll only take two punches to take care of the two of you."

Xia He: "Pfft."

Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng: "..."

Ding Ziheng rubbed his nose: "While what he said is true, it still sounds quite hurtful to one's self-esteem."

Chou Rang retorted defiantly, "Brother Cheng, don't underestimate me. I've developed several new magical artifacts. If used together, you might not be able to knock me out in three seconds."

Ding Ziheng glanced at him sideways: "You could at least speak for five seconds."

Qiu Rang thought for a moment and said seriously, "You're just bragging in five seconds."

Cheng Mo: "Three seconds is also bragging."

Qiu Rang: "...Ahem."

He coughed twice and changed the subject: "Well, Brother Cheng, you should give the leader a thorough check-up. He's been so busy lately that he's forgotten everything else."

Ding Ziheng seconded, "Yes, yes, I originally prepared that wild game to nourish the leader's body."

Cheng Mo's expression turned serious: "Before that, I want to confirm something."

Ding Ziheng and Qiu Rang asked simultaneously, "What?"

Cheng Mo walked towards the cultivation furnace, pointing to the core: "Did Old Ma modify this thing himself?"

Ding Ziheng answered without hesitation: "Yes, the core was created by the cult leader himself."

Qiu Rang joked, "Brother Cheng, aren't you envious? Hehe, this will definitely help you get your Qi flow right."

Cheng Mo waved his hand: "I already have Qi perception, I don't need this thing, and I wouldn't dare to use it."

Qiu Rang asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this?"

Cheng Mo kept a close eye on their expressions.

When discussing the core of this body-cultivating furnace, neither of them showed any other emotion; their eyes remained normal, their expressions natural, and their breathing steady.

They seem to genuinely believe that this core was something designed by Ma Xianhong himself.

But Cheng Mo approached and sensed it.

Inside that enclosed metal compartment, there was a lump of meat.

It wasn't metal, it wasn't a part, it was a lump of living flesh.

The lump of meat was covered with the pathways for the flow of Qi, each pathway complete and intricate.

This is just a deformed monster that Qu Tong created with her double-handed methods.

Nausea.

That's absolutely disgusting.

Cheng Mo took a deep breath to suppress the nausea.

He thought about it for a moment, but decided not to directly ask Qiu Rang and the other person about Qu Tong.

That woman is so vicious; she probably set up keywords that would trigger suicide.

This matter needs to be considered carefully—first, we need to help Lao Ma get his health back in order.

Life, life, you must first have life before you can talk about sex.