Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Chapter 323 Biyou Village Loses Its Freedom

Some of the transformed individuals began packing their belongings, preparing to leave.

A middle-aged man carrying an old canvas bag walked out of his residence.

Someone nearby asked him, "Old Zhang, what are you doing?"

Old Zhang didn't even turn his head: "The village chief is gone, what's the point of staying in this village? I'm going back to my hometown, I'll go do whatever I need to do."

"You've successfully transformed, huh? You're no longer cultivating here?"

Old Zhang glanced back at him, gave a wry smile, and said, "Cultivation? What kind of cultivation? At my age, what can I possibly achieve? I came here for the novelty, but now that the novelty has worn off, it's time to go back."

A few people nearby hesitated for a moment, then went back to pack their things.

More and more people are starting to pack their bags.

People came and went on the village road. Some carried bags, some carried sacks, and some pushed suitcases, walking in twos and threes toward the village entrance.

Among the upper-level practitioners, most are die-hard fans of Ma Xianhong, while a small number are controlled by Qu Tong.

Seeing the village in complete chaos, the die-hard followers were anxious. Some of them stepped forward to persuade the leader, saying that he would definitely return and that everyone should wait a little longer.

"Wait? How long? Give me a definite answer."

"Yeah, you think you can just come back like that? Who do you think you are?"

"Of course you people with advanced aptitude aren't in a hurry. You have food, drink, and shelter. What are we? Outsiders? Experiments?"

Several top-tier students were rendered speechless by the rebuttal.

They were angry, but they could hold back, since the cult leader had said that villagers were free to come and go and could not be forced to stay.

But Qu Tong's people aren't so easy to talk to.

A person dressed in black training clothes blocked the entrance: "No one is allowed to leave until the village chief returns."

"Why should I?" the man in the gray jacket scoffed. "What does your village chief's disappearance have to do with me? I'm not from your village. I came here voluntarily, and I'll leave voluntarily. Why are you stopping me?"

He had just taken a step when the person in the black training uniform reached out and blocked him, pushing him back several steps until he landed hard on his backside.

"You—you hit someone?"

"I didn't hit you." The man in the black training uniform still had the same expression. "I just wouldn't let you leave."

This caused an uproar.

"This is illegal detention!"

"Why can't we leave! We are free!"

The man in the gray jacket got up from the ground and pointed at the man in the black training uniform: "I'm telling you, this is illegal! I'm calling the police!"

He wore a black training uniform and remained expressionless.

The tall, thin man, his face flushed and neck bulging, shouted, "This is kidnapping! This is illegal detention! I'm going to sue you!"

The young man in the floral shirt fanned the flames from the sidelines: "I told you, it's a scam! They lure people in, lock them up, who knows what they're up to!"

Those who had successfully transformed stood aside, some watching the spectacle, some hesitating whether to leave, and some quietly taking a few steps toward the village entrance.

Several more people stood out from behind the man in the black training uniform, completely blocking the village entrance.

Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng squeezed through the crowd from the back.

Qiu Rang's face turned ashen as he walked up to the man in the black training uniform: "What are you doing? The sect leader said that villagers are free to come and go, and no one can force them to stay."

The man in the black training uniform glanced at him and said calmly, "Brother Qiu, the sect leader's whereabouts are currently unknown. If these people go out and spread rumors, Biyou Village will be exposed. Not only will the village be lost, but the sect leader's hard work will also be completely ruined."

Qiu Rang frowned: "We can't force them to stay."

The man in the black training uniform retorted, "Then what do you suggest? Send them out to call the police? Have the company people investigate? What if the village is gone before the cult leader returns? Are you going to take responsibility then?"

Qiu opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Ding Ziheng chimed in from the side, "Release them first, and we'll discuss everything when the leader returns."

The man in the black training uniform shook his head: "When will the leader return? In a day? In a month? In a year? Before that, no one can leave."

The man in the gray jacket charged at him again: "What gives you the right to make decisions for us? We're not from your village!"

The man in the black training uniform didn't even glance at him: "From now on, you are..."

Liu Wu Kui squeezed through the crowd and stood next to Qiu Rang, looking up at the black training uniform: "What you're doing is wrong! The sect leader said that to fall in love with reading, start with Coca-Cola novels... Everyone who came to Biyou Village did so voluntarily, and they can leave whenever they want. How are you any different from those bad people?"

The man in the black training uniform glanced down at her and said, "Little girl, don't meddle in adult matters."

Liu Wu Kui's face flushed red: "I'm not a little girl!"

Liu Hongzhong tugged at his sister's hand, signaling her to stop talking.

Liu Wu Kui shook off his hand, glaring at the black training uniform: "If you dare to lock someone up, I'll—I'll—"

The man in the black training uniform ignored her and turned to his men behind him, saying, "Keep an eye on the village entrance. Nobody is allowed to leave."

Qiu Rang grew anxious and stepped forward to stop him: "Zhao Zhi, listen to me—"

"Chou Rang," Old Black interrupted him in his training clothes, "I know you're soft-hearted, but listen to me this time. If the leader blames you when he comes back, I'll take the blame alone."

Before Qiu Rang could say anything more, several other talented people gathered around and started offering their advice.

"Brother Qiu, Old Zhao is right, we can't let these people leave now."

"Let's talk about it when the leader returns."

"If someone goes around spreading rumors, we're all finished."

Qiu Rang was so confused by what he was being said that he looked at this person and then at that person, finally sighed, and stepped aside.

Ding Ziheng also retreated, muttering under his breath, "What's going on here?"

Liu Wu Kui stomped his feet in anger, pulled Liu Hong Zhong back, and glared at Qiu Rang as they passed by.

Xia He watched this scene and clicked her tongue in amazement: "Little Taoist, you are really right. Human nature is so unpredictable. This has happened so soon after Village Chief Ma went missing. If Village Chief Ma had kicked the bucket, Biyou Village would have truly fallen apart."

Cheng Mo chuckled and said, "Isn't it over now? Unless Lao Ma comes back immediately, the seed of discord has already been planted, and it's not so easy to remove it."

Xia He sighed: "If Village Chief Ma finds out, he'll probably blame you to death."

Cheng Mo scoffed, "What Lao Ma thinks is unimportant. With his brain, tsk tsk."

The village was in complete chaos, with shouts, arguments, and attempts to mediate all mixed together, like a pot of boiling porridge.

Cheng Mo pulled Xia He and turned to leave, wanting to avoid seeing her and getting annoyed.

In the following days, the chaos in Biyou Village worsened day by day.

Ordinary people were restricted from entering and leaving the village. They could only move around in the village every day and could not leave. At first, some people made a fuss, but later they found that making a fuss was useless, so they quieted down. But everyone's eyes were filled with anger.

The group of top-tier members also split. One group supported Lao Zhao, believing that extraordinary measures were necessary in extraordinary times; the other group supported Qiu Rang, believing that the leader's rules could not be broken.

The two groups met without exchanging greetings, and the air was thick with tension.

After discussing it several times, Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng finally decided to ask Cheng Mo for help.

Cheng Mo was sunbathing in the yard. After hearing their request, he waved his hand and said, "This is your internal matter, and I can't interfere."

Qiu Rang grew anxious: "Brother Cheng, you can't just watch the village fall apart, can you?"

Cheng Mo shrugged: "I can't help it, I'm not from your Biyou Village."

Before Ding Ziheng could say anything more, Cheng Mo had already closed his eyes, as if to see him off.

The two had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

When Liu Wu Kui and his sister came to find Cheng Mo, Cheng Mo was eating oranges.

Liu Wu Kui asked Cheng Mo, "Brother Cheng, aren't you leaving?"

Cheng Mo shook his head: "I have something to do."

Liu Hongzhong asked, "Brother Cheng, do you know something?"

Cheng Mo shrugged: "I can only tell you that this matter is very troublesome. Anyway, Kui'er has not established a deep connection with Lao Ma, and you two do not owe Lao Ma any favors. You should leave as soon as possible and not linger."

Liu Wu Kui hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Liu Hong Zhong.

Liu Hongzhong, holding his sister's hand, bowed to Cheng Mo: "Thank you, Brother Cheng and Sister Xia. We'll take our leave now. Please take care."

Cheng Mo waved his hand: "Go ahead, go ahead."

When Liu Wu Kui and his sister left, someone at the village entrance stopped them.

Qiu Rang saw it from afar, ran over and said a few words, and the men in black training clothes made way, but still reminded them: "Don't tell anyone outside about what happened in Biyou Village."

Liu Hongzhong nodded: "Don't worry, we won't."

The brother and sister disappeared down the village road.