Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Cheng Mo and Xia He returned to the courtyard.

Xia He sat on the stone bench, legs crossed: "Looks like Qu Tong didn't come."

Cheng Mo sat down next to her: "They might have arrived, realized something was wrong, and left first."

"Possibly. That old fox is definitely very cautious." Xia He thought for a moment, then asked, "So what's the next step?"

Cheng Mo: "Wait two days, wake all these people up, and see how Qu Tong's people react."

Xia He asked, "What if she never comes?"

Cheng Mo punched the air: "Then I'll find a safe place for Old Ma so he can focus on refining weapons and slowly recover his memories."

Xia He nodded: "Okay, then let's wait."

Two days later.

Cheng Mo stood in the center of the courtyard, made a hand seal, and flicked his wrist lightly.

An invisible ripple spread from his fingertips, sweeping across the entire village.

One by one, the people lying on the ground opened their eyes.

The first to wake up were those few with superior aptitude. They rubbed their heads and sat up, their eyes blank.

The onlookers also sat up, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Finally, those people sent by Qu Tong were slower to react and had more vacant eyes after waking up than the others.

Some people feel like they've had a dream.

In my dream, I was practically a superhero, capable of moving mountains and filling seas with ease.

But now they've woken up from their dream. They're still ordinary people, even weaker and more lost than others because they haven't eaten for days.

That sense of loss felt like a knife, cutting into my heart again and again.

Some people started pounding the ground, some started pulling their hair, and some simply lay down on the ground and didn't move.

A man in his early thirties stood up and staggered toward the village entrance.

Qiu Rang grabbed him: "Given your current physical condition, you can't go very far."

The man shook off his hand, his voice hoarse: "If I can't walk, I'll crawl; if I can't crawl, I'll die. Anyway, there's no point in living."

Qiu Rang quickly grabbed him: "No, no, no, brother, don't do anything rash."

Ding Ziheng also ran over and pulled the man from the other side: "Yes, yes, don't do anything rash, we can talk things over."

The man couldn't break free and squatted on the ground, crying, "What's the point of my life... I can't even support myself... My wife ran off with someone else... My children don't recognize me... I came here hoping to become an Outcast and start over... And what happened... And what happened..."

Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng exchanged a glance, neither knowing what to say.

All they could do was squat down, pat the man's back, and say over and over again, "It's okay," "It will be alright."

Similar situations are playing out all over the village.

Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng were so busy they were practically running around trying to persuade one person or pull another; their lips were practically worn out from talking so much.

That evening, the two of them slumped down in front of the Xiu Shen Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine clinic), both looking much thinner.

Looking at the stars in the sky, Qiu Rang said weakly, "If the leader doesn't come back soon, Biyou Village will really be finished."

Ding Ziheng opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

The two remained silent for a long time.

……

Xia He understood Cheng Mo's method from their reactions: "Little Taoist, you've pulled them all into the inner realm, haven't you?"

Cheng Mo nodded: "More or less, but it's not like we pulled them in. We just opened a small door for them so they can wake them up at any time."

Xia He nodded, indicating that she understood.

Soon, another small-scale disturbance occurred in Biyou Village.

The conflict started when Qu Tong's people clashed with the people of Biyou Village.

To be precise, it was a conflict between Qu Tong's people and Qu Tong's people.

Here's the thing -

After waking up, a man in a black jacket (one of Qu Tong's men) discovered that his magical artifact was missing and suspected that a man in a gray hoodie (also one of Qu Tong's men) next to him had stolen it.

The two started arguing.

They started arguing and then came to blows.

Just as Qiu Rang was about to step forward to dissuade them, both sides stopped because they realized that the other side was one of their own.

Qiu Rang covered his forehead, not wanting to speak anymore.

Ding Ziheng muttered under his breath, "What's going on here?"

After the farce ended, Qu Tong's people found a secluded corner and used a communication device to contact Qu Tong.

"President, we fell unconscious after entering the village and didn't wake up until two days later."

Qu Tong calmly asked, "Ma Xianhong or Cheng Mo?"

"I heard it was Cheng Mo," the subordinate said in a low voice. "Everyone in the village is saying that he knocked everyone unconscious by himself."

Qu Tong fell silent.

She had long known that Cheng Mo was exceptionally strong, but she hadn't expected him to be this powerful.

Moreover, he helped Ma Xianhong improve the Body Refining Furnace, which means he mastered the Divine Hundred Refinements.

People like that are a real pain.

Qu Tong asked her subordinate Cheng Mo what he was doing, and the reply was that he was practicing martial arts and flirting, flirting in the woods...

Qu Tong: "..."

Never mind, Cheng Mo isn't the focus right now; the key is Ma Xianhong.

So she asked, "Where is Ma Xianhong?"

The subordinate said, "He hasn't shown up yet. Everyone in the village is looking for him. Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng are almost frantic with worry."

Qu Tong hung up the phone, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.

She couldn't help but wonder if Ma Xianhong had been imprisoned by Cheng Mo in some unknown place.

But why?

Based on the information we have so far, Cheng Mo and Ma Xianhong have an excellent relationship and work together seamlessly. Cheng Mo even helped Ma Xianhong improve the modular structure of the Body Cultivation Furnace.

Could it be that they know I exist?

But I should be a very close person to Ma Xianhong, not Cheng Mo...

wrong.

Qu Tong opened her eyes.

Cheng Mo may have discovered the problem with Ma Xianhong's memory.

If that's the case, then it's even more troublesome.

I've heard that Cheng Mo also possesses unique sorcerer abilities, including the ability to predict the past and future.

If he could deduce his methods and then help Ma Xianhong escape control...

Qu Tong tapped her fingers on the table a few times.

She really wanted to go to Biyou Village again to personally confirm Ma Xianhong's whereabouts.

But that sense of crisis from last time couldn't be faked.

Qu Tong is very confident in her intuition, and this sense of crisis has saved her many times.

Qu Tong stood up, walked to the window, looked at the night view outside, picked up the communication device, and gave instructions to her subordinates in Biyou Village.

"Everyone, remain silent, do not attract attention, observe the surroundings, find Ma Xianhong's whereabouts as soon as possible, do not clash with Cheng Mo, do not reveal your identities, and report any news immediately."

"clear."

Qu Tong put down the ritual implements and closed her eyes.

We cannot take direct action now; observation is the best approach.

……

Biyou Village.

Cheng Mo was lying on a recliner in the courtyard, pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed.

Xia He was peeling peanuts nearby, eating them one by one, leaving peanut shells scattered all over the ground.

His ears suddenly twitched, and his Qi sense detected a fluctuation of a certain frequency.

Qu Tong's people have made contact with the outside world.

"Remain silent...don't attract attention...observe...don't clash with Cheng Mo..."

Cheng Mo snatched the peanuts Xia He had peeled, stuffed them into his mouth, chewed them twice, and swallowed them.

Xia He: "Little Taoist priest, what are you doing?"

"Sister Ma isn't coming."

Xia He raised her hand to hit him but lowered it: "You're chickening out already?"

Cheng Mo took his phone out of his pocket.

Xia He glanced at him: "What?"

"Give the old man a call."

Cheng Mo found Cheng Shou's number and dialed it.

beep-

connected.

"Hey, brat, what's up?" Cheng Shou's voice came through the receiver, with the sound of a television in the background and a woman's voice crying out, "How could you do this to me?"

Cheng Mo's lips twitched: "Master, are you watching another melodramatic soap opera?"

"This is called a drama!" Cheng Shou's voice rose half an octave. "Don't interrupt, get to the point."

Cheng Mo cleared his throat: "Master, I'd like to ask, are any of your old comrades from when you went to war still alive?"

Cheng Shou instantly understood Cheng Mo's meaning and asked him in return, "What, you don't trust All-Access?"

"This matter is very troublesome." Cheng Mo carefully chose his words. "If it is successful, it will benefit the entire country of China, but if something goes wrong, NaDuTong will definitely not be able to bear the consequences."

The TV volume on Cheng Shou's side suddenly went down; he probably turned it down.

"Please tell me the specifics first."

Cheng Mo looked around and lowered his voice: "You'd better find a completely safe place, and I'll explain it to you in detail."

"Wait a minute."

The phone hangs up.