Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

The door to the solitary confinement cell opened, and Ma Xianhong walked out.

The sunlight felt warm and comforting on my face.

The company commander stood at the door of the solitary confinement cell, looking at him: "Are you going to run away again this time?"

Ma Xianhong shook his head: "I'm not running anymore."

The company commander stared at him for a few seconds, said nothing, and waved for the squad leader to take him back.

Back in his company, Ma Xianhong began to diligently train with the new recruits.

Morning morning exercises, daytime drills and physical training, evening political study.

His physical fitness was far superior to that of ordinary recruits. After a five-kilometer cross-country run, while others were panting heavily, he barely broke a sweat.

Do 100 push-ups in one go, 200 sit-ups, and 30 pull-ups.

The squad leader's eyes lit up when he saw his training results.

"You're in pretty good shape, kid."

Ma Xianhong ignored the squad leader. Of course, he was in good physical condition. Even without Qi, he had been practicing for more than 20 years, and his muscles and bones were much stronger than those of ordinary people.

But his goal wasn't to join the army; it was to find out what was going on and find an opportunity to escape.

During daytime training, he carefully observed the surrounding terrain.

The barracks were built in a valley, surrounded by mountains. The mountains were not high, but they were very dense, making it difficult to find them once they went deep into the mountains.

The wall is three meters high and has barbed wire on it, but in some places it has fallen into disrepair and the barbed wire is loose, so you can climb over it.

The sentries change shifts every two hours, with a few minutes' break between shifts.

He figured out the patrol routes; there were three in total, each route spaced fifteen minutes apart.

Ma Xianhong kept this information in mind and waited for the right opportunity.

That afternoon, after physical training ended, the new recruits walked towards the mess hall in twos and threes.

Ma Xianhong was walking at the back of the group when a young man with a buzz cut came over from the side and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm telling you, bro, you're pretty good."

Ma Xianhong turned to look at him.

The young man chuckled and said, "I got into a fight with the guards on my very first day here. I heard you tried to escape and got locked up for three days. My name is Chen Shouxin. Let's train together some more often. My old man said I should come to the army to toughen me up, saying I'm immature, saying I..."

Ma Xianhong paused for a moment, then asked again, "What's your surname?"

Chen Shouxin said, "Chen..."

Ma Xianhong grabbed his collar: "So you're the only one with the surname Cheng?!"

Caught off guard, Chen Shouxin was forced back two steps by the blow, looking completely bewildered: "What are you doing?"

Ma Xianhong landed his second punch.

Chen Shouxin realized what was happening, stepped aside, and blocked the attack with his hand.

The two started fighting on the playground.

The surrounding recruits gathered around to watch the spectacle, some shouting "Stop fighting!" and others shouting "Go for it!"

Chen Shouxin was in excellent physical condition and managed to hold his own against Ma Xianhong.

In the middle of the fight, Ma Xianhong suddenly stopped: "What did you just say your name was?"

Chen Shouxin: "...My name is Chen Shouxin, Chen Dongchen!"

Ma Xianhong took two steps back and bowed slightly: "Sorry, I hit the wrong person."

Chen Shouxin rubbed his stomach, not angry at all, but instead smiled and held out his hand: "I like your temper. What's your name?"

Ma Xianhong hesitated for a moment, then shook hands: "Ma Xianhong."

Just then, the company commander walked over, saw the two standing together, and asked, "Well, you've only just arrived and you're already causing trouble."

Chen Shouxin quickly explained, "Company Commander, we were just joking, we weren't really fighting."

Company Commander Zhao glared at him: "Are you kidding me? Would you really be shoving mud in your face like that?"

Chen Shouxin touched the mud stains on his face and smiled sheepishly.

"Each of you will be locked up for three days. Go."

Chen Shouxin patted Ma Xianhong on the shoulder: "Brother, we're destined to be together, even though we're in solitary confinement together."

Ma Xianhong: "..."

The two were confined for three days in adjacent rooms, unable to see each other but able to hear each other's voices.

Chen Shouxin was a chatterbox; even in solitary confinement, he wouldn't stop talking, chatting with Ma Xianhong through the wall.

"Old Ma, why did you join the army?"

"I told you, I was betrayed."

Who sold it?

"...a Taoist priest."

"A Taoist priest? There are still Taoist priests these days?"

"Yes, and it's quite impressive."

"How amazing?"

"One slap could knock me out."

Chen Shouxin laughed from next door: "Then you really can't beat him."

As Ma Xianhong leaned against the wall and listened to Chen Shouxin's voice, he suddenly realized that this guy surnamed Chen wasn't so bad after all.

After three days of confinement, the two returned to their unit.

Comrade Wang found Ma Xianhong again and asked him with a smile, "I heard you made the trip twice?"

Ma Xianhong nodded.

Comrade Wang: "Is it possible to escape?"

Ma Xianhong remained silent.

Comrade Wang chuckled: "This camp is surrounded by farmland. The nearest road is three kilometers away, and the nearest town is fifteen kilometers away. Even if you escape, without transportation, communication equipment, or money, how far could you go?"

Ma Xianhong remained silent.

Comrade Wang continued, "Besides, your Qi is currently suppressed, you can't use your magical artifacts, you're just an ordinary person with slightly better physical fitness. If you run away, we can find you in no time. Do you think that's interesting?"

Ma Xianhong was silent for a moment: "Then how long do you plan to keep me locked up?"

Comrade Wang said, "It's not that I'm locking you up, it's that I'm training you. Once you've passed the training, I'll release you naturally."

What does it mean to have passed training?

Comrade Wang took out a piece of paper with a few lines written on it: "Your formation is qualified, your physical fitness meets the standard, your discipline assessment is passed, and your ideological education is satisfactory. Once you pass all four, your blockade will be automatically lifted. At that time, you can stay or leave as you wish."

Ma Xianhong looked at the paper, then at Comrade Wang: "Who set the standards?"

Comrade Wang said, "It was decided from above."

Ma Xianhong took a deep breath, folded the paper, and put it in his pocket: "Okay, I'll practice."

Back in class, Ma Xianhong began to train seriously.

He still wanted to run, but not as urgently as before.

After each training session, he would take the opportunity to observe his surroundings.

But at the same time, he also began to notice something else.

For example, every morning during morning exercises, Liu Xiaojun from the next class always ran at the very back, but he never gave up and gritted his teeth to finish the whole course.

For example, during evening political study sessions, the squad leader would tell them stories of earthquake relief and rescue, saying that their company went to the disaster area for rescue last year, worked continuously for three days and three nights, and rescued more than twenty civilians. Two soldiers were so exhausted that they fainted on the ruins.

For example, during breaks, several new recruits would get together to play cards, and the loser would treat everyone to snacks from the convenience store. They would share the snacks, and no one would eat alone.

After lights out, the dormitory was plunged into darkness. Ma Xianhong lay on his hard bed, staring blankly at the upper bunk.

Chen Shouxin, in the next bed, turned over and asked in a low voice, "Old Ma, are you asleep?"

"no."

"I have something to tell you."

"explain."

"My dad wanted me to join the army, but I didn't want to. I argued with him and slammed the door and left. He shouted after me, saying, 'If you don't go, don't come back.'"

Ma Xianhong did not respond.

Chen Shouxin continued, "Later when I arrived, I found it wasn't so bad. It was tiring and tough, but being with the brothers felt pretty good." He paused, then added, "Old Ma, maybe your Taoist friend sold you here for your own good."

After a long silence, Ma Xianhong finally spoke: "Perhaps."

He rolled over, facing the wall, and closed his eyes.

Cheng Mo's face reappeared in my mind.

That grinning, stinky Taoist priest slapped him unconscious, stuffed him into a food bag, and handed him over to the military.

Ma Xianhong gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.

But after he finished cursing, he remembered another sentence Cheng Mo had said.

"Old Ma, you have to understand, the Extraordinary Ones are actually just like guns."

"Your abilities are only suitable for places where they won't disrupt social stability."

Ma Xianhong opened his eyes and looked at the wall.

Perhaps Cheng Mo is right.

Perhaps he really is too idealistic.

Perhaps he really needs to learn something in order to make good use of the Divine Refinement Hundredfold and to make the Self-Cultivation Furnace truly benefit people.

Maybe……

Ma Xianhong turned over, pulled the blanket up to his chin, and closed his eyes...