Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Chapter 332 Lü Liang's Wanderings

After leaving Lüjia Village, Lü Liang walked alone on the mountain road, the night wind making him feel cold all over.

As dawn approached, he sat on a rock, panting heavily.

He had never left the area of ​​Lüjia Village since birth, and the outside world was completely unfamiliar to him.

He didn't know where to go, who to look for, or what to do.

All he knew was that he couldn't go back.

If Xiao Huan really is dead...

Lü Liang dared not think any further.

He squatted by the roadside, holding his head, and tears streamed down his face again.

After crying for a long time, Lü Liang got up and touched his pocket. He still had a few hundred yuan left, which was the New Year's money his grandfather had given him, which he hadn't spent.

He flagged down a minibus on the roadside to the county town, and once there, he boarded a train to the provincial capital.

The train was crowded. Lü Liang huddled in his seat, watching the scenery rushing past the window, his mind a complete mess.

Upon arriving in the provincial capital, he got off the train and stood at the exit, looking at the bustling square, feeling lost and helpless.

He found a direction and wandered aimlessly along the street. The streets of the provincial capital were much wider, the buildings were much taller, and there were many more cars than in the county town. Lü Liang was dazzled by the sight and almost got hit by an electric scooter.

"Can't you watch where you're going?" the man on the electric scooter cursed, then sped away.

Lu Liang shrank his neck and continued walking. After walking for about half an hour, he got hungry and went into a noodle shop he saw by the roadside.

The noodle shop had five or six tables, and the menu was posted on the wall with prices written in red on white paper.

Lu Liang looked around and saw that the cheapest option was vegetarian noodles, which cost four yuan a bowl, so he ordered one.

The noodles were served in a thin broth with a few green vegetable leaves floating on top.

Lü Liang picked up his chopsticks and started eating, slurping loudly, and even drank all the soup.

After finishing his noodles, Lü Liang sat in a chair, unsure of where to go.

While he was still in a daze, someone sat down in the chair next to him.

Lu Liang turned his head and saw a middle-aged man, around forty years old, wearing a dark blue jacket, with neatly combed hair, who looked quite kind.

The middle-aged man smiled and asked, "You're from the Lü family, right? I think I saw you when I visited the village last time."

Lu Liang's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to run.

The middle-aged man reached out and pressed down on his shoulder: "What's wrong? Did you have a fight with your family?"

Lü Liang shook his head repeatedly.

The middle-aged man didn't ask any questions. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, put one in his mouth, and then took out a lighter to light it.

He took a drag and exhaled a puff of white smoke. "My surname is Shen. You can call me Uncle Shen. If you don't want to go home, you can come to my place first. I have an antique shop. How about you do something for me?"

Lü Liang stared at him for a few seconds: "Why did you help me?"

Boss Shen chuckled twice, holding the cigarette between his fingers: "Because you're from the Lü family."

Lu Liang thought to himself: If you knew how I got out of the Lu family, you probably wouldn't say that.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Boss Shen continued, "I need someone to help out at my shop. Sweeping the floor, dusting, serving tea and water—all easy jobs. Room and board included, and I'll give you a thousand yuan a month for pocket money. How about it?"

Lu Liang thought for a moment. He really had nowhere to go and no money. The Boss Shen in front of him didn't seem like a bad person, at least not someone who was eager to harm him.

"Okay." Lü Liang nodded and followed Boss Shen out of the noodle shop and into a black sedan.

After driving for more than twenty minutes, the car stopped on the side of an old street. Most of the shops on both sides of the street sold antiques, with signs that read "XX Pavilion", "XX Studio" or "XX Pavilion". Some of them even had stone lions placed at their entrances.

Mr. Shen's shop is located in the middle of the street. A wooden plaque hangs above the door with the words "Juzhentang" written on it. Inside the door is the counter, and behind the counter are shelves displaying porcelain, jade, and bronze ware. Several calligraphy and paintings hang on the wall.

There is also a back door in the shop, which leads to a small courtyard. There are two rooms in the courtyard, one is Boss Shen's bedroom, and the other is a storeroom.

Boss Shen led Lü Liang to a small room next to the storeroom: "You can stay here. There are sheets and blankets in the closet. Make your own bed."

Lu Liang looked around. The room was about seven or eight square meters, with a single bed, a table, a chair, and a south-facing window with decent lighting. He spread out the sheets and blankets, sat on the edge of the bed, and let out a long sigh.

Let's stay here for now.

After spending a few days at Boss Shen's shop, Lü Liang gradually learned the man's true identity.

Boss Shen not only deals in antiques, but also acts as a go-between, connecting people who need what and who can provide what, thus benefiting both sides.

Lu Liang could occasionally overhear phrases like "the goods have arrived," "the money is ready," and "they're pressing us hard." He didn't quite understand what they meant, but he knew it definitely wasn't legitimate business.

Boss Shen didn't avoid him; sometimes he would even ask him to run errands, deliver things, or pick up things.

Lü Liang never asked what it was or who it was for; he just focused on doing his work.

Mr. Shen was quite satisfied with him and gave him an extra 500 yuan at the end of the month.

That afternoon, a person came into the store.

The man was wearing a black jacket, had long hair tied in a ponytail, and a scar on his face that stretched from his left eyebrow to his cheekbone. Upon entering, he saw Lü Liang and turned to Boss Shen, asking, "Oh, who's this kid?"

Mr. Shen replied with a smile, "It's a friend's child."

The man walked up to the counter and asked Boss Shen, "Are you also an extraordinary person?"

Mr. Shen smiled but didn't say anything.

The man turned to look at Lü Liang.

Lü Liang nodded.

The man chuckled, pulled a business card from his pocket, and handed it to Lü Liang: "If you're interested, come find me here. It's much more interesting than Old Shen's place."

Lu Liang took the business card, looked down, and saw two large white characters printed on it—Quanxing.

Below that is a line of smaller text and an address.

Lü Liang was startled.

He had heard of this name when he was in Lüjia Village. His great-grandfather always spoke of Quanxing with disgust, saying that they were a group of lawless madmen.

The man patted him on the shoulder: "Little guy, come visit sometime." Then he turned and left, his ponytail swaying behind him.

Watching the man's figure disappear through the door, Lü Liang turned to Boss Shen and asked, "What is Quanxing?"

Boss Shen leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "A free and easy place."

Lü Liang seemed to be deep in thought, and put the business card into his pocket.

That night, Lü Liang lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

He thought of Lüjia Village, his great-grandfather, Lü Gong, Lü Huan, and the freedom that Boss Shen had mentioned.

Lu Liang got up, looked at the moonlight outside the window, pushed open the door, went out of the courtyard through the back door, walked along the alley to the street, and found the address on the business card. It was a teahouse.

Lu Liang pushed open the door and went inside. The room was spacious, with more than a dozen square tables set up, where several guests were drinking tea and chatting.

A woman in a cheongsam approached, her hair styled in a bun, her face lightly made up, and she smiled with two shallow dimples: "Handsome young man, who are you looking for?"

Lü Liang handed her his business card.

The woman took it, glanced at it, her smile deepened, and she gestured for him to come with her: "Follow me."

She led Lü Liang through the teahouse lobby, pushed open a wooden door, and entered a room in the backyard.

Inside the room were several square tables and armchairs, and in the corner was a display shelf with various bottles and jars. Several people were sitting there—men and women, young and old, dressed in different ways and with different airs.

A woman in a red coat sat in a grand chair. Seeing Lü Liang enter, she smiled and said, "Oh, so young?"

A man with a cigarette dangling from his lips leaned against the table, ignoring the ash that fell to the floor: "Who recommended you?"

The scarred man who worked at Boss Shen's shop during the day sat in the corner, smiling and waving at Lü Liang: "Little guy, you're here."

The others glanced at him and said nothing more.

An old man walked up to Lü Liang, placed his hand on Lü Liang's shoulder, and sent a breath into Lü Liang's body, circulating through his meridians.

Lü Liang did not resist. The old man withdrew his hand, turned to the others, and said, "Not bad, a member of the Lü family."

The room was silent for a second.

The man with the cigarette dangling from his lips chuckled: "The Lu family? Interesting."

A woman in a cheongsam walked over and looked at Lü Liang: "Handsome young man, do you know what the Quanxing is?"

Lü Liang pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

Blue mist rose from his hands, transforming into several small blue hands that rushed towards the old man's head.

The old man's face contorted instantly, his mouth gaped open, but he couldn't make a sound.

Lü Liang laughed even more heartily, his voice clear and crisp: "Quanxing is a place where you can do whatever you want."

The room was silent for a second—then everyone laughed.

The man with the cigarette in his mouth laughed so hard he almost fell over, ash spilling all over his pants. The woman in the red coat slapped her thigh, laughing until tears streamed down her face. The scarred man leaned against the wall, laughing so hard he was convulsing.

The woman in the cheongsam reached out and patted Lü Liang's head, her eyes full of admiration: "Then you will be a member of Quanxing from now on."

Lü Liang withdrew his blue hand.

The old man stood there, looking bewildered, glancing left and right: "What's wrong? What happened?"

The others burst into laughter, even louder than before.