Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Chapter 349 Free Labor, Making Up for Mistakes?

Ding Shian gave a wry smile and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Master Cheng truly lives up to his reputation, I have lost."

Cheng Mo withdrew his Samadhi True Fire and clapped his hands: "Old Ding, you really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve. If it were someone else, they really wouldn't be able to handle it."

Ding An sighed, his tone somewhat disappointed: "I never thought I couldn't force Master Cheng to use his full strength, and I was actually outdone by Old Na."

Cheng Mo waved his hand: "You can't say that. I'm much stronger now than when I fought Old Na. And you know how ruthless he is. He likes head-on confrontations the most, so I use my strongest moves against him. You have many tricks up your sleeve, so naturally I have to be flexible in my response."

Ding Shian's lips twitched slightly: "————Hehe, thank you, I feel comforted."

Cheng Mo smiled and said, "Is everything alright? I'll be going now; my girlfriend is waiting for me."

Ding Shian's lips twitched again.

That sounds like showing off. A cultivator who's obsessed with women and yet so powerful—the difference in talent is just too great.

Cheng Mo turned to leave.

Ding An called out to him, "Brother Cheng, are you going to deal with the Lü family?"

Cheng Mo turned around: "Interested?"

He doesn't mind having more skilled people involved.

Ding Shian thought for a moment: "I've never had the chance to experience Old Master Lü's methods before, perhaps this is an opportunity."

Cheng Mo nodded: "Then let's go together."

Ding Shian caught up: "Should I pay for the ride?"

Cheng Mo laughed: "Oh, Lao Ding, you're quite generous."

Ding Shian: "————" I seem to have asked an unnecessary question.

Meanwhile, in Xiangfan.

Xia Weidong and Old Zhou from Xigu Pavilion sat around an octagonal table. On the table was an old object—a bronze incense burner, about the size of a palm, covered with verdigris, its patterns blurred and indistinct.

Old Zhou examined it with a magnifying glass for a long time, then suddenly said, "This thing is not right."

Xia Weidong frowned: "What's wrong?"

Old Zhou pointed to the patterns on the ding (a type of ancient Chinese bronze vessel): "Look at these patterns. The patterns on bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties were cast, with bold and powerful lines. These patterns were engraved, and the lines are too fine. It's obviously a later imitation."

After examining it carefully, Xia Weidong nodded: "Indeed. And the rust is wrong. The rust on a genuine product seeps out from the inside, while this rust is just painted on, a surface layer, while the inside is still new."

Old Zhou put down the magnifying glass and sighed, "Another one trying to scam money."

Xia Weidong waved his hand: "Alright, put it away. Maybe you'll find a sucker to sell it to."

Old Zhou smiled wryly: "Xigu Pavilion doesn't sell counterfeit goods."

He packed the bronzes into a wooden box, closed the lid, and moved it to a corner.

At the factory, Liu Yuping was sitting in her office doing accounts.

A pile of receipts lay on the table. She took a calculator and pressed the keys one by one, the numbers jumping on the screen.

Suddenly a commotion broke out outside.

Liu Yuping frowned and walked to the window to look outside.

Several cars were parked at the factory gate, and seven or eight people got out, men and women, dressed in different ways, and the gatekeeper didn't stop them at all.

Liu Yuping's expression changed, and she picked up the phone to dial.

Before the call could be connected, several more cars arrived at the factory gate.

The words "Na Du Tong" are printed on the vehicle.

A dozen or so people got off the bus, dressed in work clothes and wearing name tags. The leader was a young man in his early thirties who walked up to the seven or eight people and said a few words.

The faces of the seven or eight people changed. Some tried to run away, but were stopped by the people from Na Du Tong.

In less than ten minutes, seven or eight people were crammed into the NaDuTong car, and the car drove away.

The security guard scratched his head, looking completely bewildered.

Liu Yuping put down the phone and continued calculating the accounts.

The people from Xiguge stood on the street corner opposite the factory, watched the Nadutong car drive away, and then turned and left as well.

Before leaving, the middle-aged man in charge glanced back at the factory and said to the person next to him, "If anyone else comes, break their legs."

The person next to him nodded.

Lüjia Village.

Lu Ci sat in the courtyard, holding a purple clay teapot in his hand, gently stroking the surface of the teapot with his fingers.

He recently received some news, which is quite ridiculous, that was told by Na Du Tong that a large group of Quanxing people were coming to Lüjia Village.

The company really doesn't want to put in any effort at all.

Lü Ci summoned a trusted aide: "Go and bring Lü Liang back to me."

In less than half a day, Lü Liang was brought before Lü Ci.

Lü Liang stood in the courtyard, his back ramrod straight, though his legs were trembling slightly. He tentatively asked, "Grandpa, you wanted to see me?"

Lu Ci picked up the purple clay teapot, took a sip, and didn't even offer him a seat: "I heard you've been getting quite close to the Quanxing people lately?"

Lu Liang was overjoyed—he was just wondering how to bring it up, and his great-grandfather had asked him himself.

"Great-Grandpa, I was just about to tell you about this." Lü Liang took two steps forward and lowered his voice, "I've made some friends outside—"

"Friends?" Lü Ci scoffed. "You can call people from the Quanxing sect friends?"

Lü Liang quickly said, "I just want to find Xiao Huan's whereabouts through Quanxing—"

"Alright, alright." Lu Ci waved his hand to interrupt him. "Tell me everything you know first."

Lü Liang immediately recounted everything he had heard.

From the moment the Quanxing people gathered in Zibo, to Cheng Mo's announcement that whoever helped him deal with the Lü family would have the chance to learn the Shuangquan Hand technique, to the Lü family girl who could regenerate severed limbs, and then to the girl's characteristics—age, appearance, and methods—all matched Xiao Huan's.

When Lü Ci heard the words "Dual-Handed Mastery," his fingers paused for a moment.

Upon hearing "the little girl from the Lü family," he stood up from his chair, grabbed Lü Liang by the neck, and lifted him up with great force.

"Are you sure it's Xiao Huan?"

Lü Liang, struggling to breathe from the choking, forcefully patted Lü Ci's hand.

Lu Ci released his grip, and Lu Liang fell to the ground, coughing several times while clutching his neck.

"Great-grandfather, I don't know if it's Xiao Huan—" Lu Liang said after coughing, "but the characteristics and methods described by the Quanxing people match Xiao Huan very well."

Lu Ci frowned, paced a few steps in the courtyard, and suddenly stopped: "You're saying they came for the Dual-Handed Technique?"

Lü Liang nodded, his eyes darting around, and cautiously asked, "Great-Grandpa, what does the Dual-Handed Technique have to do with us?"

Lu Ci waved his hand: "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."

Lü Liang shut his mouth, but he had already memorized the word.

Lu Ci thought for a moment: "Go back and find the people of Quanxing, and find out exactly what they want to do. Especially that Cheng Mo."

He narrowed his eyes, his tone icy: "I don't believe Xiao Huan would do anything detrimental to the family. It must be that Cheng Mo who's behind this. How dare he use Xiao Huan! I will not let him get away with this!"

Lü Liang nodded repeatedly: "Okay, Great-Grandpa."

He turned and left, walking very quickly.

The nearest town to Lüjia Village is Liuhe Town, with a main street running from east to west, and shops scattered on both sides.

After arriving in Liuhe Town, Lü Liang discovered that many people from other places had come to the town. After asking around, he learned that these people were all from Quanxing.

As evening fell, a dozen or so people gathered in an abandoned brick kiln at the east end of the town.

Yuan Tao held two iron gall bladders in his hand, his face expressionless. Xue Pan squatted in the corner smoking, Wang Ergou sat on a brick eating a sesame seed cake, and Zhang Kun leaned against the door frame, his face still somewhat pale—a lingering effect of being sealed underground by Cheng Mo for a whole night.

-

"Is everyone here?" Xue Pan threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out.

Wang Ergou stuffed the last bite of the sesame seed cake into his mouth, chewing as he said, "Those who were supposed to come have all come, and a few who weren't supposed to have come have also arrived."

""

Yuan Tao glanced around and said, "Tu Junfang can't come."

Wang Ergou snorted: "It's better that he's not here, one less person to share."

Zhang Kun straightened up from the door frame, his voice hoarse: "The question now is, when exactly will that guy surnamed Cheng make his move?"

We can't just sit here doing nothing.

Everyone fell silent.

Yuan Tao spun the iron gall bladder in his hand a little faster.

A woman in a red coat spoke up: "I heard that Lüjia Village is already making preparations. They've increased the number of guards at the village entrance, and the number of patrols has doubled."

Xue Pan frowned: "How did they know?"

The woman in red shook her head: "I don't know. Someone may have leaked the information."

The brick kiln was quiet for a moment.

Lu Liang shrank back in the corner, trying his best to appear inconspicuous.

Xue Pan stood up: "Whether they know or not, we're going to make our move sooner or later. With so many of us, are we afraid of just one Lü family?"

Wang Ergou poured cold water on the idea, saying, "The Lü family is no ordinary family. You know how powerful the Ruyi Force is."

Someone else chimed in, "That old bastard Lü Ci, I've heard he's incredibly powerful. Are we even a match for him?"

"No matter how powerful he is, he's still just one person. If Lü Ci can take on ten, what about twenty? Thirty? We'll wear him down eventually."

"Exactly. Besides, Cheng Mo is here too. Let him fight Lü Ci, and we can just pick up the scraps."

"What are you talking about? Our target is that little girl. The Dual-Hand Technique—mastering it is like instant success!"

"Yes, yes, yes, Lu Ci and Cheng Mo are fighting. Let's take advantage of the chaos and kidnap that little girl."

Lü Liang's heart skipped a beat.

He quietly moved half a step towards the entrance of the brick kiln.

Just as he was about to get up and leave, someone asked, "Where are you going, little brother?"

A soft voice sounded in his ear, and then his head bumped into a firm, bouncy embrace.