Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Xia He was extremely efficient; she had already filled the large pit, creating a fresh mound about a meter high.

"Little Taoist priest, come quick!" Xia He leaned on her shovel, pointing at the mound of earth. "This mound is too conspicuous, what should we do? How about we dig up a sapling next to it and plant it?"

Cheng Mo walked over and waved his hand, "There's no need for that."

He walked directly to the mound, stood firm, and then began... to tiptoe.

Lift your heels, then lower them!

Boom!

A muffled thud followed, and the ground beneath their feet shook.

Lift your heels, then lower them!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Cheng Mo swayed steadily, each step landing with powerful force, each muffled thud like a heavy hammer striking the ground, causing the surrounding ground to tremble slightly and the branches and leaves of the trees to rustle.

Standing nearby, Xia He felt as if the ground beneath her feet was undulating like waves. She felt like she was standing on a small boat in a stormy sea, dizzy and almost fell over. A wave of nausea washed over her.

"Little...little Taoist priest! Wait a minute!" Xia He leaned against a nearby tree, her voice trembling, "I feel like throwing up..."

Cheng Mo stopped and looked at her, somewhat puzzled: "Come on, practice with me."

Xia He's voice trembled: "I...I can't keep up with your pace!"

"Isn't this just seven bounces on the back and two stomps on the feet?" Cheng Mo asked doubtfully. "What's so hard to keep up with?"

Xia He stared, her mouth agape.

If the young Taoist priest hadn't reminded her, she wouldn't have connected the earth-shaking spectacle with the health-preserving exercise.

Although practicing with Cheng Mo had greatly benefited her and allowed her to fully master her own Qi, she had always regarded it as a basic introductory technique—otherwise, why would the little Taoist's master allow him to pass it on to outsiders?

But she never imagined that a simple foot tap could have such terrifying power under Cheng Mo's feet.

"Don't just stand there," Cheng Mo called to her, "Hurry up and compact this piece of land, then go back to sleep as soon as possible."

"Mmm! Hurry!"

Xia He nodded vigorously and, imitating him, jumped to the other side of the mound and began to follow suit.

Raise your heels, then lower them.

boom!

A rhythmic thud echoed through the woods.

The two men changed positions from time to time, applying force evenly to the newly filled soil.

Soon, the one-meter-high mound visibly shrank, eventually leaving only a small, slightly raised mound about ten centimeters high.

The two then went to various parts of the woods and collected some dead branches, fallen leaves, and pebbles, which they then scattered casually on the newly compacted ground.

With this method, the small adobe brick blended completely into its surroundings, showing no signs of being different.

Xia He patted the dirt off her hands and nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, not bad, not bad. We've found a lucky spot for this big villain."

Cheng Mo shouldered the shovel and picked up the empty bucket: "Let's go."

Xia He ran over, snatched the bucket, and carried it herself. The two walked side by side, their figures quickly disappearing into the thick night.

Back in the cabin, they quickly cleaned off the mud off their clothes and rested.

That night, Cheng Mo slept very restlessly for the first half of the night.

In his dream, he was enveloped by layers of blood-red mist. The mist seemed to be alive, constantly trying to penetrate his body, bringing waves of violent and irritable emotions.

In the latter half of the night, the dream suddenly changed. He seemed to ride the wind and waves, breaking through the endless blood mist. His consciousness soared and roamed in the vast world. The feeling of being in harmony with the rhythm of heaven and earth, yet clearly maintaining his self-awareness, was incredibly mysterious and captivating.

The next day, it was dawn.

Xia He, full of energy, panted as she shook Cheng Mo awake: "Time to practice! Little Mozi!"

She came home last night, washed up, and went straight to sleep. She slept soundly without any dreams and was completely unaware of Cheng Mo's unusual behavior. Now, she is naturally refreshed and full of energy.

It took Cheng Mo a while to completely detach himself from the profound afterglow of that communion with heaven and earth. As his consciousness returned to his body, a faint sense of loss welled up in his heart.

Watching Xia He skip and jump in the morning light, he finally regained a sense of reality and vibrancy, rather than the vast, boundless, and easily lost mystical dream.

He once again sounded the alarm in his mind: even if he could maintain self-awareness, the state of oneness with nature was constantly eroding his personal will. He had to establish a solid "anchor point" to ensure that he would not lose his way on the path.

Cheng Mo got up and went to the backyard, where Xia He had already set up her fighting stance.

Cheng Mo stood behind her.

Xia He turned around, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "What, do you want me to lead the way today?"

Cheng Mo raised his chin: "Let's get started."

Xia He gave a soft hum, turned around, focused her mind, and began to practice the Eight Pieces of Brocade.

As she moved gracefully, a faint pink aura appeared, enveloping her entire body like a thin mist, flowing slowly with her movements.

Unfortunately, Cheng Mo couldn't see this scene.

After finishing my morning exercise, I washed up and ate a simple breakfast.

Xia He, biting into a steamed bun, asked indistinctly, "Little Mozi, what are we doing today? Continue wandering around the village and observing?"

Cheng Mo took a sip of porridge: "No, let's go directly to Lao Ma and see how he's doing."

"Huh?" Xia He blinked. "Don't we need to observe the reactions of the other villagers? Zhao Guizhen is missing."

"We need to observe through Lao Ma to see how the village reacts. We might not be able to tell even if we walk around a couple of times." Cheng Mo put down his bowl and drew a circle in the air.

"Besides, haven't you noticed that the people in this village, while seemingly getting along harmoniously, aren't actually very close to each other? People like Qiu Rang and Ding Ziheng, who can undermine each other yet remain close friends, are a minority. Most of them are just superficially polite and distant."

Xia He recalled her visit yesterday and nodded: "Indeed, it seems that no one wants to get to know each other well; everyone has their own little circle."

"This is the drawback of Lao Ma's way of building villages. He only provides a place to escape the world and then stops caring about the past once you're in," Cheng Mo analyzed.

"But before these people entered the village, they each carried their own secrets and pasts, making it difficult for them to truly open up to others. Unless they were already acquainted before entering the village, or were particularly fond of Old Ma."

"The result is what it is now: on the surface, everything seems harmonious, but underneath there are many separate circles, each hiding its own secrets."

Xia He stared at Cheng Mo: "Did you already consider this issue?"

"I thought of it while I was strolling around yesterday," Cheng Mo said frankly.

Xia He glared at him: "Little Mozi, you're not honest at all."

Cheng Mo gave her a strange look: "When did I ever say I was an honest person?"

Xia He: "..."

She choked, and after thinking about it carefully, it seemed... there really wasn't.

I had no choice but to take a big bite of the steamed bun.

The two cleaned up the dishes and headed out towards the Xiu Shen Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine clinic).

The morning light was just right, shining on the bluestone path and casting a soft glow on the rooftops of the village houses.

The village paths were clean and tidy. Several villagers were busy in front of their yards, either drying clothes or tending to their vegetable gardens. When they saw Cheng Moxiahe, they all looked up and greeted her with smiles.

"Good morning, Mr. Cheng and Ms. Xia!"

"Have you eaten yet? I have some freshly picked cucumbers here, they're still crisp and refreshing, want to take a couple?"

"That fish soup yesterday was so delicious! My son talked about it all night!"

Cheng Mo smiled and agreed to everything. Xia He also chatted with the others for a bit. The atmosphere was harmonious and natural. No one mentioned Zhao Guizhen, and it seemed that no one had noticed his disappearance.