Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Xia He couldn't help but ask, "...Won't he ruin himself?"

"It's nothing." Qiu Rang said with a relaxed expression. "We used to worry about it too, but we got used to it after a while. The cult leader knows what he's doing. If his life is really in danger, he'll let us prepare in advance."

Cheng Mo asked casually, "What are you preparing? A funeral?"

Xia He slapped him on the shoulder: "What nonsense are you talking about! You're obviously preparing for emergency treatment!" She turned to Qiu Rang and asked, "Right?"

Qiu Rang's expression became somewhat subtle: "Uh... almost, about the same." What he was really thinking was: The leader had instructed that if he really couldn't make it, everyone should divide up the valuables in the village and go their separate ways.

Click click... click click...

Just then, a strange, teeth-grinding sound came from outside.

Qiu Rang listened intently: "What was that sound?"

Cheng Mo's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling. He turned around and ran outside.

Although Xia He didn't understand, she quickly followed.

Qiu Rang glanced at Ma Xianhong, who was fast asleep on the bed, gritted his teeth, and chased after him.

clack clack...

The sounds grew more frequent and clearer, originating from the newly renovated body-cultivating furnace!

The three of them stared at the body-cultivating furnace.

Some joints on the furnace surface were vibrating slightly, and a sickening metallic hum was coming from inside the furnace.

Qiu Rang swallowed hard: "What...what's going on?"

Xia He stared at the stove: "That thing... is it going to collapse?"

She had barely finished speaking—

Boom!!!

A roar came from inside the cultivation furnace, followed by countless parts, fragments, and pipes flying out in all directions!

The entire Xiu Shen Tang was shaken, and dust and smoke filled the air.

Cheng Mo and Qiu Rang turned their heads at the same time, their gazes falling on Xia He's face.

Xia He jumped back half a step in fright: "Why are you looking at me! It wasn't me who said it would collapse! It was going to collapse on its own!"

The two turned back and looked at the pile of fresh remains on the ground.

Cheng Mo was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Let's not tell Lao Ma about this yet. I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it and will just kick the bucket."

Qiu Rang nodded in deep agreement: "Yes, let's wait until the sect leader's health has recovered a bit before we talk about it..." He paused, looked at Cheng Mo, and sincerely comforted him, "Brother Cheng, you don't need to feel too guilty. This cultivation furnace... isn't the first time it's happened like this."

Cheng Mo: "..." Why does this line sound so familiar?

Qiu Rang continued, seemingly oblivious to the fact that this was the fifth version. The parts had been replaced countless times, but this version was the most stable, lasting for more than half a year.

Xia He chuckled, "So you've been making do with this all along?"

Qiu Rang thought for a moment and replied seriously, "That's about right. However, it's only something like the Body Cultivation Furnace. We can use the other magical artifacts that the Sect Leader refines for ten or eight years without any problems."

Xia He immediately seized on the loophole: "Has your village been around for ten years?"

Qiu Rang: "No, this has nothing to do with how long the village has been established. The sect leader didn't start forging weapons after building the village. Wait, let me calculate..."

He counted on his fingers, "Oh, right, although this place wasn't called Biyou Village before, the leader lived here a long time ago, it must have been more than ten years ago."

Xia He nudged Cheng Mo and whispered in his ear, "Why does this guy talk so much, and he just jumps around in circles?"

Cheng Mo glanced at her, then turned to Qiu Rang and said, "We need to talk to Grandpa Bi about this first, and also inform the other villagers. Before Lao Ma recovers, try not to let him leave the house."

Qiu Rang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, we have to tell Grandpa Bi. Let me take another look at these fragments... maybe we can still fix them..." He then looked at Cheng Mo, his tone sincere, "Brother Cheng, please don't take it to heart, this furnace... isn't the first time it's been damaged."

Cheng Mo: "...Alright, we're leaving now." He pulled Xia He and walked out.

This brother, Qiu Rang, is clearly not thinking clearly and is unable to communicate normally.

After they had gone far away, Qiu Rang squatted in the ruins, his forced composure crumbling instantly, tears streaming down his face as he murmured, "Master... why is your life so miserable... this furnace was only just repaired... and it's gone again..."

Bi Yuan strolled over to the Cultivation Hall again, wanting to see how Ma Xianhong was recovering.

As soon as they arrived at the door, they were stunned by the scene before them and by Qiu Rang's crying.

Bi Yuan strode closer: "Chou Rang! I told you to take care of the village chief, how did you manage to blow up the stove?!"

Qiu Rang raised his head, his eyes brimming with tears, and his sobs grew even more heart-wrenching: "Grandpa Bi! It wasn't me! It was the stove... it exploded by itself!"

……

As Cheng Mo and Xia He hurried back to the cottage, they ran into a gleeful Ding Zihuan.

He was leading several ropes, with three grunting pigs and a dozen or so chickens flapping their wings tied behind them.

Ding Zihuan waved and shouted from afar, "Brother Cheng! Miss Xia! Look! I've brought back some good stuff!"

Looking at Ding Zihuan's excitedly glowing face, Cheng Mo sighed silently: ...Why does it feel like everyone I met today is acting strangely?

Completely oblivious to Cheng Mo's subtle expression, Ding Zihuan said enthusiastically, "You all go back and rest first. I'll pick out two plump chickens and send them over later; we'll stew them to nourish the sect leader!"

Cheng Mo chuckled twice and nodded.

Xia He asked curiously, "Didn't you go to the city? You bought it so quickly?"

Cheng Mo thought to himself: Can we stop talking? I want to go back and have some peace and quiet.

Ding Zihuan chuckled and started talking: "What a coincidence! I had just stepped onto the main road when I ran into a fellow villager selling eggs. I asked him if he sold chickens, and he led me straight to his house. Look, that's how I bought these dozen or so chickens."

"I saw that he was raising pigs, so I casually asked if he was selling them. He sold me one on the spot! I told him that I wanted to raise pigs long-term, not just to buy them for food, and he kindly contacted two other families for me. I bought these two pigs, one male and two females, which were a perfect pair!"

"Hehe~ If I'm lucky, I might have babies during the Spring Festival!"

Seeing that he was getting more and more excited, Cheng Mo quickly interrupted, "There's been a bit of a problem at the Cultivation Hall. Qiu Rang might not be able to handle it all by himself, and he's not in a good mood either. You should settle things here quickly and go take a look."

Ding Zihuan's expression immediately turned serious: "Something happened? Okay, you guys go back first, I'll take the chicken over after I finish these!" After saying that, he quickly led the pig and carried the chicken to the other end of the village.

Cheng Mo pulled Xia He back to the cottage quickly.

Xia He closed the door and looked at him strangely: "You seem to be in a real hurry? Are you really planning to run away?"

Cheng Mo shook his head and sat down in the chair: "I didn't intend to run away, I was just thinking about what to do here next."

Xia He understood: "You feel you owe Village Chief Ma?"

Cheng Mo nodded.

Originally, he wasn't conflicted. Ma Xianhong had helped him find direction, and he had also provided ideas for improving the cultivation furnace; it was a win-win situation. But now, the cultivation furnace was destroyed because of him, and the balance of this favor had tipped.

Xia He thought for a moment and said easily, "That's simple. We'll cook more good food for Village Chief Ma these days to help him recover. Once he's recovered, we'll help him fix that stove, okay?"

Cheng Mo pondered for a moment and thought the idea was feasible: "Yes, let's do it this way."