Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

In the days that followed, Cheng Mo and Xia He began the "feeding the village chief" mode.

Cheng Mo prepared various nourishing soups and medicinal dishes, while Xia He assisted and tasted them (although she insisted that she was testing for poison).

Qiu Rang and Ding Zihuan were responsible for stopping other villagers who wanted to visit, while Bi Yuan helped smooth things over, and they all agreed that the village chief needed to rest in absolute peace.

Ma Xianhong felt he was recovering well and tried to get out of bed to move around several times, but Ding Zihuan, who happened to be passing by, stopped him in the house under the pretext of "exploring the feasibility of combining postpartum care of sows with formations".

He wanted to go out for some fresh air, but was stopped by Qiu Rang, who came to "ask for advice on basic weapon crafting issues";

After finally getting rid of Qiu Rang, Grandpa Bi came back with a smile, carrying a chessboard: "Village Chief, stretch your brain so it doesn't rust."

Although Ma Xianhong felt that everyone was being a bit too enthusiastic, he took it as a sign of concern for him and felt quite warm inside.

Seeing Cheng Mo and Xia He arrive punctually with nourishing soups for every meal, he was deeply moved. Holding Cheng Mo's hand, he said weakly but firmly, "Brother Cheng, don't worry, once I'm feeling better, we'll definitely continue! Next time, next time I'll definitely get it sorted out for you!"

Cheng Mo could only nod gratefully and respond, "Brother Ma, take your time to recover. Your health is the most important thing." He then exchanged a knowing look with Xia He, as if to say, "Please keep this a secret."

Late that night, Ma Xianhong woke up.

Qiu Rang leaned back in the chair by the bed, his head nodding off.

Ma Xianhong called out softly, "Chou Rang."

Qiu Rang jolted awake: "Master! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

Ma Xianhong sighed, his tone tinged with guilt: "Brother Cheng's matter... I'm afraid I can't help him this time. He's been so sincere to us, and I... sigh, I feel so bad for him."

Qiu Rang immediately understood Ma Xianhong's meaning and straightened his back: "Master, just say the word, whatever you command, I will certainly do it!"

Ma Xianhong slowly said, "After thinking it over, I only have one way."

Qiu Rang's gaze was firm: "Please speak, Master."

Ma Xianhong said earnestly, "You should teach him the Divine Strategies Hundred Refinements first. Although you've only learned... em, it's enough for Brother Cheng to get started. Once I'm feeling better, I'll check on his progress, and then I'll personally teach him more advanced techniques."

Qiu Rang was taken aback: "Teach him? Master, it's not that I'm shirking my responsibility, but Brother Cheng... he can't sense Qi, so I have no way to teach him the methods of weapon refining."

Ma Xianhong looked at him and said earnestly, "Give it to me."

Qiu Rang: "Huh?"

Ma Xianhong: "Sometimes, you need to be a little more quick-witted. When you're teaching Brother Cheng, why not invite Miss Xia along? Brother Cheng is quick to learn, and Miss Xia can use Qi. Let them... well, they'll be in perfect harmony, wouldn't they be able to learn together?"

Qiu Rang blinked, pondered for a couple of seconds, and then suddenly realized, "Oh! You mean to have Miss Xia act as Brother Cheng's hand to demonstrate the circulation of Qi, so that Brother Cheng can understand the principle! This method seems feasible."

After saying that, he scratched his head and corrected him earnestly, "But Master, isn't 'qin se he ming' a description of a good relationship between husband and wife? Isn't it a bit... a bit... "

"Cough! Cough cough cough!" Ma Xianhong suddenly coughed violently, his face turning red.

Qiu Rang quickly stepped forward and patted him on the back: "Master, please don't get agitated! You've used the right method, it's excellent! That's exactly what I meant! I understand, I'll do it tomorrow!"

Ma Xianhong felt bitter: This kid is good at everything, but he just can't think straight and always gets hung up on trivial things!

……

The following day, Cheng Mo and Xia He brought over the newly prepared tonics as usual.

After drinking the medicine, Ma Xianhong seemed to feel a little better and quietly gave Qiu, who was standing next to him, a wink.

Qiu Rang coughed twice and stood up: "Brother Cheng, Miss Xia, could you please come over here for a moment? I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Cheng Mo and Xia He exchanged a glance and followed Qiu Rang out of the room.

Once outside, Qiu Rang pulled out a book and said, "I was thinking, should we take advantage of the sect leader's recuperation and try to repair the cultivation furnace?"

He shoved the item into Cheng Mo's hands: "This is a method for refining weapons. See if you can understand it. If you can, the three of us working together will definitely be faster than me figuring it out by myself."

Cheng Mo took the book, and Xia He curiously leaned over, resting her head on Cheng Mo's shoulder to read it together.

The pages are filled with complex diagrams, mnemonic devices, and annotations.

Less than half a minute later, Xia He jerked her head back and shook it violently: "No, no! My head starts to hurt as soon as I see these winding diagrams and words!"

Cheng Mo casually replied, "Shouldn't you fall asleep while watching?"

Xia He glared at him: "Little Mozi! Don't think I can't tell you're being sarcastic!"

Cheng Mo looked completely innocent: "I wasn't being sarcastic, I was just stating a fact. Students who are bad at studying usually fall asleep instantly when they look at math books."

Xia He: "..." She turned her head away angrily, not wanting to talk to him.

Qiu Rang, however, grasped the key point, his eyes lighting up: "Brother Cheng, so... you can understand what's in here?"

Cheng Mo nodded: "I understand the basic principles. However, the parts involving the operation and regulation of Qi are too abstract and difficult to understand."

Qiu Rang clapped his hands: "Understanding the principles is enough! Leave the parts that require practical control using Qi to me!"

He turned to Xia He, who was still sulking, and said, "Miss Xia, I may need your help at that time. It's very simple. Just control your Qi output according to the plan that Brother Cheng and I discussed."

Xia He was a little confused: "Huh? I want to participate too?"

Qiu Rang nodded vigorously: "You and Brother Cheng work together much better. Besides, this book..."

He paused, then sighed, "I won't hide it from you anymore. This is what the sect leader asked me to teach you. It's his unique weapon-forging technique. If this gets out into the world of supernatural beings, people will fight tooth and nail for it!"

Cheng Mo opened the book in his hand, his eyes sweeping over the complex and intricate diagrams and formulas.

With his engineering knowledge from his previous life as a foundation, plus Qiu Rang explaining the key points, and the pile of remnants of the cultivation furnace nearby as a physical reference, he understood it quickly.

He guessed that what Qiu Rang had taken out was the Divine Hundred Refinements, and he also guessed that it was at Ma Xianhong's behest, but he originally thought it was just the basic part of the beginner's guide.

But as Qiu Rang explained and the pages of the book were turned, he discovered that the contents of the book were exceptionally detailed, ranging from the most basic concepts of weapon crafting to advanced rune inscription and the manipulation of objects, forming a complete system.

Cheng Mo thought to himself: Old Ma is such a meticulous person.

While I was still figuring out how to make up for the stove exploding, they turned around and pulled out their best skills.

Alright. Let's master this Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements first, and then help Old Ma fix the furnace.

Cheng Mo calmed down and continued studying.

It has to be said that the more I think about this ingenious and sophisticated approach, the more it appeals to engineering students.

The physical structural stability and efficiency of ritual implements can be completely deconstructed using structural mechanics.

The flow path, key nodes, and loops of Qi within a magical artifact can be likened to traces on a circuit board or an electromagnetic field model, and their optimal solutions can be described using tools of calculus and topology.

The differences in the conductivity, storage capacity, and conversion efficiency of different materials for Qi can be addressed by using mathematical models based on the principles of materials mechanics for screening and optimization.

Following this line of thought, Cheng Mo felt that even if he couldn't perceive or manipulate Qi, he could theoretically still master weapon crafting—provided that he had a reliable assistant to precisely adjust the output of Qi.