Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Qiu Rang took the bowl and was about to feed him when Ma Xianhong reached out, saying, "I can do it myself."

Qiu Rang then handed over the bowl and chopsticks, took his portion, and began to eat.

After eating more than half a bowl, he couldn't eat anymore. He looked at Cheng Mo and the others with a complicated expression—he was tired of eating this stuff.

Cheng Mo and Xia He moved aside in unison, pointing at Ding Ziheng: "It was all Old Ding's idea."

Ding Ziheng looked completely bewildered: "What's wrong? It's pretty delicious."

Ma Xianhong swallowed with difficulty: "It tastes good, but it's a bit rough."

Chou Rang got excited: "See? Even the cult leader said he couldn't eat it. Who eats something so greasy first thing in the morning?"

"The leader can't eat it, but this stuff is nutritious..." Ding Ziheng suddenly realized, glaring back at Qiu Rang, "Putting aside the leader, I'm preparing a super nutritious meal for you, and you're complaining?"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Ma Xianhong picked up his chopsticks and said, "Stop! There's a patient here!"

The two of them awkwardly shut up.

Ding Ziheng turned to Ma Xianhong: "Master, that... really doesn't suit your taste?"

Ma Xianhong rubbed his cheek: "The taste is okay, but my cheek hurts."

Qiu Rang nodded vigorously.

Ding Ziheng glared at him: "What's it to you? I'm asking the cult leader!"

Qiu Rang put down the bowl, grabbed Ding Ziheng, and headed outside: "Hey, I'm going to settle this with you today. Come on, let's not argue with the cult leader here."

Ma Xianhong watched the two figures walk away, shook his head, and said to Cheng Mo and Xia He, "They've always been like this, please excuse their antics."

Xia He smiled and said, "It's okay, we're used to it, it's actually quite fun."

Cheng Mo chimed in, "A lively atmosphere will help you recover."

Ma Xianhong's lips twitched: "I feel a headache."

After Ma Xianhong finished eating, Cheng Mo walked to the door and called out, "Hey, those two who're talking nonsense over there, anyone want to deal with them?"

Qiu Rang angrily shook off Ding Ziheng and returned to clean up the mess.

Ding Ziheng, like a victorious rooster, walked back to Ma Xianhong's bedside with his head held high and chest out.

Ma Xianhong was somewhat curious—in the past, the two of them usually argued to a draw: "That's strange, you won today?"

Ding Ziheng chuckled: "I told him that if he didn't admit defeat, he wouldn't get lunch or dinner today. I was the one who beat that pig~"

Ma Xianhong: "..."

Outside, after Qiu Rang finished tidying up, he gathered with Cheng Mo and Xia He to discuss the modules.

Lunch was brought by Bi Yuan.

When it was time for dinner, Ding Ziheng appeared with a food box, all smiles.

Qiu Rang suddenly realized what he'd done and slapped his thigh: "Damn it! You fooled me! Dinner wasn't cooked by Brother Cheng at all!"

Ding Ziheng's smile grew even brighter: "Who told you to be so stupid?"

Qiu Rang cursed and swore, even while eating, as if the food had a grudge against him.

After dinner, Ma Xianhong felt that his spirits had recovered almost completely, but his body was still a little weak.

"Come on, give me a hand, let me see your modular design."

Qiu Rang pushed over a wheelchair, and together with Ding Ziheng, helped Ma Xianhong into a seat, then pushed the wheelchair out the door.

All modules have been completed, but they have not yet been integrated.

Ma Xianhong examined them carefully for a while, then nodded: "Connect them all and try refining them. We had a lot of unfinished pieces before, so this is the perfect time to use them."

The group then began to connect the modules.

Ding Ziheng also got involved—according to Qiu Rang, they would inevitably have to fight later, so they were getting familiar with each other first.

When it comes to serious matters, Ding Ziheng doesn't argue with him.

After all the components were connected, Qiu let go of an iron gallbladder. Last time, two gallbladders didn't hold up, so this time he'd run the process through once first.

Qiu Rang turned to Xia He: "Miss Xia, please take charge and guide the Qi into the furnace."

Xia He was taken aback, pointing to herself: "Huh? Me?"

Ma Xianhong laughed and said, "Why not give it a try? Just think of it as a game. I remember when I was a kid, I would use Qi to cheat in arcade games, and I made several kids cry. It was so much fun."

Xia He looked bewildered: "...What does this have to do with this thing?"

Cheng Mo once again marveled at Lao Ma's meticulousness, noting that he had even considered the training of the "tool people" for him.

He shoved Xia He: "Alright, stop talking nonsense. If I could use Qi, I would have done it myself. Why would I need you?"

Xia He chuckled: "Little Mozi, just you wait and see."

She walked to the control panel, recalling Qiu Rang's previous explanations and actions, and carefully infused her Qi.

In that instant, she felt an unprecedented power—no, not power, but an immense amount of Qi that she could control. With the help of the Body Refinement Furnace, she seemed to be able to manipulate the Qi of the entire area.

This level of fascination is almost mesmerizing. If it's the kind of extraordinary phenomenon the little Taoist priest described... no wonder Village Chief Ma was drained dry.

But that doesn't make sense either. I don't feel my own Qi being depleted; on the contrary, the Qi of heaven and earth is constantly nourishing me...

As she was lost in thought, the body-refining furnace began to operate smoothly, no longer making the usual clanging noises. It only emitted a slight hum, even quieter than the original furnace, similar to the sound of a car idling.

Ma Xianhong nodded approvingly: "It seems the stability is quite good this time."

Qiu Rang chuckled, unusually modest: "It's all thanks to Brother Cheng's excellent plan. Besides, it's not even finished yet; once it's successful..."

Before he could finish speaking, a green light appeared on the control panel with a "ding".

Xia He snapped out of her daze, somewhat bewildered: "That's it?"

Qiu Rang excitedly ran to open the furnace lid, took out the iron bladder, and manipulated it with his Qi. The iron bladder flew towards Ding Ziheng's face with a whoosh.

Ding Ziheng was startled and instinctively jumped back to dodge.

Iron-Blooded Blade followed relentlessly. Ding Ziheng dodged left and right, cursing under his breath: "You dared to be so uncivilized! A sneak attack! Come at me head-on if you dare!"

Qiu Rang manipulated the Iron Gallbladder, flipping it up and down with great enjoyment: "Hehe, I'm testing the flexibility of this magical artifact."

Ding Ziheng dodged with a lazy roll, and Tie Dan grazed his back as it flew past: "Test you, my foot! You just want to beat me up!"

"Seeing through something but not saying it out loud~"

"Pah!"

After a long while, Qiu Rang had had his fill of teasing, withdrew his iron dagger, and looked at Ma Xianhong with great joy: "Master, it's done!"

Ma Xianhong nodded with satisfaction: "Hmm, not bad. Rang, after this experience, you should have a deeper understanding of the Divine Craftsmanship."

Qiu Rang nodded solemnly, then turned and bowed to Cheng Mo: "Thanks to Brother Cheng, I have made further progress in weapon crafting."

Cheng Mo quickly returned the greeting: "I must thank you both for sharing your knowledge so generously. Brother Ma is truly magnanimous to give you such exquisite weapon-refining techniques."

Ma Xianhong chuckled and said, "Brother Cheng, you flatter me. You have no idea how much trouble you've saved me this time. Although I'm familiar with the Divine Machine Refinement, I don't have a deep understanding of modern industrial design. If I were to design it, I don't know how long I would have to figure it out. This is a win-win situation."

Cheng Mo smiled and said, "Brother Ma, you are too modest. If it weren't for the solid foundation you laid, my modular design would be impossible. In the end, it is Brother Ma who has a profound background."

Ma Xianhong: "Brother Cheng is too modest. Your modular approach has enlightened me."

"Brother Cheng has a broad perspective; he opened a new window for me."

"Brother Ma is broad-minded and willing to accept my layman's opinion."

The two exchanged compliments.

Qiu Rang watched the two of them with a smile, his attention completely focused on them, unaware that Ding Ziheng had secretly crept up behind him—

"You dared to ambush me!"

Ding Ziheng lunged forward, and the two immediately tumbled into a chaotic brawl. They exchanged punches and kicks, fighting without any strategy or method, a complete free-for-all.

Xia He looked at the two idiots, then at Cheng Mo and Ma Xianhong, and put her hand to her forehead: "Here we go again."

Not far away, Bi Yuan stroked his beard and chuckled.

very nice.

We're one step closer to the president's goal.