Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Guizhou is a mountainous region, and this small town is also built on the mountainside, with narrow, winding streets that rise and fall.

Cheng Mo and his companion moved quickly through the alley, turning left and right. In just two or three blocks, the shadow of the office building behind them was completely blocked by houses and hillsides.

"Little Taoist priest, what exactly are you..." Xia He was about to ask when a series of hurried footsteps approached, growing louder and louder as they drew nearer.

Immediately afterward, the man in the gray jacket rushed over in a disheveled state, while not far behind him, Wang Zhenqiu, whose face was covered by a Nezha mask, chased after him relentlessly: "Where do you think you're going!"

Xia He looked at Cheng Mo in surprise, her eyes wide: "How did you know he would run this way?"

Cheng Mo remained silent and stepped forward to intercept him.

Seeing someone suddenly appear blocking his path, the man in the gray jacket's expression hardened and he roared, "Get out of my way!"

Without slowing down, he charged towards Cheng Mo, simultaneously raising his right hand and sending a cloud of sweet-smelling black mist crashing down on Cheng Mo's head. At the same time, he turned sharply, trying to dodge from the side.

He made up his mind that even if he could deal with the one blocking his way in an instant, the troublesome guy behind him would catch up anyway, so he might as well just run away.

Wang Zhenqiu was also taken aback when he saw Cheng Mo, and upon seeing the black mist, he immediately shouted, "Watch out! That thing is poisonous! Get out of the way!"

Cheng Mo seemed to have anticipated this, and the moment the man raised his hand, he had already turned to the side. The black mist brushed past his clothes and hit the brick wall behind him, making a "hissing" sound.

As Cheng Mo turned to the side, his right leg swept out like a steel whip, so fast that it left only a blur in the air.

The man in the gray jacket had only turned halfway when his old strength was exhausted and he hadn't yet generated any new strength. He hadn't expected his opponent to move so quickly, and in a haste, he crossed his arms to block.

boom!

Legs and arms crossed, the man in the gray jacket felt a sharp pain in his arm, and was swept backward.

He was horrified and wanted to release more poison, but Cheng Mo was already close by like a shadow, his left fist aimed straight at his chest and abdomen. The gray jacket barely managed to move to the side, the fist grazing his ribs, burning with pain. Cheng Mo's knee had already slammed heavily into his lower abdomen.

"Ugh!" The man in the gray jacket bulged out of his eyes, clutching his stomach and bending over.

Cheng Mo then struck him on the back of the neck with a palm strike.

Without uttering a sound, the man in the gray jacket collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Wang Zhenqiu had just rushed close when he leaped high into the air, intending to deliver a flying kick, but he missed.

He landed lightly, removed the divine mask from his face, looked at the unconscious guy on the ground, then at Cheng Mo, his expression rather interesting: "What are you two doing here?"

Xia He ignored Wang Zhenqiu and moved closer to Cheng Mo, asking curiously, "Tell me quickly, how did you know they were heading this way?"

Cheng Mo first explained to Xia He, "When I saw the company people retreating, I knew something was wrong inside. This guy was definitely going to run. Considering the location where he fought with Qiu'er and the direction of the gap in the company's encirclement, this direction was the most suitable for escape."

Xia He blinked: "Is that so? It's that simple?"

"Of course," Cheng Mo nodded, "I took a gamble, and it seems I made the right one."

In fact, the analysis just now was a hastily made-up story. What really made Cheng Mo wait here in advance was a sudden intuition.

In the past, this intuition only passively surfaced during battle crises or when he was being maliciously targeted, but this time he actively sensed the most likely route of the escapee.

Is it some kind of enhancement brought about by the interaction with heaven and earth over the past few days?

Cheng Mo himself wasn't quite sure either.

Wang Zhenqiu, hands on his hips, said, "Hey, there's a perfectly healthy person standing right here. Can you guys please stop ignoring me?"

Cheng Mo seemed to just notice him then, turning her head and saying, "Oh, what are you doing here?"

Wang Zhenqiu: "..."

He decided not to engage with this argument and turned to Xia He, "Miss Xia, don't listen to his nonsense, I think he's just guessing."

Xia He asked with a smile, "Golden Retriever, weren't you learning martial arts from Grandpa Xia? Why are you fighting with someone here all by yourself? Did Grandpa Xia kick you out?"

Wang Zhenqiu's lips twitched: "Hey, don't talk nonsense! It's Old Man Xia who thinks I've learned enough and wants me to graduate and gain more experience!"

Xia He said "Oh," and then drawled, "Grandpa Xia didn't even pass on any tools to you. It must be because you were being lazy and made him unhappy that he kicked you out."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Mo nodded, flexed his wrists, and looked at Wang Zhenqiu: "In that case, as your senior uncle, it is necessary for me to let you know what it means to respect your teacher."

Wang Zhenqiu immediately took a half step back, adopting a defensive posture: "I only served half a cup of tea. Since I'm not formally becoming your apprentice, according to the rules, I shouldn't give you any tools! Don't try that on me, you just want an excuse to beat me up, don't you? Hmph, I'm not afraid of you now!"

Cheng Mo: "Enough with the nonsense."

Before the words were even finished, he had already taken a step forward and delivered a simple, powerful punch straight to Wang Zhenqiu's face.

Wang Zhenqiu dared not be negligent. He let out a strange cry, and a flash of light appeared on his face, covering it with a theatrical mask with a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth. He shouted, "Well done! Take this from me, Old Sun!" He swung his arms, and golden light condensed into the shape of a staff, which he used to block Cheng Mo's fist.

The fists and sticks clashed, producing a resounding clang like metal striking metal.

Wang Zhenqiu was startled and took a half step back.

Cheng Mo raised an eyebrow: "Interesting. But while I can't beat the Monkey King, I can certainly handle this fake monkey."

His fist technique changed, transforming hardness into softness, and he bypassed the golden staff like a butterfly flitting among flowers, striking Wang Zhenqiu's ribs.

Wang Zhenqiu moved with agility, and with the added power and speed from the divine mask, he wielded a golden staff with a whooshing sound, exchanging blows with Cheng Mo.

For a moment, the wind howled with punches and the shadows of sticks flew, making it seem like they were evenly matched.

Xia He watched with great interest, occasionally offering her own commentary:

"That golden retriever is actually pretty good at wielding that stick!"

"Little Mozi, there's an opening on your left!"

The two were locked in a fierce fight when the man in the gray jacket on the ground suddenly began to groan, as if he were about to wake up.

Cheng Mo, who was fighting Wang Zhenqiu, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Without turning his head, he kicked the man's head from the side with his left foot.

The man had just opened his eyes when he saw a shoe sole rapidly enlarging in front of him, then everything went black and he fainted again.

Seizing the moment Cheng Mo was distracted, Wang Zhenqiu suddenly raised his voice in a theatrical tone: "Watch out!"

The golden staff's speed increased dramatically, transforming into a golden light curtain that enveloped Cheng Mo.

Cheng Mo remained calm and composed. His originally graceful and agile fist technique suddenly became more subdued, as if the speed had slowed down, but the power was still immense. He punched directly into the center of the golden light barrier.

boom!

Wang Zhenqiu groaned, his strength failing him. Cheng Mo threw another punch, aimed straight at Wang Zhenqiu's face.

Wang Zhenqiu hurriedly flipped backward. Cheng Mo stepped forward to catch up, his punches like continuous waves, suddenly accelerating and becoming heavier.

Bang bang bang!

Wang Zhenqiu managed to parry a few times, but the shockwaves made his arm go numb, and the illusory image of the golden staff in his hand dissipated.

With a nimble sweeping kick, Cheng Mo knocked Wang Zhenqiu off balance and he fell backward. Cheng Mo's fist followed closely, and Wang Zhenqiu's eye socket bulged.

"Ouch!" Wang Zhenqiu fell to the ground, and the divine mask on his face disappeared. He covered his left eye, where a dark bruise quickly appeared, turning him into a fresh panda eye.

Cheng Mo slowly withdrew his fist and sighed comfortably, "Phew... I've been so busy playing with weapon crafting in the village lately that my skills have gotten a bit rusty, and I almost lost control. I'm sorry, nephew."

The tone was really insincere.

Wang Zhenqiu lay on the ground, feeling every bone in his body protesting. He gasped for breath and mumbled incoherently, "I knew it... you were just looking for an excuse to beat me up..."