One person: Longhushan security guard, stopped the Ten Elders until they cried!

"Here you are."

Ding ding ding—

Inside the Cultivation Hall.

Several luminous pearls hung overhead, making the area as bright as day.

Ma Xianhong sat cross-legged on the ground without turning his head.

Holding a charcoal pencil, he scribbled and drew on the ground.

Behind him, a straw mat and a thin quilt were casually spread out...

It looks like they're ready to spend the night here if they disagree!

"Truly a research fanatic!"

Zhang Lingyu thought to himself.

Not far away, a dozen expressionless "Ru Hua" wielded hammers, steel plates, and rivets.

It looks like they are setting up a scaffold for some kind of large equipment.

"Village Chief Ma, what are you drawing?"

Zhuge Qing put his hands in his pockets, stepped forward, and squatted down next to Ma Xianhong to examine him closely.

"If you want to watch, just watch openly! Come on, sit down!"

Ma Xianhong continued writing, while his other hand took out a food-eating pouch from his bosom and casually tossed it aside.

Swish-!

Four wooden stools were placed steadily at the feet of the four people.

"Again?"

Zhuge Qing and Zhang Lingyu tensed up instantly, as if facing a formidable enemy!

Just now, I was tied up by that thing!

That strange 'vine'... I wonder what material it was made of.

If it doesn't struggle, it's fine, but especially when it encounters the flow of true qi, it tightens its grip even more! It's extremely difficult to deal with!

They were genuinely afraid of sitting down... Ma Xianhong immediately smashed a cup as a signal.

Dozens of axemen rushed in from outside and executed them on the spot!

Ma Xianhong lowered his head and chuckled.

"This time it's just an ordinary stool!"

I already said, it was to test whether you two had ulterior motives...

Under the light of the luminous pearl, his face was covered with a lot of charcoal ash, but he was completely unaware of it.

"However, I'm quite surprised that you all intend to stay."

Apart from Zhou Yan, the other three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Wang Ye spoke first:

"From what Village Chief Ma is saying, even if we had left just now, you wouldn't have stopped us?"

As the group entered the meditation hall, Ma Xianhong finally looked up from the sketch on the ground for the first time:

"Why are you stopping me?"

He spread his hands, "Master Wang doesn't count. The reason I invited the two of you is..."

Ma Xianhong pointed to Zhang Lingyu and Zhuge Qing:

"I just wanted to verify in person whether you were deliberately approaching Brother Zhou and Brother Wang in order to obtain the Eight Extraordinary Techniques..."

Now that things are clear, it doesn't matter to me whether you stay or leave.

He said nonchalantly, "Of course, I don't mean to kick you out. Whether you stay or leave, your rooms are ready."

Zhang Lingyu pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him.

A serious expression crossed his usually cool face as he directly raised his question:

Why?

Ma Xianhong was taken aback by the question, "What? Why?"

Zhang Lingyu:

"I have the same question for you. My senior brother and Master Wang were complete strangers to you before."

Why should I believe that you genuinely want to help them, and not that you have ulterior motives?

"Hey! That makes sense..."

When confronted, Ma Xianhong showed no anger whatsoever.

On the contrary, he laughed openly, a stark contrast to his scheming demeanor when he threatened everyone in the woods earlier.

Do you know the difference between me and you?

After Ma Xianhong finished speaking, without waiting for their reply, he continued:

"Because Brother Zhou, Master Wang, and I share the same identity..."

The voice just fell.

zizi——

The luminous pearl overhead suddenly began to flicker.

Then, colorful lights began to flash rhythmically!

Red, green, blue, and yellow flash alternately...it's incredibly dynamic!

The entire Xiu Shen Tang... suddenly seemed to have transformed into a disco.

At the same time, the women nearby, all dressed as "Ru Hua," simultaneously dropped their tools...

A row of wooden puppets with bizarre faces and red dots painted on their faces stood together.

They raised their hands high above their heads... and waved their hands in rhythm with the lights!

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, their joints making a "clicking" sound as they rubbed together...

This sudden turn of events left the group frozen in shock!

Against this backdrop of such a bizarre and chaotic dance of demons, Ma Xianhong's face, framed between light and shadow, still smiled:

"Because we are all inheritors of the Eight Extraordinary Skills!"

Those thirty-six men from back then… known as the Three-Foot Little Master, the Master of a Hundred-Refined Strategy… were none other than my ancestors!

Pa~!

The shimmering light bulb returned to its deathly white color.

Ma Xianhong remained expressionless, placing one hand on his chest.

"Compared to me, Brother Wang and Brother Zhou are both lucky..."

I have followed my family in a life of constant moving around since childhood, and I have never lived in the same city for more than three years.

Being chased like a stinking dog... until... until... uh!

At this point, Ma Xianhong's voice abruptly stopped!

The muscles in his face began to twitch violently, his features contorted... his eyes became bloodshot, and his head trembled uncontrollably...

Swish!

Zhou Yan flashed and appeared behind Ma Xianhong, pressing down on his back with one hand!

"Don't resist!"

"Take a deep breath."

Zhou Yan's attitude was tough.

He knew very well that this was Ma Xianhong's own memory, conflicting with the memories altered by the Double-Handed Technique, causing a backlash...

To the astonishment of the three of them...

Facing Zhou Yan, an "outsider" he had known for less than 24 hours, Ma Xianhong was completely unprepared!

He dispersed his protective true qi, allowing Zhou Yan's domineering qi to surge into his body and help regulate his runaway meridians.

A full half minute passed.

The pain on Ma Xianhong's face gradually subsided, and a trace of color returned to his pale face.

He let out a long breath and turned to look at Zhou Yan:

Thank you.

Then, he looked at Zhuge Qing and Zhang Lingyu again.

"In short, I was separated from my family when I was a child, and I've been hiding from them for so many years..."

Brother Wang, you might understand this sentiment, but... I don't want you two to experience the same thing I did!

Ma Xianhong's expression was solemn as he said in a deep voice:

"Whether you two are willing to believe me, Ma Xianhong or not, in my heart I will always regard you, as fellow inheritors of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, as friends and confidants!"

Whether you leave tomorrow morning or not...

"Whenever and wherever you two ask, I, Old Ma, will answer without hesitation!"

The meditation hall fell silent.

Only the women, like Ru Hua, continued tirelessly hammering at the steel plate.

Zhang Lingyu and Zhuge Qing both sighed.

If everything just now was merely an act, then Ma Xianhong absolutely deserves an Oscar.

In just one night, Village Chief Ma had a profound impact on Zhang Lingyu...

He saw a childlike heart in this somewhat paranoid and eccentric man!

The thought that the other party had goodwill towards his senior brother made Zhang Lingyu feel that the other party was much more pleasing to the eye!

"What are you drawing?" Zhang Lingyu stepped forward. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Ma Xianhong lowered his head again, picked up the charcoal pencil, and continued drawing.

To Wang Ye and the others, the ground was covered with a bunch of random lines and spheres, which were completely incomprehensible.

"The Body-Cultivating Furnace"

Ma Xianhong didn't even look up, once again immersing himself in his own world:

"The 'lower-level talents' you see are all ordinary people I transformed using a furnace."

He paused, then pointed to the corner:

"Hey, that's the pile of junk from earlier. Brother Zhou said the furnace was too ugly, so I smashed it. Now they're redesigning the shape..."

Body-cultivating furnace!

Transform ordinary people!

Too ugly...

Smash it!

Such shocking words were uttered so casually by Ma Xianhong...

The three people's conjectures on the way up the mountain were instantly confirmed by the person themselves.

Zhang Lingyu felt a bit overwhelmed...

Is the other person really speaking the same language as me?

Transforming ordinary people into superhumans in large numbers...

If this kind of "unforgivable" thing is true, it will cause a huge mess!

An extremely sensitive word instantly surfaced in their minds—

"Population red line!"

Zhang Lingyu looked to Zhou Yan for help.

He hoped his senior brother could tell him that it was all fake... that it was all just his delusions after Ma Xianhong went mad!

pity.

The senior brother simply nodded at him.

Ma Xianhong completely ignored the shock of the others and continued speaking to himself:

"To be honest, I did have a little ulterior motive in asking Brother Zhuge and Master Wang for help..."

Among my superior talents, there is no sorcerer yet.

but..."

He raised his charcoal pencil and pointed to Zhou Yan, who was standing to the side.

"Since Brother Zhou is also a sorcerer, and he has already agreed to tend the furnace for me."

So if you guys want to leave, you really can leave anytime. Alright, don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary... This village chief suddenly had a burst of inspiration!

Wang Ye suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Zhou Yan.

The smile on Zhuge Qing's face froze completely.

Stirring the furnace?

Despite the intense gazes of his friends, Zhou Yan remained unfazed.

Why should I explain my actions to others?

"Um, the prison guard..."

He simply took out his phone and handed it over:

"Before you start drawing, I suggest you take a look at this."