From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

He Anxia also fell silent:

If his current master, Cui Daoning, were still a Taoist priest on the mountain, the Azure Dragon Society might be wary of him.

But his master couldn't bear the loneliness on the mountain and ran down there—

He even gave up his spiritual practice!

Why would his sect contact him again?

"Could you please not tell my master?"

He Anxia pleaded, "My master is in poor health. If he knew that his brother was doing such a thing, he would definitely be so angry that he would fall ill and never recover."

“If someone gets sick, they can be treated. The real fear is that he might die in a confused state.”

Jiang Liu looked deeply at He Anxia and realized that his pure heart had been clouded. If it were a month ago, he would have said whatever came to mind, but now he was considerate of others. However, it was better to speak out about some things. "To tell you the truth, our opera troupe is short of a doctor. He is studying medicine. If he can resume his cultivation and find a goal, he might be able to slowly change the world with us."

But it seems I overestimated myself—

Perhaps I've been having such a smooth run of success lately that I've become a bit arrogant.

That's it!

"I've already told you what happened. Whether you tell your master or not is your business. I'm only giving you three days. Within three days, the Azure Dragon Society will disappear from Hangzhou. If your master doesn't want his brother to die, he should break his arms and legs and lock him up. Otherwise, even if we don't kill him after three days, the authorities will hold him accountable."

Watching Jiang Liu's departing figure, He Anxia opened his mouth, wanting to call him back and discuss it further, but he didn't know how to start the conversation.

On one hand, it's about eliminating harm for the people—

This is great news!

On one side is his master's younger brother—

Although he also disliked Cui Daorong and felt that the other party was not worthy of being his master's younger brother, the blood relationship was there. His master could not have children and could only hope that his younger brother would carry on the family line!

Cui Daoning gave him food and became his second master. Logically, as a disciple, he should repay his master and also hope that his master's younger brother could carry on the Cui family bloodline.

But a voice inside him was telling him:

Cui Daorong's death was the best thing for his master!

If Cui Daorong's limbs were broken, his master would have to support him for the rest of his life. If Cui Daorong died, his master might grieve for a while, but with his wife's comfort, he would surely recover. Perhaps, for the sake of continuing the family line, his master would even consciously restrain his desires, relearn the art of the Small Heavenly Circuit, and restore his health…

# Chapter 218 Obedience Domestication

After leaving the clinic, Jiang Liu took a deep breath and thought to himself, "Scheming is futile. I almost became obsessed with this. It seems that I've been living too smoothly before, which has made me a bit arrogant."

After reflecting for a while, Jiang Liu walked into a nearby alley, lightly touched the ground, leaped onto the roof tiles, and headed towards the direction of the red girl.

"Have you recruited a doctor?"

The girl in red asked.

"Not yet, there's no rush."

Jiang Liu smiled slightly and inquired about Cui Daorong's situation.

"He has already left."

Following the direction the girl in red pointed, Jiang Liu saw Cui Daorong carrying a birdcage, seemingly strolling casually down the street, but actually being wary of the pedestrians around him, checking whether he was being followed.

"Quite cautious," Jiang Liu said with a smile.

"With such caution, you're not even a novice in our eyes."

Hong Guniang sneered and pointed at Di Li Chui, who was wearing a mask and swaggering a distance behind Cui Daorong, saying, "Look, because Di Li Chui is short and has never been to the Vermilion Bird Hall, Cui Daorong has no idea that he is the follower."

It's really no wonder that Cui Daorong was blind.

Instead, the people on the ground were only slightly taller than six or seven-year-old children, and with people coming and going on the streets, if one was walking and only looked ahead and behind without looking down at their feet, they would not notice the short people.

otherwise--

How come there are so many teenage pickpockets on this street?

From the perspective that Jiang Liu and Hong Guniang were looking down at at that moment, there were two or three teenagers between the ages of eight or nine and fifteen stealing on almost every street.

They were able to successfully pickpocket people, partly due to the carelessness of passersby, but also because these children were small and short.

At that moment, a boy wearing a hood and overalls walked past Cui Daorong without making a sound and reached out to grab an ancient jade pendant hanging from the other's waist.

Snapped!

But Cui Daorong grabbed him.

The boy struggled, but dared not utter a sound. To his surprise, the effeminate man in front of him did not seem to reprimand him.

"Is this a new child taken in by Xuanwu Hall?"

Cui Daorong squatted down and handed him the ancient jade in his hand, smiling as he said, "Take me to the hall master; I have something to discuss."

"I don't know the hall master; the one in charge of us is Instructor Li." The boy was very frightened.

"Then take me to Instructor Li."

Cui Daorong spoke in a delicate, almost feminine voice, "I am the head of the Vermilion Bird Hall!"

The boy dared not object and could only lead him into a small alley.

He hurriedly followed.

Jiang Liu and Hong Guniang also jumped off the roof and disappeared into the alley, following closely behind, until they arrived at a sparsely populated street.

Compared to the prosperous urban area, the houses here are low and dilapidated, the ground is littered with garbage, and there are no young men or women to be seen. Instead, there are mostly elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people, as well as scattered children and teenagers of different ages.

When the children and teenagers saw Cui Daorong, they all looked wary, but when they saw the boy who led him there, they turned their heads away and dared not go forward.

Finally, the two entered a house built of iron plates and piles of stones. The aroma of noodles wafted out, suggesting it was a restaurant or noodle shop in the slums.

Behind the noodle shop, there was a large pile of old wooden planks covered with sheets of iron, covering an area of ​​about five acres.

Having identified their target, Jiang Liu and Hong Guniang no longer concealed their identities and voluntarily walked on the streets of this dilapidated slum.

This immediately attracted the attention of many children.

Children have quietly disappeared into the ruins...

Some teenagers also stepped forward to ask questions.

"Are you from the city center, brother and sister?"

Looking at the little boy in front of him, whose clothes seemed neat but whose skin was covered in dirt, Jiang Liu raised his hand and pressed down on his head.

Swish!

In an instant, the little boy trembled all over, and the dirt on his skin cracked and fell off on its own, shaking off countless black and gray grime.

Seeing this amazing scene, the boy was at a loss. He looked up and saw Jiang Liu's eyes, which were so gentle.

"That's right, it's my first time here. I just didn't expect there to be such a dilapidated place in this city."

Then, Jiang Liu changed the subject, patted his head, and said with a smile, "However, please believe me, you will not live this kind of life again."

The boy was taken aback, and for some reason, a sense of trust arose in his heart.

But by the time he came to his senses, Jiang Liu and Hong Guniang had already gone far away.

Any child who dared to approach the two men and ask them questions had all the mud and grime on their clothes and bodies shaken off by Jiang Liu's magnetic field.

Fear of the unknown?

They were afraid of being caught stealing, being reprimanded, or beaten on the spot...

They were afraid that if they failed to steal anything, they would be beaten and kicked by Instructor Li, and go without food...

No one in this world is truly good to them.

But that older brother was different—

While stealing on the street, they encountered kind people who let them go and advised them not to steal, but how could they survive without stealing?

They just ignored those words!

But the older brother assured them that if they could have food without stealing, they wouldn't steal on the streets.

Jiang Liu knew perfectly well that most of these children, when they became orphans or were abducted, did not have a fully developed worldview, but they were not people that Xuanwu Hall could completely brainwash in one go!

Especially in this metropolis where Eastern and Western cultures blend, what they see and hear while stealing on the streets during their growth and adolescence, when their minds are at their sharpest, is far more impactful than the ideas forcibly instilled by that so-called Instructor Li from Xuanwu Hall.

Xuanwu Hall's decision to send them to steal was merely a form of "obedience" training.

Steal the money! Give them food!

Unable to steal! Starving! Going to be beaten!

But what makes humans the most intelligent of all beings is that they have a bit of their own thoughts. Compared to children who are in their developmental or adolescent years and whose thinking is extremely active, middle-aged and elderly people with fixed mindsets are actually easier to tame and brainwash by identifying and utilizing their inner desires and pursuits.

There was a reason why many pyramid schemes and cults in my past life targeted adults, not teenagers.

Therefore.

Even though these children had stolen from many people, and some of them had lost their life-saving money for medicine, Jiang Liu was still willing to give them a chance.

After all, in this era—

The phrase "not acting in accordance with one's own will" is 100% inapplicable to these children!

They haven't even finished building their "heart" yet!

And adults—

Feel sorry!

You have to take responsibility for your actions!

"What would you two like to eat?"

Entering the noodle shop built with iron plates and stone slabs, the owner, who had a full beard, was frying dough sticks. When he saw the visitors, he was stunned for a moment, and then greeted them warmly.

However, Jiang Liu ignored him and walked towards the passageway opposite the main entrance.

"You're here to cause trouble, aren't you?"

The boss's smile was instantly replaced by a ferocious grin as he pulled out a kitchen knife and slashed at Jiang Liu.