One person: Lu Jin, do I look like your master?

Fu Rong was talking to herself, looking relaxed.

Almost simultaneously, Zhuge Qing also noticed Wang Xuan walking towards him.

His languid expression faltered slightly, and his usually squinted eyes opened almost imperceptibly.

As an outstanding successor of the Wuhou School, observing qi and judging faces are basic skills that are almost instinctive.

He could discern a great deal about the character, fortune, and cultivation foundation of ordinary people and even many extraordinary individuals at a glance.

However, the young man who was walking slowly in front of him made Zhuge Qing feel "vague" for the first time.

Wang Xuan's temperament was peculiar, like a deep pool of still water, calm on the surface but seemingly containing immeasurable depth within.

It's like distant mountain clouds and mist, seemingly clear, but upon closer inspection, it's elusive and unpredictable.

His destiny, fortune, and even the depth of his cultivation were all shrouded in an invisible mist in Zhuge Qing's "eyes," making it impossible to discern even the slightest detail.

"strangeness……"

Zhuge Qing thought to himself.

He had been in Biyou Village for some time, and he could observe some of the characteristics of everyone in the village, from those with superior spiritual talents like Qiu Rang and Fu Rong to ordinary villagers, and even the unfathomable Master Ma Xianhong.

But this is the first time I've encountered someone so completely "unfathomable" as Wang Xuan.

Curiosity is a universal human trait, especially for someone as intelligent and adept as Zhuge Qing, who is accustomed to anticipating opportunities.

He subconsciously slowed his pace, his gaze lingering on Wang Xuan for a moment longer.

Wang Xuan naturally noticed Zhuge Qing's scrutiny. He had long heard of this young genius from the Wuhou School and knew of his extraordinary abilities.

But the two were complete strangers and had no reason to interact at the moment.

Therefore, Wang Xuan simply met Zhuge Qing's gaze calmly for a moment, which was considered a greeting.

Without pausing, he walked past them with unhurried steps, his figure quickly disappearing into the deepening twilight and the depths of the bamboo shadows.

Once Wang Xuan was out of sight, Zhuge Qing finally stopped, turned to Fu Rong beside him, and asked with just the right amount of curiosity:

"Fu Rong, who was that just now? He looked very unfamiliar."

Fu Rong followed his gaze and shook her head:

"His name is Wang Xuan. He's not very common; he only came to the village recently."

She recalled.

“I heard Qiu Rang mention it once. It seems that he was an old acquaintance of the leader. He came to the village just to find a quiet place to cultivate alone. He usually lives a secluded life and rarely goes to the canteen, so I don’t know much about him.”

"An old acquaintance of the cult leader? A hermit?"

Zhuge Qing repeated these keywords.

A mysterious figure who could be accepted by Ma Xianhong and allowed to "cultivate in seclusion" in such a sensitive place as Biyou Village must have an extraordinary background.

Coupled with that completely unfathomable face, Zhuge Qing's curiosity was completely ignited.

He gazed in the direction where Wang Xuan had disappeared, his narrowed eyes flickering slightly, revealing no specific emotion, but only he knew the turmoil within his heart.

Meanwhile, Wang Xuan had returned to his simple dwelling.

He closed the door, shutting out the outside noise, and sat cross-legged on the futon, not immediately entering a meditative state.

Although he hadn't spoken to Zhuge Qing during their brief encounter, Zhuge Qing's sharp, scrutinizing gaze made him realize that he wasn't entirely unnoticed in Biyou Village.

However, his mind wasn't on that right now. He needed to calm down and continue processing the thoughts in his mind.

After parting ways with Fu Rong, Zhuge Qing went straight back to his residence.

The room was simply furnished. He turned on the light, and the dim light illuminated his thoughtful face.

Wang Xuan's enigmatic figure lingered in his mind.

"If we can't see through her just by looking at her face... perhaps we could try looking inside her?"

Once this thought arises, it is difficult to suppress.

The inner realm is the spiritual domain where sorcerers can glimpse the secrets of heaven and deduce all things. Although there is a risk in rashly calculating the fate of others, Zhuge Qing was quite confident in his cultivation and, driven purely by curiosity, decided to take the risk.

He sat cross-legged, held his breath, concentrated, made hand seals, and chanted incantations.

Soon, his consciousness sank into that mysterious inner world.

Zhuge Qing focused his mind, using the image and name of "Wang Xuan" as an anchor point, and tried to deduce his origins and background.

However, the moment his thoughts touched the core, a sudden change occurred!

The previously calm interior suddenly boiled over and became distorted!

A huge fireball appeared in the interior space.

Zhuge Qing felt like a small boat, instantly thrown into the raging storm, feeling insignificant and powerless.

"puff--!"

In reality, Zhuge Qing suddenly opened his eyes, his body trembled violently, and a mouthful of blood gushed out uncontrollably.

Immediately afterwards, bright red blood seeped from the corners of his eyes, nostrils, and ears!

His face turned deathly pale, his breathing became erratic, and he was completely exhausted, barely managing to stay upright by supporting himself on the ground with his hands.

The internal deduction was forcibly interrupted, and the backlash was far beyond his imagination.

He coughed violently, each cough causing excruciating pain as if his internal organs were being pulled apart.

"Cough cough cough...Wang Xuan..."

He struggled to raise his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and face with his sleeve, his eyes filled with unprecedented shock and horror.

Zhuge Qing, a genius of the Wuhou School, suffered such a terrible backlash when he was merely calculating a person's basic information! This is simply unheard of!

Ultimately, he obtained almost no useful information from the inner vision, except for the name he already knew from Fu Rong—

At this moment, in his mind, this name was synonymous with "extremely dangerous," "unfathomable," and "full of mysteries."

He was merely testing the waters out of curiosity, but nearly paid a heavy price.

"Who...are you?"

Zhuge Qing gazed at the flickering lamplight, muttering to himself, his heart filled with solemnity and doubt.

At almost the same time, far away in another place, the King of Wudang had just dismissed a group of petty scoundrels who had come to harass him because they coveted his Feng Hou Qi Men.

Wang Ye received an invitation from Ma Xianhong to visit Biyou Village, as Ma Xianhong revealed that he was also a possessor of one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, so Wang Ye also planned to come and see.

Chapter 69 Ma Xianhong's Thoughts

The night had not yet completely faded, and the eastern sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn. Biyou Village was still shrouded in a tranquil mist.

However, several figures were already standing at the village entrance, with Ma Xianhong leading the way.

He was dressed in a plain-colored robe today, but his brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes held an undisguised weariness and gloom.

Since Wang Xuan's reminder about Zhao Guizhen two days ago planted a seed of doubt in his mind, he has hardly slept these past two days.

On the surface, he continued to handle village affairs, directing the construction of the flower-shaped puppets and discussing improvements to the cultivation furnace with the upper-level cultivators.

But secretly, he was preoccupied with observing Zhao Guizhen's every move.

Zhao Guizhen, who is usually taciturn and claims to be from Maoshan.

Looking back, Ma Xianhong realized that this person was indeed different. Unlike other villagers or those with exceptional talents, he was not enthusiastic about the future of the village. Instead, he accepted the village's protection and resources with an almost indifferent attitude.

Ma Xianhong had admired the unorthodox talismans and ghost-raising techniques he brought, and felt that this was a manifestation of "education for all" and learning from the strengths of many.

But now, after Wang Xuan pointed it out, he felt a strange unease whenever he recalled the dark look that flashed in Zhao Guizhen's eyes when he was alone.

He secretly investigated for two days, even using part of the monitoring function of the Body Refinement Furnace, but found nothing.

Zhao Guizhen was cautious in his behavior, and apart from occasionally leaving the village to "collect qi" in the nearby mountains, he did not do anything obviously out of line.

This "normality" only made Ma Xianhong more agitated.

Although Wang Xuan's words were unpleasant and his actions unpredictable, he was by no means a person who spoke without reason.

This feeling of knowing there might be hidden dangers but being unable to find any evidence was like a fishbone stuck in his throat, making him restless.

He was also a little embarrassed to ask Zhao Guizhen what the problem was.

"Master, Daoist Wang Ye should be arriving soon."

Zhang Kun, standing beside him, whispered a reminder, interrupting Ma Xianhong's thoughts.

Ma Xianhong took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his worries about Zhao Guizhen for the time being.

There is something even more important to do today—welcome Master Wang Ye from Wudang Mountain.

He had witnessed Wang Ye's identity and strength; as the successor of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques, his importance was self-evident.

If he could get his help, it would be a great help to perfecting the Body Cultivation Furnace and to the future of Biyou Village. He straightened his robes and turned his gaze to the winding mountain road outside the village.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Nadutong Company, far from Biyou Village, a somber meeting had just ended.

Inside the huge circular conference room, the smoke had not completely dissipated, and the air still carried the lingering scent of tense decision-making.

The electronic screens on the walls also display keywords such as "Biyou Village", "Ma Xianhong", "Shenji Bailian" and "Xiu Shenlu", as well as village layout maps taken by satellites and drones.

Liao Zhong, the head of the South China region, gave his final report to the senior executives at headquarters with a serious expression.

He recounted in detail what he had learned from Chen Duo about her rescue by Ma Xianhong during the two days she was missing, and her brief stay in Biyou Village.

Although Chen Duo's description was simple, the information about "Ma Xianhong" and "a furnace that can transform ordinary people" immediately touched the company's most sensitive nerve.

The company's involvement of ordinary people in the world of supernatural beings, especially such large-scale and purposeful transformations, is an absolute red line that must not be crossed.

It's not just about order, but also about the potential and immeasurable risk of social unrest.

The two-hour emergency meeting, with regional leaders participating via video link, involved debate, evaluation, and weighing of options. Ultimately, a resolution was swiftly passed.

Immediate action must be taken against Biyou Village to eliminate the potential dangers.

Given that the strength of the target, Ma Xianhong, is unknown, and that there may be many extraordinary individuals gathered in Biyou Village, a conventional capture team would be too risky.

Therefore, headquarters decided to use a special trump card – temporary workers.

Directly coordinated by headquarters, a special action team was formed by temporary workers temporarily drawn from several major regions, including North China, East China, and Northwest China, to carry out this mission of raiding Biyou Village.

As for the South China region, due to the change in the status of the original temporary worker Chen Duo, the selection of a new temporary worker has not yet been determined.

However, considering that Liao Zhong was the initial source of intelligence and had the best understanding of the situation, the company decided to have him represent South China in this operation.

However, the order explicitly stated that Liao Zhong would not directly participate in the battle.

His primary responsibility is to act as a liaison between the action team and company headquarters, providing on-site intelligence support and coordinating when necessary.

As soon as the meeting ended, the relevant transfer orders and action instructions were sent out with the highest level of encryption.

A storm targeting Biyou Village is quietly brewing under the company's efficient machinery.

At the entrance of Biyou Village, the morning mist gradually dissipated.

At the end of the mountain road, a young man with dark circles under his eyes, looking somewhat sleepy, was walking unsteadily. It was none other than Wang Ye.

"Oh my god, this place is really remote..."

Wang Ye yawned as he looked around at his surroundings, his eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

When his gaze fell on the village entrance, he couldn't help but pause slightly.

With Ma Xianhong at the head, Zhuge Qing standing beside him, and several other men and women of considerable bearing, they appeared to be giving a solemn welcome.

"Welcome, Daoist Wang Ye!"

Ma Xianhong put on a smile, stepped forward, temporarily hiding all his troubles and showing great enthusiasm.

But behind that smile, upon closer inspection, there was still a hint of unspoken thoughts that were difficult to completely conceal.

Zhuge Qing also smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"Old Wang, you've finally arrived! This place is nice, isn't it?"

His fox-like eyes gleamed, seemingly quite looking forward to Wang Ye's arrival.

Wang Ye scratched his messy hair, his face showing an exaggerated expression of surprise:

"Wow! Lao Qing, and this one... Village Chief Ma, right? You guys have quite the entourage! I just woke up, I'm a little overwhelmed!"