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

He spoke casually, but his keen perception had already spread silently.

He was slightly startled.

These individuals before me all possessed a deep and composed aura, and their energy fluctuations far surpassed those of ordinary extraordinary individuals; they were clearly exceptional fighters.

Especially Ma Xianhong, who was in the lead, although he kept his aura restrained, he gave people a feeling of unfathomable depth, as if he contained enormous energy within him.

This Biyou Village is indeed extraordinary.

Ma Xianhong laughed heartily, appearing very generous. He stepped forward and warmly put his arm around Wang Ye's shoulder, as if they were old friends.

"Master Wang Ye, you are too kind! It is an honor for our Biyou Village that a high-ranking master from Wudang Mountain and a successor of the Eight Extraordinary Skills would deign to come to our remote and impoverished village!"

"Come on, come on, don't just stand at the village entrance. I've prepared tea; let's go inside and chat!"

Chapter 70 Zhuge Qing, a man full of wicked schemes

Night fell like a soft veil of ink, slowly enveloping the village, and scattered lights lit up, reflecting the rising stars.

After a simple but rustic dinner, the group gathered in the courtyard of village chief Ma Xianhong dispersed in twos and threes.

Zhang Kun burped and rubbed his stomach as he went home. Fu Rong and Qiu Rang talked in hushed tones as they walked towards the other end of the village.

The other talented individuals also went their separate ways. The commotion subsided, and soon only Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing remained in the courtyard.

The evening breeze, carrying the coolness of the mountains and the fragrance of grass and trees, blew by, fluttering the hem of their clothes.

Wang Ye stretched lazily, his bones cracking slightly, then glanced sideways at Zhuge Qing beside him, who remained calm and collected, and finally asked the question that had been nagging at him all night:

"I'm talking about Lao Qing."

Wang Ye scratched his signature messy hair, his tone filled with undisguised inquiry.

"You rascal, instead of staying home or traveling the world, what are you doing here in this remote mountain village? Don't tell me you came here to see the scenery, this place..."

He glanced around at the deepening night.

"The scenery is beautiful, but there's something about it that's hard to put into words."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Qing's usually narrow fox-like eyes curved into crescents, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Instead of answering directly, he threw the question back at him:

"And you're arguing with me? Abbot Wang, instead of practicing meditation on Wudang Mountain, why did you travel all this way to this remote mountain village? Aren't we both equally foolish?"

Wang was taken aback by his words and waved his hand dismissively, "Hey, don't even mention it. It's just... well, when fate brings you together, you can't stop it."

He sighed, his expression becoming slightly more serious, and lowered his voice:

"But Lao Qing, we've known each other for a while now. To be honest, I feel this place... tsk, it's not a peaceful place at all, it's more like the center of a big trouble vortex."

Upon hearing the word "trouble," Zhuge Qing's smile faded slightly. He nodded thoughtfully and turned his gaze towards the depths of the village.

That was the direction of Ma Xianhong's residence and workshop, but Wang also felt that Zhuge Qing seemed to be looking further away, or rather, he was reminiscing about something.

Zhuge Qing's voice was soft and gentle, with a lingering tone.

"This village is much more interesting than it appears on the surface. Or rather, the people in the village are very interesting."

He deliberately emphasized the word "person".

Wang Ye's Bagua antenna immediately stood up:

"Oh? An interesting person? Besides that ambitious Village Chief Ma who wants to become the Tongtian Sect Leader, who else can make our Zhuge family's genius find interesting?"

He moved closer, looking on with curiosity.

Zhuge Qing glanced at him, knowing that Wang Ye's curiosity had been piqued.

He hesitated for a moment, seemingly weighing something, before finally deciding to reveal some information.

After all, Wang Ye was also a sorcerer, so perhaps he could understand the shock he felt at that time.

"Do you remember I told you before that a man named Wang Xuan came to the village?"

Zhuge Qing asked.

Wang Ye nodded:

"During the meal, Village Chief Ma casually mentioned that he arrived two days before me and was also a guest, acting all mysterious; I haven't seen him yet. What's so special about this person?"

"Special? Ha..."

Zhuge Qing chuckled and shook his head.

"It's more than just special. Wang Ye, you know, we sorcerers sometimes can't help but be... curious."

Wang nodded in deep agreement, saying that sorcerers who peek into the secrets of heaven are essentially a group of people driven by curiosity.

"After I met Wang Xuan, I felt that he was very unusual. His aura was natural and harmonious, yet unfathomable."

Zhuge Qing said slowly.

"So, two nights ago, I couldn't resist the urge to cast a divination in my inner vision to calculate his origins and background."

Wang Ye's expression also became serious.

Making inferences about others, especially those you sense are unusual, in your inner vision carries risks; the more important the answer, the greater the price you have to pay.

"and then?"

Wang also urged.

Zhuge Qing's gaze became somewhat distant, as if he were once again seeing that spiritual world belonging to the sorcerer:

“I entered the inner world and posed the question—'Wang Xuan's true identity and purpose.' Then…”

He paused, seemingly searching for the right words to describe that astonishing scene.

“I saw a… ‘sun’.”

Wang was stunned.

"This is not a metaphor, it refers to the king."

Zhuge Qing turned his head and looked at Wang Ye seriously. His usually squinty eyes were now wide open, and a trace of fear still lingered deep in his pupils.

"It was an enormous, scorching fireball that seemed capable of burning away all thought and soul! Its brilliance and size were unlike anything I had ever seen in my life!"

I've previously divined the obstacles or backlashes encountered by troublesome individuals or celestial secrets, but never... never have I seen such a concrete, oppressive, and destructive symbol!

He described the scene, his voice still tinged with disbelief:

"You know what? My first reaction wasn't fear, or backing down, but... I was stunned! Utterly stunned!"

My mind went blank, leaving only the enormous, raging fireball that filled my entire interior view.

As Wang Ye listened to Zhuge Qing's description, the laziness on his face vanished, replaced by extreme solemnity and shock.

He completely understood Zhuge Qing's feelings.

In the interior, the size and intensity of the symbols visually reflect the difficulty of the problem and the weight of the underlying causes.

A fireball like the sun? That means the truth about Wang Xuan involves an unimaginable amount of cause and effect, and its origins and secrets are probably far beyond their comprehension.

As a top-tier sorcerer, Wang Ye's curiosity was completely ignited at this moment, and he even had a strong urge to enter the inner realm immediately.

To see that so-called "sun" with one's own eyes, to challenge that vast unknown. This impulse is an instinct deeply rooted in the blood of sorcerers.

Zhuge Qing was extremely astute and immediately discerned Wang Ye's eagerness from the change in his eyes.

He knew Wang Ye all too well, and he also knew this common flaw of sorcerers—the more they were told something was dangerous or impossible, the more they wanted to try it and verify it.

Then, Zhuge Qing reached out and patted Wang Ye heavily on the shoulder, his tone more serious and solemn than ever before, interrupting his thoughts:

Zhuge Qing stared into his eyes.

"Take my advice, whatever you do, don't! Don't try to predict his fate out of curiosity! That's not a challenge, that's... suicide!"

His words were forceful and full of warning.

Looking at Zhuge Qing's unprecedentedly serious expression, Wang Ye could sense the sincerity in his words and the lingering fear in his heart. The impulse in his heart was slightly suppressed by reason.

After Zhuge Qing finished speaking, he patted Wang Ye's shoulder hard again, then turned around and walked towards his temporary hut. His figure looked somewhat desolate in the night, as if the experience he had just recalled had exhausted a lot of his energy.

However, the moment he turned his back to Wang Ye and stepped into the shadow of the eaves, a tiny, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his handsome face, revealing a sly, mischievous grin.

As a man who understands people's hearts, especially the psychology of sorcerers, Zhuge Qing was well aware of the "forbidden fruit effect".

The more strictly you forbid it, the more the other person will want to try it. His warning just now, while stemming from genuine feelings and good intentions, also carried a hint of "retreating to advance."

Wang Ye stood there, watching Zhuge Qing's figure disappear into the night, stroking his chin with a slight frown.

"That damned fox..."

Wang Ye muttered something under his breath.

"He spoke so seriously, and his expression was so sincere... but why did I always feel that those two pats he gave me at the end were a bit malicious?"

Although Wang Ye's personality may seem carefree and unrestrained, he is extremely intelligent and his meticulousness far surpasses that of ordinary people.

He certainly had a strong curiosity, but he also knew the principle that "a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall."

He heeded Zhuge Qing's warning; his genuine sense of fear was undeniable.

He also keenly caught the subtle hint of "encouragement" that Zhuge Qing seemed to unintentionally reveal at the end.

Wang Ye shook his head and muttered to himself.

"Trying to trick me? No way. I may be curious, but I'm not stupid enough to risk my life to verify your twisted sense of humor. Zhuge Qing, you really are full of bad ideas."

Chapter 71 Seven Evils Gathering

Wang Ye walked alone on the path back to his residence. The night breeze was cool, but it couldn't dispel the ripples of curiosity in his heart caused by Zhuge Qing's words.

He recalled Zhuge Qing's lingering fear when he described seeing the "sun" in the inner world, and couldn't help but touch his chin, a slightly teasing smile playing on his lips.

"This old man, who is usually as shrewd as a fox, is getting a bit stubborn this time."

Wang Ye muttered to himself.

"You were curious about Wang Xuan's background, so why did you have to go through all that trouble to hide away and use your inner vision to calculate it? You made yourself so nervous and even suffered some internal injuries. What was the point?"

In his view, Zhuge Qing's approach was somewhat of taking the long way around. While the methods of sorcerers are indeed magical, they can sometimes easily fall into the trap of "preconceived notions," neglecting the most direct and simple path.

"Besides, if I want to know something, why not just ask?"

Wang Ye's idea became clearer and clearer.

He had a carefree and open-minded personality. Since everyone was a guest in Biyou Village, or rather, everyone was involved in Ma Xianhong's mess.

If you run into them and ask, what good will it do?

If the other party is unwilling to talk, at most you'll get a cold shoulder, but it won't hurt you.

If they were willing to reveal a little something, wouldn't that be much better than risking guesswork in the interior?

He shook his head, finding Zhuge Qing's somewhat arrogant sorcerer-like behavior and habitual reliance on divination somewhat amusing.

"If I ever get the chance to meet that person, I really should ask them. After all, they share the same surname, Wang; maybe they were family five hundred years ago?"

Wang Ye secretly pondered that this straightforward approach was more in line with his personality.

With his thoughts returning to normal, Wang had already returned to the temporary accommodation that Ma Xianhong had arranged for him.

A clean and tidy brick house, simply furnished, but much better than sleeping in the open.

He quickly packed his small baggage, sat cross-legged on the bed, but did not fall asleep immediately.

The main purpose of this trip resurfaced in his mind. Ma Xianhong revealed his identity as the successor of the Eight Extraordinary Skills and used this as a pretext to invite him to come.

This incident alone made Wang Ye wary. What he saw and heard after arriving at Biyou Village only deepened his worries.

The village is filled with the flexible and exquisite dolls, and Ma Xianhong’s passionate exposition at the dinner table of his ideals of “education for all,” “opening a new path for extraordinary people in the world,” and “reviving the glory of the Jie Sect.”

And those with superior aptitude who clearly intended to recruit and probe him, the successor of "Feng Hou Qi Men"... all of this points to one fact.

Ma Xianhong, or rather, the matter he is obsessed with, is extremely dangerous.

This danger does not refer to any particular malice or aggression on Ma Xianhong's part. Based on our brief contact, he seems more like an idealist immersed in his own grand vision.

He even possesses a touch of the stubbornness and naiveté of a tech geek. What's dangerous is his ideology and the power he wields—the Divine Refinement Hundred Techniques and the Body Refining Furnace that supposedly can "transform the mortal into the extraordinary."

The idea of ​​"education for all" sounds wonderful, but ignoring qualifications and forcibly transforming ordinary people into superhumans goes against the laws of nature and touches the bottom line of the All-Tong Company's efforts to maintain the balance of the superhuman world.