They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 354 Sister Ma, whose boyfriend was poached
Having received approval, Zhuge Qing nodded and waved gently behind him.

"Group 1, Group 2, seal off all entrances and exits."

Groups three and four went into the village to investigate and control all suspicious persons.

Remember, our objective is to search for accomplices; do not disturb ordinary villagers.

Leng Feng understood and then began to direct the team's actions.

"Yes!"

Amidst a cold, uniform response, black-clad special police and silver-armored men surged into the village like a tide.

Their movements were swift and decisive, and they quickly took control of all the key roads in the village.

"Village Chief Ma, please take me to see your studio."

Zhuge Qing turned his head and said to Ma Xianhong.

As he spoke, Leng Feng and four other men in silver armor followed.

Seeing this, Ma Xianhong nodded silently, then turned and led them toward the largest wooden house in the center of the village.

As soon as they approached the wooden house, something strange happened.

"Crack...knock..."

A series of teeth-grinding mechanical noises emanated from the shadows all around, as if countless lurking beasts were stretching their muscles.

Immediately afterwards, one after another humanoid puppet creations emerged from under the eaves, in the grass, and behind the tree trunks.

Their eyes flashed with a cold red light as they surrounded Zhuge Qing and his group.

An aura of chilling menace instantly filled the air, and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

Leng Feng and the other five armored men reacted almost simultaneously, standing beside Zhuge Qing to prevent a surprise attack.

"take it easy."

Zhuge Qing's voice rang out at just the right moment. He raised his hand to stop Leng Feng and the others from their actions, and looked at the exquisitely crafted puppets with great interest. There was no fear on his face; instead, he seemed to be admiring works of art.

Ma Xianhong's eyes flickered slightly as he watched this scene.

He simply waved his hand casually...

"Get out!"

At his command, the army of puppets, exuding a dangerous aura, retreated silently into the shadows like obedient pets, as if they had never existed.

Of course this was intentional.

The purpose was naturally to demonstrate to the other party that Biyou Village was not a pushover.

"Using Qi as a guide, he can manipulate all things as easily as using his own arms, achieving perfection as if it were a natural process. Village Chief Ma's weapon-forging skills are truly miraculous."

Zhuge Qing naturally saw through his thoughts, but did not point them out. Instead, he clapped his hands in praise.

As he spoke, he walked into the room, his gaze sweeping over the various semi-finished products and design drawings displayed inside.

The cabin was very spacious, with various tools hanging on the walls and complex parts and blueprints piled on the table. The air was filled with the distinctive smells of machine oil, sawdust, and metal.

In the center of this room stands a huge furnace.

That was his goal for this trip: the Body Cultivation Furnace, which combined the techniques of the Dual-Handed Technique and the Divine Mechanism.

"I have heard that there was a weapon-refining sect called 'Tiangongtang' decades ago."

His disciples revered Lu Ban as their patriarch and devoted their lives to pursuing the highest realm of "exquisite craftsmanship".

They believed that the most perfect creation in the world was the human body itself, and that every breath and every movement contained the Great Dao.

Therefore, the ultimate goal of Tiangong Hall is to use the methods of weapon crafting to recreate the wonders of the human body.

Zhuge Qing paused, his gaze shifting from a complex joint design drawing to Ma Xianhong's face.

"Now that I have seen the creations of Village Chief Ma with my own eyes, I know that what the ancients said was true."

"Tiangongtang?"

Ma Xianhong was suddenly stunned, his face showing unprecedented astonishment and curiosity.

"Just a sect that has long since disappeared into the annals of history."

Zhuge Qing's tone carried a hint of regret.

"During the Jia Shen Rebellion, the three most outstanding geniuses in the sect swore brotherhood with Wu Gensheng and became the Thirty-Six Thieves."

Since then, Tiangongtang has declined and eventually lost its lineage.

He paused, observing Ma Xianhong's changing expression, before continuing.

"And among those three, you should be familiar with the one who comprehended the extraordinary skill 'Divine Refinement of a Hundred Techniques'."

“His name is Ma Benzai, and he is your great-grandfather.”

boom!
These words, like a thunderclap, exploded in Ma Xianhong's mind!

His pupils contracted sharply, and his body involuntarily took half a step back, staring at Zhuge Qing in disbelief:
"You...how could you..."

Great-grandfather... Ma Benzai... Thirty-six thieves...

These were fragments, things he had only heard snippets of from his sister.

He instantly realized that their visit to Biyou Village today was not solely for Zhao Guizhen! Their target from the very beginning had been him, and the Divine Hundred Refinements he possessed!
"Ah……"

Seeing Ma Xianhong's shocked expression, Zhuge Qing chuckled and slowly took out a few photos from his pocket, gently placing them on the wooden table piled with parts.

Don't you want to know where your family members are right now?

The photo shows a pair of elderly people who look simple and frail.

The moment Ma Xianhong's gaze fell upon the photograph, he was struck dumb, as if by lightning.

His breathing became rapid, and his eyes were filled with intense confusion and struggle.

These faces were both familiar and strange, as if viewed through a thick, damp, frosted glass. He could see their outlines and feel their warmth, but he couldn't recall their names or any details about them.

Just then, a strange blue light shone from the depths of his eyes.

The confusion and struggle vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, emotionless ferocity.

It was as if something had forcibly overridden his original emotions.

"I only have one sister as a family!"

His voice became hoarse and shrill, as if another person were speaking through his throat.

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his hand, and a surge of powerful energy erupted from his body!
"Om-!"

At that moment, all the puppets, parts, and tools inside the wooden house came to life!
The wrenches and hammers hanging on the wall, the gears and bearings scattered on the table, and the unfinished puppet in the corner all floated up at this moment, gleaming with a dangerous cold light!
Leng Feng and the other five armored team members' expressions changed drastically, and they instantly stepped in front of Zhuge Qing. "Calm down."

Zhuge Qing's voice remained steady. He gently pushed aside the guards in front of him and looked directly at Ma Xianhong, whose eyes were now glowing with a distinct blue light.

Behind him, a towering, ethereal figure, several meters tall and adorned with a feather fan and a silk turban, quietly appeared.

"The essence of talismans lies in the interaction between heaven and man. Only by using one's own Qi to communicate with the pivot of heaven and earth can one summon gods and command ghosts, and control Yin and Yang."

Zhuge Qing muttered incantations and formed a complex hand seal in front of his chest.

With the support of the illusory image of Marquis Wu, whose computing power was comparable to that of a supercomputer, his perception and control of the Qi that roamed the world reached an inconceivable level.

In an instant, hundreds of talismans shimmering with soft light appeared out of thin air around him!

These talismans are not used for attack or defense, but rather exude a peaceful and serene aura.

Calming talisman!
"go with!"

With a soft shout, hundreds of calming talismans flew towards Ma Xianhong like a flock of golden butterflies fluttering in the air.

This is one of the advantages of the art of talismans compared to magic.

If one were to use a calming or tranquilizing technique, it would be impossible to achieve such a massive quantity in an instant.

The next moment, a miraculous scene unfolded.

Impressed by the effects of the numerous talismans, the blue light in Ma Xianhong's eyes flashed intensely. He clutched his head, his face showing an indescribable expression of pain.

"Look carefully and see who your family is!"

Zhuge Qing's voice, like a morning bell and evening drum, carried a cleansing and exorcising sound that resonated in Ma Xianhong's mind!
Qu Tong's brainwashing, which she used with her double-handed technique to brainwash Ma Xianhong in order to build a body-cultivation furnace for her, was not perfect.

She needs to preserve Ma Xianhong's talent for weapon crafting and some of his thinking ability, which means she cannot completely turn him into a mindless puppet.

This is also why Ma Xianhong broke free from Qu Tong's brainwashing several times in the original novel, which also gave him an opportunity to take advantage of the situation...

"Uh... ah..."

Ma Xianhong knelt on the ground in anguish. In his mind, his sister's gentle smiling face and the blurry image of the old man in the photo were fighting and tearing each other apart.

Two completely different yet equally "real" memories brought him to the brink of mental collapse.

“That’s your father, Ma Long; your mother, Wang Hui; and your grandfather, Ma Yuanlu!”

Zhuge Qing's voice rang out again, each word like a nail, driving into the depths of Ma Xianhong's chaotic consciousness.

He stepped forward and gently placed his palm on Ma Xianhong's crown.

"Is this it...?"

He closed his eyes and used his own Qi to perceive things carefully.

He clearly "saw" that deep within Ma Xianhong's brain, there was an independent, tiny life magnetic field.

It's like a sophisticated program parasitizing the depths of the soul, a self-contained system that constantly releases distorted information flows, acting like a firewall that blocks and alters Ma Xianhong's thoughts and memories.

Without a doubt, this is the "lock" that Qu Tong planted with her two skillful hands.

Since we can sense it, things become much easier.

A wisp of blue flame quietly ignited in his palm.

Samadhi is really hot!

Under the precise control of the Martial Marquis deity, this wisp of pure Yang flame did not harm Ma Xianhong in the slightest. Instead, it transformed into an extremely thin line of fire, following Ma Xianhong's meridians like the most delicate energy scalpel, precisely bypassing all the important nerves and tissues, and directly reaching the brain region that was polluted by spiritual power!
That thing created by Shuangquan's hands is essentially a "living entity," and as long as it is alive, it cannot do without the nourishment of "Qi."

What Zhuge Qing needs to do is cut off its root cause!
"Edict!"

The fire instantly formed a perfect seal around the creature, completely isolating it from Ma Xianhong's own innate Qi!
"what--!"

Ma Xianhong let out a bloodcurdling roar as countless altered and sealed fragments of memory, like a flood bursting its banks, rushed into his mind!
……

"Xianhong, slow down, don't fall..."

A gentle female voice called out, and in the sunlight, a woman wearing a floral apron was smiling and waving at him.

"You brat, stealing food again! Wait till your dad gets home, he'll give you a good beating!"

A man with a cigarette in his mouth pretended to be angry and patted his butt.

The scene spins rapidly, eventually settling on a workshop covered in dust and sawdust.

An old man, who always wore reading glasses and whose hands were covered in grease and sawdust, was sitting on a small stool, holding two pieces of wood in his hands. He could always conjure up all sorts of interesting things as if by magic.

"Silly boy, watch closely. This is called a mortise and tenon joint. One side is yin, the other yang; one is concave, the other convex. Without a single nail or rivet, it can hold two pieces of wood together firmly. Our Ma family's craftsmanship is passed down to men, not women, so you'd better watch carefully..."

"Grandpa, why isn't this little bird puppet moving?"

Young Ma Xianhong held up a wooden bird with drooping wings, his face full of grievance.

"Hehe, because its 'heart' is broken."

The old man smiled as he took the wooden bird, gently stroking it with his rough fingers.

"Everything has a 'heart,' and so do the things we make. Come, Grandpa will teach you how to repair them..."

Countless memories flashed through my mind.

He remembered, it was his grandfather... Ma Yuanlu!

The old man who would take him to town to see shadow puppet shows, who would carve the twelve zodiac animals out of wood for him, and who would protect him when his father scolded him!

Once the floodgates of memory are opened, they can never be closed again.

Then came a cold, sharp voice, like that of a venomous snake.

"Xianhong, they all abandon us. They are bad people. From now on, only your sister will stay with you."

"Forget them, forget all the bad things. They only hurt you. Only your sister is your one and only family. Your sister will always protect you..."

elder sister……

Scenes that were forcibly distorted appeared one after another: the parents' concerned eyes turned into disgust, and the grandfather's kind teachings turned into stern rebukes.

No...that's not how it is!

No! I don't have a sister at all!!
Ma Xianhong's body trembled violently, and the blue light in his eyes completely dissipated in his final struggle, replaced by a torrent of scalding tears.

He slowly raised his head, his trembling hand reaching for the photograph on the table.

His fingertips traced the kind smile of the old man in the photo, the grandfather who taught him how to cultivate his "heart".

Ma Xianhong could no longer hold back and collapsed to the ground, letting out a suppressed and painful sob, like a child.

He remembered...

(End of this chapter)