Simulation: Starting from Under One Person

To avoid any unforeseen complications, Gong Qing cut to the chase without further ado.

"I've been lurking in the Celestial Master's Mansion for so long! I just have a small question I'd like to ask you..."

After a few seconds of pause, he continued, "I'm fascinated by the events of the Jia Shen year and want to understand that period. Getting close to you, the older generation of the Quanxing sect, is a good choice... because our predecessors suffered at the hands of Zhang Huaiyi, so I chose to infiltrate Longhu Mountain..."

"On the other hand, we were also searching for Zhang Huaiyi, but unfortunately, something unexpected happened..."

At this point, Gong Qing's expression changed slightly, after all, Zhang Huaiyi's matter... was not quite ordinary.

Whether it was a backup plan left by Zhang Huaiyi or for some other reason, he had no way of knowing.

Composing himself, he continued the previous topic: "Of course, there's no way you'd tell me this willingly, so I've been looking for clues to start with... until I was about to give up, I finally found a useful clue. I have to say, I was pretty lucky."

Chapter 183 Tian Jinzhong unleashes a series of combos

Upon hearing Gong Qing say that he was lucky, Tian Jinzhong's expression became somewhat subtle.

Good luck? Do you even know your current situation?

However, when Gong Qing closed his eyes and nodded while saying that he was lucky, he did not notice the subtle expression on Tian Jinzhong's face and continued talking to himself.

He raised his right index finger, opened his eyes and said, "Back then, you and Zhang Zhiwei, who is now the Old Celestial Master, went down the mountain in two separate groups. Few people knew the purpose of your trip down the mountain, but I knew that you were looking for the troubled child Zhang Huaiyi... Of course, when you returned to the mountain, you didn't bring anyone back with you."

At this point, Gong Qing's lips curled back into a slightly wicked and excited smile: "The thing I want to confirm is... you really didn't see Zhang Huaiyi that time you went down the mountain?"

Tian Jinzhong slightly closed his eyes, his crimson pupils devoid of any emotion: "Why should I tell you whether I saw Huaiyi or not?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, this won't work~"

Gong Qing shook his finger and advised, "Now you're like a fish on a chopping board, Mr. Tian, ​​you have to cooperate! I don't really want to use force."

"Oh, really..."

Upon hearing this, Old Tian remained calm and composed: "I think what you said is not quite right."

From Tian Jinzhong's attitude, Gong Qing finally realized something was wrong and immediately snapped out of his smug state. Just as he was about to say something, the sound of footsteps came from behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lü Liang standing still, slowly turning his head to look back...

'So... who is this person walking towards me?'

Gong Qing's heart rate rose rapidly, and he made a decision after thinking for a fraction of a second.

Regardless of whether the visitor is from the Quanxing sect or someone else...

It wouldn't do him any harm to control Tian Jinzhong first.

Thinking this, Gong Qing immediately took action and threw three needles at Tian Jinzhong.

The slender silver needle, wrapped in Qi, pierced the air without making a sharp sound, but judging from its extremely fast speed, its power was not weak.

Although Tian Jinzhong's cultivation level was not as profound as Zhang Zhiwei's, it was still not to be underestimated. Although the silver needles moved quickly, he could still see them clearly.

His crimson eyes stared at the three silver needles coming toward him, and he suddenly raised his arms and swung them, the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe wrapped in rich golden light.

Under the blessing of the Golden Light Mantra, even an ordinary sleeve has enough defensive power to withstand pistol bullets. Therefore, the three silver needles that Gong Qing casually threw out were no problem at all and were directly swept away by the sleeve.

Immediately afterwards, he flicked his sleeve, and three silver needles fell to the ground.

Gong Qing seemed slightly surprised, but not particularly astonished.

During his time infiltrating the Celestial Master's Mansion, he once asked Zhang Zhiwei about the reason why Tian Jinzhong hadn't slept for decades—that his mind was full and he didn't want to sleep, and that he had replaced sleep with meditation for decades, so his cultivation was quite abundant.

The subsequent attacks followed immediately. Gong Qing threw three more silver needles at Tian Jinzhong, while simultaneously running towards Tian Jinzhong with one silver needle in his hand.

The silver needle in his hand was different from the others he had thrown. It had been nourished with Qi over many years, making it much stronger than ordinary silver needles in terms of hardness and other aspects.

Tian Jinzhong did not sit idly by and wait for his death. He suddenly leaned forward and pounced like a cheetah that had been poised for a long time. The rich golden light surrounding him and his gray-brown Taoist robe resembled the golden and black fur of a cheetah.

When Gong Qing saw Tian Jinzhong stand up, his eyes widened in shock. He was so astonished that he lost his balance and stumbled forward a few steps before regaining his footing.

"How is that possible?!"

"How could Old Tian..."

Gong Qing, who had taken care of Tian Jinzhong's daily life for several years, was well aware of Tian Jinzhong's injuries. With his hands and feet cut off, he had no chance of standing up again.

At this moment, Tian Jinzhong actually stood up.

And... not only did he stand up, he was running, running extremely fast.

'Could it be... someone else in disguise?'

Considering what Tian Jinzhong said earlier, I think my guess is very likely.

Then he saw Tian Jinzhong's hand emerge from his sleeve; it was a hand that exuded a sense of technology.

"mechanical?"

Another "surprise" struck, and Gong Qing staggered again.

Just as Gong Qing staggered a few steps, Tian Jinzhong's attack came at that moment. Due to the change in height, the powerful palm strike did not hit Gong Qing's head, but instead knocked his hat off.

'That was close!'

Gong Qing, who was inwardly congratulating himself on his good luck, suddenly turned around and glanced at Tian Jinzhong's side as he passed by. Without hesitation, he threw out two silver needles.

The silver needle struck the golden light, and the golden light instantly dented a short distance, just like the indentation that appears when a finger presses on a soft sponge.

However, unlike a sponge that can be easily pierced, the Golden Light Mantra has extremely strong defensive capabilities. The mere silver needles could not penetrate it at all, which instead attracted Tian Jinzhong's attention.

"Five thunders!"

A deep voice echoed through the room. Tian Jinzhong pressed down with his outstretched fingers, and a blue light immediately shone from his palm, with dazzling lightning bursting forth.

"Do not!!!"

Gong Qing immediately performed a series of somersaults to try to escape the lightning's range, but unfortunately, he was not as fast as the lightning and was hit squarely, ending up doing a tap dance in the lightning.

Fortunately, Tian Jinzhong didn't use his full strength, otherwise Gong Qing wouldn't have had a chance to dance.

At the same time, his gaze fell on the doorway, where Ma Xianhong stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the door frame, while Lü Liang squatted in the corner, pinching his ear.

"What about the others?" Tian Jinzhong asked.

“We’ve fallen into a trap,” Ma Xianhong replied.

Fang Rui had already set up many traps near Tian Jinzhong's residence. They were not usually activated, otherwise few people could sneak in silently.

Previously, Lü Liang and Gong Qingneng were peeking over the wall purely to lure people in; the trap was not activated.

Once the fish is caught, the trap is activated to prevent it from escaping.

Therefore, the fate of those Quanxing Yiren who scattered and fled is predictable.

"How should they handle this?" Ma Xianhong asked Tian Jinzhong for his opinion.

Lü Huan has been clamoring to beat up Lü Liang lately, so he's prepared to protect Lü Liang.

As for Gong Qing... he was naturally handed over to Tian Jinzhong to handle.

“…Let senior brother decide!” Tian Jinzhong said slowly after thinking for a moment.

"Row."

Ma Xianhong nodded slightly. With his and Fang Rui's influence, protecting Lü Liang was more than enough.

With that matter settled, he asked about something else that interested him more: "How is your experience using the prosthetic limb?"

Chapter 184 Conversation

"It feels like... an extension of my arm."

When Tian Jinzhong shared his thoughts, he felt no sense of incongruity whatsoever, as if the prosthetic limb was an integral part of his body.

"Is that so...that's good." Ma Xianhong nodded slightly.

………………

Back to the present, after listening to Tian Jinzhong's story, Zhang Zhiwei said, "I see."

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "In that case, there is no need to keep Gong Qing around."

After all, Gong Qing was someone who had been lurking in the Celestial Master's Mansion for three years out of curiosity. If he were let go like this, there was a more than 90% chance that he would continue to cause trouble for Tian Jinzhong in the future.

His concerns were not unfounded; many of the Quanxing people were determined to achieve their goals.

"Then let's leave it to the 'company' to handle!"

Before Zhang Zhiwei took action, Tian Jinzhong offered advice: "I believe the company must be very interested in the acting leader of Quanxing."

Although the acting leader of Quanxing is not a big deal to Quanxing, as they can easily find another one, the 'Company' is quite interested in him. No matter how much they try to recruit him, he is still the acting leader of Quanxing, and he will be of some use.

"it is good."

Because Gong Qing's plan failed, Zhang Zhiwei did not reject Tian Jinzhong's proposal.

Then, his gaze fell on Lü Liang, who was behaving cowardly, and he hesitated: "As for Lü Liang..."

"Let Lü Huan handle it," Ma Xianhong suggested at the opportune moment.

"Okay." Zhang Zhiwei nodded slightly, not refusing.

In this incident, Lü Liang was just an extra, an insignificant fellow, and he didn't care much about him. Since Ma Xianhong said so, he agreed without hesitation.

Both Gong Qing and Lü Liang breathed a sigh of relief after hearing their proposed solutions.

As they talked, the group arrived at the "Hall of Transmission," and could faintly hear Fang Rui, Xia Liuqing, and Balun talking.

"...That's it. I'm planning to go to Nathan Island to find Ruan Feng. Do you want to come with me?"

"...Are you sure he's on Nathan Island? I visit Nathan Island occasionally, but I've never seen him there."

“It’s normal that you haven’t seen him before. He looks very different from what you remember him to be. Even if you saw him, you might not recognize him, especially since he lives in the woods and hardly interacts with anyone else.”

"Is that so..."

Thinking back to the scene of his first encounter with him, Baron felt that it was reasonable for him to choose to live in seclusion in the woods.

"In that case, I'll go with you!"

“Baron’s master…” Xia Liuqing stroked his beard, his expression showing some interest, “Can I go with him?”

"I have no opinion."

Whether there was one more person or one less person made no difference to Fang Rui, so he handed over the right to agree or not to Baron.