One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

The sunlight was still blinding, and although the suffocating sword intent in the air had dissipated, the oppressive feeling remained as heavy as a mountain.

Zhang Taichu held the bead that shimmered with purple light in his hand and casually tossed it twice in his palm.

Each time it was tossed up, the eyelids of the temporary workers around it would twitch violently.

That was a primal poison capable of instantly extinguishing the life of a city.

Now it's like a glass marble, being held and played with in someone's hand.

"it's beautiful."

Zhang Taichu sighed in admiration, then glanced around at the messy square.

Finally, his gaze fell on a street stall not far away that had been overturned by the blast wave.

It was a small stall selling cheap trinkets.

Zhang Taichu raised his hand and gestured.

Whoosh.

A roughly woven, even somewhat rustic, red rope flew out from the pile of rubble and landed steadily in his hand.

These kinds of ropes are readily available in two-dollar stores, and are usually used to hang fake jade pendants that cost a few dollars each.

"Tsk, a bit short."

Zhang Taichu frowned, but didn't seem to mind.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a tiny wisp of golden light emerged from the tip of his index finger, and like a drill, he gently drilled a small hole in the seemingly indestructible Gu poison bead.

sizzle-

The purple nebula inside the bead seemed to be disturbed, and began to spin wildly, emitting an eerie light.

"Gulp."

Someone swallowed hard.

Under the horrified gazes of everyone, Zhang Taichu slowly and methodically threaded the red string through the bead.

tie.

Tie another knot that's impossible to untie.

And so, an outrageously crude necklace was born.

"come over."

Zhang Taichu waved to Chen Duo, who was still sitting on the bench in a daze.

Chen Duo obediently stood up and walked to him somewhat blankly.

Zhang Taichu took the necklace and awkwardly put it around Chen Duo's neck.

The bright red rope, paired with the bead that emitted a deadly purple light, hung on the girl's blood-stained white dress, looking out of place yet exuding a strange beauty.

"It's a bit ugly."

Zhang Taichu took a half step back, examined his masterpiece, and pursed his lips:

"Just wear it for now. This thing is delicate. Other ropes probably couldn't withstand its corrosive effects, but this one has a bit of my Qi on it, so it can hold up."

As he spoke, he reached out and gently tidied Chen Duo's messy bangs. His voice suddenly became very soft, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present:

"I've got it."

"This thing is now part of your body."

"If anyone bullies you, or tries to kill you, or..."

Zhang Taichu glanced sideways at Zhao Fangxu, who was standing there dumbfounded on the big screen, and a chilling smirk curled at the corner of his mouth:

"Or someone might want to lecture you on some nonsensical nonsense."

"Just crush it."

boom--!!!

These words were like a bombshell, exploding directly in everyone's minds.

Squeeze...crush?!

That's primal poison!

It's a biological, chemical, and nuclear weapon!

You just hang it around a little girl's neck and tell her it's a stun gun for self-defense?!

Da, da, da.

The clarinet player, who had been relatively calm, turned completely green.

His feet, clad in military boots, seemed to have a mind of their own, and in unison took three large steps back.

It wasn't just him.

Wang Zhenqiu, Xiao Zizai, and even Old Meng who was always kneeling on the ground.

In that instant, they all instinctively stepped back.

That's insane!

This guy is absolutely insane!

"Zhang Taichu!!!"

On the big screen, Zhao Fangxu finally came to his senses.

His chubby face was flushed a purplish-red from extreme blood stasis, and his hands gripped the edge of the table so tightly that his fingernails were almost breaking.

"What...what are you doing?!"

"Do you even know what that thing is?! You hung it around her neck?! And you wanted her to crush it?!"

Zhao Fangxu's voice was no longer a roar, but a scream, carrying a sense of hysterical collapse:

"That's a crime against humanity! That's genocide! Are you trying to drag the whole world down with you?!"

"Hand it over! Hand over that bead immediately! Give it to the company for safekeeping!"

Zhao Fangxu slammed his fist on the table, his spittle practically filling the entire screen.

He was afraid.

He was genuinely scared.

As the company's chairman, he has seen countless madmen and crazy people.

But I've never seen anyone like Zhang Taichu, who casually handed over a button that could destroy the world to a little girl as a toy!

What if Chen Duo is in a bad mood one day, or accidentally slips her hand...

Zhao Fangxu felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and his heart felt like it was going to stop beating.

Faced with Zhao Fangxu's hysteria.

Chen Duo was not frightened.

She simply lowered her head, stretched out her hands, and carefully cupped the bead in front of her chest.

It's cool.

But at the very center of the bead, there seemed to be a warm current flowing down her fingertips and into her heart.

This is……

Gift?

A hint of girlishness, never before seen in Chen Duo's clear eyes, flashed across her face.

She has received many things since she was a child.

Medicine, chemical protective suits, specially made cages, and cold instruments.

But no one ever gave her jewelry.

Even if the rope is rough, even if the bead is dangerous.

But this belongs to her.

It was given to her by her master.

Chen Duo gently stroked the bead, her lips curving upwards into a faint but genuine smile.

"like."

She said in a low voice.

"If you like it, that's good."

Zhang Taichu rubbed her head, then slowly turned around and looked at the big screen that was still roaring.

"Fatty Zhao, haven't you shouted enough?"

Zhang Taichu picked at his ear, looking impatient.

"I'm entrusting it to you for safekeeping?"

"Are you worthy?"

"You..." Zhao Fangxu nearly choked, his face turning ashen. "This is for the safety of all humanity! This thing must be sealed off by the company at the highest level!"

Forget it.

Zhang Taichu scoffed, his disdain undisguised:

"With your lousy technology, do you think you can even seal it off?"

"This bead was forcibly compressed and sealed by me using the Golden Light Mantra."

"In this world, only this girl herself can use the poison in her body to assimilate and suppress it."

Zhang Taichu gave a thumbs-up, pointed to the little girl behind him who was playing with beads, and then pointed to himself:

"Or, I'll personally oversee it."

Or perhaps...

Zhang Taichu stepped forward, a smug smile spreading across his handsome face:

"Take it to Longhu Mountain and give it to my senior brother Zhang Zhiwei."

"Let him sleep with it every day, and use his centuries of cultivation to suppress it."

Which option do you think is more reliable?

Upon hearing the name Zhang Zhiwei...

Zhao Fangxu, who was still roaring, suddenly stopped talking, like a duck whose neck had been grabbed.

The entire square fell into an eerie silence.

The Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain.

Zhang Zhiwei, the Old Celestial Master.

That is the true pinnacle of the world of supernatural beings, a mountain pressing down on everyone's heads.

Let him be a human sealing vessel?

Even if Zhao Fangxu had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare to say that.

"Looks like you know your own limitations."

Zhang Taichu looked at the speechless Zhao Fangxu and sneered:

"If you don't have the ability, don't worry about it."

"I'm taking the person with me."

"I'll take the blame."

"Let's wipe the slate clean of all those old, trivial matters."

At this point, Zhang Taichu's aura suddenly changed.

If he was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, its edge fully revealed.

He is now like a bottomless ocean, calm yet containing a terrifying power to devour everything.

"Zhao Fangxu, this is a notification."

"This is not a matter for discussion."

"If you're not satisfied..."

Zhang Taichu pointed to the sky above, torn apart by sword energy:

"You are welcome to come to Longhu Mountain to find me anytime, bringing all the secrets of Na Du Tong."

"Or ask my senior brother."

"We, your fellow disciples, will certainly treat you well."

Threat.

A naked threat.

On the other side of the screen.

Zhao Fangxu slumped in his chair, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

He looked at the arrogant Taoist priest, then at the little girl with a nuclear bomb hanging around her neck.

Whether from a legal, practical, or operational perspective.

He lost everything.

We lost completely.

As long as Zhang Taichu is alive, as long as the Old Celestial Master is still in charge of Longhu Mountain.

Na Du Tong would never dare to lay a finger on Chen Duo.

"call……"

After a long while, Zhao Fangxu let out a long sigh, took off his glasses, and rubbed his tired brow.

"it is good."

His voice was hoarse, carrying a deep sense of powerlessness:

"You can take the person with you."

"However, the company will retain the right to monitor Chen Duo, should any signs of her becoming out of control appear..."

"Alright, alright, enough with the nonsense."

Zhang Taichu directly waved his hand, interrupting his bureaucratic clichés:

"With me here, she won't lose control."

"We'll see."

Zhang Taichu glanced back at Chen Duo, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes:

"She'll be spending her time cultivating her character at Longhu Mountain from now on."

"I'd like to see who dares to go to that place to monitor her."

Done.

Zhang Taichu never looked at the big screen again.

He stood with his hands behind his back, and his tattered white robe cast a long shadow in the afterglow of the setting sun.

"I'm gone."

He greeted them.

Not far away, Zhang Chulan and Wang Ye, who had been staring in disbelief, finally snapped out of their daze.

"Holy crap... that's it?"

Zhang Chulan's mouth dropped open, his face filled with disbelief:

"That's General Manager Zhao... he's a top-tier expert..."

"So... you just gave in like that?"

Wang Ye shook his head, his usually sleepy eyes now filled with admiration:

"This is what is meant by overwhelming force with sheer power."

"When your fist gets big enough, the rules become yours."

"Primordial Lord... this is truly awesome."

The two exchanged a glance and quickly followed after him.

"Master Uncle! Wait for me!"

"Master Taichu, where are we going? What are we having for dinner?"

Zhang Taichu didn't turn his head, his voice drifting lazily over:

"What are you standing there for? Go home."

"Okay!"

Chen Duo followed behind Zhang Taichu.

She walked very slowly.

With each step she took, the bead on her chest would gently tap against her collarbone, making a barely perceptible sound.

She looked up at the figure in front of her.

The setting sun gilded that figure with a golden edge, making it look so tall and warm.

It's like a mountain that will never collapse.

Chen Duo reached out and gripped the bead tightly once more.

this time.

She no longer looked at the cold city behind her, nor at the temporary workers with their complicated expressions.

She simply followed Zhang Taichu's shadow, step by step, with unwavering determination.

They headed towards that direction called home.