One person: Lu family bodyguard, who shattered Longhu Mountain with a single palm strike.

"It wouldn't hurt to pick up a weapon refiner along the way," Lin Mo said with a smile.

Ma Xianhong's hand was still suspended in mid-air, his fingertips only an inch from the table.

Lin Mo's words, "find your memories," were like a needle, piercing deep into his heart.

My chest felt tight at first, and then my breathing became erratic.

For him, regaining his memories and finding his real family was more important than anything else.

He admitted that he had indeed wavered.

But then Qu Tong's face appeared in my mind again.

He was separated from his family years ago, and when he regained his memories in recent years, the first person he saw was Qu Tong.

The memories he had lost during those years were like a piece of his mind being forcibly ripped out; no matter how he tried to recall them, all that remained was a blank.

Over the years, his sister has always been there for him.

She helped him find clues, provided funds and labor to help him build the cultivation furnace, and even the Biyou Village was supported by her sister.

Ma Xianhong couldn't let go of this trust.

He couldn't just abandon his sister and acknowledge someone else as his boss.

"Mr. Lin." Ma Xianhong took a deep breath of the cool morning air, his voice somewhat heavy.

"This is a huge matter; I need to think about it, is that alright?"

He looked up, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Lin Mo leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed and casually nodded.

"Of course you can. Such a big decision deserves careful consideration. Please feel free to consider it."

"Thank you." Ma Xianhong bowed his head.

He picked up the half-bowl of porridge that had gone cold and gulped it down in a few mouthfuls.

He reached out and grabbed two more steamed buns, stuffing them into his mouth and chewing them vigorously.

Only when his stomach was full of food could his chaotic thoughts be calmed down a little.

Lu Linglong looked at him, feeling both surprised and moved. She hadn't expected that this annoying Ma Xianhong had such a past.

The village chief, who was leading all the villagers' superhumans to fight against Lin Mo just yesterday, is now caught in a dilemma because of a promise.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Ding Zihuan, a man of great talent, rushed into the courtyard, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

"Something terrible has happened, Master!"

Ma Xianhong stopped eating the steamed bun in his hand and frowned.

"What happened?"

"A group of people have come from outside the village. They're from the company we met last night!" Ding Zihuan swallowed and pointed outside.

Ma Xianhong's pupils contracted slightly, he quickly swallowed the food in his mouth, and suddenly stood up.

It's time to come.

"Have they come?" he murmured to himself.

He took two steps, then stopped, turned back to look at Lin Mo and Lu Linglong, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Mr. Lin, Ms. Lu, I'm so sorry, there's been a sudden emergency in the village, I have to excuse myself for a moment."

After saying that, he strode after Ding Zihuan toward the village entrance.

Lu Linglong took a bite of the fried dough stick in her hand, her gaze following the two people's backs as she blinked.

"Who's here? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Who else could it be?" Lin Mo picked up his cup and took a sip of water.

"People from the company came, and this time, some of our acquaintances were among them."

"Oh, there's someone I know here?" Lu Linglong's eyes lit up, and her gossip-loving spirit instantly ignited.

She immediately put down the bowl, stood up, and patted the hem of her clothes.

"Let's hurry and go see what's going on!"

Lin Mo glanced at the food on the table and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Okay, finish the rice in your bowl first, then we'll go."

Lu Linglong looked down at the food in her bowl, as if she had made up her mind.

She immediately picked up the bowl and shoveled large mouthfuls of food into her mouth.

"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."

"I have to hurry, otherwise if they start fighting, I won't be able to see them if I get there too late."

Lu Linglong had a steamed bun stuffed in her mouth, so her speech was unclear.

They acted as if they were afraid of missing any exciting moments.

Lin Mo chuckled and shook his head.

"You're enthusiastic about eating, and you're enthusiastic about watching plays too."

Lu Linglong raised her head and carefully swallowed the food in her mouth.

"Absolutely. If you're not enthusiastic about eating or watching movies, life is so boring."

In less than a minute, she devoured the remaining food in a flash.

She picked up the soy milk, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Then she took out a tissue and wiped her mouth.

"I'm done eating!"

"Okay, let's go then." Lin Mo finished the last bit of his soy milk.

He stood up, took Lu Linglong's hand, and walked along the village path towards the village entrance.

Outside Biyou Village at this time.

The morning mist in the mountains and forests had not completely dissipated.

The group was slowly making their way towards the village entrance along the rugged mountain path.

Leading the way was a young man with long, blond hair, whose gender was ambiguous.

Wang Zhenqiu was dressed in a flashy casual shorts and T-shirt, carrying a large travel bag.

He was also holding up a small, bright red flag that he had somehow gotten his hands on.

He didn't look like someone on a mission at all; he looked exactly like a tour guide leading a group into the mountains.

"Attention passengers! Look, we're almost at our destination!"

Wang Zhenqiu turned around and waved a small red flag at the people behind him with a smile.

Behind him followed several people with different styles of art.

Feng Baobao walked along, dressed in slightly shabby clothes, her hands in her pockets, her face expressionless.

Zhang Chulan followed beside him, yawning.

Further behind was Xiao Zizai, dressed in a green tracksuit and wearing glasses.

There was the burly, bearded man with the black tube, and the timid-looking old Meng with his neck hunched.

The temporary workers from all the regions finally assembled at this moment.

Zhang Chulan raised his head, his gaze passing over the trees.

Nestled among the mountains, a village lies hidden in a valley, its houses scattered about, and wisps of smoke still rising from the chimneys.

"This place is really remote."

"It's easier to get things done if you're a little off-center." Black pipe stroked his chin.

"What you're saying doesn't sound like a nice thing."

Just as Zhang Chulan opened his mouth, a heart-wrenching scream suddenly drifted into everyone's ears on the mountain breeze.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Everyone stopped in their tracks at the same time.

The voice came from near the village entrance; it was hoarse and desperate.

It felt like something was tearing at my throat, cutting me intermittently as I crawled into the morning grassland.

"Don't eat me! Help!"

"Let me die! Please, let me die! Ah! It hurts! No!"

Zhang Chulan involuntarily shuddered, his hand instinctively reaching for his waist.

"Holy crap, what's that noise coming from so early in the morning?"

He looked around and rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.

"Who's calling for help over there?"

Wang Zhenqiu, who was walking ahead, also stopped, and the playful smile on his face instantly disappeared.

He didn't answer, but simply turned his gaze and swept it in the direction from which the sound came.

The next second, Wang Zhenqiu's pupils suddenly contracted.

He seemed to see something beyond reason, and even the hand holding the little red flag froze in mid-air.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Chulan followed his gaze.

The moment Zhang Chulan saw the scene before him clearly, the color drained from his face.

He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and the hairs on his body stood up visibly.

"Holy crap, what the hell is that thing?!"

Zhang Chulan couldn't help but swear, took a half step back, and subconsciously moved closer to Feng Baobao.

The others noticed something was wrong and looked over.

The expressions of Xiao Zizai, Hei Guan, Lao Meng, and others also became extremely solemn at this moment.

On a grassy area not far from the village entrance, there stood a semi-transparent golden light shield.

Inside the light barrier was a human head.

That was no ordinary human head.

Below the head, a long, pale spine was embedded straight into a pool of blurred flesh and blood.

Even more bizarrely, this thing was still alive.

The head's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, and the piercing screams came from inside.

The autumn wind swept through the grass, bringing with it an indescribable fishy smell.

Gudong.

Xiao Zizai pushed up the reflective lenses on his nose, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed.

"That's a human head."

"I also saw a human head." Black pipe stared at the severed spine, his rugged face full of confusion.

"But can anyone tell me how a human head, without vocal cords and lungs, can produce sound and speak?"

This completely violates common biological sense.

Xiao Zizai did not answer immediately.

As he gazed at the horrific scene bathed in golden light, his eyes behind his glasses gradually brightened, and a strange smile crept onto his lips.

"It's unclear at the moment."

After a pause, he added another sentence.

"However, the person who can create such works of art certainly has great taste."

Zhang Chulan's lips twitched slightly.

"Brother Xiao, isn't there something off about your assessment?"

"What's wrong?" Xiao Zizai adjusted his glasses.

"Since he wasn't killed immediately, it means that the person who orchestrated all of this deliberately preserved his consciousness."

"Keeping a person conscious and letting them witness their body become like this is a more targeted approach than simply killing them."

"Stop analyzing, it's giving me goosebumps," Zhang Chulan said, waving his hands repeatedly.

Old Meng huddled behind the clarinet, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

"That's scary."

Old Meng's voice trembled and became much lower.

"This village feels even more eerie than described in the documents?"

Surprisingly, none of the temporary workers present refuted Lao Meng's statement.

Even though they were all people who had handled countless dirty and tiring jobs, they were stunned by this scene that resembled a horror movie.

What kind person would put such a big object at the entrance of the village as a welcoming pine tree?

Is this a show of force to them?

Zhang Chulan felt his heart beating faster and faster, thumping loudly.

"Is this some kind of clever smokescreen, or is it real?"

Wang Zhenqiu squinted his narrow eyes and took a few steps closer.

Instead of touching the light shield rashly, he stretched out the small red flag in his hand and gently waved it a few meters away.

The light mask remained completely unchanged.

"This doesn't seem like some kind of trickery." Wang Zhenqiu stroked his chin.

The playfulness on his face vanished considerably, and he turned to look at Zhang Chulan.

"Besides, don't you think that golden light shield looks very familiar, Zhang Chulan?"

Zhang Chulan was taken aback upon hearing this.

He had been observing the human head when his breath hitched.

As I turned my gaze back to the golden light emanating pure Taoist energy, a flash of inspiration struck me.

This aura, this luster, this solidity.

Zhang Chulan's eyes widened instantly.

"Holy crap! That's the Golden Light Mantra!?"

……