Under One Person: The End of Technique, Company Building

The morning after Zhang Lingyu left the North China branch, it rained lightly in Tianjin.

The rain was light, fine as needles, leaving a dark, damp stain on the cement ground. The air had a slightly earthy smell, but it wasn't exactly unpleasant.

Zhuge Qi stood by the window on the third floor for a while, watching the rain. His gaze fell on the gray vans of NaDuTong in the parking lot below, and he seemed to be lost in thought.

When Ma Hong pushed open the door, he brought in a blast of cold air. He was holding a folder in his hand. He walked quickly to the desk, his gaze falling on Zhuge Qi's back. He subconsciously lowered his voice.

"Section Chief."

"Hmm." Zhuge Qi didn't turn around.

"I just got a call from Director Ren Fei. She said she's leaving for Central China this afternoon and asked if you have anything to tell her before she leaves." Ma Hong placed the folder on the table and added, "She said she understands the situation with the Lü family and that you can rest assured."

Zhuge Qi put down his cup, turned around, and wore a smile that was impeccable, neither too strong nor too weak. "Tell her to go back with peace of mind. Keep an eye on the Lü family as needed, and wait as needed. She knows what she's doing."

The most important thing at this stage is the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony, and Ren Fei is definitely keeping things in check.

Therefore, there is no need to give any special instructions on this matter. As long as the Lü family has a stance, everything else is relatively easy to handle.

Ma Hong nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Then the Tianxia Association... Feng Zhenghao called this morning and said that he has received the people they sent, and they are cooperating to review all the accounts and personnel lists."

Zhuge Qi chuckled softly, like a breeze that had just blown past the windowsill and dissipated before it even hit the ground. "President Feng is a smart man; he knows when to bend down."

Ma Hong pondered his words for a moment, but didn't dare to ask further.

"Should I call back and tell you that you've been... these past few days?"

"No need." Zhuge Qi waved his hand. "No need to make the call. Since he's already made his stance clear, let's just accept it. No need to chase or rush him. Let's not make ourselves look anxious."

"Finally, Zhang Lingyu came again today. This time, he went through the formal process and presented his visiting card, requesting an audience with Zhang Chulan on behalf of the Celestial Master's Mansion. There was no conflict. It was handed over by people from North China, so it should be considered to have gone smoothly."

Zhuge Qi picked up his cup and took a sip of water, the corners of his mouth still curved in a calm smile. "It's good, thank you for your hard work."

After handing over his work, Ma Hong didn't linger and left without further ado.

The office was quiet for a while.

Zhuge Qi leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the slightly yellowed lampshade on the ceiling, and mentally reviewed the matters that had been on his mind.

I glanced at my phone one last time, and just then another text message arrived, with a positive reply.

……

In the reception room of the North China branch, Zhang Lingyu sat on the sofa with a steaming cup of green tea in front of him. Xu Si sat opposite him, legs crossed, twirling a pen in his hand, and the cigarette in his mouth had just been stubbed out, with a wisp of smoke still floating in the ashtray.

"Master Lingyu, I've already sent someone to fetch him. Please have a seat." Xu Si yawned, his dark circles under his eyes looking like he was wearing makeup.

Zhang Lingyu nodded slightly but did not speak.

His complexion was much better than yesterday, but there was still a faint trace of weariness in his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well last night.

Xu Si stared at him for a couple of seconds, muttering a long string of thoughts to himself, but didn't utter a single word.

He seems carefree and says whatever comes to mind, but when it comes to keeping quiet, he's tighter-lipped than anyone else.

Moreover, the person in front of him is the old master's beloved disciple. Not to mention himself, even his father Xu Xiang would have to be polite to him.

There was a knock on the door twice, and then the door was pushed open. Xu San led Zhang Chulan in.

Zhang Chulan was wearing a dark gray hoodie today, without a hood, and his hair was a bit messy, as if he had just been dragged out of bed.

After entering the room, he glanced at Xu Si, then at Zhang Lingyu, and stopped two steps away from the three of them, neither moving forward nor retreating.

"Zhang Chulan?" Zhang Lingyu stood up and nodded slightly to him. "I apologize for the intrusion. I am Zhang Lingyu from the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain, and I have come on my master's orders."

Zhang Chulan didn't reply, but instead scanned him from head to toe with her gaze.

In fact, he knew who this person was and could roughly guess what the other person was going to say.

Xu Si had mentioned to him a couple of days ago that the Celestial Master was going to hold a "Luo Tian Grand Ritual," which would be a large-scale event and would invite extraordinary people from all walks of life to participate. The Celestial Master's Mansion would most likely deliver the invitation to him.

But even though he knew it, when he actually met him in person, it still felt a little unreal.

He took out a folded name card from his sleeve. It was made of dark yellow Xuan paper, with Zhang Chulan's name written in neat regular script. The signature was stamped with the vermilion seal of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Zhang Chulan looked at the calling card but didn't touch it.

His thoughts drifted back to that evening two days earlier.

That day, Zhuge Qi took him to the staff dormitory of Na Du Tong, locked him and Feng Baobao in a room, and said something like, "You two have a good chat."

He initially refused, and even considered slamming the door and leaving.

But Feng Baobao's face is so open and honest that you can't even find a reason to be angry with her.

She wouldn't explain or apologize; she simply recounted what had happened, and her sincere attitude left me somewhat at a loss.

And that thing was actually handed over to me.

Although I'm not quite sure how to use it yet, I'm certain that what Feng Baobao taught me was probably the so-called Eight Extraordinary Techniques, Qi Body Source Flow.

So many people were drawn to this thing because of its existence, and he was well aware of its value.

The other party simply handed it over to me without any hesitation, which was completely unexpected.

Zhang Chulan snapped out of his daze, his gaze falling on the name card, and reached out to take it.

After handing over his tasks, Zhang Lingyu left immediately without any intention of lingering, seemingly exhausted and unwilling to waste time on other matters.

Xu San and Xu Si still respectfully saw them off at the door.

"Luo Tian Grand Ceremony..." He repeated these four words as if weighing their weight in his mouth.

He had no choice in many things.

Perhaps this is also an opportunity for me to get rid of my troubles.

three days later.

On the fifth floor of the inpatient department of Tianjin First People's Hospital, the corridor was filled with the smell of disinfectant. The floor was mopped until it shone brightly, reflecting the white light from the overhead incandescent bulbs.

Xu San walked very fast, his leather shoes making a clattering sound on the tiled floor of the hospital corridor. He walked one step after another, his pace quickening until it was almost like he was jogging.

Xu Si followed half a step behind him, his face equally tense. His usual carefree demeanor was nowhere to be seen. His hands were in his pockets, but clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Zhang Chulan and Feng Baobao also came.

This morning, Xu San and Xu Si received a phone call saying that their father, who had been in a coma for a long time, had woken up, but the situation was not optimistic, and they should hurry over to see him one last time.

They were somewhat prepared for this situation, but when the day actually arrived, they couldn't help but feel a little heavy-hearted.

Zhang Chulan walked at the back, a step behind everyone else. He had never met Xu Xiang, but the name was familiar to him.

The door at the end of the corridor was half-open, with white light and the regular beeping of monitoring equipment leaking through the crack.

Xu San's steps suddenly stopped in front of the door.

At first glance, I noticed that there was another unexpected person in the ward.

Zhuge Qi, why are you here?