Celestial Taoist

Chapter 1 The Newcomer Who Was Sought After

Noon on April 26, 2036.

Li Mofan was squatting down in front of a building, holding a folder in his hand. This was the third job interview he had attended since being laid off from his company three months ago.

Li Mofan is a bit troubled right now. He's only thirty-two years old and doesn't even have a girlfriend yet. Now that he's lost his job, he can forget about finding one. He hasn't dared to tell his family a single word about it. Fortunately, he's saved over 100,000 yuan over the past few years by living frugally, and with the 50,000 yuan compensation from the company, he can manage for a while.

In his confusion, Li Mofan took out his phone. The short video app was playing a recently popular theme—a capable man running across a wasteland while pulling a truck. The comments section was filled with exclamations of surprise. He had wanted to watch something cheerful to numb himself, but after scrolling through several videos, they were all similar, making him increasingly anxious.

Scrolling to the green chat app, the list is mostly filled with HR representatives from various companies. Some I've chatted with briefly, some I've only exchanged self-introductions with, and some I've simply ignored. In the corner, a two-dimensional anime avatar stands out, followed by an unread message: "Have you made up your mind?"

He traced his fingertips across the screen repeatedly before finally opening the chat window labeled "Wang Xin".

The chat box contained only a few lines of text. The top one, sent at 18:20 on March 5th, read: "Hey bro, I recently lost my job. Do you have any suitable jobs you could recommend?"

At 8:35 PM on April 1st, Wang Xin replied: "Brother, you've come at the perfect time. I'm planning to change industries recently. Do you want to sell my pure electric 4.2-meter truck? I'll also give you all the customers I've accumulated over the years. It's a friendly price of 80,000 yuan."

"Brother Xin, you know I haven't driven in years. How about you teach me step by step?"

"Sure, you're something else. You got your license but you still drive a scooter every day. Let's schedule a time, I'll teach you before I charge you."

"Brother Xin, let me think about it some more."

At 7:12 PM on April 24th, Wang Xin sent another message: "Have you thought it through?"

Wang Xin was one of his few friends in this city, someone he met when he moved years ago. Li Mofan took a deep breath and typed: "Tomorrow, Brother Xin, you'd better teach your brother properly."

The reply came very quickly, and was only a short sentence: "Come to the intersection of Jiannan Avenue and Shuanghua Road at 10:00 AM tomorrow. Call me when you get there."

After exiting the chat interface, Li Mofan hailed a ride-hailing car. The location of the company he was interviewing at today was unfamiliar, so he didn't dare ride his UY scooter, fearing there wouldn't be a place to park.

About an hour later, Li Mofan returned to his small bed in his low-rent apartment. He stared blankly at the mottled paint on the ceiling. Since moving in three months ago, he felt that it was quite nice to daydream occasionally.

In fact, Li Mofan wasn't too disappointed about losing his job. In this era, as long as you're willing to put aside your pride and work hard, there's always a way to survive. The difficult part was making the decision. He had inquired and found out that Wang Xin's line of work—freight transport—could normally earn around 500 yuan a day, but the downside was that it was much more tiring than sitting in an office.

The next morning, Li Mofan rode his bicycle to the agreed location and located Wang Xin through video. Wang Xin appeared to be in his forties, with neat short hair. He seemed to have been waiting by the roadside for a while. Instead of his usual beige work clothes, he was wearing a loose gray Tai Chi uniform and waving to Li Mofan from afar. A small van with green license plates was parked next to him, the very one Wang Xin wanted to sell.

Li Mofan twisted the handlebars and approached, grinning, "Brother Xin, sorry I'm late."

Wang Xin waved his hand, turned around and patted the metal hood of the car next to him: "What's late? You're just in time! Get in! Brother Long, you get out first, I'll teach this brother how to drive."

Li Mofan then noticed that there was a young man curled up in the passenger seat playing on his phone. He was wearing similar clothes to Wang Xin. If he hadn't just heard Wang Xin call him "senior brother," he would have easily mistaken them for uncle and nephew of different generations.

Upon hearing Wang Xin's call, the young man slowly raised his eyes, casually put his phone in his pocket, pushed open the car door, and jumped out. His movements were clean and efficient, clearly indicating that he was no ordinary person.

"Junior Brother Wang Xin, you'd better hurry."

The young man spoke, his voice indifferent, without uttering a single extra word. After speaking, he took two steps back to the side of the road, leaned against a tree trunk, and crossed his arms.

"Don't mind him, that's just how Senior Brother Long is. We're from the same martial arts school. He's of a higher seniority, but a few years younger than me. He's accompanying me on business today." With that, Wang Xin opened the driver's side door. "Get in! Electric is easier to drive than gasoline. I'll take you for a spin first. I guarantee you'll be able to drive it in half an hour!"

Li Mofan parked his pedals on the side of the road and set them up, no longer feeling reserved: "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Xin." He quickly walked to the driver's seat.

Wang Xin had already gotten into the passenger seat and patted the empty seat next to him: "Get in, the keys are in the car, let's familiarize ourselves with the pedals and gear shift first."

Li Mofan bent down and climbed into the driver's seat. The truck offered a wide field of vision, and the seating position was high, making him feel a little uneasy at first. Wang Xin, standing beside him, expertly adjusted the seat and rearview mirrors for him, muttering to himself:

"Don't be nervous. Pure electric cars don't have a clutch, just the accelerator and brake, it's even simpler than an automatic. Didn't you have a C1 license before? You can drive it, don't be afraid."

Li Mofan nodded, his fingers lightly gripping the steering wheel, the feel of it calming him down a bit.

"Turn the key to turn on the ignition... Yes, no need to start the engine. Put it in Drive, release the handbrake... Slowly accelerate, gently press the gas pedal."

The car slid forward silently.

The car circled on the empty road. At first, Li Mofan didn't dare to speed up and was flustered when turning. After practicing for two laps, his breathing gradually became steady, and he became a little bolder, gently pressing the accelerator pedal down a little more.

The car accelerated, and the wind rushed in through the half-open window, blowing on my face.

"Hey, that's it!" Wang Xin laughed. "See, you've got it all figured out already? Pure electric is powerful and quiet, perfect for hauling goods and running city delivery."

After practicing for two more laps, Wang Xin told him to pull over and stop.

"How's it going? Feeling like you've found it?"

Li Mofan turned off the power and nodded: "Yeah, it's much simpler than I thought. Thanks, Brother Xin."

Wang Xin patted him on the shoulder: "Don't mention it. Practice makes perfect. You'll get the hang of it after a few more trips. Come on, let's get out and rest for a bit. I'll also talk to you about the sources of goods and the fees, so you'll have a better understanding when you're running it yourself in the future."

The two got out of the car.

The two had just gotten out of the car, ready to rest and discuss the resale, when a series of orderly footsteps came from the other side of the intersection.

Seven or eight men dressed in matching black outfits walked steadily toward the truck.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a buzz cut, who stood ramrod straight and whose eyes revealed the sharpness of a martial arts expert.

Wang Xin's expression immediately changed, and he whispered to Li Mofan, "Something's not right. They're here to cause trouble."

The moment he finished speaking, the man with the buzz cut stood in front of the car, his gaze first sweeping over Wang Xin, then coldly sweeping over Senior Brother Long leaning against a tree, his voice deep and hard:

"Long Che, your No. 1 Martial Arts Academy has already filled its quota for this year, so how about we give this newcomer to them?"

Li Mofan was taken aback, his body stiffening slightly.

A newcomer? Are you talking about him?

This group of people doesn't seem like good people, but Wang Xin and his gang are using the pretense of selling cars to actually have their eyes on him.

Long Che slowly straightened up, a hint of coldness in his eyes. He took two steps forward and stood beside Wang Xin.

"He's not from the martial arts school," Long Che said calmly, but each word was clear. "He's just here to learn to drive and make a living."

"Making a living?" The man with the buzz cut scoffed, his gaze fixed on Li Mofan, his tone certain. "Long Che, don't play dumb. His talent speaks for itself. The person your No. 1 Martial Arts Academy has its eye on, we've got our eyes on too."

"The spots are full, that's our own business." Long Che took half a step forward, subtly shielding Li Mofan behind him. "I won't give up my place."

"You won't give way?" The buzz-cut man's face darkened, and several black-clad disciples behind him immediately stepped forward, the atmosphere instantly tense. "You have to give way today, whether you like it or not!"

As soon as he finished speaking, seven or eight black-clad disciples had already formed a circle around him, their eyes sharp, clearly indicating that they were all skilled martial artists.