Celestial Taoist

Chapter 2 Warehouse and Stone

Long Che did not back down at all. The hem of his light gray Tai Chi uniform fluttered slightly in the wind. He said in a deep voice, "If you want to make a move, you'll have to get past me first."

Before he finished speaking, the man with the buzz cut waved his hand: "Go! Cripple him and bring him back!" Several black-clad disciples immediately responded and pounced, their fists and feet flying with the wind, each move ruthless, clearly veterans who had practiced martial arts for many years. Long Che moved nimbly, blocking and dodging, actually managing to withstand the first few waves of attacks. As his palm swept past, two disciples were knocked back by the force of the impact.

However, his opponents outnumbered him and were all fearless, using every move they could muster. Long Che gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. After a few rounds, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His left arm was hit hard by an elbow strike from a man in black, sending a piercing pain through him and slowing his movements.

"Senior Brother Long!" Upon seeing this, Wang Xin immediately threw a punch and rushed forward to support him. However, his skills were no match for Long Che's. Facing the combined attack of the two black-clad disciples, he was soon kicked to the ground, his knee scraped and bleeding.

Long Che gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the pain in his left arm, and suddenly exerted his strength, blasting the disciple in front of him away with a palm strike. He then turned around, grabbed Wang Xin from the ground, and whispered, "Go!"

Wang Xin knew the situation was critical, and ignoring the pain in his knees, nodded and followed Long Che into the alleyway beside him. As Long Che ran, he kept looking back to block the disciples chasing after him. The wound on his left arm was aggravated by the movement, and the footsteps and shouts behind him grew farther and farther away, but they never stopped.

Li Mofan stood there, watching Long Che and Wang Xin's hasty escape, and then looked at the black-clad disciples who were surrounding them. He was about to chase after them when one of the black-clad disciples grabbed his arm with such force that he almost crushed his bones.

"Stop struggling." The disciple tightened his grip even more. "Come with us, and the master won't mistreat you."

Li Mofan struggled fiercely, his voice filled with panic: "Let me go! I won't go! I just came to learn to drive, I don't know anything!" But his resistance seemed particularly futile, and the more he struggled, the tighter he was held.

The man with the buzz cut stepped forward, a hint of smugness in his eyes: "Kid, following me will be much more promising than driving a truck." He paused, his tone turning serious, "Besides, even Long Che is in dire straits himself. You should know that discretion is the better part of valor."

Two black-clad disciples grabbed his arms on either side and forcibly led him toward a black van.

The van slowly drove away, leaving only an unmanned new energy truck in the spot.

The route outside the window was a bit unfamiliar, and Li Mofan in the car had already stopped struggling. He realized that although these people were holding him tightly, they were otherwise quite polite. Whatever their intentions, he didn't have the ability to resist anyway, so he simply stayed quietly, glancing at the other people in the car out of the corner of his eye, observing them without making a sound.

The two men in black beside him, one leaning back in his chair, rubbed his left wrist with his right hand, where a shallow, neatly shaped scar, like a weapon wound, was visible. He lightly tapped his fingertips, his wrist moving nimbly, executing a simple set of fist-clenching and punching movements with fluid grace and small amplitude, muttering under his breath, "Yesterday's assessment at the martial arts school, I almost passed again. If I could get a couple of pointers on the 'Gale Fist' from the master, I'd definitely succeed."

Upon hearing this, the other person scoffed, putting down the water bottle in his hand, which he had slightly deformed from his grip. "With your level of comprehension, you think you can learn the Gale Fist? That's our martial arts school's signature move, only senior disciples are allowed to practice it."

"Yeah, stop bragging. Last time you sparred with Zhang Lei, didn't you get knocked down with one punch?" A person in the front row turned around and interjected, revealing the boxing gloves at his waist. The black gloves had the words "Gale" embroidered on the edge.

The disciple with scars on his hands snorted defiantly, "How can that be the same? Zhang Lei was recruited from another city by the master, and his basic skills are solid. I've only been practicing martial arts for two years, how could I be his match?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the carriage instantly became cheerful.

After driving for an unknown amount of time, the van finally came to a slow stop, and the engine went out. Two men in black immediately got up, one on each side, and lifted Li Mofan out of the van. Once Li Mofan was steady, he could see the scene before him clearly—it was a magnificent courtyard, even more impressive than the martial arts school he had imagined. The vermilion gate had four powerful black characters engraved on the lintel: "Liefeng Martial Arts School," the calligraphy sharp and forceful.

Four disciples dressed in black, standing tall and with sharp eyes, stood on either side of the gate like fierce beasts guarding the entrance. When they saw the man with the buzz cut return with his men, they immediately bowed and shouted in unison, "Master Zhao!" Their loud voices made Li Mofan's eardrums ache.

Master Zhao walked at the front, glanced back at Li Mofan, a smile playing on his lips, and beckoned to the two disciples at the door, instructing, "Take him to the innermost storeroom, and then call Elder Zhou over."

"Yes, Master!" The two disciples responded and accepted the order. One of them quickly ran into the depths of the courtyard, while the other walked to Li Mofan's side.

Master Zhao patted Li Mofan on the shoulder and reassured him, "Kid, don't be nervous. I know you're confused right now, but you'll find out soon enough."

Li Mofan did not respond, but simply nodded and followed the disciple beside him into the depths of the courtyard.

After walking about two hundred meters, the two stopped in front of an inconspicuous four-story Western-style building. The main door was a rusty stainless steel roller shutter. The disciple took out a key and opened the door. The interior was dimly lit, and a dusty smell wafted out. The disciple who had led the way gestured for Li Mofan to follow, and headed straight for the elevator in the corner of the room, pressing the button for the basement—the storeroom was underground. The elevator doors slowly closed, and Li Mofan's legs trembled slightly. He couldn't help but ask, "Brother, what are we going to do?" The man couldn't help but chuckle at Li Mofan's apprehensive look: "Don't worry, this is a legitimate martial arts school. We won't do anything to you."

The elevator descended smoothly, and after a few seconds, a soft "ding" sounded. The doors slowly opened, revealing a long, narrow corridor. Dim wall lamps illuminated the passageway, casting flickering light. The disciple leading the way stepped forward first, gesturing for Li Mofan to follow: "Let's hurry, the place the Master instructed us to go is just ahead."

The two walked along the corridor for a dozen steps until they reached a security door.

"Go inside and wait. Elder Zhou will be here soon." The disciple gestured for Li Mofan to go into the storeroom, while he stood guard at the door.

The warehouse was not dark; the white round lights on the ceiling illuminated the scene inside—in the innermost corner was a set of slightly dusty tables and chairs, and opposite was a simple cabinet.

Wang Xin was a little confused. He found a chair on the side, dusted it off, and sat down.

Not long after they sat down, footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by Master Zhao's voice: "Elder Zhou, this way please... Ah, Little Zou, you've finished your business, you can go back now."

The door was pushed open, and Master Zhao entered with an elderly man with gray hair and dressed in dark clothing. The old man was thin, and his gaze paused slightly when it swept over Li Mofan; it was Elder Zhou.

He waved his hand casually, saying, "Zhao Qiankun, you know how to find a place. The storeroom may be out of the way, but it's quiet, so we won't be disturbed by the disciples outside."

Master Zhao smiled and stepped aside, leading Elder Zhou towards the center of the storeroom: "Elder Zhou, as you know, this matter needs to be kept quiet. The martial arts arena outside is too noisy, so this is the only suitable place. Thank you for making this special trip."

Elder Zhou took out a palm-sized square jade plate from the dark cloth bag he carried with him. The plate was engraved with fine patterns, with a thin silver rim, and a translucent stone the size of a quail egg in the center. "It's not a hardship, but Master Zhao personally spoke up and said he had found a promising talent, so naturally I had to come and see." He stroked the jade plate with his fingertips, then looked up at Li Mofan, who was still sitting restlessly. "Is this the kid you mentioned? He looks ordinary, but I wonder what his aptitude is like."

Li Mofan followed his gaze to the jade plate. As soon as his eyes fell on the translucent stone in the center, his body stiffened abruptly. His previously tense shoulders slumped slightly, and the sounds around him seemed to be muffled. The conversation between Master Zhao and Elder Zhou also became indistinct.

The stone was translucent and shaped like a magatama. The last time he saw a stone like this was more than ten years ago. The events at that time were so bizarre that he once thought it was a hallucination.