Lu Zong thought that thankfully he hadn't considered this possibility earlier, and he shot a sarcastic look at Ma Xiong. Ma Xiong, however, was deeply embarrassed. Although he was burning with anger inside, he still needed to maintain the composure expected of a gentleman in front of another man, especially in front of a woman. Thus, he merely touched his own cheek and gently massaged it, saying, "Mm, not bad. The pressure is just right. If it were any lighter, I could claim it as a free massage."

Hearing this, Ge Mei let out a burst of laughter and scolded, "Shameless!" Ma Xiong smiled too; this proved he still possessed some personal charm. See, Ge Mei wasn't angry anymore.

Lu Zong once again scrutinized the curtain and said, "Ge Mei, are you sure you felt that thing just now? That sensation like a human hand?" Ge Mei nodded and swore, "I swear, I clearly felt the force with which that thing grabbed my hands. It was so strong. Luckily, I thought quickly and yanked my hand down, escaping disaster. I still feel scared thinking about it."

Lu Zong found it hard to believe. He walked over himself, examined the curtain, and found nothing unusual. He then extended his hand, but also felt nothing out of the ordinary, just as Ma Xiong had described. He turned around, about to say something, when suddenly his hands felt as if they were clamped by something. Lu Zong's nerves instantly jolted as if struck by electricity. He shouted, "This is bad! Something is clamping onto me!"

Only then did Ma Xiong believe that what Ge Mei had said was true; she hadn't been deceiving him. It was just that he had happened to miss it. Lu Zong’s life was in danger now, so he quickly sprang forward, grabbing Lu Zong's other hand, terrified that the strange appendage would pull him away. But Lu Zong cursed, "What are you two doing? I can break free if I just pull hard enough! Leave me alone; you two lift the curtain quickly and see what kind of thing is outside! The thing clamping my hands doesn't feel overwhelmingly strong, and it feels like a human hand, because I can feel its fingers gripping mine."

Saying this, Ma Xiong suddenly understood and violently threw up the curtain. The three of them froze. Standing just outside the curtain was a person.

Having someone present wasn't strange, but what was strange was why this person would be here. Ge Mei closely examined the figure: a person in a clean, flowing white robe that exuded a sense of Daoist transcendence and immortal bearing. This was complemented by a long, white beard, which only added to the man's mysterious aura. Especially notable was his hairstyle and the hat perched on his head, which resembled a coffin—it made him look like someone straight out of a historical television drama. Ge Mei felt utterly perplexed and asked, "Excuse me, who are you, and why are you here? Do you know what this place is?"

The old man ignored Ge Mei, instead looking at Lu Zong and Ma Xiong and saying, "Hey, are you two alright?"

The two had already recognized the white-bearded elder as Old Man Qian. Their curiosity was piqued as to why he would be here, so they inquired, "Old Master Qian, what brings you to this place?"

Old Man Qian burst into a hearty laugh, stroking his grizzled beard, and replied, "You should be asking yourselves that. I’m here because of you." He laughed heartily again, appearing to be in excellent spirits. However, Ma Xiong and Lu Zong were both bewildered. "Ask us? How would we know? What's there to ask?" They exchanged a glance, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes, realizing that asking was futile. They cut straight to the point: "Old Master Qian, why don't you just tell us why you are here?"

Old Man Qian continued to laugh heartily but remained silent, simply laughing. Ma Xiong grew impatient and yelled, "Old Man Qian, stop acting superior! Since you’re in this place too, stop playing games. Tell us everything you know; perhaps we can all find a way to survive. But if you insist on being stubborn, don't blame me if I stop being polite. I can be very harsh when I get angry, you know?"

Old Man Qian's joyful, excited laughter finally subsided. Ge Mei let out a deep sigh of relief. Hearing Qian's laughter reminded her of the tension and terror she felt when her hands were grabbed. If the old man kept laughing, she might just lose control and slap him a thousand times; the consequences would be unimaginable. Damn it, for touching me inappropriately, he has the nerve to laugh here! Today, I'll let you laugh until your mouth splits wide open into a brilliant, blooming **.

Old Man Qian replied, "Oh, you can't figure that out? Have you forgotten the proverb, 'Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives'? Since you mentioned me, of course, I had to come here."

"But we didn't mention you," Lu Zong immediately responded upon hearing Old Man Qian's words. However, as he quieted his mind and thought back, he was suddenly amazed to realize that he had indeed thought of Cao Cao just moments ago, wondering if those jars were related to him. But what connection could Cao Cao have with Old Man Qian?

He suddenly noticed the ancient costume Old Man Qian was wearing and was startled—could it be...?

His gaze met the elder’s eyes. Although Old Man Qian's mouth was curved in a smile, Lu Zong could detect an unyielding seriousness in his eyes, one that permitted no joking. He suddenly realized something and quickly asked, "Old Man Qian, may I ask your full name? Why do you know we are here, and how did you manage to arrive at our location?"

Old Man Qian surveyed the tent, nodding slightly. "Not bad. Quite clean. It seems this girl is truly something. Good, I am satisfied."

Ge Mei interjected, "Hey, old man! What do you mean, 'you are satisfied'? This is my room. When did it become your guest quarters? If you have nothing else to do, please leave quickly."

Old Man Qian was not angered. He merely stroked his grizzled beard and, without arguing with Ge Mei, asked, "Heh heh, you must have run into quite a bit of trouble just now, haven't you? Come, let's hurry. I'll take you to where you need to go." Then, he turned and started walking away.

Lu Zong and Ma Xiong, standing behind, would not allow it. They quickly grabbed Old Man Qian's arms, saying, "Wait, Old Man Qian! We still aren't certain you are truly yourself. If you want us to follow you, you must answer a few of our questions first." He looked at Old Man Qian with sincere eyes, feeling a bit guilty for doubting him, as the man was none other than Old Man Qian.

Old Man Qian continued to laugh, "Heh heh, I didn't expect you two could be so clever! If you were this smart earlier, you wouldn't have been fooled by others today. Heh heh, fine, ask your questions quickly. We have an urgent mission to execute shortly." He then smiled at the two, standing straight with his hands resting naturally at his waist, awaiting their interrogation.

Lu Zong asked, "Old Man Qian, do you still remember exactly how many people were traveling with us?"

Old Man Qian replied impatiently, "The Company Commander, Han Chong, and Fatty. Stop asking questions now. I’m telling you, I am indeed myself. I know you took great pains to figure things out here, but we are truly running out of time. If you trust me, follow me quickly."

With that, he strode toward the curtain, ignoring the obstruction behind him. Just then, a round object dropped from the curtain. The two were startled: "Isn't that the head that turned from the chamber pot earlier? It managed to climb onto the door even after its four legs were severed—that’s impressive." From now on, the head turned from the jar will be simply called the Jar Head.

At that moment, Old Man Qian was just reaching the doorway, about to reach out and pull back the curtain, when he noticed something above his head. He looked up and finally saw a jar. He lightly waved his hand, and the object fell to the ground with a thud, astonishing the three into disbelief. They were certain the elder's sleeve hadn't touched the thing, yet the Jar Head had moved a full meter through the air before landing. They stared, dumbfounded, at the elder's elegant departure.

The elder seemed suddenly inspired by poetry and murmured, "Softly I go, just as softly I came. I shall gently wave my hand, taking not a single cloud with me." Watching his relaxed figure, the others felt a mix of exasperation and amusement. They had fought tooth and nail just to sever the monster’s four legs, only to find that an old man was infinitely more capable, dispatching a monster with a mere wave of his sleeve. Subconsciously, they began to look up to the elder with adoration.

Ge Mei screamed in excitement, "Hey, old man, don't leave! Teach me! Teach me how you mastered that Sleeve Wave technique. Then, if I run into any perverts in the future, I can just unleash a sleeve strike and get revenge for my past self!" As she spoke, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Lu Zong and Ma Xiong. Both lowered their heads guiltily, feeling a burning heat on their faces. They had indeed been too aggressive earlier, and coupled with Ge Mei's murderous glare, they were genuinely intimidated. If the old man really valued sexual favors over friendship, they might both get a beating from him. However, they clung to a sliver of hope: if Old Man Qian refused to teach Ge Mei, it meant the old man wasn't lecherous, which implied a functional deficiency in his abilities. A functional deficiency suggested a mental issue, and a mental issue meant he was living in a shadow. Compared to him, he was basically low-grade trash. Heh heh—this sort of convoluted reasoning could certainly elevate one's spirits. With that thought, their fear evaporated, because their mental argument had propelled them to a climax.

Old Man Qian looked at Ge Mei and then chuckled, "Haha! You still have the nerve to say that? This whole mess is because of your own mistakes!"

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