"Old Minister, I'm truly sorry to disturb your peace," Zhao Ping said with utmost respect. "A young Saint Expert who has achieved Body Ascension recently appeared in Wencheng, Han Province. There are some things I'd like to report to you in person."
Zhao Ping's tone was one of extreme deference.
"Oh, you," a voice chuckled from the other end of the line. "I'm already aware of this. Come to the farmland outside Bowan Village in Kyoto's North Suburb."
The voice on the phone broke into a laugh.
Nearly an hour later, Zhao Ping's car stopped beside the farmland outside Bowan Village.
As far as the eye could see, the fields seemed to stretch on without end. Twenty or thirty figures, both men and women, were working the land. They were all bent over, hoeing the ground, faces toward the yellow soil and backs to the sky, completely drenched in sweat.
Some of the men were shirtless, revealing robust muscles. They weren't the chiseled, well-defined muscles of a bodybuilder, but a physique that seemed harmoniously integrated, with broad backs and thick waists.
HUFF! PUFF! HUFF! PUFF!
Just as Zhao Ping got out of the car, he heard the sound of thunderous exhalations. The people in the field weren't holding ordinary iron hoes with wooden handles, but solid metal hoes, entirely black, with handles of varying thickness.
Their movements were vastly different from ordinary farmers. A regular farmer would lift quickly and let the hoe fall smoothly, using its momentum and potential energy to reduce the consumption of their Physical Ability.
But these people swung their hoes at a constant speed throughout the entire motion, even controlling the speed of the descent. Their entire bodies moved as one, relaxed yet heavy, with perfect control. It gave the impression that they were maintaining a constant tension. One didn't even have to try it; just watching them from the side was enough to make your scalp tingle and your body ache in sympathy.
They moved as if wading through mud, their breaths like thunder. Their power flowed without stagnation or dissipation, neither rising nor ceasing, continuous like the rolling waves, the great mountains, the endless earth.
In a corner of the farmland stood a thatched lean-to. An old man dressed like a farmer, wearing a straw hat, was lying on a wicker chair, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan and eating watermelon. On a wooden rack behind him stood a row of hoes of varying thicknesses.
Zhao Ping waved at his subordinates, signaling for them to wait there and not to approach. He then jogged quickly toward the lean-to.
"Old Minister," Zhao Ping said with a bow.
The old man had short, silver-white hair. The bone at the crown of his head protruded slightly, his eyebrows were neat, and his cheeks were full and rounded.
His upper body was bare, his skin a light bronze color that seemed to have a golden sheen in the hazy light. His build was neither muscular nor thin, but rather rounded. The flesh on his hands, feet, shoulders, and neck was particularly full.
"Ah, Xiaozhao, you're here."
The old man spoke casually, revealing a set of white teeth that were finer and more uniform than a normal person's. His voice was loud and clear, with none of the frailty of old age. As he spoke, Zhao Ping could even smell a strange, pleasant fragrance.
'A cranial protuberance, forty teeth, the ability to always perceive the finest tastes, a full and rounded physique...'
If a profound Buddhist cultivator were to see this old man, they would probably fall to their knees on the spot, believing they had met the Buddha incarnate.
According to legend, the Buddha has thirty-two major physical characteristics, representing perfect enlightenment and boundless Divine Power. An ordinary person possessing just one of these signs could attain wealth and fortune, but this old man clearly had more than just a few.
"Old Minister, your cultivation has deepened again. About that Saint Expert who achieved Body Ascension..."
Zhao Ping wanted to report immediately. After all, Ma Changping was still lying in the Wencheng Special Security Bureau branch. The man had some status, and if something truly bad happened, it would be difficult for Zhao Ping to answer for it.
"No rush, Xiaozhao. Since you became Director-General, it's been some years since you've swung one of these hoes, hasn't it? Busy with work, neglecting your cultivation... that's not a good thing. Go hoe a mu of land. And pick the biggest hoe."
The old man waved his hand, cutting Zhao Ping off.
"Old Minister, maybe I should take the next size down..."
Beads of sweat were already forming on Zhao Ping's forehead. He had once hoed here himself; his skills in Soul Capturing and Soul Stealing had been forged in this very place. How could he not know what that entailed?
These hoes were specially made and astonishingly heavy. The largest one weighed a full eighty jin. Moreover, this wasn't ordinary hoeing. Every single swing required one to gather their spirit and exert full control.
He had held a high position for years and had neglected his training. After a full mu of this work, even with the Physical Ability of a Soul Capturing and Soul Stealing expert, he would likely be half-dead from exhaustion.
"Go on."
The old man didn't say more, just gave a slight wave of his hand.
How could Zhao Ping not understand? The old man was punishing him for his incompetence, and perhaps had also seen through his petty schemes.
Resigned, the middle-aged, high-ranking Zhao Ping, dressed in his slacks and white shirt, could only obediently take the largest hoe from the rack behind the old man, hoist it onto his shoulder, and begin the grunt work of hoeing the land.
"Qian Yuan."
The old man called out in a normal voice. More than two hundred meters away in the field, a tall and sturdy young man, built like a giant, immediately stopped hoeing, shouldered his hoe, and ran toward the old man.
His senses were sharp enough to hear in all directions.
With every step he took, the soil of the field sank deep beneath his feet.
The man was nearly 2.2 meters tall with a rugged face and eyes like copper bells, yet his gaze was incredibly clear. His hands were as large as cattail fans, and the iron hoe he carried on his shoulder was even more terrifying—its handle alone was as thick as a bowl.
The largest hoe the old man kept here was eighty jin, but the one in this man's hands surpassed that weight. It had been custom-made for him.
As the man stood before the old man, he looked like a Protector Celestial King from the feet of the Buddha, brought to life.
"Master, what are your orders?" Meng Qianyuan asked respectfully.
"Go watch your senior brother. If he dares to slack off or half-ass the job, you kick his ass," the old man said with a chuckle.
"Yes, Master."
Meng Qianyuan nodded, put down his hoe, and walked over to Zhao Ping's side to faithfully carry out his orders.
In his eyes, there was no high-ranking Director-General. All things under heaven were equal. Getting him to go easy was simply impossible.
His eyes, wide as copper bells, stared intently, making Zhao Ping feel as if he had spikes on his back. The drain on his Physical Ability became even greater.
In his flustered state, his form broke several times, earning him a kick to the rear from Meng Qianyuan that sent him sprawling with a mouthful of dirt.
Several hours later, Zhao Ping's shirt was covered in mud. He was gasping for breath, completely exhausted, and felt like he'd lost half his life.
"Alright, talk. What's the situation exactly?"
The old man looked at Zhao Ping's wretched state and handed him a towel to wipe his face. Zhao Ping hurriedly gave a detailed account of the entire incident from start to finish.
"He compared himself to Sun Wukong wreaking havoc in the Celestial Palace. I was out of options, so I had to come and ask for help from you, a True Buddha," Zhao Ping said helplessly.
"Hahahaha! Excellent, excellent! This is exactly the kind of spirit and boldness a young man should have! Otherwise, how could he achieve Body Ascension at twenty-seven? I like it! Each generation brings forth new talent. The era of the young is coming."
After hearing the detailed account, the old man clapped his hands and laughed, feeling very pleased.
"The lot of you still haven't changed your thinking. The world is vast; how can everything be black and white? How can one hand block out the sky? You should understand this principle. The world situation is at a critical juncture. People like him are of the utmost importance. Mr. Zhao, Old Gu, the Saint Experts from the major sects, and I have already reached a consensus. We are going to hold a 'Martial Hero Conference' to cultivate more Saint Experts. If you all maintain this mentality, how can I entrust the Special Security Bureau to you?"
After his laughter, the old man's expression changed abruptly, his tone becoming sharp. In an instant, cold sweat drenched Zhao Ping's back.
He knew the old man's personality very well.
He had the appearance of a Buddha but harbored a killing intent. It was only that in recent years, he had cultivated his character and restrained his temper. When he truly got angry, the mountains and rivers themselves would change color.
"Old Minister, I was wrong," Zhao Ping tried to explain. "But it's also because of internal disagreements, and the suspicious nature of this person's identity..."
"Wandering Immortal Hong Datong. I know of him," the old man said with a wave of his hand.
"You know his background?" Zhao Ping's expression changed slightly as he hurriedly asked.
"We met a few times during the war-torn years. One who awakens from a thousand-year dream is no ordinary person. He is not our enemy. You don't need to get too involved in this matter."
"Alright, these old bones of mine will make a trip to Wencheng," the old man said with a chuckle. "Qian Yuan, you will accompany me. Go see for yourself what kind of person can achieve Body Ascension at an age similar to your own."
"Yes, Master."
A glimmer shone in Meng Qianyuan's eyes.