Chapter 9 Battery

  "I've seen the strange ability on Cao's body before," Old Tree Bark said with his eyes narrowed, recalling the past. "It was three or four hundred years ago, when the world was in chaos and war was everywhere, many civilians escaped to the mountains to avoid the Qing soldiers. The Qing soldiers chased them into the mountains, killing everyone they met, until the blood flowed like rivers on Taifeng Mountain, and even the spring water that flowed out of the mountain was pink."

  Later, a team of queue-bearing soldiers trapped the villagers in a mountain pass, setting up firewood to burn them alive. Suddenly, more than a dozen monks and Taoist priests arrived, quickly killing off the queue-bearing soldiers. I originally thought they had come to rescue the people, but unexpectedly, after the queue-bearing soldiers were killed, they started fighting among themselves.

  Xiang Xiang loved listening to stories of fighting and killing. He listened with rapt attention as Old Tree Bark spoke, and hastily asked: "Was it the monks and Taoist priests who fought?"

  "No, the monks and Taoist priests were divided into two groups, one brutally killing, until the sky was dark. Those people's abilities were all very high, in modern terms, they were all superpowered individuals, after a big battle, almost an entire mountain peak was flattened."

  Cao Sen and Huo Yun exchanged a look. If the old tree bark wasn't exaggerating, then these ancient people's abilities were far stronger than those of modern humans.

  The old tree bark continued: "In the end, only one Taoist priest was left alive, and he was also half dead. His arms and legs were all gone, leaving only one hand that could still move. He slowly crawled among the villagers, found a middle-aged man, gave him a jade ring, asked him to go to Mount Wutai to find some Daoist master, and then died."

  "What does what you said have to do with Big Brother Cao?" Mei Fang asked impatiently.

  "Yes, it's down there." The old tree bark continued, "I'm afraid that middle-aged man's jade ring will be snatched away by bad people."

  Haha, Ludi burst out laughing and looked at Laotuzi's eyes, which seemed to say, "You're the one who wants to hit Yuemei, right?"

  The old tree bark ignored the young guy's ridicule, "I was afraid that middle-aged men would be robbed, so I pretended to be a refugee and approached him. As I got familiar with him, I found that he also had very weak superpower energy on his body, just like Cao Lao Da. On the surface, it can't be seen, but his body doesn't have the white energy circle that other superpower holders have around them. However, he can still control objects. I once asked him how he did it, and he said he could see many threads, some of which were flowing and some not. When I asked him what kind of threads they were, he couldn't say."

  Cao Sen aroused interest, it turned out that there were people like himself in the world, unfortunately it was a matter of several hundred years ago, otherwise he could have exchanged ideas with him.

  "What happened later was even more astonishing," Old Tree Bark continued, "Another group of people came, offering the middle-aged man countless benefits, with only one condition: to follow them. When the middle-aged man hesitated whether to agree or not, a second group appeared and started fighting with the first group again, and the middle-aged man took advantage of the chaos to run away."

  "Huh? What's so special about that guy that everyone is fighting over him? Does he have some kind of treasure on him?" Xiang Xiang asked curiously.

  "Xiang Xiang is really clever!" The old tree bark praised the girl with a sentence, "He's indeed a treasure, not that he has any treasures, but he himself is a treasure."

  "What did he say?" Cao Sen asked.

  "At that time, I also wanted to figure out why, so I secretly caught a person who was beaten and fell alone, and asked for the reason." Old Tree Bark looked at Cao Sen's belly, "That middle-aged man is the furnace tripod that cultivators dream of."

  As soon as he heard the two words "oven tripod", Huo Yun wrinkled his brow in disgust.

  "What is a furnace tripod?" Xiang Xiang asked.

  "This furnace... The furnace is..."

  "In ancient times," Huo Yun interrupted Lao Pizi's words, "the furnace tripod was a Taoist theory that believed the furnace tripod had internal and external, pre-heavenly and post-heavenly, and many other types of furnaces. In short, it is a place for gathering and refining yuanqi and heterodox abilities, such as the dantian."

  "Uh-huh, got it." Xiang nodded as if she understood but didn't really understand.

  Lao Shu Pi smiled eerily after hearing Huo Yun's explanation, and continued the previous topic, "Mr. Huo is right, that middle-aged man can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, store it in his body, and provide it for other cultivators to use, so many cultivators come to fight over him to improve their own cultivation."

  As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Cao Sen simultaneously.

  Xiang Xiang pointed at Cao Sen and shouted: "You are a furnace tripod, you are an accumulator!"

  "I'd kill someone without batting an eye!" Cao Sen glared at Xiaotou with a fierce gaze, he was extremely disgusted by his new identity. In his memory, the Daoist's furnace seemed to be something bad, and it seemed to be related to young boys and girls. Who dares to use my brother as a furnace? They'll have to ask my gun first!

  "Cao Sen, have you ever tried using those energies yourself?" Jin Da Chui asked.

  Cao Sen shook his head helplessly, "I tried this afternoon, it didn't work."

  "Energy-saving battery!"

  Ludi laughed again, but seeing Cao Sen's overbearing expression, the little boy quickly lowered his head and didn't dare to look at him.

  "Perhaps you haven't found the way yet, but the great energy in your belly will always be at your disposal. Take it easy, don't rush." Jinda comforted Cao Sen.

  Cao Sen didn't care much about whether he could utilize those energies, as long as they didn't cause him trouble. In his mind, the most effective weapon was still - guns, and superpowers were just auxiliary tools.

  Mei Fang's eyes kept glancing at Cao Sen's belly, intentionally or unintentionally, while her sister stared straight at it without blinking, as if Cao Sen's lower abdomen had a magnet that attracted her gaze.

  Cao Sen felt a wave of annoyance in his heart. The original purpose of coming to Taifeng Mountain had not been achieved, but instead became something like a battery or, as Xiangxiang put it more bluntly - a special battery for superpowered individuals. There were countless superpowered individuals in the world, no matter how many there were, if even one-tenth or one-hundredth of them came to cause trouble on their own, then the days that followed would be filled with trouble.

  Of course, if he could use this energy himself, Cao Sen wouldn't be too opposed to having an extra energy vortex in his belly. With such a huge amount of energy, who knows, maybe he would become a real Superman, with the ability to move mountains and fill seas, with the power to subdue dragons and tame tigers. But unfortunately, he couldn't use it himself, it was all just for others to take advantage of, what a damn shame!

  Huo Yun saw Cao Sen's worries, "Brother, since I've encountered this matter and you saved my life, as the elder brother, it's only natural that I won't stand by idly. I won't leave you until we resolve this issue."

  Jin Da also nodded in agreement with Huo Yun's words.

  Xiangxiang loudly shouted to protect her Cao brother, Mei Fang did not voice opposition, little guy Ludi had no own opinion, naturally also equal to consent.

  Everyone quickly reached a consensus and decided to be Cao Sen's free bodyguard, driving away those who dared to bully him.

  Due to the kindness of many people, Cao Sen couldn't refuse, although he never thought he needed anyone's protection. However, since the teaching building's haunting incident hadn't been solved yet, it was just in time for their help, so he agreed readily. But Cao Sen really suspected Mei sisters' intentions; perhaps they wanted to use him as a shield and that's why they stayed by his side.

  One evening without a word, the next morning, everyone prepared to go down the mountain and return to Nanquan City. Xiangxiang was worried that Cao Sen would ask her to find the discarded car key, but unexpectedly, Cao Sen took out a spare key from the car again.

  Two cars drove down Taifeng Mountain, one in front of the other. On the highway, Mei Fang and Cao Sen sped up again, at which point the superior performance of the sports car became apparent, leaving the off-road vehicle far behind, almost out of sight.

  As they passed by the entrance of a county town, Huo Yun hesitated and said: "Brother, can we take a detour... I haven't been home for a long time."

  "Of course, I also want to go see Dad and Mom." Cao Sen said, turning the steering wheel, the car drove off the highway.

  Mei Fang's sports car had already missed the entrance, she didn't care about the highway rules that prohibited U-turns and reversing, she took advantage of a gap to make a U-turn and reverse, chasing up to Cao Sen's off-road vehicle.

  Cao Sen looked at the audacious Mei Fang and gave her a thumbs up.

  Mei Fang's face was expressionless, while Xiang Xiang on the passenger seat proudly raised her head and hummed.

  Huo Yun's home was in a rural area, quite far from the highway, and the road conditions were not good either. It was a broken and worn-out country road that barely allowed sports cars to pass through. There were some large potholes on the road surface that would be difficult for a sports car to navigate, but Mei Fang stepped on the accelerator and forced her way through. The sound of gravel and stones scraping against the bottom of the car was loud, but Mei Fang didn't care - she drove as fast as she could.

  Cao Sen cursed her as a prodigal daughter in his heart.

  When the country road turned into a muddy path, the village where Huo Yun's parents lived was already in sight.

  Mei Fang drove the sports car like a tank, and insisted on driving it into the village. When the car finally stopped, its original appearance was no longer visible, as if it had just emerged from underground.

  Cao Sen stared at the village in front of him, the cigarette that had been dangling from his mouth forgotten unlit, he was shocked.

  The village is not big, along a less than one-meter-wide red brick road, two rows of residential buildings were built, almost all of which are earth houses with thatched roofs, dilapidated and seemingly able to be blown down by strong winds. The courtyard walls are also mostly made of earth, many of which have collapsed, and some simply do not have courtyard walls. A few small earth houses leaning against each other make up a home, with broken door panels slanting against rotten door frames, windows pasted with old newspaper scraps, muddy and dirty in front of the doors, several thin pigs lying listlessly in the mud, staring blankly at the sudden arrival of outsiders.

  Cao Sen couldn't believe his eyes at the scene before him was a 21st-century residence, if he wasn't experiencing it himself, he would have thought it was a set, a dream.

  Hu Yun pointed heavily at several red brick houses and said, "Those brick-covered houses are the village chief's and his relatives' homes. Other villagers can't afford to build brick houses... I... I'm such an unfilial son, already in my thirties... yet I still let my parents live in a mud hut!"

  Cao Sen got off the bus in silence, looking at the dilapidated village in front of him, he didn't know what to say.

  "My goodness!" Xiang Xiang exclaimed as she crawled out of the car in surprise. "I said, Hao Yun, your village is really old-fashioned."

  Huo Yun walked ahead in silence, leading the way with his head hung low.

  "Shut up if you can't speak!" Cao Sen said viciously.

  Xiang Xiang was about to retort in discontent, but her sister Mei Fang pulled her back and shook her head, signaling her not to speak.

  Jin Da and Lao Shu Pi walked silently past Xiang Xiang, not saying a word. Xiang Xiang felt the atmosphere was somewhat heavy and also didn't make a sound.

  As they walked quickly to the end of the village, they heard an old man's pleading voice from a courtyard: "Third Uncle, it's not that I don't want to pay back what I owe you, but the pig died of illness and didn't sell for any money. Next year I'll take good care of the piglets and when I sell them, I'll hurry to send you the money."

  Hearing this voice, Huo Yun's body suddenly stiffened, his face turned pale, his hands clenched into fists, the joints were white with tension, and when he lifted his head, which had been hanging low, tears streamed down his face.

  Cao Sen observed the words and expressions, deducing that the speaker was definitely Ho Yun's father. He rushed ahead following the sound into a dilapidated courtyard.

  In the courtyard stood an old man and a middle-aged man. The old man looked weathered, his clothes were worn out and faded but very clean, while the middle-aged man wore a leather jacket and pants, greasy and stained everywhere, with a cigarette in his mouth, eyeing the old man sideways.

  "Second brother, if we weren't brothers I wouldn't be giving you this face. Now that the New Year is here, everyone wants to celebrate, so it's only right that you repay your debts?"

  "How much money does my dad owe you?" Cao Sen suddenly spoke up.

  The two people in the courtyard were shocked and turned their heads to look at Cao Sen.

  The middle-aged man looked up and down at Cao Sen, his first impression was that he was strong and powerful. He then looked at Cao Sen's city attire, and the originally serious face had a smile on it. "Hey, big brother, where are you from? Why do you call my second brother 'dad'?"

  "Huo Yun is my elder brother, shouldn't I call him dad?"

  The old man looked at Cao Sen in surprise, for a moment he didn't know what to say.

  "Cut the crap, how much does my dad owe you?" Cao Sen coldly stared at the middle-aged man.

  "Not much, just a few thousand yuan, plus the cost of buying piglets and some other old debts, it's around ten thousand yuan." The middle-aged man said with a forced smile.

  "Dad owes money, I pay." Cao Sen said, taking out his wallet and opening it. He was stunned to find that there were only five 100-yuan bills inside, not enough cash!

  Cao Sen was used to swiping his card when going out and rarely carried much cash. In this poor and remote place, where could he go to swipe his card for cash? His bank card with 20,000 yuan in it was not as useful as a single cent in this village.

  The middle-aged man smiled with satisfaction, "Don't worry if you don't have enough money, I won't quibble over a few dollars."

  At this time, apart from Huo Yun, everyone else had also entered the yard. Mei Fang and Xiang Xiang rummaged through their bags and each took out a bank card. They didn't have any cash on them either. Jin Da Chui was already bankrupt, with less than 50 yuan on him. Lao Shu Pi didn't have a single cent, and Xiao Lu Di was even worse off. This group of ability users couldn't even scrape together 1,000 yuan in cash!

  "What do you do?" Cao Sen asked the middle-aged man.

  "No matter what I am, the debt owed to me must be repaid!" The middle-aged man saw that a group of people couldn't come up with the money, and his confidence unconsciously increased.

  Cao Sen glanced over, and the middle-aged man suddenly felt himself shrink by half, hastily replying: "I have a small construction team outside."

  Cao Sen took a glance at the dilapidated courtyard in front of him and said to the middle-aged man, "Follow me!"

  The middle-aged man inexplicably followed Cao Sen out of the yard, wanting to maintain his own dignity and not listen to the sudden commands of a young man, but unable to control his own legs and feet, obediently following behind Cao Sen. Seeing Huo Yun outside the yard, he was stunned for a moment before continuing to follow Cao Sen.

  Cao Sen led the middle-aged man to his Jeep and asked, "Do you like this car?"

  A middle-aged man's eyes lit up, stroking the body of the Jeep, "What a great car, it can even run in wheat fields, I've seen others drive it before, but never had a chance to ride in one."

  "This car is yours now."

  What?! The middle-aged man's cigarette fell to the ground in shock.

  "My dad owes you money, and also, at the beginning of spring, you renovated my dad's yard and rebuilt the house," Cao Sen pointed to the best red brick house in the village, "You listen, the house must be built exactly like this one, all expenses will be paid from the top of the car."

  "Brother, is this for real? Is this car really yours? You didn't... steal it, did you?"

  Cao Sen took out his driver's license and vehicle registration from the car and handed them to the middle-aged man, "For my dad, I won't cheat you."

  A middle-aged man who has been out in the world for many years and has some experience, looking at these documents doesn't seem fake, but he still can't believe there's such a good thing. In this village, labor and building materials are as cheap as they get, building a three-room tile-roofed house wouldn't cost more than 30,000 yuan, while this Jeep in front of him, even if it's second-hand, would at least be worth 110,000 to 120,000 yuan. The difference is **10,000, is there such a good thing under the sky?

  Cao Sen continued: "Don't be too happy, from now on, you will give my father 1,000 yuan every month for six years. If you are one cent short," he said, revealing the gun handle under his armpit, "you can weigh your options."

  The middle-aged man caught sight of the black pistol and his body trembled slightly, he looked at Cao Sen with a surprised expression, wondering what this young man was doing, not a figure from the underworld?

  Cao Sen raised an eyebrow, "It's settled then. After the Spring Festival, you go to Nanquan City to find me and handle the transfer procedures." He left his phone number with the middle-aged man and picked up the backpack from the car, turning around to walk back to Ho Yun's house.

  The middle-aged man stood there in a daze, unsure whether he had made a profit or a loss from the deal.

  Xiang Xiang and Little Ludi followed Cao Sen all the way, witnessing the whole process. The two little guys looked at Cao Sen with admiring eyes, thinking in their hearts: "Cool, too cool! For brotherly righteousness, he even sacrificed his wealth, including his car. Where can you find such a noble person? What the 21st century lacks is not just talent, but also brothers who value loyalty and righteousness. And there was one standing right in front of them.

  Xiang Xiang had witnessed Cao Sen's thunderous methods of collecting old tree bark, and knew how formidable he was. As for Little Ludi, he had only seen Cao Sen's solitary gun in the ancient path, which had left him stunned at the time. Now, seeing Cao Sen's majestic yet calm demeanor, effortlessly subduing the middle-aged man, his small heart was filled with admiration, and he instantly idolized Cao Sen. Both of them were deeply impressed by Cao Sen, following closely behind him, step by step, from then on, Cao Sen had two little followers.

  Back in the courtyard of Huoyun, Xiangxiang's small mouth was like a machine gun, recounting what had just happened. Little Ludi wanted to interject and say a couple of words, but couldn't find an opportunity to speak, his face flushing bright red with frustration.

  Huo Yun and his father were moved to tears, with his old father repeatedly saying "it's not worth it, it's not worth it".

  Jin Da and Lao Shu Pi looked at Cao Sen with admiration, this young man was decisive and generous in his actions, he did things thoroughly and took care of relationships, truly a remarkable person.

  Mei Fang still had a cold face, looking at Cao Sen as if she was thinking of something.

  Everyone stayed at Huo Yun's home that day, and under the warm hospitality of Huo Yun's parents, although it was simple and crowded, they felt the simplicity and enthusiasm of northern farmers.

  Before going to sleep, Cao Sen called Guo Jing on his mobile phone and told him to bring a car to pick people up the next day.

  Kuo Ching asked Cao Sen in surprise: "Where is your Jeep 2500?"

  Cao Sen simply said, "I'm done with him."