146: Chapter 26 Deceiving the Whole Audience

Upon hearing the four words "Northern Beggar Hong Qi," Old Man Liang immediately had a stress response. His whole body trembled as he looked around, his voice shaking. "Senior Chief Hong has come as well? Where is he?"

Ouyang Ke, Sha Tongtian, and the others also felt a chill in their hearts, their expressions turning solemn.

For most people in the Jianghu, especially those in the Central Plains, the prestige of the Five Masters was too great; any one of them was a being they had to look up to.

If Hong Qi had come and was helping Guo Jing's side, they had no confidence at all in stopping them.

Wanyan Honglie was not a man of the Jianghu, but sensing the atmosphere was off, he glanced sideways at Ouyang Ke.

Noticing this, Ouyang Ke quickly recovered. With a smile, he said, "Senior Hong is here? That's perfect. Before I came to the Central Plains, my uncle specifically instructed me that if I encountered the three Seniors—Eastern Evil, Southern Emperor, and Northern Beggar—I should offer them his regards."

"Your Excellency might as well call Senior Hong over so I can pay my respects in person."

Hearing this, Peng Lianhu and the others felt a wave of relief.

Right! Their side had the Successor of Western Venom. Although he was no match for the Northern Beggar, he could still hold his own.

Realizing this, even Old Man Liang, who feared Hong Qi the most, steadied himself significantly, though he still subconsciously took a few steps back.

Back then, Hong Qi had forcibly pulled out most of his hair, leaving a massive psychological shadow.

Master Lingzhi came from the Esoteric Sect and had only recently set foot in the Central Plains. Although he had heard of the Five Masters, he didn't know much about them.

Seeing Ouyang Ke stabilize the situation, he couldn't help but speak up, "That's right, call the man out. This Monk would like to see just how powerful these so-called Central Plains experts really are."

Seeing this, Meng Li smiled faintly and said, "Since you all want to see the Northern Beggar so badly, I shall grant your wish."

Hearing these confident words, Peng Lianhu and the others, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, immediately became tense again.

Old Man Liang was once again like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, his whole body shaking as he looked around.

Even Ouyang Ke felt a bit uneasy in his heart.

It was true that he had Ouyang Feng backing him, but he knew his own situation. That "uncle" of his didn't have very deep feelings for him, and even if he did, he wasn't here now. If Hong Qi really came, he could at most say a few words; he had no confidence at all in stopping him from taking people away.

After Meng Li finished speaking, he pulled a candle from his robe and lit it with a fire starter.

This action left everyone completely bewildered.

Guo Jing asked in confusion, "Elder Brother Meng, weren't you going to call Senior Northern Beggar over? Why aren't you calling out, but lighting a candle instead?"

Meng Li replied, "This is an agreement I have with Senior Hong Qi. If I need him, I light this candle. In a short while, he will know and rush here immediately."

Guo Jing was stunned. "Really? Is it that miraculous?"

Meng Li smiled. "Great experts always have some special skills, and their ways of doing things are often different from ordinary people."

Guo Jing nodded. "That makes sense."

Huang Rong, however, was skeptical. Did Northern Beggar Hong Qi really have such a skill? Her father had never mentioned it to her.

Ouyang Ke was also secretly suspicious.

Ouyang Feng had never told him that Hong Qi had such a trick, either.

But seeing how confident Meng Li was, he couldn't see any problem.

Perhaps it was a new method Hong Qi had developed in recent years. Whether it was true or false would be revealed shortly.

Thinking of this, he said nothing and waited quietly for the result.

But before Hong Qi could arrive, trouble broke out on the scene.

Bao Xiruo, who was standing beside Yang Tiexin, suddenly felt her head grow heavy, and she collapsed to the side.

Seeing this, Yang Tiexin and Yang Kang instinctively reached out to support her.

Wanyan Honglie also nervously tried to go over and check the situation.

Unexpectedly, they also felt dizzy and unable to stand, swaying before collapsing on the spot.

Seeing this, Ouyang Ke immediately realized something was wrong and cried out, "Oh no, that candle is poisoned!"

But it was already too late.

The Manor guards, Ouyang Ke's female Disciples, and Wanyan Honglie's confidants all began to fall into a stupor, collapsing one after another.

Peng Lianhu and the others were also affected, struggling to stay upright.

Without a word, they immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, circulating their Qi to suppress the poison, but found it wasn't very effective.

Ouyang Ke did the same.

Only Old Man Liang, due to his years of consuming medicinal materials like Wild Ginseng, had a certain level of innate poison resistance, so his condition was slightly better.

On Meng Li's side, Mu Nianci, Guo Jing, and Huang Rong were also poisoned.

However, Meng Li immediately took out the antidote.

He supported Mu Nianci and held a porcelain bottle containing the antidote to her nose. "Just take one breath."

Mu Nianci did as she was told, and soon the feeling of drowsiness vanished. She couldn't help but be secretly amazed.

Next, Meng Li handed the antidote to Guo Jing and the others.

Seeing this, Ouyang Ke quickly ordered Old Man Liang, who was still in relatively good shape, "Old Man Liang, go extinguish that candle immediately, then seize the antidote!"

By now, Old Man Liang also saw that Hong Qi hadn't come; it was all just Meng Li using a tiger's skin to scare him. Yet he had actually been intimidated, losing face in public. He couldn't help but feel humiliated and enraged. Upon hearing Ouyang Ke's command, he roared and lunged at Meng Li.

"Brat, how dare you use a tiger's skin to scare Grandpa Liang! I'm going to skin you alive!"

Meng Li narrowed his eyes and immediately circulated his power to strike with a Raging Dragon Palm.

In an instant, the faint sound of a Dragon's roar could be heard as a golden-yellow palm force condensed into a shape, striking toward Old Man Liang with a violent and fierce momentum.

Hearing the Dragon's roar and seeing the ferocity of the palm force, Old Man Liang's soul nearly left his body. He instinctively blurted out, "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms?!"

After crying out, he hurriedly tried to defend himself, but because his response was rushed and his cultivation was insufficient, he was still sent flying by the palm strike. With a thud, he hit the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood. His aura became withered, and he clearly lost his ability to fight.

Seeing Meng Li take down Old Man Liang in a single move with the "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms," Peng Lianhu, Sha Tongtian, and the others were terrified.

Before coming to the Zhao Kings Manor, they had fought with Old Man Liang to compete for fame and status, and they knew their strengths were roughly equal.

For Meng Li to be able to take down Old Man Liang in one move, even if the latter's condition was compromised, it was enough to prove that Meng Li's strength far exceeded theirs.

Even Ouyang Ke felt a bit faint-hearted. He had fought Old Man Liang before and believed he could win, but he couldn't take him down in a single move.

Therefore, it wasn't hard for him to deduce that Meng Li's strength was above his own.

If it were just that, it would be fine.

Because he still had two major reliances: one was his use of poison, and the other was Ouyang Feng.

But judging from the situation just now, Meng Li also knew how to use poison, and his skill was likely higher than his own.

Furthermore, since Meng Li could use the "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms," it was likely that he was a Disciple of the Northern Beggar.

As a result, Ouyang Ke felt that his advantages were basically gone.

As for so-called schemes and calculations...

Meng Li had just fooled everyone and then poisoned them invisibly.

A person like this would definitely not be lacking in brains; it would be very difficult to scheme against him.

Most importantly, there was the issue of strength. Schemes and calculations were just minor tricks; they were hard to make effective in the face of overwhelming strength. Especially when the schemer's strength was inferior to the target's, once the scheme was seen through, it would likely invite disaster.

"What kind of poison did Your Excellency use?"

...