203: Chapter 83 Zhou Botong's Twisted Fate

"What kind of riddles are you two talking in?"

Seeing Meng Li and Old Imp speaking so cryptically, Huang Rong couldn't help but ask.

Meng Li pointed at Old Imp. "He's the one involved in this matter, so it's not for me to say. If you want to know, you can ask him."

Without a second thought, Old Imp said to Huang Rong, "This is adult business; children shouldn't go snooping around."

Huang Rong: "..."

Immediately after, Old Imp looked at Meng Li and asked with a mix of nervousness and anticipation, "Then, how are the mother and son doing?"

Meng Li sighed. "Your son is dead, and her hair turned white overnight because of it. Later, she learned you were trapped on Peach Blossom Island and wanted to rescue you. Right now, she's likely devoted to studying Numerology and the Dao of Qimen."

"My son is dead?!" Old Imp was stunned.

Guo Jing and the other two were equally shocked.

Meng Li shook his head, waiting for them to process the news.

Honestly, looking at the matter of Liu Ying from a normal person's perspective, Old Imp was a complete scoundrel.

Liu Ying was a married woman, and an Imperial Consort at that.

Not only did he flirt with her, but he also captured her heart and body.

If the two of them were to be together, the biggest obstacle should have been the Southern Emperor, South Emperor.

However, for the sake of Wang Chongyang's Face, South Emperor endured the pain of letting go and tried to fulfill their wishes.

By all logic, what followed should have been a happy ending for everyone.

Instead, Old Imp's interest lasted only three minutes; he didn't want to take responsibility and simply abandoned everything to run away.

This behavior was the definition of a scumbag!

But in terms of Heart-Nature, Old Imp was just an overgrown child. It was perfectly normal for him to have fleeting interests, flee from trouble, and avoid responsibility.

Liu Ying, on the other hand, was a hopeless romantic who remained devoted to him.

As the one who was cheated on, and a sovereign of a nation, it was truly commendable that South Emperor chose to let them be instead of seeking revenge. Afterward, he continued to support Liu Ying as usual and didn't even mistreat her son.

Later, the death of Liu Ying's son was indeed related to South Emperor.

This was because Qiu Qianren's purpose in gravely injuring Liu Ying's son was to force South Emperor to exhaust his internal power to save him, thereby indirectly limiting his strength.

But South Emperor's refusal to save the child was ultimately caused by Liu Ying herself; she insisted on embroidering the love poem she shared with Old Imp onto her son's bellyband.

Seeing that, South Emperor was provoked and fell into hesitation.

Then, before he could explicitly refuse, Liu Ying went to extremes and ended her son's life with her own hands.

Overall, this whole affair was hard to judge.

Soon, Old Imp finished processing the tragic news and pressed, "Who killed him?"

Meng Li said vaguely, "You'll have to ask her about that; I'm not clear on the details."

Old Imp's expression froze.

Ask Liu Ying?

Because of his past mistakes, his heart was filled with lingering guilt. What he feared most was seeing her; how could he dare to ask?

Thus, Old Imp refused without a second thought, "I'm not going, I'm not going!"

A second later, he said to Meng Li, "Don't you know how to divine and calculate? Can't you just calculate it for me?"

Meng Li said helplessly, "Knowing divination doesn't mean I can calculate everything. Besides, divinations shouldn't be performed lightly out of fear for the unpredictability of the Heavenly Dao. Without signs allowed by heaven, such as celestial phenomena or sudden premonitions, unauthorized divination and leaking heavenly secrets will incur divine retribution."

"At best, it shortens one's life; at worst, it leads to sudden death."

Seeing him speak so seriously, Old Imp stopped insisting. "That scary? Then forget it."

Mu Nianci also didn't want Meng Li to take risks. Seeing this, she said to Old Imp, "Senior Zhou, if you want to know the answer, you should go find that Senior yourself."

Old Imp immediately shook his head like a rattle. "No way, no way!"

"Forget it, I don't want to know the answer."

Having said that, he took the wine jar from Huang Rong, turned to sit in a hanging basket on the other side, and began drinking gloomily by himself.

Seeing Old Imp's reaction, Mu Nianci, Huang Rong, and Guo Jing were momentarily stunned.

He doesn't want to know the answer?

That's the enmity of a murdered son!

Its hatred index even exceeds that of murdering one's father or mother.

As children, one might let go of a parental grudge for certain reasons.

But for parents, the grudge for the murder of a son or daughter is basically a lifelong vendetta.

Old Imp's act of giving up left the three of them quite bewildered.

Meng Li, however, wasn't surprised in the least.

Simply because Old Imp was not a normal person.

At the end of the original story, Qiu Qianren was recognized by Liu Ying because of his laughter.

Without a word, Liu Ying fought him desperately but ended up being no match for him.

Later, she encountered Old Imp and told him everything—that he had a son and that Qiu Qianren was the murderer.

At that time, Old Imp had practiced the Nine Yin Manual and could have defeated Qiu Qianren, but due to moral kidnapping, he actually let the other party go.

This behavior...

Regardless, it was incomprehensible to Meng Li.

Mu Nianci and the other two came to their senses; they also couldn't understand it, but seeing Old Imp's state, they didn't press further.

Soon after, the group exchanged a few more words and left.

Once out of the cave, the most curious one, Huang Rong, couldn't help but ask Meng Li, "Elder Brother Meng, what exactly were you and Senior Zhou talking about?"

Guo Jing was just as curious as Mu Nianci.

Meng Li avoided the topic. "This has nothing to do with you. Instead of asking about this, you'd better think carefully about what your father will test Guo Jing on tomorrow."

Huang Rong's expression immediately slumped. "He has always acted according to his whims, and his thoughts are hard to grasp. How could I possibly guess?"

Mu Nianci said, "We are all people of the Martial Forest, so there shouldn't be a lack of martial arts contests."

Speaking, she looked at Meng Li. "Brother Li, I remember you said before that Ouyang Ke could be considered a second-rate expert. Brother Jing was only bottom-tier back then, but now he has learned Senior Hong's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and has gained some insights from hearing the martial arts exchange between you and Senior Zhou."

"In your opinion, what are Brother Jing's chances of winning against Ouyang Ke now?"

Hearing this, Guo Jing and Huang Rong also turned their gazes toward him.

Meng Li thought carefully and replied, "It's hard to say. Unless there's a huge disparity in strength, there are many factors that determine victory or defeat in a match. However, by my judgment, a conservative estimate is that Guo Jing can currently fight Ouyang Ke to a fifty-fifty draw."

According to the original plot's development, Guo Jing would have already been able to defeat Ouyang Ke by this point.

But due to his influence, compared to the original story, Guo Jing lacked the medicinal blood of the Medicinal Snake to boost his power and hadn't fully learned the Nine Yin Manual, so his strength was somewhat diminished.

Meng Li didn't feel embarrassed about this.

Opportunity has no fixed owner; it belongs to whoever can obtain it.

"Fifty-fifty?" Huang Rong murmured, frowning. "Those odds are too low."

Meng Li said, "What do you expect? Ouyang Ke is, after all, the successor of the Western Venom, and he's quite a bit older than Guo Jing. For Guo Jing to catch up to him in such a short time is already quite remarkable."

"And that's just the case for a direct confrontation."

"Given your father's style, even if he wants them to duel, it probably won't be that simple."

"Having a fifty-fifty foundation is already a decent start."

"Besides, the martial duel is only one round."

"The remaining two rounds will be the truly difficult tests for Guo Jing."

"If I'm not mistaken, those two rounds are likely to be Literary Exams. You know better than I do how broad your father's knowledge is. Zither, Go, Calligraphy, Painting, poetry, wine, and tea are just the tip of the iceberg. But even regarding this small portion, Guo Jing is completely in the dark."

Huang Rong opened her mouth but was left speechless.

This was one of the reasons she couldn't guess Medicine Master Huang's thoughts—he knew too many things.

Guo Jing scratched his head as he listened.

For the first time, he felt the pressure of having such a formidable father-in-law.

Mu Nianci thought for a moment and asked Huang Rong, "Sister Ronger, you are the one among us who knows Island Master Huang best. In your opinion, which of these—zither, Go, calligraphy, or painting—is more likely to be used as an exam topic?"

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