344: Chapter 124 He only has himself to blame

"Can you really bear to see something like that happen?"

"Even if you can bear it, your mother cannot."

Hearing this, Meng Li's mouth twitched.

He really wanted to say that based on lineage and Bloodline, Duan Zhengchun was already without an heir, but after thinking it over, he ultimately kept silent.

Mu Wanqing was persuaded and said with a look of helplessness, "He has been abducted for so long; that Tibetan monk must have already taken him and disappeared."

"Even if I wanted to save him, I wouldn't know where to find him."

Gan Baobao was left speechless.

Zhu Danchen said, "I will think of a way for this matter."

"What way do you have?" A Zi asked curiously.

Zhu Danchen replied, "Before, I saw quite a few Beggars Sect Disciples stationed in the town, so I assume that the Beggars Sect's Chief Quan has not yet left."

"The Beggars Sect has numerous Disciples; I can go ask him for help."

As soon as these words came out, Meng Li, Wang Yuyan, and A Zi all had strange expressions.

Asking Quan Guanqing for help?

His corpse was nearly burned to ashes!

Zhong Ling said, "This method might not work."

"Why?" Zhu Danchen asked.

"Because his corpse is almost burned to ash," A Zi answered.

As she spoke, she pointed to Quan Guanqing's body, which was almost entirely consumed by the fire.

Zhu Danchen and Gan Baobao were instantly stunned.

Immediately after, Zhu Danchen exclaimed in shock, "This corpse belongs to that Chief Quan?!"

A Zi nodded, "Without a doubt."

Gan Baobao asked doubtfully, "He's in league with Duan Yanqing and the others?"

Wang Yuyan nodded, "That's right."

Then, she briefly recounted the situation Meng Li had just described.

Zhu Danchen and Gan Baobao listened, dumbfounded.

Especially Zhu Danchen; he had just suggested seeking help from Quan Guanqing. If he had actually gone...

Zhu Danchen shook his head, not daring to imagine what would have happened.

Afterward, he sighed, "Since that's the case, we can only seek help from the Great Song government officials."

By the time he finished speaking, Zhu Danchen's helplessness was clearly visible on his face, indicating how unwilling he was to do this.

This was because, under normal circumstances, the Jianghu and the imperial court maintained a boundary of non-interference.

The officials did not meddle in the feuds and vendettas among Jianghu people, and Jianghu people kept a respectful distance from the affairs of the government.

This was not explicitly stipulated but was an unspoken rule that had formed over many years between the two sides.

Once this rule was broken, many things would become troublesome.

This Heroes Assembly was a Jianghu matter.

When Duan Yu participated, he naturally did so in his capacity as a Disciple of the Dali Duan Clan, not as the ruler of the Dali Kingdom.

If it was a Jianghu matter, the Great Song government officials would certainly not break the unspoken rule by involving themselves unnecessarily.

Therefore, to get them to help, he would have to reveal Duan Yu's identity as the ruler of the Dali Kingdom.

Only then could he induce the Great Song government officials to intervene and take it seriously. But if he did that, the fact that Duan Yu was captured could not be kept secret.

At that point, it would likely attract endless criticism.

The dignified ruler of a nation endangered himself by attending a mere gathering for excitement, ended up being kidnapped, and then had to beg people from another country for rescue.

The mere telling of this story would cause him shame.

If the citizens of Dali learned of it, Duan Yu's imperial majesty and the prestige of the Duan Clan's royal family would inevitably suffer damage.

Even worse, Tubo, Western Xia, and the Liao Kingdom might use this to stir up trouble.

Thinking of these consequences, Zhu Danchen felt an overwhelming headache, yet he had no choice but to proceed.

Meng Li understood these implications but didn't care. Since the matter had little to do with him, he merely thought to himself: Zhu Danchen, Fu Sigui, and the other guards were quite unlucky to be saddled with such unreliable masters as Duan Zhengchun and his son. He then silently offered three seconds of sympathy.

After three seconds of sympathy, Meng Li returned to his own position and said, "Guard Zhu, although you convinced Wan'er, we can only stay here for three days at most."

"Therefore, please expedite the search for Duan Yu's whereabouts."

Zhu Danchen nodded, "I understand."

Three days was not a short time. If Duan Yu couldn't be found nearby within this period, finding him later would be difficult.

He also didn't have the nerve to ask Meng Li and Mu Wanqing to wait indefinitely.

With the discussion concluded, Zhu Danchen bowed respectfully, said his thanks, and turned to leave, returning to the opposite courtyard.

There, the corpses of Duan Zhengchun and Gu Ducheng still needed to be dealt with.

This was also a difficult problem. Logically, cremation would be best, but he and Fu Sigui could not make decisions regarding Duan Zhengchun.

Therefore, he had to figure out a way to preserve the bodies well, either waiting until Duan Yu was found or transporting them back to Dali.

Gan Baobao and Zhong Ling also returned to the opposite courtyard.

Meng Li watched the courtyard gate close again and shook his head inwardly.

Wang Yuyan noticed this and asked doubtfully, "Husband, why are you shaking your head? Is there a problem with the situation?"

Meng Li replied, "There's no problem with the situation, but Duan Yu probably won't be found within three days."

"Why?" Mu Wanqing asked.

Meng Li answered, "Because we have already alerted the enemy."

"The reason Jiumozhi captured Duan Yu and fled immediately without lingering in battle was because he knew he was far from being my match. Once I found an opportunity to strike, there would be no chance for him to escape with the captive. You acted just now, and I also showed myself. He certainly knows we will continue to intervene."

"Under these circumstances, he will definitely flee as far away as possible and won't linger nearby."

"As such, even if Zhu Danchen convinces the Great Song government officials to help search, unless a miracle happens, they won't find him within three days."

"Then you..." Mu Wanqing stopped herself mid-sentence.

Meng Li understood what she meant and replied, "Should I not set a deadline? Should we just stay here indefinitely?"

He continued, "You don't need to worry too much. Although Jiumozhi is not a good person, he is not a truly wicked villain either. Moreover, he abducted Duan Yu to seize the Six Veins Divine Sword. As long as Duan Yu doesn't push him too far, he won't resort to killing him."

This was the truth.

Jiumozhi's upper limit was low, and his lower limit was high.

Looking back at the original drama and novel, he committed many misdeeds, but he rarely killed anyone.

Mu Wanqing, however, said, "I'm not worried about Duan Yu."

"His current predicament is entirely his own doing. Being captured and hunted down is not the first time for him. His biological father being paralyzed, his guard dying, and Aunt Ruan being disfigured are all bloody lessons. If he doesn't learn from them and doesn't take his own life seriously, he deserves to die if he gets killed."

"What I worry about is this matter implicating Zhong Ling, my Junior Martial Uncle, and my mother."

"What does this have to do with them?"