345: Chapter 125 The Misfortune Reaches the Family

"What does this have to do with them?"

Seeing that Mu Wanqing said the matter would involve Zhong Ling, Gan Baobao, and Qin Hongmian, Meng Li was a little confused.

He could understand Zhong Ling and Gan Baobao because they came out with Duan Zhengchun, but Qin Hongmian was far away in Yougu Valley.

Wang Yuyan, A Zi, and A Bi were equally puzzled.

Mu Wanqing said: "Logically speaking, this matter has little to do with them, but Dao Baifeng will not think so. That person is tyrannical, jealous, and vicious. She has always wanted to eliminate my mother and my Junior Martial Uncle before. Now that she has not only lost her husband but also had her son abducted, it's hard to say she won't hate the ripple effect and use this as an excuse."

Meng Li was stunned.

Is Dao Baifeng the type of person?

He thought seriously for a moment; it didn't seem so.

So, how did Mu Wanqing arrive at this judgment and conclusion?

With doubt in his heart, Meng Li asked directly: "Wan'er, how do you know Dao Baifeng is tyrannical, jealous, vicious, and has always wanted to eliminate your mother and your Junior Martial Uncle?"

Mu Wanqing replied without hesitation: "My mother and my Junior Martial Uncle told me."

Meng Li: "..."

He forgot that Mu Wanqing had been instilled with ideas of hatred by Qin Hongmian.

Although things had changed considerably now, some traces inevitably remained, such as her impression of Dao Baifeng.

Thinking of this, he decided to correct it, so he opened his mouth and said: "Is there a possibility that what they said is biased?"

"What do you mean?" Mu Wanqing asked, frowning.

Meng Li chose his words carefully as he replied: "I haven't interacted with Dao Baifeng, so it's hard to draw a conclusion about her character and personality. However, I doubt the matter of her always wanting to eliminate your mother and your Junior Martial Uncle is true."

"On what grounds?" Mu Wanqing asked.

Meng Li countered with a question instead of answering: "Why would she want to eliminate your mother and your Junior Martial Uncle?"

Mu Wanqing answered without hesitation: "Because she and they are love rivals."

"Then how many love rivals like your mother and your Junior Martial Uncle does Dao Baifeng have?"

Mu Wanqing was stumped.

Because she did not know the answer to that question.

Meng Li understood this, so he quickly answered for himself: "The answer is many—so many that Duke Duan himself cannot remember them all. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been injured by Qiao Feng due to a misunderstanding, nor would he have almost acknowledged Xu Zhu as his son at the gathering of heroes."

"Therefore, if Dao Baifeng wanted to eliminate your mother and your Junior Martial Uncle because they were 'love rivals,' then she would have too many people to eliminate."

"Moreover, perhaps she eliminates one today, and a new target pops up tomorrow."

This statement silenced Mu Wanqing.

Wang Yuyan, A Zhu, and A Zi were equally speechless.

A moment later, Mu Wanqing said: "You mean my mother and my Junior Martial Uncle lied to me?"

Meng Li corrected her: "It's not me saying it, but that's how the facts stand."

"Dao Baifeng is not only the consort of the Town South King but was also once a noble lady of the Baiyi Tribe. You should know better than me how powerful the Baiyi Tribe is in Dali. And Yougu Valley, where you and your mother live, Wanjian Valley where your Junior Martial Uncle lives, and Xiao Jing Lake where A Zhu and A Zi's mother lives in seclusion, are all within Dali territory."

"If Dao Baifeng truly wanted to eliminate these love rivals, how could you all have lived peacefully in these three places until now?"

"From this, we can see that Dao Baifeng has no intention of killing your mother and your Junior Martial Uncle immediately."

"It's not that she is merciful, but that she knows Duke Duan's character and understands that outside love rivals are endless. If she did that, it would only cause turmoil in the household, leading to more loss than gain. She might as well turn a blind eye. As long as Duke Duan doesn't bring your mother and the others home and grant them status, she won't bother."

"Under such circumstances, the probability of her implicating your mother due to Duke Duan's death and Duan Yu's abduction is extremely low."

Mu Wanqing felt there was sense in that and nodded, saying no more.

Meng Li also didn't say anything further. He had Mei Jian and Zhu Jian handle the ashes left from Quan Guanqing's burned corpse, then returned to his room to rest.

On the other side, after Jiumozhi abducted Duan Yu, just as Meng Li predicted, he fled far away without stopping, fearing that Meng Li would catch up and rescue the person.

Only after leaving the Market Town did Jiumozhi slow down slightly and settle in a remote small courtyard.

This small courtyard was the rendezvous point he had agreed upon with Duan Yanqing.

The two agreed to meet for subsequent cooperation.

Jiumozhi would help Duan Yanqing seize the throne, and Duan Yanqing would help Jiumozhi obtain the Six Veins Divine Sword.

The latter part, in theory, was unnecessary, but when Jiumozhi captured Duan Yu earlier, he tried every method he could think of, but Duan Yu refused to yield.

When Duan Yanqing learned of this, he claimed to have a way to make Duan Yu yield.

Jiumozhi was helpless and could only place his hopes on Duan Yanqing.

At this moment, Duan Yanqing had not yet arrived. Jiumozhi didn't know if the other party could still make it after encountering Meng Li.

Therefore, he decided to try one more time.

As expected, whether through threats or inducements, Jiumozhi failed to make Duan Yu yield, only to end up rebuffed.

Just as he was grinding his teeth in hatred, contemplating whether to resort to extreme measures, Duan Yanqing arrived.

Seeing Duan Yanqing arrive, Jiumozhi prepared to greet him, but Duan Yu spoke first, asking: "Duan Yanqing, how is my father?"

"Dead," Duan Yanqing replied using ventriloquism, then added: "I killed him with my own hands."

"If you don't want to die, you had better cooperate obediently. Otherwise, I don't mind sending you to the underworld to reunite with Duan Zhengchun."

Duan Yu's heart shook, and he shook his head repeatedly: "No, impossible!"

"Young Master Murong and Wan'er and the others are highly skilled in Martial Arts. Since they showed up, how could you possibly kill my father?!"

Duan Yanqing sneered: "Murong Fu and the women around him are indeed formidable. I almost stayed there. But unfortunately, they were a step too late. As soon as you were taken away by the Great Master, I found an opportunity to kill Duan Zhengchun. By the time they entered the courtyard, Duan Zhengchun was already a corpse."

Duan Yu was struck as if by lightning.

"Amitabha." Jiumozhi pressed his palms together, recited a Buddhist invocation, and then brought the topic back on track: "Patron Duan, let's discuss our cooperation. Do you have a way to make Young Master Duan hand over the Six Veins Divine Sword?"

Duan Yanqing said: "The method isn't difficult, but it's useless here. We must go to Dali."

Go to Dali?

Jiumozhi frowned slightly: "Young Master Duan is now the monarch of the Dali Kingdom. If we go to Dali, once our whereabouts are exposed, I fear there will be trouble."

Immediately, he probed: "Patron Duan might as well tell me the method so this humble monk can examine it and see if we can avoid some unnecessary trouble."

Duan Yanqing said: "Great Master captured this brat before, but up to now, he hasn't obtained the Six Veins Divine Sword from his mouth, which shows this brat is a tough nut to crack."

"Since that's the case, why not change the target?"

"Change the target?" Jiumozhi was puzzled by his meaning.

Duan Yanqing hinted: "As far as I know, this brat's mother, Dao Baifeng, is cultivating as a nun outside the capital city of Dali at Qingxu Temple."