352: Chapter 132 Soul-Chasing Staff Tan Qing

Dali, the entrance to Yougu Valley.

Mu Wanqing pulled the reins to stop her horse, turning to say to Meng Li and Wang Yuyan, "This is the entrance to Yougu Valley. It's inconvenient to ride inside. Few people come here, so let's leave the horses here."

Meng Li and Wang Yuyan nodded, dismounted, led their horses to the nearby large trees, and tied the reins.

Afterward, led by Mu Wanqing, the two walked into Yougu Valley.

Mu Wanqing gave introductions as they walked.

Before long, the three arrived at the place where Qin Hongmian lived in seclusion, but they did not see Qin Hongmian. Instead, they saw an unexpected person.

"Ling'er, why are you here?"

Mu Wanqing asked in surprise as she looked at Zhong Ling, who had run out of the house upon hearing the commotion.

She and Zhong Ling had a good relationship, but Qin Hongmian's personality wasn't very good, and there wasn't much to do in Yougu Valley, so Zhong Ling rarely came here.

Zhong Ling was equally surprised to see Mu Wanqing and the others: "Sister Mu, why are you all here?"

Then, she explained: "My mother brought me here."

"I'm looking for my mother," Mu Wanqing responded, then asked, "Where is she?"

Zhong Ling replied: "She went with my mother to kill Dao Baifeng."

Mu Wanqing froze.

Meng Li and Wang Yuyan were stunned.

A moment later, Mu Wanqing said indignantly, "Dao Baifeng is now the Empress Dowager of Dali. How can they just kill her whenever they want? There will definitely be danger if they go."

"Why didn't you stop them?"

Zhong Ling said aggrievedly, "I tried to stop them, but I couldn't."

Mu Wanqing was speechless.

Meng Li got straight to the point: "How long have they been gone?"

Zhong Ling thought for a moment and replied, "It's been a while. If things went smoothly, they should be back soon."

Mu Wanqing, Meng Li, and Wang Yuyan were all speechless.

Immediately, Mu Wanqing said, "Something must have happened. I'm going to find them."

As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately activated Swift Steps and ran out.

Meng Li and Wang Yuyan performed Lightness Skill to keep up.

Zhong Ling wanted to follow, but after a few steps, she realized she couldn't keep up at all. She had no choice but to stop, stomp her feet in place, and go back to wait.

The three of them flew to the entrance, intending to ride their horses. Unexpectedly, just as they untied the reins from the trees, they heard the sound of hoofbeats approaching from a distance.

The three instinctively looked toward the sound. Peering closely, they saw that the people riding toward them were none other than Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao. However, the two were in a very miserable state; not only were their clothes torn, but they were also injured and in an abnormal state, swaying precariously on their horses.

"Mother, Junior Martial Uncle!"

Mu Wanqing called out, dropped the reins, and used Swift Steps to rush over and catch Qin Hongmian, who was about to fall off her horse, helping her land safely.

Almost at the same time, Wang Yuyan caught Gan Baobao in the same manner.

Meng Li, meanwhile, restrained the two horses one after the other.

Seeing Mu Wanqing, Qin Hongmian was first pleasantly surprised, but then, thinking of something, she said urgently, "Wan'er, go quickly... there are villains... chasing..."

Before she could finish, a soul-chasing voice came from a distance: "Beautiful ladies, you've been hit by my poison; you can't escape."

After the words were spoken, a figure flew in pursuit.

Meng Li focused his gaze and saw a young man of medium build, wearing red clothes, a headband, and holding a three-pronged iron staff.

The young man in red was stunned to see Meng Li, but when he saw Mu Wanqing and Wang Yuyan, his eyes suddenly lit up. He couldn't help but laugh wantonly, "I didn't expect that while chasing two big beauties, I'd encounter two little beauties. This young Master is in for some romantic luck now."

Hearing this, Mu Wanqing and Wang Yuyan were both enraged.

Meng Li's gaze turned cold. He said to Mu Wanqing and Wang Yuyan, "You two take them to heal first. Leave this person to me."

Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing nodded and left with Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao.

Only then did the young man in red look back at Meng Li. Seeing his extraordinary appearance, clothing, and temperament, he couldn't help but feel a slight chill in his heart. He cupped his hands and said, "May I ask who Your Excellency is?"

"Murong Fu of Suzhou," Meng Li replied, then reached out his hand. "The antidote."

The young man in red felt his heart skip a beat. His eyes flickered as he took a porcelain bottle from his bosom, threw it to Meng Li, and turned to run.

Meng Li flicked his sleeve with one hand to catch the bottle, while with the other hand, he pointed his fingers at the young man in red from a distance.

Two blasts of Mixed Finger Technique Qi shot out, arriving later but striking first, accurately hitting the young man's legs.

The young man in red immediately screamed and fell to the ground face-first.

Then, Meng Li flicked his sleeve to release a blast of True Qi, flipping the young man over from a distance, and walked closer slowly.

Seeing him approaching step by step, the young man in red said with forced bravado, "My Master is Duan Yanqing, the leader of the Four Evils. If you kill me, he will definitely not let you off!"

Hearing this, Meng Li was slightly surprised.

Because the sound of the young man's words came from his abdomen rather than his mouth—Ventriloquism!

Ventriloquism was Duan Yanqing's unique skill, so the young man's words were likely true.

And Duan Yanqing's apprentice...

Meng Li thought carefully and vaguely remembered such a person, seemingly named Tan Qing, nicknamed "Soul-Chasing Staff." In the original story, he had caused trouble when Qiao Feng took A Zhu to Juxian Manor to seek medical treatment, and was killed by an enraged Qiao Feng.

Now that the Juxian Manor incident hadn't happened, he had escaped that fate.

Unfortunately, his luck had run out, and he had crossed paths with Meng Li instead.

But why would he be hunting down Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao?

Meng Li felt puzzled but didn't ask immediately. Instead, he first crippled Tan Qing's Martial Arts with a palm strike, then used the Mi Xin Great Technique to ask about the antidote.

Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao were still poisoned.

However, the answer he received was unexpected.

"What they were given was Ecstasy Powder; there is no antidote."

Meng Li: "..."

Carrying Ecstasy Powder with you—are you sure your Master is Duan Yanqing and not Crane in the Clouds?

In an instant, Meng Li realized that these two were a team, and in the original story, Tan Qing seemed to have acted together with Crane in the Clouds. It was just that Crane in the Clouds hadn't shown his face and, having higher Martial Arts, hadn't followed in Tan Qing's footsteps.

Just then, Mu Wanqing arrived.

Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked conflicted: "Li Lang, my mother and my Junior Martial Uncle..."

Meng Li said, "I know. This person just confessed that what they have is Ecstasy Powder."

"Then you... go and detoxify them."

Mu Wanqing whispered. By the time she finished, her face was as red as blood and her voice was almost nonexistent, making her wish she could find a hole to crawl into.

She felt she had been completely corrupted by Wang Yuyan, A Zi, and the others, to the point of being able to say such shameless words. Then she remembered there were precedents, and even more absurd things had been done, so she felt it wasn't unacceptable.

"Okay."

Meng Li agreed, picked up Tan Qing, and walked toward Yougu Valley.

"This person?"

"I have things to ask him later, so keep him for now."

"Oh."

Soon, the three arrived at Qin Hongmian's secluded residence.

Meng Li sealed Tan Qing's acupoint and asked Mu Wanqing to find a rope to bind him.

Seeing Meng Li, Zhong Ling hesitated to speak.

Wang Yuyan said, "Husband, they are inside. It's up to you."

After saying that, she pulled Zhong Ling away.

Mu Wanqing followed along.

Meng Li walked into Qin Hongmian's bedroom. Just as he closed the door, Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao pounced on him.