353: Chapter 133 The Whole Story

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Meng Li walked out of the room.

Seeing this, Wang Yuyan, Mu Wanqing, and Zhong Ling, who were chatting in the distance, were all stunned.

In an instant, Zhong Ling ran over and asked concernedly, "Young Master Murong, how are my mother and Senior Martial Uncle?"

Meng Li replied, "The poison in them has been neutralized. They are currently a bit dehydrated. Go boil some water, add some salt, and take it in for them to drink."

"Oh, okay."

Zhong Ling agreed and ran off to the kitchen to get busy.

On the other side, Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing sized him up with strange looks, hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, Meng Li asked knowingly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Mu Wanqing said, "You didn't do... that with my mother and the others?"

Meng Li said, "No."

Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao were both handpicked by Duke Duan, so their looks were naturally top-tier.

Furthermore, one was nicknamed "Nai Ling," and the other was equally well-endowed.

For Meng Li, it would certainly be a lie to say there was no attraction, but it wasn't as great as one might imagine. He already had Li Qingluo and Ruan Xingzhu, both handpicked by Duke Duan, by his side. In terms of beauty and assets, they were not inferior to Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao, and perhaps even surpassed them.

The pleasure granted by the status bonus of Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao was something Meng Li could also experience with the other two, and with a lower difficulty level and higher bonus.

After all, those two had already practiced with him and enjoyed it just as much.

Moreover, Meng Li had Wang Yuyan, Mu Wanqing, A Zhu, and others around him.

He loved beauty and admitted his moral compass wasn't high, but with people already by his side, he wasn't desperate. Naturally, he wouldn't let lust take over and take in every woman he saw.

If Gan Baobao and Qin Hongmian were willing and it was mutual, he naturally wouldn't refuse.

But that wasn't the case now; if he had done it, it would be taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable position.

This would not only cross his bottom line but also leave him open to criticism and cause trouble.

Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao—one impulsive and reckless, the other calculating—neither was easy to deal with.

Although Meng Li wasn't afraid, he didn't want to add unnecessary trouble.

Hearing Meng Li's answer, Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing didn't doubt him.

Because they knew Meng Li's capabilities; if something had really happened with Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao, it couldn't possibly have ended so quickly. Moreover, the two had already tacitly accepted the possibility earlier, so there was no need for Meng Li to lie.

"Then, Husband, how did you... neutralize the poison for them?" Wang Yuyan asked curiously.

Mu Wanqing was equally curious.

In their impression, drugs like Ecstasy Powder had no antidote due to their special purpose and could only be resolved through primitive methods.

Meng Li replied, "By using a special acupuncture point technique combined with True Qi to clear the blood and Qi, the effects of the drug are expelled through sweating."

This method was researched by him and Su Ying during the Late Stage of the Legend of Jiang Yuyan world, with the purpose of self-protection.

Because drugs like Ecstasy Powder are not considered poisons, even a Physique immune to a hundred poisons cannot defend against them.

The most typical example is Duan Yu from the original Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. He accidentally swallowed the Manggu Zhuha and became immune even to Sorrowful Crisp Breeze Poison, effectively making him immune to all poisons. Yet, he was affected by the He Huan drug administered by Duan Yanqing and almost caused a scandal with Mu Wanqing.

In his first life, Meng Li had seen many novel protagonists fail because of this, only to be held hostage by unlikable women using their children.

To some extent, this plot isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's melodramatic and off-putting.

To avoid encountering this, Meng Li and Su Ying researched a solution.

Unexpectedly, he didn't use it on himself, but rather on Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao.

After speaking, Meng Li said a few words to Mu Wanqing and Wang Yuyan, then turned and went to the woodshed to interrogate Tan Qing.

Relying on the Mi Xin Great Technique, he quickly learned what he wanted to know and even unexpectedly obtained news about Xu Zhu.

It turned out that during the previous Heroes' Gathering at the Shaolin Monastery, Tan Qing had also gone. However, he didn't go up the mountain; instead, he was arranged by Duan Yanqing to provide backup at the foot of the mountain just in case.

At Shaolin, Duan Yanqing, Ye Erniang, and Third Elder Yue were terrified and retreated after seeing the Sweeping Monk show his Divine Might.

Xu Zhu was also taken away by Ye Erniang.

However, because they wanted to intercept and kill Duan Zhengchun's group, they didn't flee far but instead lurked in the Market Town at the foot of Mount Song.

Later, Tan Qing received orders from Duan Yanqing to take Xu Zhu to Dali.

Not long ago, Duan Yanqing, who had also arrived in Dali, found the two through a unique contact signal he shared with Tan Qing.

Then, Xu Zhu was taken away by Duan Yanqing, and his whereabouts became unknown.

Tan Qing was given a new mission: to secretly protect Dao Baifeng and find a way to eliminate anyone found to be acting against her.

Because Dao Baifeng had been captured by Jiumozhi last time, she learned from her mistake. After handling Duan Zhengchun's funeral with Duan Yu, she didn't return to the Qingxu Temple but instead stayed at the Town South Kings Manor.

Originally, Duan Yu wanted Dao Baifeng to live in the imperial palace, but she didn't agree.

This was because Duan Zhengming's empress was still alive and was nominally the Empress Dowager.

If Dao Baifeng stayed there, there would be two Empress Dowagers in one palace, which wasn't ideal.

Additionally, influenced by recent rumors and the fact that Duan Zhengchun had passed away, Dao Baifeng wanted to be in a place that reminded her of him.

Tan Qing had also heard the recent rumors about Duan Yanqing and Dao Baifeng.

Upon receiving the mission, he immediately realized the rumors might be true. Not daring to be careless, he remained lurking near the Town South Kings Manor.

Not long after, Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao came knocking.

Due to the precedent of Dao Baifeng being captured, the defensive strength of the Town South Kings Manor had been greatly increased.

Let alone killing Dao Baifeng, Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao didn't even manage to injure her; they were caught as soon as they caused a disturbance.

Fortunately, the death of Duan Zhengchun and the exposure of Duan Yu's life story made Dao Baifeng more open-minded about past events.

Considering the affection Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao had for Duan Zhengchun and the care they had provided during his lifetime, Dao Baifeng did not make things difficult and released them.

Tan Qing, outside, didn't know the specifics, but through the commotion caused by Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao, he understood that the two intended to harm Dao Baifeng. Coupled with their extraordinary beauty, he immediately developed evil intentions. He first followed them secretly, and once they left the capital of Dali, he revealed his true colors. He injured the two with hidden weapons coated with Ecstasy Powder and then intended to commit an assault.

If not for Qin Hongmian's formidable poisoned sleeve arrows, which made Tan Qing wary, and the fact that they had horses for transportation, she and Gan Baobao could not have escaped all the way back to Yougu Valley.

After finishing his questioning, Meng Li inquired about Duan Yanqing's whereabouts.

It wasn't that he wanted revenge.

Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao's misfortune this time was entirely of their own making.

Furthermore, his relationship with the two was not deep, and he had no intention of standing up for them.

The reason he looked for Duan Yanqing was purely out of curiosity about the whereabouts of Xu Zhu, one of the "two cheats" from the original story.

To his surprise, Tan Qing didn't know.

Regarding matters between him and Duan Yanqing, most of the time the latter contacted him via signal; it was very rare for it to be the other way around.

Meng Li was a bit surprised by this, but not much.

As the leader of the Four Evils, Duan Yanqing's ability to survive to this day was certainly due to his high Martial Arts, but his cautious nature and hard-to-track movements were also indispensable factors. Otherwise, he likely would have been set up and killed by his enemies or righteous individuals long ago.

If he doesn't know, then he doesn't know.

Meng Li thought to himself, not delving further.

He was just curious for a moment.

After confirming there were no other questions, Meng Li killed Tan Qing with a single palm strike and then walked out of the woodshed...