Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

Meng Zhao could also see the fear Qi Fang felt towards him, but he thought it was a good thing. Having a sense of awe was better than having no sense of awe at all.

As planned, Meng Zhao and Qi Fang led Wen Bo and Fang Zijun to a hidden cave on a nearby hill.

Inside, straw mats had already been laid out, along with spare food and drinking water, enough to keep them hidden for weeks without being discovered.

Of course, this refers to the absolute maximum time. In fact, he did not believe that Fang Zijun could hold out for several days without revealing what he wanted, nor did Wenbo.

Inside the cave, several thick red candles were lit, their light illuminating the dim cave. Fang Zijun and Wen Bo were tied up side by side.

Fang Zijun had already woken up. She looked around at her surroundings, and when she saw Wen Bo, her pupils contracted subconsciously, realizing that the situation was not very optimistic. Finally, she turned her gaze to Meng Zhao and Qi Fang.

"Who are you? You're not that gambler!"

Fang Zijun is very smart. The Fang family's information channels are unlikely to be wrong, therefore, Qi Fang's personal information must also be correct.

The key point is that the information was correct, but the person was not necessarily that person, which ultimately led to the current situation.

Lord Wen informed Fang Zijun that Fang Han was a traitor and had been executed by Meng Zhao, which made the fifth young master of the Fang family even more vigilant.

Even if such a ruthless and vicious person gets what they want, will they really let them go?

Meng Zhao smiled, toying with a sharp short blade in his hand, and sat imposingly on a stone slab, saying,

"I'm definitely not that gambling addict. As for who I am, you'd better not know, otherwise, I won't let you off the hook, right!"

Fang Zijun was well aware of this as well.

It's like kidnapping; if the kidnapper tries his best to conceal his identity, it means there's still a possibility of releasing the hostage.

However, if the kidnapped person sees the kidnapper's face, recognizes the kidnapper's voice, or even learns the kidnapper's identity, the inevitable result will be that they are silenced and killed, with no chance of escape.

The Fang family is no small or insignificant family; they have the ability and strength to exact revenge. Therefore, if Fang Zijun wants to return to the Fang family obediently, the less she knows, the better.

He sighed and stopped worrying about the other person's identity; as long as he knew it wasn't that gambling addict, that was enough.

"what do you want?"

He had just woken up and was still in a daze. Although Wenbo had told him about the traitor Fang Han, he was still completely clueless about the purpose of kidnapping him.

Do you want money, martial arts skills, or simply revenge?

Meng Zhao got straight to the point.
"What I want is very simple: the Seven Revolutions Cold Toad Devouring Divine Skill passed down through generations of your Fang family, as well as the internal martial arts practiced by this Wenbo beside you. If you obtain the mental cultivation method and the secret medicine formula, I will definitely release both of you. If you lie, you will die by sword."

He started with a terrible oath.

However, Fang Zijun shook her head and said,
"Apart from the Seven Revolutions Cold Toad Devouring Divine Art, anything else is fine. Wenbo, give him the internal energy cultivation method of the Vortex Force and the secret medicine formula. I will tell my father afterwards to compensate you."

Wenbo's internal energy cultivation was also a top-notch martial art, ranking first-class. In the Fang family, only a few styles could compare to it. The only one that truly surpassed the Vortex Force was the Seven-Turn Cold Toad Devouring Divine Skill.

Upon hearing this, Wenbo had no choice but to explain the key points of the Vortex Force technique he had cultivated. As for the corresponding visualization diagram, he was unable to draw it at the moment, but in fact, there was no need to draw it.

Find any water tank or basin, stir it in a certain order, and the resulting eddy current can be considered a visual representation of eddy current force.

It looks simple, but it is actually the simplest of truths, and there are many intricacies hidden within.

After careful consideration, Meng Zhao realized that this mental cultivation technique actually had some merit.

After memorizing it several times, he began to ask Wenbo questions repeatedly, checking and comparing the results before and after, to prevent the other party from deceiving him with a nine-out-of-ten-true-one-out-of-false-one-out-of-ten-true approach.

Of course, Wenbo didn't actually intend to do that.

Although he deeply resented Meng Zhao's actions against the Fang family and Fang Zijun, he still admired and longed for Meng Zhao's ambition to achieve great things.

At this moment, he vaguely understood that the internal energy cultivation method that the other party wanted to create probably not only required the Fang family's Seven Revolutions Cold Toad Devouring Divine Skill, but also his Vortex Force, which gave him a great sense of accomplishment.

In particular, with such martial arts and mental techniques, the unprecedented internal energy cultivation techniques created must be incredibly powerful and unbelievable.

Moreover, when you're under someone's thumb, you have to bow your head. In order to avoid causing any unnecessary trouble, he wouldn't deliberately create problems for Meng Zhao.

In this way, with questions and answers, spot checks, and numerous explanations and discussions, several hours passed.

Fang Zijun fell asleep listening to the music, while Qi Fang, annoyed by the noise, stood guard at the entrance of the cave.

After Meng Zhao fully grasped the internal energy cultivation method of the Vortex Force, he gained more inspiration for the creation and cultivation of the Three-Part Returning to Origin Qi in the future.

As for the secret medicine formula for this internal energy cultivation method, it is actually quite simple.

The truly crucial ingredient is called Water Bloom Flower. Without this ingredient, this internal skill loses its soul and cannot be successfully cultivated.

Overall, the vortex force truly lives up to its reputation as a top-tier internal skill.

The internal energy he cultivates, including the vortex energy and the surging, profound internal energy with countless hidden currents, can be combined with both water and wind.

Water vortices and wind vortices can both effectively utilize the characteristics of vortex force.

It means to internalize, absorb, and digest.

It can be used as a supreme means of attack, or as a means of defense.

When one truly masters the art, one transforms into a vortex, with internal energy that is contained rather than released, absorbing all tangible and intangible qualities, growing stronger with each battle, without end.

It's somewhat similar to the ninth level of Mingyu Gong in Gu Long's world.

However, the vortex force is stronger.

Even if one cultivates to the highest level, one can refine all the energy points in one's body into energy vortexes, forming an unparalleled defensive vortex force, which is even more powerful and terrifying than some simple defensive techniques.

It is a martial art that is fearless of swords and internal energy, truly comparable to an indestructible Vajra.

Of course, this refers to the highest level, the achievement that breaks through the existing framework of vortex force.

In Meng Zhao's view, this martial art is powerful, but it is quite difficult to practice. Instead, it is most suitable to transform all the characteristics of the vortex into the Three-Part Returning Origin Qi.

At this moment, Wenbo truly realized just how vast the gap was between himself and this mysterious man.

He has practiced the Vortex Force for decades, diligently training day and night without fail. He believes he has approached mastery of this technique, but as for perfection, due to his own talent and physique, he fears he may never achieve it.

However, when discussing the vortex force with Meng Zhao, he could keenly sense that the other party's understanding and comprehension of this internal skill far surpassed his own decades of accumulation.

This is only a few hours in.

The real difference between geniuses and ordinary people is like the difference between heaven and earth.

Wenbo's decades of hard work, accumulation, and achievements are utterly insignificant compared to someone like Meng Zhao.

This is a sad and lamentable thing.

Wenbo realized that this was not simply due to talent, but also to the difference in their martial arts level and wisdom.

He could only rigidly follow the steps to practice the Vortex Force, and even then, his practice was not very thorough. He did not even have as deep an understanding of the true essence of the Vortex Force as Meng Zhao.

Meng Zhao, on the other hand, could freely modify the Vortex Force, adding or subtracting elements as he pleased. He could even take out the various excellent qualities of the Vortex Force and integrate them into his own newly created internal martial arts technique. This is the demeanor of a grandmaster of martial arts.

Wenbo even had a thought: if—and this is just a hypothetical—he really succeeded in creating this skill in the future, could he let him see the power and mystery of this divine skill?
Of course, these thoughts were just thoughts. With Fang Zijun still nearby, he certainly wouldn't dare to say such things, otherwise he would easily be seen as a traitor, helping Meng Zhao to deal with Fang Zijun.

As the saying goes, it's better to be wrong than to let someone go free. The Fang family is no benevolent family. Although Wenbo is loyal to the Fang family, he is unwilling to be cannon fodder.

After thoroughly exploiting Wenbo's value, Meng Zhao turned her attention to Fang Zijun.

"I don't know how to cultivate the Seven Revolutions Frost Toad Devouring Divine Skill. I need this martial art because I need a cold-natured internal energy as one of the foundations for creating this skill. Do you understand now?"

Fang Zijun nodded. "A meritorious deed? That's not surprising, that's not unusual."

Back then, many people in the county town went mad from practicing martial arts, leading some to speculate that someone or some force was spreading immature martial arts techniques and using people to test them, perhaps in order to perfect or create a new martial art.

This has now been proven true.

However, he also had his own unavoidable difficulties.

"Your Excellency, listen to me. The Seven Revolutions Cold Toad Devouring Divine Skill is a direct descendant of my Fang family. It is passed down to sons only, and to legitimate sons only, not illegitimate ones."

Among my brothers, I am the least skilled in martial arts and the least diligent. I know very little about this martial art, let alone memorize the entire set of internal energy manuals. I hope you can do me a favor.

Moreover, this Seven-Turn Frost Toad Devouring Divine Skill is extremely domineering, and the cold energy it produces is extremely fierce and decisive, making it difficult to be compatible with other internal energies.

Using this to gain merit is not a good choice. I can decide to exchange it for a Frost Heaven Technique that the Fang family has collected.

The Frost Sky Skill is derived from the imagery of the moon setting, crows crying, and frost covering the sky. It is also a type of cold-based skill. The internal energy cultivated is not only long and resilient but also possesses extraordinary cold power. Those who are affected will inevitably suffer from cold poison entering their bodies, like a carbuncle that is difficult to eradicate and extremely troublesome.

What do you think? "

Meng Zhao smiled. The Three-Part Returning Qi was obtained by unifying the Three Absolute Divine Skills: Heavenly Frost Fist, Cloud Dispelling Palm, and Wind God Leg.

Among them, although the three ultimate skills are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining, the Heavenly Frost Fist is undoubtedly the leader and the most powerful. Naturally, the three ultimate divine skills he cultivates are arranged in the same way.

He was determined to obtain the Seven-Turn Cold Toad Devouring Divine Skill.

"Young Master Fang, it seems you still don't understand your current situation. Whether you have the right to bargain depends on me, not you."

Everything else is negotiable, except for the Seven Revolutions Cold Toad Devouring Divine Skill.

I can promise that I will never reveal this achievement to anyone.

Fang Zijun's face was gloomy, and she remained silent, as if she were making a silent protest.

Meng Zhao twirled the short blade in her hand with the agility and grace of a butterfly flitting among flowers.
"Actually, I am very sincere and do not really want to be enemies with Young Master Fang. However, if you are really ungrateful, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Fang Zijun snorted coldly.
"What, are you going to use torture to extract a confession?"

From childhood to adulthood, apart from Grandpa Fang, even his older brothers had never hit him, so he refused to believe that the person in front of him would lay a hand on him.

There is still room for maneuver; the two sides are not in an intractable deadlock.

However, if the other party really resorts to torture to extract a confession, Fang Zijun will definitely retaliate, sparing no expense.

However, he still underestimated Meng Zhao's ruthlessness.

"Young Master Fang, listen to me. I am not someone who likes to proceed step by step. I will not torture you little by little, but will get to the point in one step."

I know you're someone who really likes women. If I made it so you couldn't be a man, what would you do?

Upon hearing this, Fang Zijun's face turned ashen, and Wen Bo was also taken aback, looking at Meng Zhao with utter confusion. Did he really want to become mortal enemies with the Fang family?
Fang Zijun thought the other party would hurt her severely, but she didn't expect that the price of this hurt would be becoming a eunuch, which was absolutely unacceptable.

"You, you mustn't do anything reckless. So far, only some insignificant servants of the Fang family have died. I can pretend nothing happened."

But if you really hurt me like this, the entire Fang family—no, even the Fang family of the ancestral temple—will not let you off the hook. You are humiliating a great family.”

Death is not scary; what is scary is the humiliation of turning a person into a eunuch.

Fang Zijun was scared, so he started to use the tiger's skin as a coat, not only bringing up the Fang family, but also not letting go of the Fang family's ancestral temple.

In fact, after so many years of development, although the two sides are still related as ancestral temple and branch lineage, they have almost no contact and each goes its own way.

Fang Zijun's words are absolutely self-aggrandizing.

Meng Zhao smiled.

"Fine, I'll do it. You can't find me anyway. So what if it's the Fang family, or even the royal family?"
However, I don't necessarily have to harm you. If you cooperate and give me what I want, I will not only treat you well and not hurt you, but I will also let you leave when the time is right. Isn't that good?

"Fang Laowu, you've always been someone who likes to plan for yourself. Why are you being so stubborn this time? Why are you so determined to protect that martial arts skill?"

Fang Zijun smiled bitterly. Was this something that could be so easily overlooked?
Because of him, the Fang family's inherited martial arts techniques have been leaked. Once this gets out, how can he possibly recover?
If someone were to discover weaknesses and flaws in their martial arts, the entire Fang family would be plunged into disaster.

Could a mere Fang Laowu bear such a heavy responsibility?

Therefore, a selfish person like him wouldn't immediately sell out the entire Fang family for his own safety and still try to bargain.

This is both unavoidable and inevitable. (End of Chapter)