Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

Having received this information, Meng Zhao had a general idea of ​​what to do. Next, he would go to the Little Knife Society to see what kind of person Chen Xiaodao was. Perhaps, he could take the opportunity to rescue San Gouzi's grandfather.

In the dead of night, Meng Zhao used his Wind God Leg technique to blend into the night breeze and silently infiltrate the Little Knife Society's headquarters.

The Little Knife Society was founded by Chen Xiaodao. The society was small, with only about a hundred members. Chen Xiaodao was the only one who was truly skilled in fighting and martial arts. The others were young men who had a rudimentary understanding of boxing and kicking, or even no understanding of boxing and kicking at all.

Because of their lack of strength and the absence of any special background or connections besides Yan Congke, the Little Knife Society found it difficult to make money in the bustling areas of Kaiyan County. Therefore, they turned their attention to the poor and their stronghold was located near the notorious slums of Kaiyan County.

Because the area is mostly inhabited by poor people with few powerful figures, the government does not pay much attention to it and often neglects patrol duties. As a result, crimes and evil deeds are common, with the Small Knife Society being the ringleader.

The area around the Little Knife Society was sparsely populated, and it was so disliked that people would rather take a detour than linger around it, for fear of being extorted or beaten up.

However, the Small Knife Society's headquarters was quite well-staffed, with three large gates, each guarded by six men wielding large knives. They would occasionally whisper among themselves, creating an imposing presence, yet revealing their casualness.

Upon entering, one finds a row of single-story houses, which serve as the daily living quarters for the members of the Small Knife Society. Further back lies the upper floors.

Chen Xiaodao, in particular, was surrounded and covered by his gang members. Anyone who wanted to harm him would have to break through numerous obstacles.

This independent courtyard is divided into two layers, an inner and an outer layer. The outer layer consists of four side rooms, each housing the knife-wielders carefully trained by Chen Xiaodao. Chen Xiaodao himself and his relatives live in the inner courtyard.

Using the Wind God Leg technique, Meng Zhao moved with effortless grace, avoiding all patrols, and quietly arrived at the inner courtyard.

Then I heard the amusing sounds of children laughing and joking, and I looked closer.

Under the dark night, twelve lanterns hung under the eaves of the inner courtyard, illuminating the entire courtyard as brightly as day.

Under a large tree that takes several people to encircle, a person held a four- or five-year-old child and gently rocked him. Every now and then, the person would toss the child up in the air and then gently catch him, making the child very happy and entertained.

Beside this man were two rather beautiful women. One of them was holding a silver needle and mending a garment. She looked virtuous and dignified.

The other woman was watching the child intently, seemingly afraid that the man would drop the child, and appeared very nervous.

Meng Zhao examined the man more closely.

He appeared to be around thirty years old, quite tall, but not particularly robust; rather, he was rather thin.

His face was long and thin, with a slightly harsh look. However, his eyes shone brightly under the dim light, occasionally flashing with a sharp glint, which was a sign of his abundant internal energy, indicating that he had considerable internal strength.

Furthermore, his hands were covered with calluses that looked as if they had been polished by sand and gravel, which looked somewhat ferocious and terrifying. In fact, these were the marks left by his years of sword practice.

Moreover, this is with both hands, not one hand, which means that this person is probably not only good at one kind of swordsmanship, but is probably quite good at both swords.

"Chen Xiaodao doesn't seem to be as arrogant and ruthless as the rumors suggest!"

Meng Zhao thought to himself that because he was alone, he couldn't yet figure out where Grandpa San Gouzi was being held.

However, after seeing the scene in the courtyard, he began to have some plans.

Why was Yan Congke universally hated, yet no one dared to provoke him?
Aside from his superb martial arts skills and exceptional swordsmanship, he was unburdened and untouchable, with nothing threatening him; he was a person without weaknesses or flaws.

Chen Xiaodao's current behavior is completely different from that of his cheap master, Yan Congke.

His attitude toward the child showed that he absolutely cherished him, probably more than his own life.

When Chen Xiaodao gently tossed the child up again in the courtyard, Meng Zhao suddenly made his move.

A powerful surge of internal energy emanated from his palm, transforming into a restrained vortex. The surging airflow created an incredibly strong suction force, drawing the child in mid-air into his hand.

Before the child could react, Meng Zhaopian gently touched his body, and the child fell asleep silently, undisturbed even by thunder and rain outside.

In the courtyard, this sudden scene instantly shocked Chen Xiaodao and the two women.

The woman who had been watching the child closely almost fainted when she saw her child being pulled away by some unseen, eerie thing, and let out an incredibly shrill wail.

Chen Xiaodao was also furious. The woman was ignorant and lacked knowledge, thinking that some kind of ghost or god had taken away his child. He feared there was no chance of getting the child back.

Chen Xiaodao knew very well that it was not something supernatural, but rather that a master had taken his child away using special methods.

Moreover, this person is definitely near the courtyard, or even inside the courtyard.

Before he could even summon the knife-wielding men outside to track down the man's whereabouts...

Then a tall boy with a slightly childish face gracefully descended from the courtyard wall on the side of the shadows.

In his arms, he was holding a child who was unresponsive and appeared to be asleep. If it wasn't his child, then who was it?
A flash of savagery crossed Chen Xiaodao's eyes. Over the years, it wasn't that no one had ever tried to harm him, but no one had ever dared to break the rules and harm his child. This person had crossed his line.

However, with the child still in this person's hands, it is not advisable to act rashly.

He then carefully examined the boy who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

He appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with handsome features and clear, bright eyes. Judging solely from his appearance, he was a rare and strikingly handsome young man.

Not to mention, his demeanor was extraordinary, powerful yet exuding a domineering aura, with an invisible force enveloping him.

Despite his young age, he gives off an air of maturity and shrewdness.

Chen Xiaodao's expression also hardened. Although his killing intent was like boiling water, he remained outwardly calm and said,
"Who are you, and why are you attacking an innocent child? Don't you know the rules of the martial world: one's crimes do not extend to one's family?"

Meng Zhao held the unconscious child in one arm, and gently placed the other hand on the child's head, making a stroking motion, and said,

"Chief Chen, you're quite adept at turning the tables. I'd like to ask you a question in return: when you ruthlessly attacked an old man who had never even entered the world of martial arts, did you ever uphold any code of honor?"

During this period, Chen Xiaodao focused on only one thing in depth, and because it was someone's order, he dared not neglect it. Therefore, when Meng Zhao said this, he immediately realized who the other party was talking about.

He hardened his heart and gritted his teeth. The old man was completely naked, knew no martial arts, and was nothing but a dead body. If it weren't to force the person behind Zhang Kang to make a move, how could he have attacked that old man?
But he never expected that because of a momentary lapse in judgment, the consequences would now befall his own child, causing him deep regret.

If I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to confront those three bastards directly rather than do something so unruly and give them an excuse to attack!

"You're the man behind Zhang Kang? So it turns out that the ruthless Hao Yi died at your hands!"

When Hao Yi was mentioned, Chen Xiaodao's eyebrows twitched, simply because he had fought against this person before, and the result was not ideal.

He wielded a sword, while his opponent was bare-handed. After seventy moves, his swordplay reached its limit, while his opponent's unstoppable hand technique became more refined and powerful, giving him the upper hand.

Such a master had died at Meng Zhao's hands, which truly horrified Chen Xiaodao. Of course, he didn't have the guts to provoke a tiger, much less dare to stir up trouble behind San Gouzi, but someone had ordered him to do so, and that person was someone he couldn't afford to offend, which led to this outcome.

Meng Zhao, however, paid no attention to Hao Yi, who was known as the "Unrivaled Warrior," and instead said in a calm tone,
"Please return the old woman safely. I will not harm the child in my arms. Otherwise, if the old woman suffers any harm, I cannot guarantee that the child will return to you safely!"

Chen Xiaodao's expression turned furious, his face flushing red and then turning pale.
"You, you are a martial arts expert, how could you do such a despicable thing? How could you lay a hand on a child?"

Meng Zhao smiled calmly.
"There's no need to use reverse psychology. I don't need others' opinions on who I am or what I'm capable of doing, nor will I be swayed by others. Just do as I say honestly."

Just then, several knife-wielding assailants, alerted by the child's mother's screams, rushed in. They saw Meng Zhao holding the child and exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do.

The other party has a child in their hands, so they are really hesitant to act rashly. Besides, Chen Xiaodao has always loved his son. If they act rashly and hurt the child, they will be the ones who suffer.

Although Chen Xiaodao was still free at this time, his only son was in Meng Zhao's hands, which meant his life was in Meng Zhao's hands, making it difficult for him to resist any of Meng Zhao's demands.

"Fine," Chen Xiaodao sighed inwardly, turning to one of the henchmen beside him, and said...
"Send someone to take that old fellow back to his home. There must be no negligence. Oh, and give him another hundred taels of silver as an apology."

"Sir, are you satisfied now?"

Meng Zhao smiled and nodded, then gently tossed the child into Chen Xiaodao's arms like a bird returning to its nest, where he held him tightly.

Chen Xiaodao carefully examined his son and found that he was only unconscious and had not suffered any other harm. He felt a little relieved, but his killing intent towards Meng Zhao remained intense.

He was a narrow-minded person to begin with, and the kidnapping and threat of his close relatives was an even greater humiliation for him, which he could not bear.

"Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word by just handing him over to me like this?"

Meng Zhao shook his head.
"Don't be afraid. If you really do that, next time, it won't be your son who dies, but your whole family!"

Meng Zhao spoke calmly, without any fierce or menacing demeanor, but his tone was firm and resolute, showing a determination to do what he said he would do.

Chen Xiaodao dared not be negligent or careless in the slightest, and instructed the knife-wielding man beside him to do as he was told.

"Tell me, who instructed you to do this, and what is your purpose?"

Meng Zhao never believed that Chen Xiaodao, whose martial arts skills were inferior to the unskilled one, dared to bare his fangs at him, and there must be some hidden reason behind it.

Chen Xiaodao paused, a fleeting look of hesitation crossing his eyes, before finally speaking.
"This... I... my master is back. I... I thought you wouldn't dare to act. As long as I get the caravan in Kang's hands, I'll send his grandfather back, but..."

Meng Zhao was taken aback; he really hadn't expected things to be completely different from what he had thought.

The main decision was indeed made by Chen Xiaodao, but the difference was that he believed he had Yan Congke as his backer, so he became bolder.

Meng Zhao was speechless.

"that's it?"

He thought there was some huge conspiracy, such as Yan Congke wanting his help for something and deliberately luring him out, or Yan Congke becoming interested in him and wanting to take action against him.

In the end, it was simply human greed that caused this to happen.

It was both unexpected and perfectly reasonable.

In a big forest, you'll find all sorts of birds. Chen Xiaodao wasn't exactly a remarkable person to begin with. Blinded by greed and feeling he had powerful backers, it's not surprising that he made such a brainless and irrational move.

Of course, there might be another very important point here, which is that Chen Xiaodao didn't earn much and his profits were limited, so he only set his sights on San Gouzi's caravan after it showed amazing profits and gains.

Perhaps, there is more to it than that.

According to Meng Zhao, Yan Congke is a very interesting person.

He had no other means of making a living except swordsmanship and killing, so he often worked as a mercenary, taking money to do things for others.

Or, as they had in the past in Kaiyan County, they might have resorted to extortion to meet their daily needs.

Logically speaking, he should be living a very comfortable life.

But in fact, it's not.

He had a vice that Qi Fang utterly despised: gambling.

Of the money he earned, he used a small portion for daily life and purchasing secret medicines, but the vast majority was thrown into casinos.

They were rich at midnight and poor at dawn, just like always.

Since Chen Xiaodao is Yan Congke's apprentice and has Yan Congke as his backer, he probably pays him a lot of tribute on a daily basis.

With insufficient funds and huge expenses, it's no wonder that Chen Xiaodao was so greedy. Knowing that Zhang Kang had a powerful backer, he still did such a foolish thing.

As expected, Chen Xiaodao recounted the whole story.

Not long ago, Yan Congke returned to Kaiyan County from another place and found Chen Xiaodao.

He showed no embarrassment whatsoever and directly demanded a huge sum of five thousand taels of silver from Chen Xiaodao.

It's important to understand that although Chen Xiaodao founded the Xiaodao Society and seemed to live a much more comfortable life, his expenses were still considerable.

The monthly allowance for those gang members was not a small sum; they also had to bribe officials and purchase necessities for their spiritual practice.

Yan Congke nearly emptied Chen Xiaodao's pockets as soon as he opened his mouth.

Left with no other option, Chen Xiaodao turned his attention to San Gouzi's caravan.

If we can take over this caravan, five thousand taels of silver isn't too much.

Moreover, since Yan Congke had asked for the money, he naturally had to provide support to Chen Xiaodao.

Even if someone behind Zhang Kang were to intervene, Yan Congke should be the one to stop them.

This was Chen Xiaodao's initial idea. (End of Chapter)