Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

Hong Minghui sighed.
"My husband, Lü Guang, investigated the relevant clues on this last blueprint and eventually learned that the last place that family appeared was in Longxiang County. However, Longxiang County is a large and populous place, and without a powerful force, it is difficult to continue the investigation."

That's why, after my father took a liking to him, he was willing to marry into the Hongmen (Triads) rather than marry me into his Lu family!

Meng Zhao nodded. That made sense. In fact, this world was no different from ancient feudal society, where the status of a son-in-law was very low.

If he were just a useless person with no ability, that would be one thing. But according to Hong Minghui, her husband, Lü Guang, is definitely a formidable figure. His martial arts skills and intelligence are at least above average. Therefore, his decision to marry into the Hong family seems rather strange.

However, if there are other motives, such as using the Hong family's influence to help him track down the whereabouts of the last piece of the mechanism map, then it would be barely plausible.

If we add Hong Minghui's looks and character to the equation, it's not a particularly bad choice. Even if this woman's appearance is similar to Qi Fang's, her beauty is comparable to Zhou Zhihan's.

Lu Guang may have initially harbored ulterior motives and had nothing good to say, but he was probably genuinely attracted to the woman, which led him to reveal the whole truth, thus allowing Hong Chengtong to learn the truth about the whole matter.

"So, what did your father find out?"

If Hong Chengtong were to learn of this matter, he would inevitably gain control over it. After all, no matter how outstanding Lu Guang is, the leader of the Hongmen is Hong Chengtong, not anyone else!

Hong Minghui's already tired face turned even paler, her eyes filled with confusion.

"I don't know either. Logically speaking, the last descendant of the family should not have anything particularly special about him, otherwise he wouldn't have been hiding everywhere and changing his name."

However, I do suspect that it was precisely because the investigation led to that family heir that my father came under surveillance, and that the news that Old Man Kou's treasure was in my father's possession leaked out.

This is largely consistent with Meng Zhao's speculation, but it is only Hong Minghui's speculation, and whether it is true remains to be seen.

"Do you have any other clues? If we can't find the person, this last piece of the puzzle can't be completed, the puzzle diagram will always be a piece of waste paper, and the so-called treasure will be nothing but a mirage."

Although this world may not have a high ceiling, it is still quite colorful. Meng Zhao's first principle is that he is a dragon in the mountains and will not take risks for a so-called treasure.

Because he was not afraid of any of the world's top masters, he boasted that his martial arts were unparalleled and that he could compete with all the heroes in the world.

However, the treasure was riddled with traps and mechanisms, and without a diagram to solve them, it would be very dangerous to break through them by force alone.

Even masters can die from traps and mechanisms; this is by no means an isolated case.

Zhou Zhihan then stepped in to offer some words of comfort.
"Minghui, now that things have come to this, don't hold back your thoughts. Let's be open and honest so we can work together to come up with a solution!"

She is quite enthusiastic about this treasure, and therefore hopes that Hong Minghui and Meng Zhao can reach a harmonious agreement.

After pondering for a moment, Hong Minghui still said,

"I have two guesses, and you can help me think about them."

First, the last piece of the mechanism map that my husband was investigating was on someone within the Hongmen. This person held a high position and was deeply trusted by my father. The number of people in the group was no more than a handful, and they were even similar to Lü Guang. They were very likely descendants of the original eighteen Iron Bandits.

My father's investigation into the descendants of that Iron Bandit should not have escaped the notice of these high-ranking members of the Hongmen. Given their guilty conscience, it's understandable that they would ruthlessly kill my father and Lü Guang; it's a case of striking first to gain the upper hand.

Meng Zhao and Zhou Zhihan exchanged a glance. They had to admit that this idea had a certain degree of possibility.

If the descendants of Tie Kou really did become sworn brothers with Hong Chengtong by some twist of fate, and were even among the founding elders of the Hongmen, then if Hong Chengtong were to investigate, he would certainly not be able to hide it from them.

So, this person's preemptive strike to avoid being coerced or suppressed by Hong Chengtong is consistent with human psychology.

However, it's unlikely that this was simply a passive defensive counterattack. More likely, this person had harbored ulterior motives all along, and only launched the attack after realizing the situation was not right.

It was precisely because they disrupted their plans and procedures that Hong Minghui and her daughter were able to escape instead of being captured.

"My second suspicion is that this person is either of extremely high status and position, capable of tempting the Hongmen leadership to betray my father, or extremely skilled in martial arts, capable of also prompting the Hongmen leadership to disregard years of friendship and ruthlessly harm my father."

Meng Zhao and Zhou Zhihan exchanged a glance. Although Hong Minghui's words were rather vague, they could roughly understand that the so-called extremely high status and position probably meant that he had connections with people in the officialdom.

He's probably not even qualified to be the magistrate of a mere county.

So, are they the noble families in Longxiang County who received imperial honors?

As for other possibilities, they are not nonexistent, but rather small, and Meng Zhao and Zhou Zhihan also felt they were unlikely.

In this way, the scope is actually narrowed down a lot, at least it's not like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, regardless of which possibility it is, the high-ranking members of the Hongmen who conspired to kill Hong Chengtong may have been aware of this matter.

However, Meng Zhao did not rush to make a judgment, because all of this seemed to be more favorable to Hong Minghui.

This woman may have deliberately induced Meng Zhao to take action and eliminate the traitor from the Hongmen for him.

Meng Zhao was not afraid of the Hongmen, but he did not want to be used by others for no reason.

If he could actually get the treasure, that would be fine. But if he couldn't get the treasure, why would he help Hong Minghui take revenge? Is he really such a kind person?
"Okay, let's assume that all of your explanations make sense."

You have such a thorough understanding of the 32 branches of the Hongmen, why don't you go to these branches for help?

This is not just a request for help; it may also be a form of deterrence and control.

Hong Minghui gave a bitter smile.

"If my father were still alive, I could certainly use the information I have to manipulate them and treat them like puppets."

Unfortunately, my father was assassinated. Although my martial arts skills are not bad, they are far from being excellent, and I am simply not capable of suppressing these branch altars on my own.

Moreover, I fear that some, or even certain, individuals within these branch offices may be colluding with that traitor of the Hongmen.

The situation is currently at a standstill. Hong Minghui has suspects, but not just one.

His father had sworn brothers, plus high-ranking members of the Hongmen, totaling more than ten people. On the surface, these people all seemed to be fine, had previously respected his father, and doted on him; they were all her elders.

But now, she doesn't dare to trust a single one of them.

She feared that a moment of weakness might lead her astray, causing her to fall into the lion's den, and robbing her of any chance to avenge her father and husband. Meng Zhao looked at Zhou Zhihan with a hint of helplessness.
"Sister Zhou, what do you want me to do? Tell me!"

Hong Minghui was overjoyed. Although she did not know Meng Zhao's specific strength or influence, the fact that he dared to make such a judgment and decision after hearing the whole story was enough to demonstrate his prowess.

Perhaps, we can really use this person to get revenge.

Zhou Zhihan didn't shy away from Hong Minghui and said directly,

"Ah Zheng, if you ask me, you should definitely get involved in this matter. Although the risks are great, the benefits are equally great."

Kou Laoxi's treasure is one thing, but being able to befriend the Hongmen and gain their friendship is another.

Although the Hongmen leader has been assassinated, he still holds the title of the leader, and Minghui remains his first in line to succeed him. However, due to the presence of traitors within the Hongmen leadership, she dares not return to take over rashly, lest she be plotted against again and follow in the footsteps of the Hongmen leader.

But as long as we can find that traitor and purge the Hongmen, Minghui can definitely secure her position as the head of the Hongmen.

Meng Zhao shook his head and said,
"Not necessarily. I think Miss Hong's internal strength is a bit weak, and she doesn't seem to have inherited the martial arts of the Hong Clan Master. Even if we can eliminate the traitor, in the martial arts world, the strong are respected. If we can't suppress those people within the Hong Clan, Miss Hong's future days will probably not be good!"

This is also based on Meng Zhao's experience.

In the short term, Hong Minghui may be able to secure her position as the leader of the Hongmen by relying on Hong Chengtong's past favors and Meng Zhao's swift action in killing the traitor. However, this is only a temporary illusion.

Strength is an essential factor for a leader of a power. If you lack strength, your subordinates will not obey you, especially since Hong Minghui is a woman.

Whenever Hung Ming-hui spoke eloquently on stage, those below would feel uncomfortable to some extent. They were clearly much better at martial arts than her, had made many merits, and were men, so why should they listen to a woman?
Conflicts will inevitably surface sooner or later, and without support and leverage, Hong Minghui cannot suppress them.

Of course, Meng Zhao couldn't possibly go to Longxiang County to take over the Hongmen's territory. It wasn't that he couldn't, but that he didn't have that idea.

Before Zhou Zhihan could speak, Hong Minghui took the initiative to say,

"Young Master Li, I... I have a way to guarantee that I can secure my position as the leader of the Hongmen. It's related to the cultivation technique I practice!"

As she spoke, Hong Minghui revealed the secret behind it.

Hong Chengtong's internal energy cultivation technique is called Lingxi Heart Method, which is an extremely profound and top-level method. The so-called Lingxi does not mean that they are in perfect harmony, but rather that they are spiritually connected like a rhinoceros. This technique is extremely masculine, fierce, domineering, and terrifying, and it wins by force.

Seventy percent of Hong Chengtong's kung fu skills originated from the powerful and domineering Lingxi Heart Method, which is full of strength.

However, precisely because this method is too domineering, female practitioners have always found it difficult to unleash its power.

For example, Hong Minghui is actually extremely talented, but because she is a woman, she always feels somewhat powerless when practicing this skill.

Fortunately, Hong Chengtong was also a genius. He thoroughly understood the Lingxi Heart Method and created a method of destruction and reconstruction. His aim was to cultivate this Heart Method to seventy percent of its potential, indirectly mastering the skill by destroying the Qi Seed and condensing the Spirit Seed.

At that time, the sharpness and strength of the Spirit Rhinoceros Force will be removed. Women's cultivation will focus on the Spirit and use the Rhinoceros Force as a supplement. Although the direct power is slightly inferior to the original version, it emphasizes flexibility and change, and even has a higher upper limit.

Hong Minghui had been practicing martial arts with Hong Chengtong since childhood. With the support of the Hongmen, his internal strength was far from being so shallow. The reason he appeared so pathetic was precisely because he had practiced this secret technique.

Therefore, Hong Minghui's martial arts skills will see a significant breakthrough and improvement in the future. Although she may not be as good as Hong Chengtong, she has a good chance of securing the position of sect leader by virtue of her martial arts skills and the influence and power she has gained from Hong Chengtong's many years of kindness.

Hong Minghui was actually quite confident that she would master divine skills in the future and avenge herself.

However, there are two points involved here.

Firstly, the person who murdered her father and husband might not let her go. In a short time, her martial arts skills would be difficult to reach their peak, so she would need someone to protect her. With Zhou Zhihan's affection for her, her choice to reveal the treasure was to place her hopes on Meng Zhao.

Secondly, her hatred was immense, and she couldn't wait that long. Ideally, she would kill her enemy as soon as possible to appease the spirits of her father and husband.

Otherwise, relying on the tactic of outlasting the enemy and watching them live a life of wealth and power is simply torture.

After hearing this, Meng Zhao and Zhou Zhihan couldn't help but feel admiration for Hong Chengtong.

His achievements in martial arts, even if not quite reaching the level of a grandmaster, are not far off.

The modified Lingxi Heart Method, while seemingly not more powerful and even weaker, lowered the threshold for cultivation and raised the upper limit of the technique. Most importantly, it was specially tailored for his daughter, which is enough to show that this person's martial arts attainments and realm are absolutely extraordinary.

It's hard to imagine how someone like him could have gotten himself into this mess.

Meng Zhao thought so, and so he asked the question.

Hong Minghui did not hide it; the root cause was still a lack of vigilance and poisoning by an inside agent.

Moreover, this poison was specifically designed for Hong Chengtong. It is said that it not only greatly damaged Hong Chengtong's martial arts skills but also aggravated his old injuries, which is why Hong Chengtong died.

Overall, this woman was alright. She offered the diagram of the mechanism, which was a gesture of sincerity. Given Zhou Zhihan's favor, Meng Zhao couldn't be too cold towards her, so he said...
"How about this, you stay here for now and see how things go. If it's possible, stay in Xiaohan Village for a few days to rest. I'll ask a friend to go to Longxiang County to investigate this matter, and then we can discuss what to do. What do you think?"

Hong Minghui has two thoughts now. First, she wants to get rid of the pursuers and protect herself and her daughter, which is her top priority.

Secondly, she wanted to return to Longxiang County to kill her enemies and pay tribute to her father and husband.

Since Meng Zhao was willing to protect her, that fulfilled her first wish, so naturally there would be no objection.

Zhou Zhihan, however, was somewhat curious.
"When did you start having friends who travel all over the country like this? How come I didn't know?"

Meng Zhao smiled.

"We just met. I made a bet with him, and he's going to do things for me."

I wouldn't need him for the time being, but you surprised me with this, so I had no choice but to ask him to take a look.

Zhou Zhihan wanted to ask who this friend was, but she held back.

Someone like her should be very discreet about her identity. She's not one to cause trouble unnecessarily; she still needs to maintain a sense of boundaries. (End of Chapter)