Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

Meng Zhao's structure was profound and his organization was vast, while Yan Congke's system was a tangible path that he drew upon from the vast structure.

The complete advancement of the sword toe can be called the sword body, while the path that Yan Congke has constructed at this point is at most the sword finger.

Of course, these are all Yan Congke's own ideas. His years of swordsmanship accumulation, swordsmanship attainments, and martial arts wisdom, combined with the three secret sword techniques, have formed a path that is likely to succeed.

However, if Yan Congke were to master the Sword Finger technique, his fighting prowess would be greatly enhanced.

Sword Wind can only be activated by sword energy and infused into a sword to be effective. If it is made of flesh and blood, it is simply impossible to withstand the threat and hidden dangers brought by the sword energy.

Sword finger kung fu is quite different. Once the sword meridian is formed, sword energy can be emitted from the ten fingers at will. Whether it is power, flexibility, or the formed sword energy and sword techniques, they are all extremely powerful.

Seeing Yan Congke's entranced expression, Meng Zhao nodded and quietly left.

These three sword techniques were actually created by Meng Zhao by combining sword techniques with the martial arts manuals he had obtained.

It is indeed precious; if placed in the possession of any martial arts master, it would have extraordinary value, akin to a core principle.

However, for Meng Zhao, its value is indeed limited. After all, Meng Zhao is exceptionally intelligent and has a high level of martial arts. Based on these methods, he can create methods that are no less powerful than, or even more powerful than, the three secret techniques of swordsmanship in terms of fist and foot techniques, knife techniques, finger techniques, etc.

He only took a liking to Yan Congke because he saw him as a promising talent, whose swordsmanship and talent were clearly formidable.

In addition, Meng Zhao also realized that there were still few capable people, and Yan Congke was someone who could be cultivated, so he tried his best to help him become stronger so that he could work harder for him.

In the future, if there are any troublesome or tedious matters, just assign Yan Congke to do them, and I think he would be willing to do so.

Upon returning to the entrance of his small house, Meng Zhao's expression changed slightly.

At this moment, the sky was dim, and the full moon was shrouded by thick, dark clouds. The entire world seemed to be covered and shrouded by some kind of demon, making it appear gloomy and terrifying.

For convenience, Meng Zhao deliberately purchased a house in such a remote place. There were few neighbors around, only a small bamboo grove, which had a bit of a pastoral feel.

At this time, the night was deep and quiet, and apart from the night breeze, there were no other sounds.

However, Meng Zhao's senses were incredibly sharp, and his eyes and ears were exceptional. He detected subtle discord and a hint of murderous intent lurking in the surroundings.

"Logically speaking, unless my past deeds are discovered, no one in the county should make a move against me. Could this person hiding in the shadows be targeting Hong Minghui?"

Meng Zhao thought to himself, although Zhou Zhihan is a member of the government and also an assassin, she has her own methods for hiding, concealing, and escaping.

That's why she was able to take Hong Minghui's mother back to Kaiyan County for help, instead of being captured on the way.

However, the group that dealt with Hong Chengtong was not easy to deal with, which is why they were able to track them down and find the small house that Meng Zhao had purchased.

Meng Zhao never imagined that Zhou Zhihan would take Hong Minghui without leaving a trace. But according to his plan, it would take at least three to five days before they came looking for her. By then, he would have already taken Hong Minghui to the countryside to hide and cut off all clues.

In retrospect, he had underestimated the other party's abilities and methods.

Meng Zhao turned and walked into the bamboo grove beside the bluestone path, his hands behind his back, his steps light and free, as if he were strolling in a garden in spring.

I don't know what kind of bamboo this is, but it grows extremely tall, with each bamboo as thick as a fist and distinct joints. When it sways in the evening breeze, it makes a rustling sound.

Not long after Meng Zhao stepped into the small bamboo forest, two whooshing sounds came from the air.

Meng Zhao remained motionless, but a constantly circulating circular aura enveloped his entire body.

When the two bone-piercing nails slammed into the air shield, they not only failed to pierce it, but were instead repelled by an extremely flexible and powerful force.

It returns from the same direction as it was shot from, and its power and accuracy are even better than before.

The next moment, two muffled groans, barely suppressed by pain, rang out.

Meng Zhao pulled a hand out from behind her back, her jade-like palm pinching two bamboo leaves from the long bamboo in front of her.

With the Qi of Three-Part Returning to Origin infused, he gently rubbed his middle finger and thumb together, and the two bamboo leaves disappeared silently from his hand.

Immediately afterwards, two very faint thuds were heard as the ground collapsed.

However, Meng Zhao used the technique of plucking leaves and flying flowers to kill the person who had previously been hiding in the bamboo forest and ambushed him with a bone-piercing nail.

When the two men made their move, they had already revealed their location, making it difficult for them to move without being able to deceive Meng Zhao's senses.

Therefore, Meng Zhao killed the two men with such ease and freedom.

As for the martial arts skills of the two who died, they might have been good at using hidden weapons, but they were far from being true masters. At best, they were just good guys in the gang, nothing more.

"Sir, you are a powerful martial artist. We are acting under orders and do not wish to be your enemy. We ask that you, being so accommodating, hand over the woman in your residence to us so we can take her back!"

The ease with which the two were killed seemed to have intimidated some people hiding in the bamboo forest, and one of them spoke up.

However, fearing that Meng Zhao would find his hiding place, he used a special method of internal energy, his voice rising and falling, ethereal as smoke, making it difficult to pinpoint his exact location.

Meng Zhao smiled.

“This is not Longxiang County, but Kaiyan County. You have overstepped your bounds. I don’t need you to tell me what to do or what I should do.”

If you really want to discuss things, find someone with sufficient influence and qualifications.

As for now, Hong Minghui is in Baoding; you shouldn't even dream about it!

As he spoke, Meng Zhao made a knife with one hand, imbued it with the force of the blade, and chopped down a bamboo stalk in front of him. At the same time, he grasped the cut end of the bamboo with his hand, and with a slight movement of his energy, he split the bamboo into six pieces.

The six bamboo strips, at this moment, have transformed into the most dangerous and terrifying weapon in Meng Zhao's hands.

He raised his hand and skillfully shot it out, the low hissing sound of it cutting through the air echoing through the air.

Six more flesh and blood were torn apart, and the sound of bodies falling could be heard.

Meng Zhao then leisurely walked out of the bamboo forest, opened the gate, and entered the courtyard.

The whole process was leisurely, carefree, and relaxed, just like returning from a trip. I was not only satisfied but also thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Inside the bamboo forest, apart from a pair of bright, dark eyes that stared in horror at the scene, all the other companions had perished in the bamboo forest under Meng Zhao's attack.

The only time the two sides crossed paths was when the bone-piercing nails were launched.

After that, it was simply Meng Zhao's skillful and unrestrained slaughter of them.

Such martial arts skills, such a person—it's truly terrifying, far beyond what one could expect from someone so young. After hesitating for a moment, and without even having time to collect the body of his fallen companion, the man quietly departed under the cover of night.

Of the nine people in the group, eight died, leaving only him. Just now, it was he who spoke up and negotiated with Meng Zhao. The reason he survived is quite simple.

It wasn't that the other party hadn't discovered him, nor that they couldn't kill him; they simply didn't kill him because they wanted him to go back and deliver a message.

The survivor was filled with panic. He didn't know if the other party would change their mind, so he had to leave as soon as possible and go to a safe place, while explaining the cause and effect of the mission's failure.

Inside the mansion, when Meng Zhao stepped into the courtyard, he found that Zhou Zhihan and Hong Minghui had woken up at some point and were lying in ambush in the room with extreme vigilance, obviously also sensing that there was danger outside.

Seeing Meng Zhao enter, the two breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Zhihan stepped forward, looked at him, and said...
"You're back. How did it go? Did you spot anyone outside?"

Meng Zhao nodded.
"It's resolved. There were nine people in total. I killed eight, and the remaining one can be released!"

Upon hearing this, Hong Minghui immediately became anxious.

"Why? If I don't kill him and those people find out where I am, they definitely won't let this go!"

Hong Minghui was well aware that her existence was definitely an unstable factor for the Hongmen.

Only when Hong Chengtong's lineage is wiped out can the Hongmen possibly fall into other hands. Otherwise, with Hong Minghui still alive, he will always be a hidden danger, and it would be wishful thinking for anyone to want to take the position of Hongmen leader.

Furthermore, the mechanical diagrams in her hands are almost complete, only one more is needed, which is also a huge benefit. I don't believe the person behind it wouldn't be tempted.

Therefore, if the other party knows of her existence and whereabouts, they will definitely come looking for her at all costs.

If Meng Zhao were to kill all those people outside today and handle the whole matter cleanly, she could cut off the mastermind's pursuit of her in a short time and avoid putting herself in danger.

In Hong Minghui's view now, Meng Zhao made a terrible move.

If it were simply a matter of insufficient ability, it would be one thing, but judging from Meng Zhao's expression and demeanor, he was clearly in complete control and deliberately let the person go, which is hard to understand.

"What can I do if they don't give up? If I were afraid of them, I wouldn't have killed so many people today. Besides, what I need is to find the last descendant of the last family of the Eighteen Iron Bandits and find the last fragment of the mechanism diagram."

Although I have sent people to Longxiang County to investigate, it is unknown how much useful information they can find.

Since they just came knocking on my door, I naturally had to leave an opening so they wouldn't completely retreat.

Hong Minghui still harbors a victim mentality, placing herself in an extremely dangerous situation, as if she would be killed if the other party came to her door.

Therefore, she could only try to minimize her presence, constantly running away and hiding. This idea wasn't wrong, but it was rather rigid.

In fact, when she found Meng Zhao, she had already escaped the predicament of being hunted down and living in constant fear.

Meng Zhao is no ordinary person; he possesses the demeanor and arrogance of a strong person.

If they didn't accept Hong Minghui, that would be one thing, but since they had decided to protect her and accepted the map of the mechanism in exchange, they naturally wouldn't go back on their word.

The relationship between the weak and the strong has been completely reversed.

At this point, it wasn't that Hong Minghui wanted to escape, but that the other party wanted to chase her.

On the contrary, Meng Zhao needs to find out the other party's traces and flaws, discover their true identity, and seize the last piece of the mechanism map.

This is the most important.

If all the people were killed, it would indeed sever all contact and erase any trace of Hong Minghui's existence.

But Meng Zhao's goal wasn't to help Hong Minghui find refuge, but to find the descendants of the Eighteen Iron Bandits and obtain the last piece of the mechanism map.

Therefore, it is essential to leave enough information so that the other party can find him.

Whether the other party will send someone to discuss or negotiate with him is another matter entirely.

Anyway, if the conditions are right, Meng Zhao could temporarily cooperate with the other party, and then kill him to silence him once the treasure is opened. That wouldn't be too difficult.

This is the confidence that comes with strength.

When it comes to conspiracies, underhanded tactics, and immoral behavior, Meng Zhao has no fear of anyone else.

Hong Minghui hadn't quite grasped these principles yet, but after Meng Zhao explained his reasons, she fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

"I understand. So what should I do? Should I stay here?"

She hadn't witnessed Meng Zhao's actions that nearly annihilated all the attackers, but she knew that Meng Zhao's martial arts were unfathomable. At this moment, she had completely abandoned any thoughts of acting on her own and intended to follow Meng Zhao's advice completely.

After all, there's the connection to Zhou Zhihan involved, so they can't really ignore her and treat her like a disposable pawn.

Meng Zhao smiled and gave her a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, now that I've decided to get involved, I won't let you take any risks."

"You can rest in the county town for two days, buy what you need, and then go to Xiaohan Village with Sister Zhou. I'll take care of things here."

After hearing this, Zhou Zhihan, although she knew Meng Zhao was very capable, still couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Shouldn't we be a little more cautious? Perhaps your martial arts skills are very good and you are not afraid of these people, but they may use some underhanded and unethical methods. Otherwise, the Hongmen Master would not have had such an experience."

While it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, it's hard to guard against a hidden arrow. Hong Chengtong's direct strength is absolutely invincible, and those people are not confident of victory. That's why they resorted to poisoning.

However, Meng Zhao was different.

Firstly, Meng Zhao himself had done considerable research on secret medicines and was not entirely ignorant of the ways of poisons.

Secondly, his Three-Part Returning Qi, due to its special properties, happens to have the effect of detoxification. Unless it is a poison that is so potent that it is unimaginable and can even kill the number one person in the world, it is difficult to cause him much harm.

Thirdly, and most importantly, Hong Chengtong was ambushed because he trusted the wrong people and was not on guard, which gave others an opportunity to take advantage of him.

But Meng Zhao was different; he was all alone. Zhou Zhihan and Hong Minghui, who might have been the breakthrough points, had been driven to Xiaohan Village.

Naturally, this left no possibility for others to poison him.

As for other schemes and tricks, Meng Zhao wasn't naive and wouldn't fall for them easily. (End of Chapter)