Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

Before long, several people came out of the room. Two of them were dressed no differently from the guards inside and outside the Cao residence.

As for the other two, they were old acquaintances of Meng Zhao.

One of them was the guy who was originally sent to hunt down Hong Minghui, but ended up being killed by Meng Zhao and left with only one survivor. Now he was meek and obedient, following at the very back.

The other person was Boss Xu, whom Meng Zhao had met, and who was also the one who hired the pawnshop assassin to kill Meng Zhao.

He came with Meng Zhao's sincerity and information, but to his surprise, Uncle An, also known as Cao Quan'an, seemed indifferent and didn't care about these things.

Furthermore, Mr. Xu subtly sensed that Cao Quan'an seemed to be intentionally reminding him to stay away from all the troubles and go back to his peaceful life.

He would never forget the life-saving grace from years ago, but today, Cao Quan'an deliberately made him forget it and showed a great sense of alienation.

This made Mr. Xu suspicious, but also somewhat relieved.

He owed a favor only to Cao Quan'an, and now that Cao Quan'an had said so, he had no more worries.

As for the Hongmen, he was really unfamiliar with them; they were completely different people.

Despite his doubts and worries, Mr. Xu had little recourse.

Even after only a short encounter, he could tell that Cao Quan'an's appearance and demeanor remained unchanged. Although he showed signs of aging, he still possessed the majesty of a tiger. His domineering martial arts and powerful skills still put immense pressure on him.

Therefore, Mr. Xu doesn't need to worry about the other party, because worrying won't help.

Upon reaching the corner of the corridor, Boss Xu spoke to the survivor.
“I have done all I can. From now on, I will part ways with Uncle An and there will be no more gratitude between us. I think Uncle An will not blame you.”

As they were talking, a tall, burly man with round, fierce eyes, who was standing beside him, chimed in.

"Boss Xu, since you're already here, why not go and see Master Ren? He's eager to know who dares to oppose our Hongmen!"

After a moment of silence, Mr. Xu realized that Ren Tianxing was definitely a dangerous person, and he vaguely sensed that Cao Quan'an might have already been sidelined.

However, considering his relationship with Cao Quan'an and his actions which were somewhat worthy of the Hongmen, he wasn't afraid of anything and nodded in agreement.

Back to the room.

In the large room, incense smoke curled gently, and the dim light from the small lamps around the room illuminated the space.

On the west side of the house, below a painting of a tiger pouncing on a sheep hanging on the wall, lies a large sword more than four feet long.

The handle is shaped like a tiger swallowing its prey, covered with fine red lines. The tsuba (handguard) is round and thick, and the blade has smooth lines and a well-proportioned curve.

When the light shines on it, the blade gleams with a brilliant, flowing light, making it truly extraordinary.

This is Cao Anping's White Tiger Blade. When combined with the White Tiger Seven Kill Blade, it is invincible and rarely encounters a worthy opponent.

To date, over the decades, he has slain countless enemies and drunk his fill of blood. He has suffered only one defeat, and that was at the hands of Hong Chengtong.

Cao Quan'an was around fifty years old, with a slightly purplish complexion, a broad forehead, tiger-like eyes, and a humpback nose, giving him a very dignified appearance.

However, she must have suffered quite a few blows, as her hair was dressed in snow-white, meticulously styled, and wrapped in a golden crown.

His physique still shows the tall and robust build he had in his youth, but with age, he has inevitably become somewhat hunched over.

At this moment, the deputy leader of the Hongmen was standing in the east corner of the room, behind a desk, stroking a jade pendant in his hand.

The jade pendant bears the name Baoyu.

Cao Baoyu, Cao Quan'an's youngest son, was born late in his life and was greatly loved and favored by him.

He set the tone early on.

He left his entire legacy to his eldest son. With his son's talent and the martial arts skills he inherited, his future achievements would only surpass his son's. His son would be able to maintain order, preserve the legacy, and even expand it.

The wealth he had accumulated over the years was left entirely to his youngest son. Without power, this wealth could easily be seized, but with the help of his eldest son, it should be easy to protect.

After he passes away, his eldest son will inherit his career in the martial arts world, while his younger son will not need much; he can simply live a simple life as a wealthy man in a secluded corner of the world.

Unfortunately, things are unpredictable.

An accident, or rather a premeditated accident, resulted in the death of the eldest son.

This dealt a heavy blow to Cao Quan'an.

Although the eldest son was not as favored as the youngest son, in fact, he was the one he valued and cultivated the most.

Because only the eldest son can inherit his martial arts and his legacy.

With the death of his eldest son, there was almost no one to carry on the family line.

Without his elder brother's support, it's hard to say whether the younger son's future life as a wealthy man will be secure.

Therefore, Cao Quan'an pondered deeply and made constant plans.

It was because he was too concerned about his own legacy that he promoted Ren Tianxing, this two-faced beast.

He thought that Ren Tianxing was at least on good terms with his youngest son, had inherited his power, and had been cultivated by him.

In the future, there's not much to do; just taking good care of my youngest son, Cao Baoyu, will be enough.

However, no matter how much Cao Quan'an planned, he never expected that he would find a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Ren Tianxing was not a kind, honest, or grateful person.

On the contrary, this person is treacherous, cunning, ruthless, and merciless; he is definitely not someone worth associating with.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

Sometimes, Cao Quan'an even suspected that the death of his eldest son might also be related to Ren Tianxing.

From a consequentialist perspective, the person who benefited the most from the death of his eldest son was indeed Ren Tianxing.

Otherwise, with his eldest son around, Ren Tianxing wouldn't have had the chance to fawn over him.

"How hateful, Baoyu, Baoyu!"

Lost in thought, Cao Quan'an was unaware that an extremely fierce, tyrannical, and wild aura emanated from him.

Inside the room, it was as if a monstrous beast of the wilderness was crouching, ready to devour its prey.

Outside the room, several guards, sensing the terrifying atmosphere inside, unconsciously took a few steps outside.

They were quite loyal to Cao Quan'an and never noticed anything different about him.

In fact, most of Cao's followers today, although they obey Ren Tianxing's orders and arrangements, are still loyal to Cao Quan'an.

However, Cao Quan'an clearly transferred his power to Ren Tianxing, and his long absence from public view allowed Ren Tianxing to take advantage of the situation.

By the time he discovered this, Cao Baoyu had already been captured or controlled by Ren Tianxing. Because of this situation, he couldn't speak out openly, so he just let it be.

As for the matter of Boss Xu coming to see him today, Ren Tianxing could not and dared not stop him.

If it were discovered that he had betrayed his master and ancestors, the Hongmen would absolutely not let Ren Tianxing off the hook. Even if he claimed to be the number one expert among the younger generation in Longxiang County, a good tiger can't withstand a pack of wolves.

Moreover, if his reputation is ruined, many people who want to exorcise evil and uphold justice will come out to teach him a lesson.

Even if we take a step back, killing Ren Tianxing wouldn't be particularly difficult for the Hongmen based solely on their strength.

The difference lies in the fact that Ren Tianxing is also a member of the Hongmen and is part of the Hongmen system. Under normal circumstances, there would be no situation of internal strife among fellow members.

However, if Ren Tianxing's plot to murder Hong Chengtong is exposed and confirmed, Ren Tianxing will inevitably become a traitor whom everyone in the Hongmen wants to kill, and he will surely die.

The wind and rain outside grew stronger, making the windows creak.

With a snap, a window was blown open by the strong wind, and a sliver of rain flew in, wetting a doorpost and the gauze curtain wrapped around it.

Cao Quan'an had just closed the window when he discovered that there was another person in the room.

His clothes were clean and dry, showing no signs of being wet from the rain.

This point particularly caught Cao Quan'an's attention.

He couldn't escape the rain even with an oil-paper umbrella, unless he was a top-level internal martial arts master who could use his immense internal energy to keep the wind and rain out.

Cao Quan'an was even more surprised when he saw the man's appearance.

Young, unexpectedly young, with the vigor unique to young people, as well as a depth, shrewdness, and domineering presence beyond his years.

This is a very unique and charismatic young man.

However, Cao Quan'an was not afraid of his opponent; his eyes remained calm and unwavering.

He has faced life-or-death crises more than once over the years, and the number of battles he has fought is countless.

Not to mention putting life and death aside, I have long since relaxed my mind and treated it with a calm attitude.

Furthermore, he was old and deep-thinking, and he was very confident in his martial arts skills. He did not think that the young man in front of him could harm him, even if he was a top master of internal martial arts. But wasn't he one himself?
"Young man, isn't it a bit impolite of you to come uninvited?"

Cao Quan'an's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the spacious room, each word distinct.

Meng Zhao smiled. He waited on the roof for quite a while, observing the situation carefully. Only after he had thought things through did he come to see Cao Quan'an.

Upon hearing this, he said,

"Uncle An, I came here with that Boss Xu. He foolishly hired an assassin to kill me in Kaiyan County. If it weren't for your sake, I would have killed him long ago and wouldn't have let him live until now."

So, I wasn't being rude; on the contrary, I've fully expressed my sincerity and respect. Uncle An, what do you say?

Cao Quan'an nodded and hummed in agreement; he still recognized Xiao Xu's favor.

As Meng Zhao said, they hired assassins to kill the other party, but failed.

Based on Meng Zhao's demonstrated internal strength and cultivation, Xiao Xu is definitely no match for him.

Therefore, the fact that Xiao Xu was able to return alive to see him was indeed partly due to Meng Zhao secretly letting him go.

As for why they let him off the hook, it couldn't be because they liked Xiao Xu, could it? Wasn't it because of his old face?

"Alright, young man, even if you're right, then why have you come to me? To settle scores?"

Meng Zhao nodded, then shook his head and said,
"At first it was, but now I don't know. It depends on whether you were involved in the death of the Hongmen leader."

Uncle An, I want to ask you a question: how exactly did the leader of the Hongmen die? Who betrayed him and murdered him?

Was it you, or Ren Tianxing, or did you two conspire together to do it?

Cao Quan'an's previously amiable expression suddenly changed, becoming as gloomy as a June rain, as if it were about to fall at any moment.

"What do you mean? What does this have to do with you?"

Well, Meng Zhao had only overheard the end of the story and thought that Boss Xu had told Cao Quan'an everything.

Unexpectedly, Cao Quan'an knew nothing about him.

“Hong Minghui and her daughter are now under my protection. Previously, you sent nine people to hunt him down, and I killed eight of them, leaving only one. That’s why Boss Xu had to hire someone else to assassinate me.”

I have come here for two reasons.

First, investigate the cause of the Hongmen leader's death. Was it you who did it, Ren Tianxing who did it, or you two who did it together? We need to give Hong Minghui an explanation so that she won't be confused and won't target the wrong person when she seeks revenge in the future.

Secondly, we are looking for something, and this thing is very likely in your hands, or in Ren Tianxing's.

Cao Quan'an nodded, understanding now. His gloomy expression softened, and he spoke gently, with a hint of apology.

"It's good that Minghui is alright, it's good that she's alright. It's a pity that I can't even take care of myself right now, I can't save her!"

"Uncle An, you still haven't answered my question: what is your connection to the death of the Hongmen Master?"

In fact, Meng Zhao had already roughly determined that this matter was orchestrated by Ren Tianxing, and Cao Quan'an was completely unaware of it and was being made a scapegoat.

By the time they found out, it was already too late. Because Cao Baoyu was in Ren Tianxing's hands, they couldn't even take revenge.

Sure enough, Cao Quan'an's eyes were slightly red, with tears glistening in them, and he said bitterly,
“My elder brother and I have known each other for many years. We are very compatible and have a deep relationship. How could I possibly betray him or murder him?”
It was all the work of that beast Ren Tianxing. He somehow obtained a deadly poison called Blue Phoenix and secretly put it into his elder brother's ginseng tea, causing his blood and qi to flow in reverse and his internal energy to be severely depleted, which led to his death from exhaustion.

Otherwise, with that beast's martial arts skills, he would definitely be no match for Big Brother!

Meng Zhao asked again,
"It really has nothing to do with you. If it really has nothing to do with you, why don't you deal with Ren Tianxing and avenge your elder brother?"

This is what makes Cao Quan'an suffer.

He wanted to kill Ren Tianxing, but found that he simply couldn't do it.

It wasn't that he lacked ability, but rather that he had a hostage in the other side's hands, and he simply didn't dare to take the risk.

His eldest son is dead, but his youngest son is still alive. He cannot disregard the bond between father and son, and he insists on dealing with Ren Tianxing.

Of course, this refers to the current situation.

If one day Cao Baoyu regains his freedom and is no longer held hostage by Ren Tianxing.

Even if it meant Cao Quan'an and Ren Tianxing had to die together, he would be more than willing.

Cao Quan'an gripped the warm jade in his hand tightly, gritting his teeth as he spoke.

"It's all because of this beast that he blinded me, secretly hijacked my power, and even kidnapped Baoyu, my youngest son."

Now I'm caught in a dilemma; I want to deal with him, but it's hard to guarantee Baoyu's safety.

Otherwise, I would immediately rally the members of the Hongmen to tear that beast Ren Tianxing to pieces!

Judging from Cao Quan'an's tone, he truly hated Ren Tianxing.

I wish I could skin it alive, eat its flesh, and drink its blood. (End of Chapter)