Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

Meng Zhao, however, did not empathize with him. To put it bluntly, he was reaping what he sowed, allowing others to take advantage of his situation.

If it only harmed oneself, that would be one thing, but it also harmed others, which is harming both oneself and others, making one a complete jinx.

"So you're just going to wait passively like this, without ever thinking about rescuing your youngest son and taking revenge on Ren Tianxing?"

Meng Zhao wasn't trying to sow discord; he was simply recounting something Cao Quan'an had been thinking about day and night.

Cao Quan'an gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"What can I do? Ren Tianxing is no ordinary person. He is meticulous and ruthless. If I show the slightest sign of trouble, he will not hold back. He can take risks, but I cannot!"

It's like two gamblers: Cao Quan'an has only a few chips left, nothing at all, while Ren Tianxing has a mountain of chips in front of him, with ample room for trial and error.

Naturally, Cao Quan'an was constrained and found it difficult to do what he wanted to do.

Meng Zhao smiled. "So, we need external forces to break this stalemate."

"Uncle An, I'm on Hong Minghui's side, and I'm sworn enemies with Ren Tianxing. So, do you need my help?"

Cao Quan'an, however, was no novice in the martial arts world. He snorted coldly, his eyes fierce and ruthless.
"That girl Hong Minghui can't handle someone like you. I'm afraid she must have used something as a bargaining chip to get your help."

"You're causing trouble for Ren Tianxing not just because of her, but also because Ren Tianxing has something you need."

Cao Quan'an was not senile; he had heard every word Meng Zhao had said.

They naturally had a sense of what Meng Zhao's purpose was.

However, although Cao Quan'an was pleased, he remained calm and composed on the surface, showing no sign of it.

Meng Zhao was able to sneak into his place silently tonight, and appeared like a ghost, so his martial arts skills must be unfathomable.

It is definitely not a freak whose strength or weakness can be judged by age.

The appearance of such a person, someone Ren Tianxing hadn't expected, was a complete surprise to Cao Quan'an.

This gave him a huge surprise. If he couldn't make good use of such a sudden trump card, he would have lived in vain for so many years.

Meng Zhao didn't take it to heart and nodded.

"That's natural. I'm not some chivalrous knight-errant. If there weren't enough benefits, there would be no need to provoke a troublesome opponent like Ren Tianxing. However, if the benefits are big enough, it wouldn't be difficult to provoke Ren Tianxing."

Meng Zhao fully demonstrated his confidence. If he hadn't been concerned about the Hongmen, he could have even gone after Ren Tianxing, broken his legs, and taken the last piece of the mechanism diagram.

"how do you want to do it?"

Cao Quan'an actually had a secret force that remained hidden in the shadows, unknown to others, much like Boss Xu.

This is the result of his many years of experience in the underworld, and also a reflection of his profound knowledge and experience.

Despite Ren Tianxing's repeated probing, he did not reveal the existence of this force.

After all, although he was not very involved in affairs due to the death of his eldest son, he was not truly indifferent to everything; he was well aware of the principle of always having a backup plan.

Meng Zhaodao,
“Hong Minghui is with me now. As long as Hong Minghui appears and points out that Ren Tianxing is the murderer who plotted to kill the leader of the Hongmen, and with Uncle An providing corroboration and putting pressure on him, I believe that the Hongmen members under Ren Tianxing will realize their mistake and return to the right path.”

If we deal with Ren Tianxing again, we should be able to capture him easily.

Of course, I also know that this would be very risky for you, Uncle An, and your youngest son would indeed be a problem.

So my idea is to rescue your son first, and then do as I say.

In front of the ancestral tablet of the Hongmen leader, in front of a large crowd, expose Ren Tianxing's conspiracy, ruin his reputation, and completely strip him of the Hongmen's protection. What do you think?

Cao Quan'an nodded.

"You must rescue my son, that's a must. Otherwise, I won't get involved. Even if that girl Minghui intervenes, I won't care."

However, I don't think it's appropriate to follow your suggestion.

No matter what, Ren Tianxing was still his elder brother's disciple. He not only raised him but also taught him martial arts, so he was highly respected.

If this matter gets out, it will not only damage the reputation of the Hongmen, but it will also be a bad thing for the eldest brother, as he will easily become a laughing stock among the people in the underworld.

Therefore, let's handle this discreetly. Perfect, you need what Ren Tianxing has, right? He'll give it to you to deal with.

Cao Quan'an certainly wouldn't allow this matter to spread widely, as it would be a huge blow to the reputation of the Hongmen.

Being betrayed by one's own people is bad enough, but being murdered by one's own apprentice—who can guarantee what will happen if word gets out?

If it were truly a case of a loving teacher and a filial disciple, how could a disciple possibly betray and murder his own master?
Hong Chengtong enjoyed a high reputation in the martial arts world of Hebei Province, and the members of the Hongmen were all proud of him.

If such rumors were to emerge, it would definitely not be a good thing for Hung Sing-tung.

The same applies to the Hongmen. Once its reputation is ruined, it will decline and no one will be eager to join.

In addition, Cao Quan'an still had the idea of ​​getting Meng Zhao deeply involved in this matter.

There are gains and losses; for every gain, there is an equal loss.

He didn't know what Hong Minghui gave Meng Zhao, but it must have been something of immense value, a price that would make Meng Zhao willing to take the risk.

As a result, he only did a small part of the work, and the rest was left to the Hongmen to handle. It was too easy for him.

Furthermore, given Ren Tianxing's martial arts skills, he is definitely not a simple character.

Even Cao Quan'an couldn't quite see through this person at this moment. If the members of the Hongmen were to gather together to deal with him, who knows how many would die or be injured.

Instead, it would be better to hand Ren Tianxing over to Meng Zhao to deal with.

He also couldn't see through Meng Zhao.

He doesn't know who will have the last laugh between two people he can't see through.

But he will stay until the end, and once Meng Zhao is no match for him, he will make his move and end Ren Tianxing's life.

Meng Zhao quickly realized the worry in Cao Quan'an's heart.

"You mean I'll save your son and settle things with Ren Tianxing? Looks like I've come at the wrong time."

Uncle An isn't the only one who can deal with Ren Tianxing.

I think that Master Jin and Ishizaki should also have the same abilities, and their status and position are sufficient.

This is also what Meng Zhao is focusing on.

For Cao Quan'an, he now has almost no other way or power to resolve this matter.

Even if they do possess a hidden force, it is not enough to deal with Ren Tianxing.

Meng Zhao, however, has three, or even more, potential partners.

Although Cao Quan'an is an important link, he is not indispensable. As a fellow vice leader of the Hongmen, no matter how high his position is, he can never reach the same level as Hong Chengtong.

If Master Jin and Shi Qi were to work together, their combined influence and deterrent effect would be far greater than that of Cao Quan'an alone.

It must be said that when Hung Shing Tong founded the Hung Society, he may have had the foresight to appoint his three sworn brothers as vice leaders, thus creating a situation of entanglement and balance.

Otherwise, if there were only one or two leaders, they would either be dominating the Hongmen or would have already begun fighting amongst themselves to determine a winner.

It is precisely because there are three of them that they are wary of each other and worried about being stabbed in the back, which is why they have been able to maintain this relationship until now.

Cao Quan'an sneered.
"Do you think Ren Tianxing is only dealing with me? Jin Laosi and Shi Qi, one of them is definitely colluding with Ren Tianxing, otherwise, they couldn't have done this much."

As Cao Quan'an spoke, he felt a deep sense of desolation. How could his old brothers have become like this?
Meng Zhao was also startled; indeed, he had overlooked this point.

He was also influenced by habitual thinking, subconsciously believing that since Ren Tianxing was working under Cao Quan'an and had sidelined him, he was the only one to deal with. However, he forgot that Ren Tianxing was not a machine, but a person with flesh and blood and wisdom.

Only by controlling these two individuals can the vast Hongmen organization be prevented from benefiting others after Hong Chengtong's death, ensuring that they can reap the greatest rewards.

However, Meng Zhao thought back to Jin Laosi and Shi Qi, but couldn't figure out who was the one who colluded with Ren Tianxing.

As for the idea that both of them were manipulated by Ren Tianxing or colluded with him, that's impossible.

If that's the case, Ren Tianxing could take over as the leader of the Hongmen right now, instead of having to endure it all this time.

Cao Quan'an, Jin Siye, and Shi Qi are the three most powerful factions besides Hong Chengtong's lineage.

If all three of them are controlled by Ren Tianxing and placed under his control, and given his status as a disciple of Hong Chengtong, their ascension to the top of the Hongmen is beyond doubt.

Only those he still feared would deter Ren Tianxing from rashly stepping forward, lest he expose his ambitions and actions and invite a massacre from the entire Hongmen.

"Uncle An, I don't know much about these two people. Do you know who Ren Tianxing's accomplice is?"

Cao Quan'an shook his head and said helplessly.

"I don't know much, but I can barely sense that one of the two must be colluding with Ren Tianxing."

My trusted confidants in the Hongmen were replaced one by one and became Ren Tianxing's confidants. It is certain that someone was cooperating with Ren Tianxing in his actions.

If I had to choose one person, I think it would be Ishizaki!

Meng Zhao responded with an "oh," and asked, puzzled,
"But as far as I know, Ishizaki is currently a neutral party and doesn't get involved in the conflict between the two factions."

On the contrary, isn't Master Jin the more suspicious one, jumping out to vie for the position of Hongmen leader while the leader's body was still warm?

In fact, Meng Zhao had already guessed that it was most likely Ishizaki.

It's a very simple principle. Put yourself in his shoes. If he were Ren Tianxing, he would definitely choose Ishizaki as his partner, not Jin Laosi.

From a consequentialist perspective, this also makes sense.

Now, due to Jin Laosi's bad words and deeds, his popularity and prestige in the Hongmen have plummeted. Many people believe that he has ulterior motives and is not worthy of being the deputy leader of the Hongmen, let alone the leader.

Once he is out of the picture, with Cao Quan'an and Shi Qi as his two helpers, Ren Tianxing can take control of the Hongmen at any time.

Furthermore, the fact that Ren Tianxing sidelined Cao Quan'an and used Cao Quan'an to deal with Jin Laosi, rather than Ishizaki, also supports this point.

If Jin Laosi is indeed cooperating with Ren Tianxing, then Cao's faction should now be targeting Ishizaki's side.

Cao Quan'an thought so too, and so he voiced his speculation.

In addition, one more point needs to be made.

"Back then, Ishizaki and my older brother actually had a rather intense conflict because of this girl, Minghui."

As he spoke, he recounted a past experience.

Ishizaki is a little younger than Cao Quan'an, but not by much.

He had only one son, named Shi Tian, ​​who was also born late in life and was greatly loved.

Shi Tian was deeply in love with Hong Minghui and pursued her relentlessly.

Later, on one of Hong Minghui's birthdays, she said she really liked a flower called Manjusaka, so Shi Tian searched all over the world for it.

He actually found it, but unfortunately, he was unlucky. There was a strange beast guarding the Manjushri flower, and he was careless and died in the beast's mouth.

It was only through the desperate efforts of Shi Tian's men that the body was retrieved from the beast's jaws.

After that, Ishizaki's attitude toward Hung Sing-tung and Hung Ming-hui became much colder.

“I know this kid very well. He’s not very shrewd. His feelings for Shi Tian are the same as my feelings for Bao Yu now.”

Shi Tian died because of that girl Hong Minghui. Even if Minghui wasn't actually involved, he certainly wouldn't believe it, and he would hate Minghui to death.

"Ishizaki definitely had a motive to collude with Ren Tianxing."

Meng Zhao nodded, looking at Hong Minghui with newfound respect.

Unexpectedly, this was a woman of such caliber who, single-handedly, almost tore the Hongmen apart, causing the deaths of her father, her husband, and several others.

But Meng Zhao saw that although Hong Minghui's appearance was not bad, it was only not bad. She was far inferior to Qi Fang, and even slightly inferior to Zhou Zhihan. Did she really have such great charm?

Because of her, Shi Tian died; because of her, Ren Tianxing turned against his master; because of her, his father and husband also died.

Simply outrageous.

Meng Zhao was somewhat curious.

"Uncle An, so your son doesn't have any feelings for Hong Minghui?"

Cao Quan'an's expression changed, as if he had put on a mask of pain, and he said,
“Baoyu didn’t, but my eldest son liked her back then. Although he didn’t say it, I knew it.”

Meng Zhao then realized that she was indeed a femme fatale, with irresistible charm.

Or perhaps it's because Hong Minghui has some strengths that he hasn't discovered?

Or perhaps she's practiced some kind of seductive art, but hasn't shown it!

"I'm saying all this to tell you that cooperating with me is your best, and only, choice."

"That Jin Laosi is a hopeless idiot; cooperating with him will only harm you."

"Perhaps, but Uncle An, your conditions are too harsh. Although I really want to help you, you can't really treat me like a sucker."

Cao Quan'an pondered for a moment and said,

"Here's the deal: rescue my son first, and I'll help you deal with Ren Tianxing. As for what you want, I'll give it to you." (End of Chapter)