Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

The wind and rain were fierce, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the sky was covered with dark clouds, making people feel uneasy.

Meng Zhao and Duan Hong sat at a chess table by the hanging stove in the room. One played black pieces, and the other played white pieces. They placed their pieces down like raindrops falling to the ground.

The fire beside me was burning brightly, and the surging heat baked the damp and cold room clean, making it warm and comfortable.

In another corner of the room, Yan Congke sat back in his chair, holding a sword in one hand and a roll of silk in the other. He dipped it in special conditioning oil and gently wiped it on the blade, doing it meticulously and seriously.

It was already noon the next day, and the moonless and starless night had indeed turned into a torrential downpour today.

After lunch, the three of them waited in the room. Although no news came, it was actually the best news of all.

With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside, bringing in a gust of wind and rain. The whole room, which had been warm and cozy, became much colder.

Ning Baihe, wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat, turned around and closed the door tightly. At the same time, he took off the bamboo hat and the raincoat.

Taking the towel Yan Congke handed him, he gently wiped himself and smiled.

"It seems that the three of you are indeed very confident, and you even have such refined tastes that you can play chess in the house while the wind and rain are raging outside."

Meng Zhao held a white chess piece between two fingers, gently pressed it against a corner of the chessboard, and smiled.
"No news is good news, so I'm certain that my prediction last night was correct. Since my prediction was right, as long as Uncle An takes it seriously, isn't the outcome already clear?"

If Meng Zhao's guess was wrong, or if Cao Quan'an did not trust Meng Zhao and was unwilling to accept his deductions, then Ning Baihe should have returned last night to discuss it with them, instead of waiting until now.

Although Duan Hong did not say a word, he agreed with Meng Zhao's judgment.

He not only has a deep understanding of human nature, but also seems to have a wealth of experience and knowledge, truly an outstanding person among men.

Ning Baihe was also incredibly excited. He hurriedly sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, downed it in one gulp, and said...
“Brother Li is indeed a master strategist. Last night I went to see Uncle An and told him your prediction. He has already led his men to rescue Baoyu and dealt with a group of people who had defected to Ren Tianxing.”

Meng Zhao smiled and shook his head, saying...

"There should be more than that. Although I don't know Uncle An well, I can roughly understand that he won't let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He will definitely deal with Ren Tianxing, and not just target a bunch of opportunists."

If that were all they had done, they wouldn't have waited until now to release Ning Baihe.

Ning Baihe's eyes were full of admiration.
"That's right. Last night, while Ren Tianxing was completely unaware of what had happened, Uncle An led his men to the Hongmen headquarters, intending to expose all the misdeeds he had committed in front of the Hongmen members and to completely defeat Ren Tianxing."

Things were going smoothly until this guy, who was well-prepared, escaped after a fierce fight.

Uncle An suspected that Ishizaki was also involved.

After a pause, seeing that Meng Zhao remained unmoved, Ning Baihe couldn't help but ask,
"Ren Tianxing has run away. Aren't you afraid that what you've plotted will come to nothing?"

Meng Zhao shook his head.
"Don't be afraid. Some things are a matter of luck if I get them and fate if I lose them. I have done what I should do, and I will leave the rest to God."

As for Ishizaki, the deputy leader of the Hongmen, there is a high probability that he is colluding with Ren Tianxing. If he does not want his past deeds to be exposed, he will definitely help Ren Tianxing in secret.

Otherwise, if Ren Tianxing said something inappropriate in front of everyone, he would have no way to defend himself.

Even if they ultimately can't do anything to him, it will still be a huge blow to his reputation.

Although Meng Zhao really wanted Kou Laoxi's treasure, he felt it was something he could easily do, but he wasn't necessarily fixated on it.

At least, a mere treasure wouldn't cause Meng Zhao to rack his brains and toss and turn at night.

After hearing this, Ning Baihe took out a sachet from his pocket, tossed it to Meng Zhao, and said,

"Uncle An asked me to give this to you, saying it's what you wanted. Take a look!"

Meng Zhao didn't shy away from the matter. He took the sachet, opened it wide, and pulled out a piece of cloth. After a quick look, he realized it was indeed the last fragment of the mechanism diagram, which meant that his efforts were on the right track.

Meng Zhao was somewhat curious.

"Is this from Uncle An's collection, or does it belong to Ren Tianxing?"

"Naturally, it belongs to Ren Tianxing. He thought he had sidelined Uncle An and acted recklessly, but little did he know that he had only been in the Hongmen for a short time. How could he compare to Uncle An's years of accumulation and management in the Hongmen?"

He thought that by giving the sachet to his lover, he could keep it a secret, but he didn't realize that once his power was gone, his lover naturally wouldn't follow him to his death. She had already pulled strings, switched sides with Uncle An, and also presented him with the sachet.

Ning Baihe's tone was full of pride. In his mind, Cao Quan'an had an extremely powerful and majestic image, like a god who would never be defeated by a petty person.

This is the result of Cao Quan'an's years of accumulated experience and management. Ning Baihe is by no means the only one with similar feelings.

For Cao Quan'an, his decades of accumulation and management, his established reputation, and his subordinates whom he subdued through a combination of kindness and severity were all invisible and intangible assets.

When things are going against the grain, and given Cao Quan'an's passive attitude, these hidden strengths and influences may not be very noticeable, or even cause any significant disturbance.

However, once Cao Quan'an makes a decision and takes action, these hidden forces and strengths will surge like a raging torrent, creating a completely new world.

Cao Baoyu was indeed a key figure, able to restrain such a fierce tiger, making him hesitant and unable to move.

Only then could they suppress Cao Quan'an.

Ren Tianxing's ability to see through this point is truly remarkable, but it's a pity that he ultimately lost to Cao Quan'an.

It's hard to say whether they are enlightened or unenlightened; it's simply a matter of the victor taking all.

Meng Zhao never claimed that his actions were righteous; it was simply a matter of stance.

Unfortunately, the ending of this matter was not handled well, and Ren Tianxing got away, which is a bit hard to accept.

Meng Zhao believed that Cao Quan'an must be feeling terrible right now, and he would do anything to find the person, otherwise, if Ren Tianxing appeared today, Wang Tianxing might appear another day. Anyone could be allowed to shit and piss on the head of this fierce tiger of the Hongmen.

However, these matters are no longer Meng Zhao's concern, and he will no longer interfere in the feud between the two.

Even for Hong Minghui, he only provided temporary protection. Once Hong Minghui's martial arts skills recovered and she reached a higher level, gaining the ability to protect herself, it was inevitable that she would break away from Meng Zhao's protection.

"Brother Li, Uncle An is very grateful to you and thinks you are a very good talent. If you are willing, why not stay in the Hongmen and work hard for three to five years? Uncle An promises that you will definitely get power and status no less than Ren Tianxing did back then."

"It's even possible that you could become the head of the Hongmen in the future."

Ning Baihe told Cao Quan'an a lot of information, including Meng Zhao's martial arts skills.

In Ning Baihe's view, that pure, sophisticated, powerful, and invincible qigong was by no means inferior to any peerless internal skill in the world, and even the Duan family's Jade-Breaking Technique could not match it.

At such a young age, with such extraordinary skills, and with such a way of dealing with people, both Cao Quan'an and Ning Baihe knew very well that Meng Zhao was a dragon lurking in the wilderness.

It may remain unknown for a short time, but sooner or later it will be exposed and its true nature revealed.

Such exceptional individuals are a blessing if you don't encounter them, but if you do, you should certainly try to recruit them for your own use.

Cao Quan'an, in particular, was a major threat because he failed to completely kill Ren Tianxing and instead allowed him to escape.

Although he can still keep Ren Tianxing in check for now, he is old and no longer has the courage and decisiveness of his youth.

What worries and troubles him even more is that, at such an old age, he has a beloved but useless son who is powerless to protect himself.

This is the most important thing.

Since Ren Tianxing could kidnap Cao Baoyu once, he could do it a second time. Moreover, the second time might not necessarily be a kidnapping, but more likely it would be to take Cao Baoyu's life as revenge against Cao Quan'an.

Therefore, Cao Quan'an urgently wanted to find a breakthrough to support his future and his beloved son.

Meng Zhao is undoubtedly a very suitable candidate.

His martial arts skills were formidable, but his background was quite simple. Even with some extraordinary family background, he was still unable to contend with the powerful and massive Hongmen.

Moreover, Meng Zhao was by no means a reckless and impulsive man; he did everything with great method and foresight.

Take the matter of Cao Baoyu being hidden, for example. Cao Quan'an and Ning Baihe thought of so many things, but they never thought that the person might be hidden in Xiyu Villa. This kind of flaw in thinking actually reflects their shortcomings.

Meng Zhao's ability to think of this precisely reflects his intelligence and extraordinary talent.

Isn't such a wise and brave person the best opponent to suppress, strike, and deal with Ren Tianxing?

In particular, Meng Zhao actually thwarted Ren Tianxing's plan, which led to a conflict between the two.

In the future, even if Meng Zhao wants to abandon the matter, Ren Tianxing may still seek revenge on him out of hatred.

Cao Quan'an thus conceived the idea of ​​bringing Meng Zhao into the Hongmen.

This idea is still very strong, and of course, very realistic.

He will give Meng Zhao a high position, but at the same time, he will also provide him with a certain degree of support until Meng Zhao truly gains a foothold.

The price is that Meng Zhao will become a target he sets up. In the future, if Ren Tianxing wants to make a comeback, Meng Zhao will be someone he cannot bypass.

Of course, these are all just Cao Quan'an's wishful thinking, but how do you know you can't succeed if you don't try?

The Hongmen is a top-tier power in Hebei Province, spanning many counties and can be described as a behemoth.

Such power represents a considerable degree of authority, and Cao Quan'an believes that no man would be uninterested in power.

Ning Baihe actually hoped that Meng Zhao could accept the offer, because he could see that Meng Zhao was very capable. If he really stayed in the Hongmen, the Hongmen would definitely grow and progress at a much faster pace than it is now.

It's not that Hong Chengtong didn't do well in the past, it's just that Hong Chengtong is old. Although he is more powerful, he has long lost his former courage and drive.

Only a courageous and resourceful young man like Meng Zhao can represent the future of the Hongmen.

Ning Baihe's words also deeply touched the hearts of Duan Hong and Yan Congke on the side.

They were both well aware of the extent of the Hongmen's power, especially Yan Congke.

Although he was not a member of the Hongmen, he had close friends and acquaintances within the Hongmen.

If Meng Zhao can truly take over the Hongmen, his position will rise accordingly in the future.

Duan Hong didn't care about the strength of the Hongmen, but he was very curious about Meng Zhao's choice.

Without any hesitation, Meng Zhao simply smiled and shook his head.
"The Hongmen is good, but it is not what I want. I am grateful for Uncle An's kindness. Brother Ning, you can tell Uncle An when you go back that I have no such intention. I just want to do some things I like in the countryside."

As for the deeper reasons, Meng Zhao did not say.

Hong Minghui is still with him, so what makes Cao Quan'an think he can guarantee that he will take over the Hongmen in the future?
As for how quickly he has grown to a position and power comparable to Ren Tianxing in just three to five years, is that really a lot?

Don't you see how Ren Tianxing was targeted by someone like Cao Quan'an? After being threatened, he became a stray dog ​​in just one day. How pathetic he was!
It's estimated that if it weren't for Ishizaki's secret intervention, Ren Tianxing would be dead by now.

Is it really necessary to spend three to five years cultivating such power and status?
In any case, Meng Zhao did not see Cao Quan'an's sincerity, but instead glimpsed the sinister psychology hidden deep within him.

Even the fiercest tiger grows old eventually. At that time, the tiger will naturally want to win over a younger tiger to maintain its life in its old age.

Meng Zhao didn't think Cao Quan'an had anything to offer that made him bear such pressure and fight Ren Tianxing to the death for the other party's sake.

Meng Zhao is even less likely to be loyal to anyone. In this world, there is no one worthy of someone like Meng Zhao bowing down to him.

Even the best in the world can't do it, so what can Cao Quan'an, an old tiger, do?

Ning Baihe genuinely felt sorry for Meng Zhao and repeatedly tried to persuade him, but to no avail, and eventually gave up on the idea.

Then, the topic shifted to Hong Minghui and her daughter.

Judging from his intentions, it seems he wants Meng Zhao to hand over Hong Minghui and her daughter to Cao Quan'an for protection.

Meng Zhao shook his head.
"You can also go back and tell Uncle An about this. Hong Minghui made a deal to get my protection for her. As long as Hong Minghui is willing, she can stay with me forever."

This is a point that no one, including Ren Tianxing and Uncle An, can break.

Although I have no influence in the Hongmen, I have no ties to them.

I hope Uncle An won't make any mistakes; if he goes astray, there will be no chance to make amends.

Ning Baihe's face was very pale, and his smile was forced, but he didn't say anything more.

Meng Zhao's attitude was so firm that he dared not continue, lest he escalate the conflict.

As for Hong Minghui, it depends on how Uncle An arranges things.

However, based on Meng Zhao's words alone, Uncle An would have to consider whether he could afford to offend Meng Zhao. (End of Chapter)