As someone who once successfully rebelled, Meng Qi indeed had the right to mock Branch manager Liang.
But all this was just jesting, to relax Mo Li’s tense spirit a little.
——As Mo Li said, the ambitions of the Holy Lotus Sect were great, it was no longer a simple gang that took advantage of troubled times to rebel.
Previously, they thought the Holy Lotus Sect’s alliance with the southwest’s Tianshou King was a perfect match between two ambitious forces. The Holy Lotus Sect was a ragtag group, lacking reliable military force; even if the sect’s top experts were skilled in martial arts, coordinating them was difficult, not to mention leading troops in battle. The Tianshou King had soldiers and money but lacked a legitimate title and public support; they exactly complemented each other’s needs.
However, as Meng Qi said, rebelling was not easy; the far-flung Tianshou King and the ragtag Holy Lotus Sect did not cause the imperial court enough alarm.
Before reaching Yuzhou, Meng Qi and Mo Li hadn’t realized the extent of the threat posed by the Holy Lotus Sect.
After some turmoil and questioning, Mo Li had an ominous premonition: Did the Holy Lotus Sect and the Tianshou King really see eye to eye and use each other mutually? The cults initially started as scams and then evolved into ambitious rebels. But what if someone had been backing the Holy Lotus Sect from the start?
It’s highly likely that the Tianshou King had secretly founded the Holy Lotus Sect, to officially integrate its forces once it reached a certain scale.
Since Mo Li and Meng Qi were not truly men of the martial world, they thought not with the logic of Jianghu but considered the political situation and the broader state of affairs. They were well aware of the temperaments of scholars, so when they heard that Mr. Yin had left home years ago due to a quarrel with a friend to seek his fortunes, and now ended up in the Holy Lotus Sect, Mo Li immediately became suspicious.
Young Master Qiu’s uncle served the deposed Prince Ning of Yue, a choice befitting a scholar. Regardless of whether Prince Ning was incompetent or wise, the title of a royal family of a former dynasty carried an air of legitimacy. Compared to the Holy Lotus Sect, it was like heaven and earth.
Mr. Yin’s encounter with an old friend’s nephew exposed his identity, leaving him disoriented and ashamed, wishing he could hide away. So the question arises, if Mr. Yin truly despised the Holy Lotus Sect, why would he remain there?
Forced to stray here?
Even so, Mr. Yin had just confessed that he mingled among the gentry of Chen County in Yuzhou, gathering intelligence for the Holy Lotus Sect and, when necessary, acting as a liaison for financial transactions. A man capable of such deeds surely had numerous opportunities to escape the Holy Lotus Sect’s control.
Even if he feared being hunted down for betraying the Holy Lotus Sect, there were ways to fake his death and hide his identity!
Mo Li did not possess Meng Qi’s breadth of experience and knack for understanding human nature, but he excelled in observing and listening.
Since his capture, Mr. Yin had been feigning ignorance from last night to this morning, revealing nothing useful. However skilled he was at deception, he could not maintain his composure when things went awry, especially after discovering that Branch manager Liang had ordered archers to fire; he had made no attempt to alter the situation, only seeking to protect himself. This was a cunning man, devoid of affection for the followers of the Holy Lotus Sect, with only rage in his eyes, not the pain and resentment of betrayal.
This revealed a lot.
Faced with Meng Qi’s jesting, Mo Li silently climbed onto the carriage and quickly placed three fingers on Mr. Yin’s wrist.
Various minor ailments, harbored resentments, some liver imbalance.
Mo Li wasn’t aiming to treat Mr. Yin’s illnesses; he wanted to know if the man was under the control of gu poison.
The kind of poison discussed by storytellers, which supposedly acts once a year, is actually gu. Real poisons aren’t so miraculous; none allow a person to be vibrant all year and then suddenly manifest symptoms, which then can be stabilized with medication. Chronic poisons requiring constant medication do exist, but consuming antidotes too late is futile as the body is daily depleted, and the symptoms become very apparent. Unless one is locked away without access to a good doctor, it’s entirely possible to secretly find someone to prepare a remedy.
Even unique poisons, while not curable, can have their symptoms alleviated.
For a divine healer, as long as the poison isn’t immediately lethal, there’s always a chance of recovery. The real trouble is gu.
——Its concealment is strong; when the gu worm is dormant, it’s hard to detect, and it’s difficult to treat when it acts, as no amount of medication or acupuncture can ensure the creature inside the body doesn’t move erratically.
This time, Mo Li examined Mr. Yin’s pulse carefully and seriously, confirming he wasn’t affected by gu.
Thus, the explanation that Mr. Yin was forced to serve the Holy Lotus Sect due to gu poison was untenable.
This scholar, truly disdainful of the Holy Lotus Sect, yet compelled to serve diligently, why was that?
Mo Li hoped he was overthinking, and he turned back to find Branch manager Liang.
Meng Qi originally wanted to say something, but seeing Mo Li’s actions, he silently swallowed his words.
Watching the increasingly stern Dr. Mo, Meng Qi felt conflicted. Whatever suspicions Mo Li could conceive, he could too; yet he didn’t want Mo Li to worry over this matter. Meng Qi planned to pass it off with jesting and investigate the Holy Lotus Sect’s true nature in secret.
Just as Mo Li gradually understood Meng Qi, Meng Qi also gained a deeper understanding of Mo Li.
His beloved, perfect in every way, so much so that he almost wanted to prepare a generous gift for Qin Lu.
This is not to say that Mo Li has no flaws; everyone has shortcomings, and dragons are no exception.
Mo Li’s flaw is a common issue among dragons; he subconsciously separates his territory from the rest of the world. It’s not arrogance, but rather a fundamental inability to see them as connected; his home is always different. Moreover, having “been a person” for too short a time, Mo Li has spent his over twenty years in the remote Zhushan County. Not just Mo Li, but anyone from Zhushan County would likely have the illusion that “though the world may be in chaos, our homeland remains a peaceful haven.”
Furthermore, with the divine healer and poison vulture, two great masters stationed in Zhushan County, petty thieves are not worth mentioning.
But is it truly unworthy of concern?
The great currents of the world are like a raging torrent; no one can guarantee they can escape unscathed. The more one sees of the world, the clearer this becomes. Mo Li is at a critical juncture of realization; if at this point he begins to suspect the person behind the Holy Lotus Sect and slowly realizes the potential dangers to Zhushan County, he might fall into a demonic barrier.
This kind of barrier is something all dragons experience, manifesting as losing one’s reason and refusing to leave home, paranoid and seeing threats in every shadow, seeing any danger as a reason to drive it away.
On one hand, Meng Qi feels that Mo Li wouldn’t do this, as Qin Lu has taught him too well; sometimes Mo Li’s human characteristics even surpass his dragon nature.
Ah, being a dragon isn’t bad, it’s just that sometimes they can be foolish.
Calling it a sickness would work too; it’s a kind of stubborn unreasonableness, the type that not even a hundred oxen could pull back.
Meng Qi has had his own share of hardships, which he does not wish for Mo Li to experience.
Even if there’s only a slight possibility, he would not want it.
This is the difference in how he treats juniors and his beloved. For juniors, he hopes they face many challenges and grow a lot. For his beloved, it’s about taking on burdens quietly without a word, playing dumb, occasionally willful and capricious, living however they wish to strut.
Ah, this troublesome and inexplicable Holy Lotus Sect!
Meng Qi rubbed his forehead and said in a low voice, “Doctor, right now, we are only speculating and have no concrete evidence. Our speculations are also based on Mr. Yin’s reactions; what if he has some unspeakable secret?”
Mo Li did not understand.
Meng Qi, arms crossed, said: “What if he’s infatuated with a woman within the Holy Lotus Sect?”
They stood in front of Branch manager Liang, and the seriously injured Branch manager Liang almost rolled his eyes.
Mo Li’s mouth twitched, but he did not refute Meng Qi.
“Doctor, it’s hard to predict human affairs. Some people are just unpredictable because they spend their lives doing foolish things, and utterly senseless ones at that. Perhaps Mr. Yin is one of those people?” Meng Qi earnestly exercised his ability to tease and cajole.
Mo Li glanced at Branch manager Liang, unclear whether Meng Qi was deceiving the enemy or trying to fool him.
The power behind the Holy Lotus Sect, Branch manager Liang might not know, but they still needed to pry open a gap from Mr. Yin.
Before he could finish the thought, a furious shout came from a distance.
It was Young Master Qiu’s voice, mixed with the clanging of weapons.
Mo Li realized something was wrong; Meng Qi had already grabbed Branch manager Liang and asked coldly, “Do you have more people lying in ambush nearby?”
Branch manager Liang was shocked, immediately denying it.
“You go and check; I’ll keep an eye on Mr. Yin.” Mo Li turned and headed towards the carriage.
Meng Qi dropped Branch manager Liang, and just as he was about to use his light-footed skills, he saw a group of black-clothed men chasing after Young Master Qiu.
Young Master Qiu’s martial skills were somewhat inadequate; although he knew some sophisticated techniques and was not weak, his lack of experience in the jianghu showed, as he was awkward in combat, unsure of his next moves, especially when facing a group of masked assassins who fought like frenzied tigers.
Blade for blade, life for life.
Young Master Qiu was forced to retreat again and again, eventually having to flee with his sword.
Meng Qi repelled the two fastest pursuers and rescued Young Master Qiu.
Apparently frustrated, Young Master Qiu did not run away upon being rescued, but instead picked up his sword, ready to settle scores with any assassin he could isolate. Suddenly, a flash of purple brilliance and a piercing wind made him turn his head to dodge, and when he opened his eyes again, the assassins were collapsing one by one, each with deep wounds on their legs and arms, the cuts bone-deep.
“Such a fast sword…”
Young Master Qiu was dumbfounded, recognizing the kind of weapon that could leave such marks.
It was a very narrow, extremely sharp sword.
Young Master Qiu was utterly unable to discern where Meng Qi had concealed his sword.
Suddenly, Mo Li’s stern shout came from not far away.
“Retreat!”
Meng Qi reacted extremely quickly; in fact, he had already smelled sulfur.
These black-clad assassins were carrying explosive compounds from the Thunderclap Hall, or something similarly lethal, originally sealed in wax within bamboo containers, undetectable until they chose to strike.
Branch manager Liang, terrified, flipped over, desperately trying to flee.
Meng Qi had two choices: one was to use his profound internal energy to blast the assassins and their explosives away; the other was to run.
He chose the latter without hesitation because it was safer, and he didn’t want to upset Mo Li.
Meng Qi tapped his toes on the ground, retreating rapidly, and in the process, grabbed Young Master Qiu by the arm.
The ground shook, and the noise was deafening. Meng Qi’s expression changed abruptly as he heard the commotion behind him, realizing the explosives were far more powerful than he had anticipated, and even the carriage where Mo Li was, was not safe. He didn’t have time to speak, only to throw Young Master Qiu forward and push the carriage aside before a rolling cloud of thick smoke enveloped him, swallowing his form.
Young Master Qiu, not yet landed, was harshly slapped by the explosive force generated in mid-air, and like a kite with its string cut, he was sent flying.
Blood spilled from his nose and mouth, and he passed out.
The carriage shattered into pieces, and Mr. Yin was thrown from it, landing headfirst with unfortunate timing. Sharp shards of rock also pierced his chest, and by the time Mo Li saw him, it was too late to save him.
“Neigh!”
The horses, spooked, bolted wildly.
The carriage was destroyed, with pieces of wood and reins still trailing from the horses.
Mo Li could not concern himself with the horses or even check Young Master Qiu’s injuries; his mind was in turmoil, a blank from the shock, and he instinctively rushed into the thick smoke.
“Cough, cough.”
Choked by the smoke, Mo Li remembered to hold his breath.
“Brother Meng?”
“Meng Qi?”
Mo Li’s voice was steady; he knew Meng Qi’s capabilities. Meng Qi would have avoided the most dangerous areas, and the residual effects and flying debris should have been something he could withstand. Yet Mo Li felt a deep unease, as if a piece of him was missing.
–It was he who had heard Young Master Qiu fighting the assassins and had told Meng Qi to check it out.
He had sent Meng Qi.
A casual remark, an unexpected turn.
How did it come to this?
Mo Li suddenly stopped; he had stepped on something.
Quickly looking down, as the smoke gradually cleared, Mo Li barely made out a familiar boot, surrounded by a mess of clothes nearly buried under stones.
“…”
The pile of rocks on the ground shifted, and a dusty head emerged.
The beady black eyes of a mouse met Dr. Mo’s gaze.
Mo Li quickly cleared the rocks, revealing the gerbil unharmed, hiding in a hastily dug hole.
It seems it had dug too hastily, the hole not wide enough, and now its belly was stuck, struggling to dig its way free.
Author’s Note:
Meng Qi: Use internal energy as a barrier to protect against explosive impact and deadly debris? No, no, I choose the safer option, like reverting to my original form and digging a hole.
——————–
Mouse: …What’s happening?
It fluttered its short claws, unable to reach the sand and debris near its belly.
