CHAPTER 50

一 Battling Meng Po 一

She was a slender yet upright young woman, with striking and beautiful features. Her two sword-like eyebrows slanted sharply toward her temples, her skin was whiter than snow, her lips as red as cinnabar. A faint smile curled at the corners of her mouth, but her eyes shimmered with a chilling k!lling intent, exuding a deathly aura as heavy and gloomy as the Styx [River of the Underworld], sending a bone-deep chill through anyone who saw her.

Shifting her gaze from that dazzling red figure, she saw a large crowd serving as the background scenery.

"Sister Fuyi?" Tong Tong exclaimed happily. "You're here too?"

Not only Luqiu Fuyi, but also her little shadow, Ning Qinglian, the troublesome Meng Qianyao who gave Tong Tong and Su Yan headaches, Qiu Si, the pair they had conflicts with—Bai Jingjing and Liu Ya—along with a few unfamiliar young monks, all wearing identical expressions of bitterness, as if they had suffered injuries to varying degrees. Among them, the two from the Chonghua Sect were the most severely wounded—Bai Jingjing's right arm hung limply, while Liu Ya's shoulder bore a foot-long wound with dried bl0odstains, looking particularly terrifying.

"What happened?" Tong Tong glanced at the woman who stood smiling like a touch-activated NPC, then tiptoed toward Luqiu Fuyi. Using her hand as a shield, she whispered, "What's going on?"

She thought she was being discreet, but her actions drew everyone's attention. Her hushed whispers were especially clear among the group of experts, as if she were performing a one-person show.

The smile on the red-clad woman's lips grew more pronounced, but the k!lling intent in her eyes receded instead of intensifying, as if she were looking at a naive junior with tolerance and pity—noticing this, Su Yan furrowed her brow slightly, inwardly wary of her movements. Lu Xianrou, who also sensed something amiss, subtly stepped aside, observing her surroundings and contemplating the best escape route.

"Little Sister Tong..." Luqiu Fuyi sat cross-legged, forcing a smile at Tong Tong before her worried gaze immediately returned to Ning Qinglian, refusing to look away for even a moment. The latter was clutching her aching chest, offering a reassuring, gentle smile in return. Her clear eyes held an indescribable tenderness, making the usually proud young valley master nearly burst into tears.

—Why did she risk her life to block that palm strike for me? Clearly, her own cultivation isn't high—what was she trying to prove?

Thankfully, she reacted in time and pulled Ning Qinglian back from the brink of death. Otherwise, she would have perished under that red-clad woman's palm long ago.

Tong Tong gave a sympathetic glance at the weakened Ning Qinglian, slightly clicking her tongue. "Who injured her so badly?" Her eyes flickered toward the meditating young monks from Tianyin Temple, swept over the troublesome pair Bai Jingjing and Liu Ya, and she lowered her voice even further. "It wasn't the 'Little White Duck Duo' causing trouble for you, was it?"

Though she spoke softly and used a code name, everyone knew exactly whom she was referring to.

—Hey, hey! Don't just give people nicknames like that! If you're going to give one, at least make it sound imposing! What's with such a silly nickname?

She must be doing it on purpose...

Bai Jingjing glared angrily at Tong Tong's back but was met with a cold stare from Su Yan, forcing her to look away. Liu Ya's sinister gaze shifted under Lu Xianrou's calm, unreadable stare.

—Hmph! Always relying on others to bu1ly people! If you have the guts, don't hide behind someone else's back!

The pair of partners snorted coldly in unison in their hearts, both closing their eyes to continue circulating their energy and adjusting their breathing.

"It was Meng Po's doing, unrelated to the Chonghua Sword Cultivator." Luqiu Fuyi sighed, explaining to Tong Tong. "That woman in red is the one."

"Huh? You mean her? She's really Meng Po?" Tong Tong followed her gaze and turned to look back at the smiling woman in red, but was immediately intimidated by her aura. She awkwardly averted her eyes and turned back sheepishly—even so, she could still feel the piercing gaze on her back.

—Oh my god! This woman's stare is like an X-ray, as if it can see right through me. It's creeping me out...

"Wasn't Meng Po supposed to be an old woman in the legends? How can she be so young and beautiful?" Tong Tong asked with a serious expression.

The underlying meaning was—Don't joke around, dear! You must have mistaken her for someone else!

Unexpectedly, before Luqiu Fuyi could respond, the woman in red spoke up herself: "Hehe... I am Meng Po! Little sister, your mouth is so sweet. I really like honest children like you! Since you have such good judgment, if you leave now, I might consider letting you go. Hehe..."

"Hiss—" Tong Tong felt a chill run down her spine and nearly bit her tongue—not because of the blatant threat, but because of the woman's sharp, piercing laughter—Sis! Are you a hen or something? That laugh ruins your whole image!

She thought she was a beauty, but it turns out she's more like a madam... What a sharp contrast, and it's not cute at all!

"What if I say no?" Startled by the laughter, Tong Tong somehow mustered the courage to ask, even though she knew she couldn't possibly match the woman's overwhelming presence.

—Well, anyway, Senior Brother's poison has been cured, his internal energy is restored, and Junior Sister Little Lu seems pretty strong too. With two against one, even the toughest boss can be taken down. Why should I be afraid of this fake Meng Po?

In Tong Tong's mind, the deeply ingrained image of Meng Po was that of a frail, kind-hearted old woman with white hair. No matter how beautiful the woman in red might be, she couldn't shake off the label of "imposter"—especially since there was something eerie and sinister about her appearance. Plus, she had injured Fuyi, whom Tong Tong was close to, making it hard for her to feel any goodwill toward her.

"Little Tong, don't let your pride get the better of you. You're no match for her." Before the self-proclaimed Meng Po could react, Luqiu Fuyi grabbed her arm, shaking her head in warning. "All of us were injured by her—wounded by our own sect's secret techniques."

—It wasn't that she looked down on Tong Tong or Su Yan behind her, but she knew all too well that even she herself wasn't confident of defeating this ghostly woman. If Qinglian hadn't taken that palm strike for her at the critical moment, and if she hadn't detoxified in time, she would have been the one lying here.

She believed that Su Yan, whose strength was on par with hers, didn't have the ability to defeat this opponent either.

"Why? Is she really that strong?" Tong Tong covered her mouth and whispered.

"Not just strong..." Luqiu Fuyi mimicked her, covering her mouth as she whispered back. "She's incredibly strong."

"Huh?" Hearing this, Tong Tong glanced furtively at Meng Po, only to meet her bewitching smile—her pearly white teeth somehow exuding a sinister aura, making Tong Tong's heart race in fear. She hurriedly turned back.

"Hehe..." Tong Tong's reaction delighted Meng Po, prompting her to let out her unique laughter once more.

Su Yan and Lu Xianrou exchanged a glance, both sensing something unusual in that laughter—the frequency was nearly identical, arranged in a specific rhythm to form a certain melody, as if it could control one's mind, causing them a momentary dizziness. Strangely, Tong Tong seemed unaffected, which puzzled them and heightened their vigilance.

"What if we all rush her at once? Could we still not defeat her?" Tong Tong asked with a furrowed brow.

"Didn't you notice her laughter can bewitch people's minds?" Luqiu Fuyi asked in surprise.

"Huh? Really? I didn't feel it... I just found it annoying, but not dizzy or weak..." Tong Tong thought for a moment and shook her head.

—Are you kidding? Feeling dizzy just from hearing laughter? It's not like she's a siren or a mermaid... Since when did Meng Po's skills become so advanced?

"If multiple people attack, she uses her laughter to restrain them. But in a sect-style battle, she seems to know everyone's trump card like a prophet, often catching us off guard before we even strike..." Luqiu Fuyi explained with a bitter smile.

"Oh..." Tong Tong nodded thoughtfully, but her mind wandered—I heard Tianyin Temple has a secret technique called the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt? How would she counter that? By comparing whose muscles are tougher? And would she have to take off her clothes...

Just as Tong Tong uncontrollably drifted into her imagination, Meng Po spoke impatiently, "Alright, my patience is wearing thin. Since you know you can't defeat me, just obey and save yourselves the pain."

"Hmph." Su Yan's willow-like brows furrowed as she was about to draw her sword, but Lu Xianrou beside her swiftly pressed her hand down—casting a cold glance, she saw the other silently shake her head. Though displeased, Su Yan restrained herself and withdrew her hand, waiting to see what would happen.

"What do you want?" Tong Tong asked, following her lead.

"The rules are simple. I'll provide you with two pills—a Poison pill and an Oblivion pill. One takes your life, the other makes you forget everything. Choose one and swallow it, and you may cross the Naihe Bridge. Otherwise, turn back obediently." Meng Po tossed two identical pills casually as she spoke with a smile.

—Without the strength to defeat her, dreaming of passing through to seek treasure is nothing but wishful thinking!

Neither death nor forgetting is a result any cultivator would willingly choose. It could be said this is a dead end.

Of course, Tong Tong didn't see it that way.

She tilted her head, looking innocently at Meng Po and then at the pills in her hand, slowly walking toward her.

"What are you doing?" Su Yan stopped her, her voice cold.

"Taking a gamble." Tong Tong smiled confidently and winked at her discreetly.

"..." Frowning, Su Yan still stepped aside, keeping her eyes fixed on Tong Tong's back, her hand gripping her sword, ready to strike at any moment.

"Hmm... which one should I choose?" Tong Tong examined the pills in Meng Po's hand, resting her chin on her hand in thought. She then clenched her right fist and tapped her left palm. "Got it! Eeny, meeny, miny, moe..."

Everyone watched with exasperation as she seriously went through the selection process, finally pointing to the left pill. "This one!"

Excitedly, Tong Tong tapped the pill she had chosen, and under everyone's tense gazes—she picked up the right one.

—Hey! You clearly chose the left one! Were you just messing with us?

Even Lu Xianrou looked at her with a hint of surprise.

"Is she really going to eat it? Even if she doesn't die, what's the point if she loses her memory?" Bai Jingjing whispered to Liu Ya.

"Who knows what she's thinking!" Liu Ya forced a stiff smile, then simply closed his eyes and resumed meditating.

Just as Tong Tong picked up the pill and was about to put it into her mouth, and Su Yan was ready to strike it away with her sword, she suddenly stopped. Looking at Meng Po with a serious expression, she said, "Um... I don't know if this is poison or not. I might die soon, so before that, could you answer a question for me?"

Meng Po raised an eyebrow and replied with a smile, "I'll grant you this privilege."

Tong Tong beamed brightly. "A brain teaser! Listen carefully: If you go to the dentist, what's the one word the doctor will say?"

Meng Po chuckled. "Simple. He'll say, 'Ah—'"

In that split second, Tong Tong flicked her finger, and as Meng Po opened her mouth to speak, she shot the pill straight into it, landing perfectly inside...

"You! Thud—" That was the sound of Meng Po collapsing to the ground.

"..." That was the stunned crowd.

"Looks like it was poison after all... What terrible luck! Tsk tsk, good thing I didn't eat it. Hmm!" Tong Tong stroked her chin, speaking as if she were analyzing the situation seriously.

Then she flashed Su Yan a grin, brimming with a hint of pride, as if saying, "Praise me, praise me!"

Su Yan didn't hold back, gently patting her head and praising, "Well done."

Thus, with Tong Tong's involvement, the group safely crossed the Naihe Bridge—in a jaw-dropping manner and with an outcome that left them both amused and exasperated.

After everyone had moved on to the next challenge, the red-clad woman lying on the ground suddenly opened her eyes. She brushed off nonexistent dust from her clothes, smiled playfully, and tossed the remaining pill into her mouth, chewing it like candy.

Her red sleeves fluttered lightly as her figure gradually faded, along with the dark river and the broken bridge, dissolving into the light and shadows as if the scene had never existed.

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