Walking in the cycle of reincarnation

Chapter 14 Internal Strife

Meng Shi recounted Zhang Nanfeng's story to Meng Cang in detail, leaving nothing out.

After saying this, he pressed Meng Cang for details, wanting to know Zhang Nanfeng's background.

After hearing the whole story, Meng Cang pondered for a moment and finally shook his head slowly.

"I don't know either."

He looked up and met Meng Shi's gaze, asking gently:

"Have you spoken to the second son about this?"

A look of inner conflict flashed across Meng Shi's face, his Adam's apple bobbed several times, and he answered truthfully:

"Just now... I was coming from my second brother's place."

"oh?"

Meng Cang raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips as he pressed on:

"What did he say?"

"Second Brother said, one more won't make a difference..." Meng Shi replied in a muffled voice, feeling helpless.

Upon hearing this, Meng Cang suddenly burst out laughing.

Before the laughter had even subsided, he slammed his hand on the table, causing everything on it to tremble.

"idiot!"

His cursing came abruptly, startling Meng Shi.

"Send men to search! We must retrieve that poison!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Shi was taken aback, then his face showed difficulty, and he cupped his hands in admonition:

"Eldest brother, second brother is the clan leader. He has the final say in all personnel allocation within the clan. If we don't inform him... it might break the rules."

Upon hearing this, Meng Cang immediately rebuked him:

"Second son? He doesn't even deserve that title!!"

He walked a few steps to the window, turned his back to Meng Shi, and his shoulders heaved as if he was suppressing his anger.

After a long while, he turned around, his anger gone, leaving only a chill on his face.

"Third brother, do you think my trip was just for sightseeing?"

Meng Shi was already sweating profusely, his heart filled with apprehension, and he dared not reply.

"My journey here is solely to thoroughly investigate why my Meng family was expelled from the Thirty-Six Caves back then!"

When discussing this matter, Meng Cang gritted his teeth, each word brimming with hatred.

"But after investigating thoroughly, it was discovered that it wasn't due to being ostracized at all. It was all Meng Lie's own initiative, leading the entire clan to retreat to this 'Boundary Marker Mountain'!"

Upon hearing this secret, Meng Shi's eyes darted around, his expression panicked, and he stammered for a long time without uttering a single word, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Meng Cang stared intently at him, his eyes flashing with undisguised sharpness.

"You already knew the inside story, didn't you?"

Meng Shi lowered his head and remained silent, which could be considered as tacit agreement.

Seeing this, Meng Cang was not angry, but only chuckled softly, revealing his melancholy and disappointment.

"I know why you insisted on sending Linhai to Dongzhou back then." He walked to Meng Shi's side, his tone calm, as if he were chatting casually.

"You simply want him to leave the Southern Frontier, to leave this increasingly precarious Meng family. But do you know what Lin Hai has been doing ever since we retreated to this Boundary Marker Mountain?"

How could Meng Shi not know about his own son's affairs? Yet he still stubbornly refused to answer.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Meng Cang looked disappointed and said to himself:

"He risked everything, continuously abducting people from the Eastern Continent for the Second Prince, handing them over to him. Over the years, the number of people he's handled has long exceeded one hundred. The Second Prince claims it's for his martial arts training. But who really knows the reason?"

"The second son is unworthy of the position of clan leader!"

Meng Cang raised his hand and pressed it heavily on Meng Shi's shoulder, looking directly into Meng Shi's eyes with a burning gaze.

"Third brother, if you help me seize power, firstly, the Meng family may be able to revive, and secondly... it can also help Linhai escape."

Meng Shi dared not meet his gaze, bowed his head in silence for a long time, and finally shook his head:

"Eldest brother, the clan chiefs of our second brother were personally chosen by Father before his death. He repeatedly instructed us brothers not to kill each other... Have you forgotten these instructions, eldest brother?"

Meng Cang did not reply.

He slowly raised his hand, and a layer of blue light emanated from his body.

As soon as the green light appeared, Meng Shi felt his breath catch in his throat, as if thousands of tiny snakes were crawling into his pores, or as if venom was flowing through his meridians, causing unbearable stinging pain.

Meng Shi was horrified and speechless:

"Brother, when...did you enter the Poison Body Realm?!"

Meng Cang smiled without saying a word, withdrew the green light, and stood with his hands behind his back.

"My father was blind back then," he said indifferently.

"As the eldest son, how could I not surpass my second son in both literary and martial arts? Yet he was biased! And what was the result? My Meng family has fallen to this state today."

He looked intently at Meng Shi again, speaking slowly and deliberately:

"Third brother, help me!"

But Meng Shi remained hesitant and refused to agree.

Knowing his third brother's character well, Meng Cang casually uttered a sentence.

"I have obtained the promise from the altar."

Upon hearing this, Meng Shi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"The altar promises to help me seize the position of clan leader," Meng Cang said resolutely. "Furthermore, it will allow the Meng family to return to the Thirty-Six Caves."

Meng Shi was struck dumb, his voice trembling with bewilderment:

"Why? The Holy Altar has never interfered in the conflicts between the cave tribes, so why suddenly...?"

Meng Cang smiled without saying a word, everything was understood without being spoken.

Seeing this, Meng Shi asked no further questions, immediately bowed, and his expression was resolute:

"Brother, please tell me what you need me to do."

"The matter of the clan chief is not urgent. Go and take stock of the clan members. Not many are needed, just trusted confidants... Let it go for today, and come with me into the mountains at dawn tomorrow."

Meng Shi acknowledged the order and withdrew, his steps lighter than when he arrived, yet heavier than usual.

......

Night fell, pressing down on the mountains.

In Mengjia Village, the lights of a thousand households rose one after another, layer upon layer, following the contours of the mountain. Inside the village, people drank and played drinking games, their boisterous shouts rising and falling, carried far away by the mountain wind.

Outside the village gate, several carts slowly entered the village, their wheels grinding heavily on the ground, leaving deep ruts. The goods on the carts were tightly wrapped in black cloth, blending into the night, making it impossible to discern their outlines or what goods were inside.

Perched atop the highest branch of a tree, Zhang Nanfeng lay quietly, taking in everything below.

The help he sought was this Mengjia Village.

The methods of cultivation and the use of poisonous insects for nourishment—these are two things. If he were to rely solely on himself, it would take countless years.

He knew that this village probably didn't offer him the immortal opportunities he sought. But so what? As long as he could get these people to gather poisonous insects for him to nourish himself, that would be another shortcut.

His confidence stemmed from these two supernatural abilities.

However, he pondered over and over how to deal with the Meng family, but for a time he was at a loss.

He looked down at his forelimbs.

The gold skin glowed brightly under the moonlight, making it particularly eye-catching.

After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly remembered encountering a green-skinned wild fruit while searching for poisonous fruit in the forest.

The pulp of this fruit is rotten; when applied to a stone, it can stain it brown, and the stain will not fade for several days. At the time, he thought it was useless, but now he realizes it is just right.

He climbed down the tree and followed his memory back into the depths of the forest. Before long, he had already caught several.

He squeezed out the juice and applied it all over his body.

The golden skin turned to earthy brown, and the purple spots turned to grime. At first glance, it was nothing more than an ugly toad with a well-proportioned body and long limbs, without any trace of its mystique.

His disguise was perfect. Zhang Nanfeng circled around to the outskirts of Mengjia Village, found a secluded spot, dug a hole, and curled up inside.

He closed his eyes and went through the illusion of the Myriad Poisons Transformation Realm in his mind again and again until he fell asleep.

The lights in the village went out one by one.

Only atop the highest pavilion, a single candle remained lit, like a lone eye in the night sky, coldly watching over everything in the southern borderlands.