Looking to the Thirteen Rivers

Chapter 181

Qunfangyuan is the largest tavern in Jinhuai City. There are no girls to accompany the wine, only buskers who play the piano and sing music.

The moonlight was clear tonight, and the street market was bright even without lights. Fu Cen was sitting alone in the private room on the second floor. He had already drunk most of the night, and he seemed as stable as Mount Tai, as if he was not drunk at all.

A carriage was parked downstairs, and Butler Zhao was sitting in the carriage restlessly. He had urged Fu Cen many times before to return home, but the accompanying servants stood stiffly in the cold wind and kept moving. Butler Zhao hesitated for a while and said: "Go up and see how the landlord is doing, it will be dawn in two hours, go and invite him out quickly. You drink like this day and night, Madam's place is hard to explain!"

The servants got the order and rushed into the tavern to look for Fu Cen. Butler Zhao got out of the carriage, and after a while he heard Fu Cen's angry shout from above his head. Several servants were pushed down from the second floor by him. The person fell off his back, ouch.

After Fu Cen had drunk, he couldn't control his strength. No one could hold him back when he exerted his strength. Fortunately, these young men had all learned martial arts from Steward Zhao, so there was nothing wrong with them falling, but neither Dare to go upstairs again.

Housekeeper Zhao said "What is the proper way" three times in a row, so he had to go upstairs in person, and said earnestly: "Don't drink, sir, it's not peaceful in the building lately, Madam just got a slippery tire and still hurts my heart, you If you use wine to drown your sorrows, the child will not come back, so let's go back as soon as possible."

Fu Cen was depressed and had nowhere to talk. When staying in Mingyue Tower, he had to listen to his beautiful wife crying and mourning the spring and autumn all day long, and also listened to the people below commenting on Fu Xiang. He couldn't stay at home any longer. The gossip heard when walking around was even more ubiquitous. The Luo family and the officials took turns visiting the door day and night. Fu Cen was tired of coping, so he could only hide in the secret road during the day and see no one, and came out to find drinks at night , The life is very aggrieved.

Fu Cen looked calm on the surface, but he was actually already drunk. He sat down on Butler Zhao's shoulder, and said sadly: "It is said that the inside must be settled first when fighting against the outside world. How can I be safe inside? Xiang Although I don’t often praise that child, I’m especially strict with her, but in my heart I know better than anyone else that she is a talented person. Now that something like this happens, her future is about to be ruined , I'm not so bad at being a father that I don't care about her? But look, is she willing to tell me the truth? Sigh!"

Butler Zhao pushed the wine glass away from Fu Cen's hand and said, "Miss may have something to hide. In my opinion, since she has chosen to be private, she also said that if she leaves, it will be good for Mingyue Tower. Why not let her in? Now we all know that she was deliberately framed by someone. Some people don't want her to stay in Mingyue Tower, so let the lady go. Landlord, you have to think about everything, and the lady will leave regardless of her future. The forces behind that may not even be able to offend our Mingyue Building, and this matter has been dragged on for so long, not to mention anything else, it is time for the Luo family to give an explanation."

Fu Cen listened to him patiently, but finally couldn't hold back his anger, and raised his voice and said, "What are you talking about? Knowing that my child was framed, I did what that person wanted and kicked Xiang'er away." Leaving the house? You can do this, but I, Fu, can't do it!"

"Isn't this forced by the situation?" Housekeeper Zhao said, "If Miss is not allowed to leave the Fu family, then she has to be handed over to the Luo family. There are only two options. How long will you last? Sooner or later There will be a day that I can't bear."

Fu Cen couldn't hear it, but he couldn't refute it, so he asked after a while, "I asked you to find the servant girl's family, where is he?"

Butler Zhao said: "The whole family has moved, and they have long since disappeared. There is nowhere to look for them."

Fu Cen had an evil fire in his chest, grabbed the wine jar and drank most of it in one gulp. Seeing this, Butler Zhao persuaded and persuaded Fu Cen, and the master and servant helped each other out In Qunfang Courtyard, the servants immediately lifted the curtains, and sent the drunk Fu Cen back to Mingyue Tower before dawn.

Recently, everyone in the building knew about Fu Cen's getting drunk. His disciples had already gotten used to it, so no one was alarmed.The servants helped Fu Cen back to the study, but did not go to the bedroom. Butler Zhao ordered the two servant girls to undress him, wipe his face hastily, and Fu Cen kicked everyone out without anyone serving him.He was carrying a jug, and sat alone in front of the window drinking with the bright moon, so drunk that he didn't know what day or night it was.

It's cool in the evening, and the coldness in the spring night is worse than that in the midwinter, and it's cold to the bones.Fu Cen was blown by the endless cold wind, and his brain was almost turned into a paste, but even so, the hearing and senses that he had practiced for many years did not disappear due to drunkenness. When there was a sudden sound of light footsteps, Fu Cen dropped the flagon almost in the blink of an eye. At the same time, he turned around and attacked backwards. With a throat-locking hand, he grabbed a section of his white and slender body very quickly and forcefully. neck.

There was no light in the room, and the moonlight came over the window, clearly reflecting who the unexpected guest in front of me was.

Fu Cen narrowed his eyes slightly, and it took a little effort to see who was coming. His hands froze, and he said in surprise, "...Master Meng, why did you break into my Mingyue Tower in the middle of the night?"

Meng Wugui stood with her hands behind her back, her stature was almost the same as Fu Cen's. The corners of her lips hidden under the veil were slightly curved, and she said in a friendly way: "Mr.

Although Fu Cen and her are not close friends, they have had some friendship over the years, so he immediately let go and apologized: "I'm sorry, I was a little confused when I was drunk, and I offended you for a while. .”

"Mr. Fu's skills are extraordinary. This trick of locking the throat is fast, precise and ruthless. It has made me gain insight."

Meng Wugui's neck was pinched red, but his expression was calm, as if he was not afraid of Fu Cen's move.

"Master Mengtang is absurd, your Jiuxiantang martial arts are superb, what is my petty skill?" Fu Cen turned around and took a new wine glass, "There is no tea in the room, only wine, Mengtang Since the Lord came to see me at this time, he must have something important to discuss, why don't you sit down and have a drink?"

Meng Wugui looked at him for a while, and saw that Fu Cen looked normal on the surface, but his footsteps were vain and his hands trembled slightly.Meng Wugui smiled and said: "You don't have to drink wine. Time is limited, so I won't go around with you. I'm here for Ling Ai. If Mr. Fu wants to keep his daughter, would you like to come with me?"

Hearing this, Fu Cen's face suddenly showed a bit of joy: "Why, Hall Master Meng also knows about that evil thing?"

Meng Wugui's eyes flickered, and his eyebrows were kind: "It has been spread all over the rivers and lakes, so I naturally heard about it. I came to Mr. Fu tonight to give you good news. I caught that maid who fled in fear of crime. She is currently locked up in a village on the outskirts of the city. I have tortured her, and she admitted that she was instigated by others. After thinking about it, I feel that this is not an easy matter, so it is not easy to come here during the day You can only come in the dead of night, if Master Fu wants to turn passive into active, as few people as possible know about it, the better."

Fu Cen wondered, "You caught him? Do you recognize that girl?"

"It's not that I recognize it, it's my apprentice who has the ability to remember people with a photographic memory." Meng Wugui said, "That girl fled to Weicheng, where our Nine Immortals Hall is located, and you sent the whole Mingyue Lou, I'm afraid I won't be able to catch her, but fortunately my apprentice recognized her at a glance, so I captured her and escorted her all the way here."

"Okay...Okay!" Fu Cen was overjoyed, walked back and forth a few steps, and said with a smile on his face, "Does anyone else know?"

"Not for the time being," Meng Wugui stared at him without revealing any trace, "This matter involves a lot, and it's not as simple as it appears on the surface. Someone has plotted against Mingyue Tower. Of course, I can't let people know about it." The girl has been caught by me. Although this matter has nothing to do with Jiuxiantang, I have a lot of contacts with you, Master Fu, and Mingyue Tower is in crisis now, so naturally I can't just sit idly by."

Fu Cen was dazed by the sudden good news, and the melancholy of the past few days was immediately resolved. He used his internal force to force out a lot of alcohol in his body, in exchange for a bit of sobriety.Fu Cen said: "Okay, please trouble Master Meng to lead the way, I'll go there and interrogate that girl myself!"

Meng Wugui smiled slightly, turned sideways and said: "You can't go through the main entrance, let's go through the window, Mr. Fu has been drunk, but can he move freely?"

"No problem!" Fu Cen waved his hand, and immediately jumped onto the windowsill and jumped down.

Meng Wugui looked at his back, and turned his head to give Afu who was hiding in the dark a look. Afu understood, and immediately turned out of another window and rushed back to the suburbs ahead of time.

In less than a stick of incense, the two left the city and came to the gate of a quiet village in the deep mountains and dense forests on the outskirts.

Fu Cen traveled all the way, forcing the alcohol in his body to almost run out. Seeing that the village was so remote, and there was no candle in it, it was obviously abandoned for a long time, but it seemed to have been cleaned and rectified, so he asked: "May I ask when Hall Master Meng arrived in Jinhuai City?"

Meng Wugui pushed the door, walked ahead to lead the way, and replied: "It's been two days, this place was a dilapidated village, I was afraid that people would notice if I brought people into the city rashly, so I ordered the accompanying disciples to clean up the place for a while. Fan, let’s use it as a residence for the time being. I wanted to meet you earlier, but I haven’t found the right time, please come here.”

Fu Cen has been drinking at Qunfangyuan almost every night these days, except for tonight, every time he returns to Mingyue Tower, there are a large group of people serving him, and there are people guarding outside the door, so it is difficult to find him when he has nowhere to go.Fu Cen thought of this floor, felt suspicious, and quickly walked into the hall following Meng Wugui.

Hearing the movement, the resting disciples hurried out to light the lamps, and greeted Fu Cen with fists together.Fu Cen said impatiently: "Where is the person, where is the person?"

Meng Wugui stepped aside, opened the bead curtain for him, and said quietly: "Lying down."

It was pitch black inside, and the light from the outer hall could not penetrate, so Fu Cen could only see a figure lying on the bed.

"I forgot to tell you something," Meng Wugui said behind him, "This girl has a strong temper, and she knows that she will end badly if she falls into my hands, so she has seized the opportunity to seek death in the past two days. She hit the wall and was seriously injured, if Mr. Fu wants to ask questions, he has to go up to her and ask her."

The night was dark and the mountain wind was even colder. Looking at the figure, Fu Cen suddenly felt a little suspicious for some reason.He glanced at Meng Wugui, and the other party's eyes were calm, his posture was dignified, and he was not afraid to look at him.

Fu Cen frowned slightly, and hesitated for a moment at the spot, and did not urge Meng Wugui, just quietly waiting for him to leave.Not long after, I saw Fu Cen showing a little smile again, raised his legs and walked in, but he didn't walk a few steps, but he suddenly turned around and attacked Meng Wugui.

No one in the whole hall saw clearly how he drew the sword. The disciples only felt a cold light flash in their eyes, and the tip of the sword in Fu Cen's hand had already reached Meng Wugui's heart.

Seeing this situation, the expressions of the disciples changed, and they immediately showed their weapons one after another, and quickly surrounded them.

Meng Wugui was so calm. Seeing this, instead of dodging, he waved his hands to signal his disciples to back down. He looked at Fu Cen with a smile and said, "What is Master Fu doing?"

Fu Cen looked at her with a faint smile: "Master Meng, I was drunk tonight, but I was not so drunk that I lost my soul. You used a dead person to deceive me to this point, what do you want to do?"

Meng Wugui's eyes turned, and she laughed three times when she heard the words: "Dead?" She said, pushing the bead curtain aside again, and raised her chin, "It's a good thing that Master Fu acted cautiously, but it's true that I have never returned to Meng Wugui." It’s a good intention, if you take a closer look, is it a dead person or a living person?”

Fu Cen's eyes were sharp, and he didn't turn his head immediately. He looked at Meng Wugui for a while, and finally turned his head slightly to look inward. He saw that the figure on the bed seemed to have moved twice. One hand was hanging by the bed at this moment, and the fingers were still twitching slightly.

"A dead person can't do this kind of action." Meng Wugui put two fingers together, clamped the tip of the sword on his heart, and slowly pushed away, "Mr. Fu, don't waste time. If you have something to ask, ask someone earlier. If you realize that you are not in Mingyue Tower, if someone follows the trail, things will be bad."

Fu Cen changed his mind and thought a lot in this short time.He wandered his eyes, and laughed at the moment when he saw Meng Wugui: "Little temptation, don't blame Hall Master Meng, there is a storm in Mingyue Tower, I've been like a warlord recently, and I'm a bit wary of everyone in my heart , if there is any disrespect, please forgive me, Hall Master Meng."

"It's easy to say," Meng Wugui also smiled, "but as the saying goes, there is no free lunch in the world. I helped Mr. Fu this time, and if you are wronged in the future, Mr. Fu will owe me a favor. Do me a favor instead."

Hearing what she said, Fu Cen felt in his heart that Meng Wugui was not so kind just to help him, she was asking for something, and wanted to use this matter in exchange for him.

In normal times, Fu Cen would actually disdain such actions, which is no different from taking advantage of the fire.But in the current extraordinary period, he didn't mind much, and because he believed that the dream of returning home was beneficial to him, he also dispelled some of the doubts in his heart.

Fu Cen thought somewhat conceitedly: Even if Meng Wugui really deceived him with a ulterior motive, what can she do with him as a woman and a few young disciples who are not of the highest rank?

The two thought about each other, looked at each other with a friendly smile, Fu Cen put away his sword, and walked straight to the couch.

The distance was getting closer, but the face of the person on the bed was still unclear. Fu Cen paid attention to the movement behind him, bent down and clasped the wrist of that hand.

No pulse.

Fu Cen sneered secretly, and after a closer look, he found that the hand was wrapped with a very thin thread, and he didn't know where it was connected. As long as someone was controlling it at the other end, this hand could create the illusion that it could still move just now. .

Fu Cen's face turned cold, but he pretended to be okay, and put his hand back on the man's waist very naturally, while calling the maid's name in a low voice, while preparing to give Meng Wugui a preemptive strike. .

However, before he could make a move, he heard a "click", and a crisp sound came from nowhere.Fu Cen's eyes darkened, and he immediately flew up to break through the roof to escape, but unexpectedly, just as he flew into the air, a heavy iron prison suddenly fell from above his head, blocking his way in an instant.

Fu Cen snorted, dizzy from being hit by the iron prison, he didn't have time to think about it, he quickly turned around and tried to dodge to the side before the iron prison covered him, but the sudden flow of arrows gave him a hard time Forced to go back, Fu Cen could only hastily raised his sword to resist, and had no choice but to fall back to the original place in the chaos.

The next moment, the iron prison fell from the sky and hit the ground like a heavy falling. Fu Cen was forced by the arrow and had nowhere to escape, and was trapped in the iron prison in an instant.

"The dream has no return!" Fu Cen cursed from his heart, "You poisonous woman! I have no grievances with you, why did you do this!"

As soon as his words fell, the disciples in the hall stopped shooting arrows. Meng Wugui chuckled twice, stood outside the bead curtain and whispered to him: "Although good wine is good, don't be greedy. Master Fu, If it was normal, this little trick of mine would not be able to attract you. I blame you for drinking too much and eager to save your daughter. You have fallen into my trap this time. No one can save you in this barren mountain... is you."

Fu Cen's heart was extremely cold, at this moment he couldn't help hating his conceit just now, he had committed a big taboo, he should never have underestimated women!

"What do you want!" Fu Cen clearly tried his best, but he couldn't shake the iron prison at all, so he could only shout at Meng Wugui, "It's you...it's you who killed Xiang'er! You are the one who really wants Deal with the people from Mingyue Building!"

"That's wrong," Meng Wugui said, "the murderer who framed Fu Xiang is someone else, but Mingyuelou, I have been thinking about Xiao for a long time."

Hearing what she said, Fu Cen became even more furious. Meng Wugui saw that he had begun to circulate his true energy in an attempt to break through the prison with his own strength. He couldn't help but sneered and said, "Don't waste your energy, this is a special trap made by Jiuxiantang. Long Prisoner, not to mention that my apprentice added soft incense powder to the wine you drank, even if you didn't eat it, it would not be easy to escape."

Long before the disciples set up institutions, Afu had already gone to Qunfangyuan and drugged the wine jars. Ordinary people who eat this soft incense powder will only feel listless, and they will be fine after a night of sleep.However, if a martial arts practitioner eats it, half of his skill will be weakened, and it will take three days to recover, but the effect is slow, and the onset is when the poisoned person uses his true energy.

When Fu Cen used his internal force to force out the drink, he had already noticed something was wrong on the road, but he didn't think much about it at the time, he just thought that he was dizzy and weak after drinking too much wine for a while.And now that he has practiced his skills, the effect of the medicine will come quickly. Fu Cen pushed the iron prison with all his strength, and after a while he felt flustered and short of breath, and the true energy in his body became more and more stagnant, and he couldn't control it at all.

The iron prison is square and square, all made of black iron, as soon as it fell to the ground, the locks buried under the floor tiles burst out under the force, fastening the square iron rods tightly, trying to get this thing alive Lifting it up is a fool's dream. If it is broken with bare hands, it is also a fantasy in Fu Cen's current state.

"Do you want to kill me?" Fu Cen laughed back angrily, but quickly calmed down, "Even if you kill me, Mingyue Tower cannot be yours, and even if I die here, you have no right to be a Up to the landlord!"

Meng Wugui approached him slowly, and said in a gentle voice: "You are wrong again, I never thought about being a landlord," she said, raising her hand to remove the veil, "A person who can be a landlord, from the beginning to the end. In the end, only your daughter Fu Xiang is the only one, don't you know? She is also my disciple, otherwise why do you think she can travel long distances back to Jinhuai City to find relatives? No one helped her, how could she find her?"

Seeing Meng Wugui's appearance, Fu Cen was surprised, and lost his voice: "You...you are Shen Mandong?" He was shocked, and after carefully looking at Meng Wugui for a while, he changed his words, "No, you are not Shen Mandong, you You look so similar to her, who are you?!"

"You don't have to know who I am, and who I am is not important to you," Meng Wugui laughed, "You just need to know that today you will never leave here alive."

After she finished speaking, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers. The disciples behind her immediately understood, walked to the wall and turned a lamp. Fu Cen felt his feet tremble, as if some mechanism was activated.He hastily grabbed the iron prison and hoisted himself in the air. With just a moment of effort, he saw that the place he was standing on suddenly collapsed, and there was actually a hole under the carpet, which had been hollowed out long ago.

"You—!" Fu Cen gritted his teeth, "You vicious woman with a vicious heart!"

Meng Wugui was indifferent to his abuse, but turned his head and called out: "What are you still doing? Come out."

The disciples stood aside one after another. Behind the crowd, Afu squatted in the corner holding her bow. Her eyes were red and swollen, although she was not crying.

"Kill him," Meng Wugui looked at Afu and said calmly, "This man is already a beast in a cage, and he can't make any splashes. You can either shoot him to death with an arrow, or kill him. When he falls down, the water below is mixed with corpse powder, and he will be dissolved into slag when he falls, and he can die however you want, it’s all up to you.”

Afu remained motionless, with panic and bewilderment in his eyes.

"Kill him!" Meng Wugui impatiently coaxed her to do it, and shouted sharply, "If you don't kill him, it proves that you and your senior sister are of the same mind. You listened to me before, and empty words don't count. , you have to prove it to me with actions, shoot the arrow!"

Afu couldn't help trembling all over, her lips and teeth were trembling, tears filled her eyes for a moment, but she didn't dare to flow out.She looked at Meng Wugui almost beggingly, and said in a hoarse voice: "Master... I, I can't do it..."

Meng Wugui's eyes were cold.

"Don't force me... Please!" Afu endured and endured, and couldn't help crying, "He is the father of the senior sister, how can I kill him? If I do it, I will become a Senior sister killed my father and enemy, so how will I face senior sister in the future? If she finds out, she will definitely kill me to take revenge!"

Meng Wugui said coldly: "You are only afraid that she will seek revenge on you, are you not afraid that I will clean up the house now?"

Afu's face was pale, and she said in grief: "You can deal with me whatever you want, just don't ask me to kill someone, especially this person. Master... I can't do this no matter what, please forgive me... I beg you!"

"It's useless!" Meng Wugui's voice was stern, "You must do it tonight. You should carefully consider whether you want him to be turned into a pool of stagnant water or leave him with a whole body. If you don't kill him, Mingyue Tower will be destroyed." It will never reach my hands, do you believe that Nangong Min already has a plan to deal with me? Your senior sister is weak and incompetent, and you will also chill my heart! If you insist on refusing to release the arrow this time, I will kill you first. Kill you!"

Afu was scared out of her wits by her, stuck in place unable to speak, desperate and helpless.

Meng Wugui stopped coercing and seducing her, she looked at Afu fixedly, her eyes gradually filled with undisguised killing intent.Afu had never seen Meng Wugui look at her like that. Her limbs were cold and her hair stood on end, so she could only tremblingly set up an arrow and draw the string, aiming at Fu Cen in the iron prison.

Fu Cen struggled for a long time, but there was no place for him to settle down. He hung himself above the pool, and looked at Afu with blazing eyes.

"Kill me...kill me!" Fu Cen shouted, "Let Xiang'er know that I died at your hands, she will never forgive you in this life! You will live in the condemnation of your conscience all your life , have been imprisoned by nightmares day and night, you have become a heinous sinner at a young age, and one day, you will also suffer retribution, and your death will be more miserable than mine!"

Afu was in a trance, and the bow and arrow in her hand fell to the ground. She cried again, raised her hand to cover her ears, and cried hoarsely: "No, no...! I won't kill you, I won't kill you I'm not going to kill anyone!"

Meng Wugui saw that she was reluctant to do anything for a long time, and was influenced by Fu Cen, her patience was completely exhausted.Meng Wugui smiled, and turned to look at the disciples beside him: "She is not willing, so what should you do?"

These disciples didn't have the slightest relationship with Fu Xiang, and they didn't have much contact with each other, so they wouldn't be as difficult to make a choice as Afu. They raised their bows and arrows again, and launched a second round of offensive against Fu Cen mercilessly.Fu Cen had already lost his sword, and he was holding on to the iron tightly with both hands to stabilize his figure. He couldn't spare any energy to dodge. He was hit hard by those sharp arrows, and the blood gushing out quickly stained his clothes red. robe.

"Meng Wugui! You will die!" Fu Cen was shot through the chest and back, spitting out blood, and he looked at Meng Wugui with wide eyes, "You are so vicious, you... you will sooner or later I'm going to hell! Let's see who the heavens spare, even if I'm a ghost, I won't—"

He didn't finish the rest of the sentence, Meng Wugui shot him in the heart with his own hands, and completely obliterated Fu Cen's last breath in the cage.

The room became quiet in an instant.

The disciples all stopped, and Afu still maintained the original movement. She looked at Fu Cen with red eyes, and she let out a heart-piercing scream after a long time.

"He's a man, he didn't let go until he died." Meng Wugui looked coldly at Fu Cen's death, but he still held on to the iron prison with both hands, "It's a pity that he didn't know that the pool was filled with clean water. , there is no corpse powder at all."

The disciples were overjoyed and laughed out loud.

"Congratulations hall master!"

"This time the Mingyue Tower is certain to win, the hall master has such a wonderful plan!"

"It's not too late, let's go and rescue that young landlord!"

……

"It's not in a hurry." Meng Wugui reset the mechanism, and the floor tiles in front of the bed were immediately closed. "We have to let the people in Mingyue Tower find out by themselves. You don't need to clean up this place, just keep it as it is."

Some disciples asked doubtfully, "Don't clean it up?"

Meng Wugui said: "That's right, don't clean up. I just want Fu Xiang to know that I killed Fu Cen." After she finished speaking, she walked up to Afu step by step and looked at her condescendingly, "As for You are so useless, it is meaningless for me to keep you by my side. From now on, the relationship between you and me will be severed, but don’t worry, I don’t want to kill you. The world is big and the earth is big, you can go wherever you want, But if you dare to ruin my affairs in the future, don't blame me for being merciless."

Afu looked at her in a daze, the face that had always been agile had lost the brilliance of the past, and it no longer had the willful clarity of the past.

Meng Wugui glanced at her, said nothing, and led the disciples out of the hall without looking back.

The house was in a mess, and the strong smell of blood filled every corner. Afu stared blankly at Fu Cen's body, and the words he said earlier were still echoing in his ears.

"One day, you will also suffer retribution, and your death will be more miserable than mine!"

The fabric of her clothes was drenched in cold sweat, and the cold wind hit. Afu kept shaking her hands, and burst into tears in this empty mountain village.