A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 579 Poison Master Hu Jin
Wu Mingfu led a group of bandits. Two bandits were escorting Old Man He, who was only wearing a single shirt and underpants, while Wu Mingfu was carrying the thin Duan Rong like a chick.

They moved swiftly through the dark mountain stronghold.

Wu Mingfu had already drunk a lot of alcohol, and now, with the cold wind blowing and the exertion of traveling back and forth, the effects of the alcohol kicked in, causing his head to throb with pain.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Li Tang's courtyard, Wu Mingfu, carrying Duan Rong in one hand and Old Man He in the other, strode into the room and threw the two men to the ground as soon as he entered.

Old Man He was still in relatively good health, and the fall to the ground did not cause him any serious injury. However, his eyes were somewhat panicked because he had already seen Li Tang lying on the ground not far away. Li Tang's face was bluish-black, and his eyes were wide open and empty, clearly indicating that he had died from poisoning.

Duan Rong fell to the ground and immediately saw Li Tang's corpse. He then lowered his head because, although the leader Meng Zongqiu was wearing a headscarf, Duan Rong could still keenly sense that the eyes in the shadow of the headscarf were staring at him.

Wu Mingfu stood there, letting out a burp, and pointed to the cold tofu on the table, saying, "Old He, the third son ate your food and died of poisoning. What do you have to say about that?"

Old Man He's face turned deathly pale. He hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Grandpa, Second Grandpa, I've been in this village for three years and have long considered it my home. How could I harm Third Grandpa? There must be some misunderstanding!"

The woman stood there, then suddenly shouted, "It wasn't you, it was that little brat! Anyway, Third Master got poisoned because he ate the food you sent."

Meng Zongqiu's eyes, hidden deep in the shadows of his headscarf, swept across the faces of Old Man He, Duan Rong, and the woman, not missing a single subtle expression. He was a seasoned veteran, having seen far too much of the world and human nature; if anyone's expression was even slightly unusual, he could immediately discern the truth.

The woman spoke with absolute certainty, clearly very confident in her judgment.

Firstly, she was quite certain that Li Tang had died from poisoning after eating that plate of cold tofu. Secondly, Meng Zongqiu had stood there silently after testing the tofu with a silver needle, which clearly corroborated her opinion.

But in fact, Meng Zongqiu remained silent because he wanted to observe the reactions of all parties involved and glean some clues from their on-the-spot responses.

Meng Zongqiu had initially suspected the woman the most, especially after testing the poison with silver needles, which made him even more convinced that she was making baseless accusations. However, the woman's resolute demeanor made him somewhat suspicious. This woman was only seventeen or eighteen years old, and had grown up in a village with a simple and honest folk culture. Even if she were lying, she couldn't possibly sound so sophisticated and worldly-wise.

Upon hearing the woman's words, Old Man He immediately said, "As far as I know, Third Master always tests the food delivered from the small kitchen for poison with a silver needle. How could he have been poisoned by the food?"

The woman then repeated what she had said before: while she was testing the poison, Second Master's men came to call Third Master over for a drink. After Third Master left, she didn't test the remaining dishes.

"This..." Old Man He couldn't help but be suspicious when he saw the woman say that, and since Li Tang had indeed died of poisoning in the room. Could the food really be poisoned? As he thought this, Old Man He couldn't help but glance at Duan Rong beside him. After all, besides him, Duan Rong was the only one who had handled the food at Third Master's place.

Old Man He's expression changed, and Meng Zongqiu's eyes, hidden deep in the shadow of his headscarf, couldn't help but twitch.

Duan Rong noticed the expression on Old Man He's face and immediately said, "Old Man He, what a coincidence! She just didn't test it this time, and it just so happens that it was poisoned, and Third Master just happened to eat it and died. I just can't believe it!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Zongqiu suddenly looked at Duan Rong and asked, "Boy, are you sure there's no poison in that dish?"

Meng Zongqiu stared intently at Duan Rong, paying attention to the subtle changes in his expression.

Duan Rong said, "Of course. Elder He wouldn't poison anything, and I didn't poison anything either, so how could there be poison in the food?"

Old Man He's eyes lit up at this moment, and he said, "You little girl, you're talking nonsense, and you've left me completely bewildered. Duan Rong is right, what are the odds of such a coincidence in this world?!"

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. She suddenly realized she had overlooked something. If they had truly poisoned her, how could they have known she wouldn't test for poison today? Even she herself didn't know. She then realized that what she had thought was an impeccable truth, a conclusion drawn from the past, had crumbled in an instant.

“This…” The woman’s face flushed, and her eyes flashed with a reflective light.

Meng Zongqiu stood there, observing the woman's reaction, and then fell into deep thought. His initial assertion and his current contemplation were not feigned.

To Meng Zongqiu's surprise, based on his experience in the martial arts world, none of the three men were the ones who had poisoned the poison!

So who was it that poisoned Li Tang?
After listening for a while, Wu Mingfu's throbbing head cleared up a bit, and he said, "Why don't you three use silver needles to test that dish and see what happens?"

As Wu Mingfu spoke, he was about to go over and inspect the vegetables.

"No need!" Meng Zongqiu suddenly called out to him.

Wu Mingfu stopped and looked at Meng Zongqiu with suspicion.

Meng Zongqiu said, "I've already tested it, and the vegetable isn't poisonous!"

After saying this, Meng Zongqiu's gaze swept over the faces of Old Man He, Duan Rong, and the woman again. Old Man He and Duan Rong both breathed a sigh of relief, while the woman was stunned by Meng Zongqiu's words. She had always thought that Meng Zongqiu's silence after inspecting the dish was because he was right; the dish was indeed poisoned.

At this moment, Meng Zongqiu suddenly said that the dish wasn't poisoned, which greatly surprised the woman. She looked suspiciously at the plate of cold tofu on the table. Li Tang was clearly poisoned after eating that dish, so how could it not be poisoned?

Meng Zongqiu also saw the woman's final expression, especially the way she stared at the plate of cold tofu on the table for a long time. Meng Zongqiu felt that she was still suspicious and even suspected that he was lying. Sure enough, the woman looked up and gave Meng Zongqiu a suspicious look.

Meng Zongqiu pondered for a moment. If Old Man He, Duan Rong, and that woman didn't poison Li Tang, then how exactly did Li Tang die?
Meng Zongqiu suddenly turned to look at Wu Mingfu and said, "Second brother, why don't you go down the mountain?"

"Where to?" Wu Mingfu was slightly taken aback.

Meng Zongqiu said, "Go to Cangfang Town and invite Doctor Hu over."

The town of Cangfang is quite a distance from this mountain stronghold. What legitimate doctor would venture into a bandit's stronghold?

The doctor in Cangfang Town, named Hu Jin, was not only a physician but also a master of using and detoxifying poisons. Meng Zongqiu knew him when he was wandering the world in his early years. Later, when he became an outlaw, he would occasionally come into contact with him and ask him to treat his illnesses and detoxify him.

Firstly, they had some prior acquaintance, and secondly, Meng Zongqiu was generous. Gradually, the two became more familiar with each other, and this Doctor Hu would come to the mountain village several times a year.

"Yes, boss, I'll go right away." Wu Mingfu clasped his hands in a salute and strode into the night.

Meng Zongqiu was also in a dilemma. He couldn't figure out who had poisoned the old man, Duan Rong, and the woman. Since he couldn't discern anything from their reactions, he had no choice but to find Hu Jin, a master of poisons.

After all, although he knew that Li Tang had died of poisoning, he had no idea what kind of poison it was.

But if Hu Jin came over, he would definitely be able to tell.

Furthermore, poisoning inevitably leaves traces, and Hu Jin, skilled in using poison, might be able to find some clues.

After Wu Mingfu left, Meng Zongqiu suddenly said coldly, "Someone come here!"

Several bandits entered shortly afterward, wielding steel knives that gleamed coldly. One of them, a man with a scar on his face, called out, "Boss, what are your orders?"

Meng Zongqiu pointed at Old Man He, Duan Rong, and the woman, and said, "Tie the three of them up and take them to the courtyard." The bandits immediately set to work, escorting Old Man He, Duan Rong, and the woman out of the room.

"besides!"

Just as the man with the scar on his face was about to turn and leave, Meng Zongqiu suddenly called out to him, "Tie up these two as well."

This time, Meng Zongqiu was referring to Li Tang's two personal guards, who were considered Li Tang's confidants.

The guard, Liang Bao, was somewhat dazed and asked blankly, "Boss, why are you tying us up?"

Meng Zongqiu glanced coldly at Liang Bao and said, "I haven't seen anything wrong with those three yet. So I can only broaden the scope of my suspicions. Although you are Li Tang's confidants, I've seen plenty of servants turning against their masters. Don't worry, if there's nothing wrong, I, Meng, will never wrong you."

The guard named Liang Bao seemed about to say something, but Meng Zongqiu waved his hand and said, "Tie him up!"

The bandit with the scar on his face then approached and said, "Liang Bao, I'm sorry." After saying this, he disarmed Liang Bao and took him away. The other guard was taken away by two bandits.

All five people were tied to five wooden stakes standing in the yard!

The most conspicuous were Old Man He and Duan Rong. Duan Rong was thin and small, and tied to that thick wooden stake, he looked quite comical.

Old Man He, wearing only a shirt and underpants, was tied to a wooden stake, looking as if he had been caught in adultery. The bandits looked at him and made a fuss.

After everyone was taken out, Meng Zongqiu stayed in the room alone and carefully examined every corner, but he couldn't find any clues.

Meng Zongqiu walked out slowly, stood in the courtyard, and glanced at the five people tied to the wooden stakes. He saw that Duan Rong was tied there and had fallen asleep with his head slumped over.

Meng Zongqiu glanced at the bandit with a scar on his face and said, "Keep an eye on this place. No one is allowed to enter without my permission."

"Don't worry, Boss!"

Meng Zongqiu nodded and walked out of the courtyard. As soon as he stepped out, a pale-faced young man carrying a lantern followed him, using the lantern to light his way. The two of them headed towards Meng Zongqiu's fortress.

The young man was the mute man whose tongue had been cut off, who received the meals delivered by Old Man He every day.

After Duan Rong was arrested, chaos ensued in the shack in the kitchen courtyard.

The children all looked terrified, not knowing what had happened.

Lu Chu and Du Wan, in particular, looked panicked, as they had no idea what had happened to Duan Rong.

In the realm of gods and demons, everything is a dream, but the only thing that is real is death.

If you die in the Divine Demon Illusion, your soul will shatter instantly. Your true life within the ruins will be completely obliterated by the will of the gods and demons.

Duan Rong is very important to them because they will face evil spirits on their return journey! If Duan Rong dies in this magical illusion, it will be a great loss for them.

Guo Tian looked at Lu Chu and Du Wan and said, "It's alright. Let's just wait and see! Let's go to sleep first!"

After Guo Tian finished speaking, he lay down on the communal bed again.

Lu Chu and Du Wan exchanged bewildered glances, wondering why Guo Tian remained so calm even after Duan Rong had been arrested.

Guo Tian said, "I told you it's nothing, what's the use of you worrying?" After saying that, Guo Tian covered himself with a blanket and fell asleep.

Seeing Guo Tian's reaction, Lu Chu's eyes flickered. He knew that Duan Rong and Guo Tian had been whispering to each other lately. Since Guo Tian was so certain that nothing was wrong, perhaps the two of them were planning something.

Lu Chu then lay down on the large communal bed, wrapped himself in a blanket, and went to sleep. "It's the middle of the night. If I don't get some sleep and rest up, how will I have the energy to work tomorrow?"

Lu Chu's words had a hidden meaning. The others saw that Guo Tian and Lu Chu were fine and started to sleep. Looking at the dark night outside, and considering that they were all seven or eight-year-old children, what could they do even if Duan Rong was captured?

Du Wan and the others sighed and went to sleep.

Wang Long lay there, his thoughts churning. He was actually hoping something would happen to Duan Rong; if Duan Rong really did get into trouble, he might be able to go back to the small kitchen.

He had only eaten fatty pork strips and white flour steamed buns for two days when Duan Rong replaced them. These past few days, he had been eating mixed flour cornbread, which tasted increasingly bland. He really missed the aroma of white flour steamed buns with fatty pork strips!

"Duan Rong, you'd better not come back!" Wang Long muttered as if in a dream, then drowsiness overcame him and he fell asleep.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Li Gang took Old Man He's willow whip and stood at the entrance of the shack, whipping people on the communal sleeping area.

"Get up right now! Don't you have to do your work today?!"

Although Old Man He has been arrested, Li Gang is in charge of feeding more than 300 people in the mountain stronghold, so he can't rest!

A group of sleepy-eyed children got up and poured out of the shack.

While Guo Tian and the others were working, Li Gang told them that Li Tang, the third leader of the mountain stronghold, had been poisoned to death last night! Guo Tian, ​​Jiang Hanyan, and Lu Chu exchanged bewildered glances. "Could Duan Rong have done this?"

Only Guo Tian was certain that Duan Rong was responsible for this. He was just curious how Duan Rong would get away with it.

The town of Cangfang was quite a distance from the mountain stronghold. When the second-in-command, Wu Mingfu, led Doctor Hu Jin into the stronghold, it was already late afternoon the following day.

As soon as the two entered the mountain stronghold, someone went to inform the chief.

The head of the gang, Meng Zongqiu, personally came out to greet Physician Hu Jin and invited him into his bunker for tea.

Meng Zongqiu's bunker isn't a place anyone can just enter! Even the second and third leaders can't just go in without being summoned!

Doctor Hu Jin and Meng Zongqiu stayed in the bunker for only half an hour in total, and then Meng Zongqiu led him into the courtyard where Li Tang lived.

The moment Hu Jin stepped into the courtyard, Duan Rong's eyes were fixed on the medicine box he was carrying on his back!

(End of this chapter)