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

Chapter 581 The Pink Skull
Hu Jin stared at the blackened silver needle in his hand, then turned to look at the woman and couldn't help but exclaim, "What superb poison skills! I've seen many martial artists die from poison, but such ingenious methods of poisoning are truly unique in my life!"

The woman was still in a daze, not understanding what Hu Jin meant. "What method of poisoning?! What are you talking about? Why would the water I used to wash my face be poisoned?"

Hu Jin glanced at the woman with a meaningful look, and couldn't help but smile slightly. He naturally thought that the woman was deliberately pretending to be stupid.

Among those present, Wu Mingfu was still confused. He stared at the basin of wash water that was faintly glowing in the twilight, his brows furrowed.

The leader, Meng Zongqiu, had already understood. His pupils, hidden deep within his turban, contracted slightly as he stared at the woman with some confusion.

Hu Jin stared into the woman's eyes and said, "After spending several days together, you've already learned all about the Third Master's habits. That's why you mixed poison powder into your rouge and applied it to your face. That way, when the Third Master was frantically kissing and biting your face, he swallowed all the poison powder. Poor Third Master, he didn't even know who killed him when he was dying!"

The woman's face paled. "What nonsense are you talking about?! I didn't! I didn't do it..."

Wu Mingfu finally understood Hu Jin's meaning. He lowered his head and thought about it, and the more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. The three of them had lived a life of constant danger, always on the edge of a knife; they were extremely cautious about anything they ingested. How could they be easily poisoned?!
The third brother's beloved concubine, Su Haomei, was indeed poisoned this time. She'd encountered such a cunning and venomous snake, who mixed poison powder into her rouge, applied it to her face, and then the third brother ate it up and swallowed it. How incredibly poisonous!?
"Still trying to deny it?! You spend every day with the third brother, that's why you know his bad habits so well. How could anyone else know such things? Besides you, who else could it be?!" Wu Mingfu glared at the woman, his eyes wide with rage.

Meng Zongqiu suddenly sighed and said, "The mouth of a green bamboo snake, the stinger of a wasp. Neither of them are poisonous, but the most poisonous is a woman's heart! The third brother really did die because of a woman!"

As Meng Zongqiu spoke, he went into the room. When he came out again, he was holding the box of rouge from the dressing table.

The woman stood there, her face deathly pale. She wanted to retort, but didn't know how to begin. She couldn't fathom how poison could have been mixed into the rouge on her face.
Li Tang was poisoned to death last night, but he was still at the table yesterday noon, pleasuring her in broad daylight. At that time, he even ate the rouge off her face. He wasn't dead then.

Why was she poisoned to death when Li Tang pounced on her and started biting her indiscriminately after she had just touched up her makeup that night, because her face was smudged from crying?
From noon to night, only a few hours passed. What exactly happened in between? Why was poison mixed into the rouge?

The woman's eyes suddenly lit up, as if struck by lightning. She suddenly remembered something: when Duan Rong delivered vegetables to Li Tang last night, the lid of the food box suddenly fell off and rolled onto the dressing table as he was leaving. He then ran to the dressing table and picked up the lid.

And during this time, apart from Duan Rong, no one else ever approached her dressing table!

But Duan Rong is only a seven or eight-year-old child! Could it really be him who did it!?
The woman suddenly turned her head and looked at Duan Rong with a look of astonishment.

Duan Rong and Old Man He were both tied up there, both with bewildered expressions. Duan Rong looked particularly dumbfounded, as if he couldn't understand what they were saying.

Just then, Meng Zongqiu suddenly grabbed the woman's fair and slender neck, lifting her up so that her legs were off the ground and kicking wildly. At such close range, the woman finally saw Meng Zongqiu's face hidden deep in his headscarf. It was a face full of pockmarks, with a pair of cold and sinister eyes like those of a venomous snake.

Suddenly, Meng Zongqiu pressed the rouge box in his hand against the woman's open mouth and twisted it wildly. A large amount of cosmetic powder choked her throat, and the woman tried to cough but her neck was tightly gripped, preventing her from coughing up anything.

Meng Zongqiu's facial muscles twitched immediately, and he ripped off the woman's clothes, forcefully throwing her fair and graceful body to the ground.

The body lay on the ground, convulsed for a moment, and then remained still.

The woman was already dead, her eyes wide open and empty, her mouth stuffed with rouge. It was unclear whether she had suffocated from the rouge powder being shoved down her throat, been poisoned by the remaining poison powder inside, or been killed by Meng Zongqiu by strangling and throwing her to the ground...

Meng Zongqiu looked at Wu Mingfu and said, "Second brother! Go and hang this bitch on the arrow tower at the entrance of the stronghold, and leave her corpse exposed for three days!"

Wu Mingfu immediately grabbed the woman's hair and dragged her away, spitting on her body as he did so, cursing, "You filthy bitch, Lao San feeds you well and you still insist on courting death!"

After Wu Mingfu dragged the woman's body out, Meng Zongqiu clasped his hands in a fist salute to Hu Jin and said with a smile, "Thank you so much, Mr. Hu! If you hadn't come, the truth of this matter would probably still be hard to uncover!"

Hu Jin said, "Boss, there's no need to be so polite. We've been doing business together for a long time."

Meng Zongqiu took out a silver note from his sleeve, handed it over, glanced at the sky, and said, "Mr. Hu, it's getting dark, and it'll be inconvenient to go down the mountain. You'll probably have to stay at the mountain stronghold for the night. Tomorrow morning, have the second brother deliver the gifts down the mountain!"

Hu Jin accepted the silver note without batting an eye, slipped it into his sleeve without even glancing at it, and said, "When in Rome, do as the host says! I'll leave it to you, Master!"

Meng Zongqiu smiled and looked at one of the bandits in the courtyard, saying, "Take Mr. Hu to the detached house on the east side to rest."

"Yes, the boss!"

The bandit clasped his hands in a fist salute, sheathed his knife, and bowed to Hu Jin. Hu Jin then picked up his medicine chest and followed the bandit out of the courtyard.

After seeing them out of the courtyard, Meng Zongqiu slowly walked back. He stood there, glanced at Duan Rong, Old Man He, and Li Tang's two bodyguards who were tied to the wooden stakes, and said in a deep voice, "Release them!"

The bandits then used their steel knives to cut the ropes binding the four men.

Duan Rong was thin and small, with deep marks on his arms and legs from the straps. He stood there, grimacing as he rubbed them...

Meng Zongqiu glanced at the two guards, then looked at the bandit with a scar on his face and said, "Xia Kun, these two guys will be with you from now on!"

"Yes, thank you, Chief!" Xia Kun said in a deep voice, clasping his hands in a fist salute. Li Tang's two personal guards were quite skilled in martial arts, and their presence as his bodyguards was a great help.

Meng Zongqiu looked at Old Man He and said, "Old He, I'm sorry you've been wronged this time! The third brother is dead, so we'll have to investigate."

Old Man He immediately bowed and said, "Boss, you flatter me. It is a great favor that you have taken me in. Besides, this whole thing was caused by that vicious bitch. As long as we can find the real culprit and avenge the Third Boss, what does it matter if I suffer a little grievance!"

Meng Zongqiu nodded and said, "Okay. Old He, go ahead! Do a good job! I won't treat you unfairly!"

"Yes, Chief!" Old Man He bowed again before leading Duan Rong out of the courtyard.

The moment Old Man He stepped out of the courtyard, he let out a long sigh of relief. The world is vast and uncertain; he had truly feared he might perish here.

Meng Zongqiu stood in the courtyard, looking at Old Man He's somewhat hunched back in the twilight, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

Old Man He was not only an excellent cook, but he also hadn't caused any trouble over the years. A man like that wouldn't stay in the village unless he had a murder charge against him. The brothers had been able to eat well all these years, and it was all thanks to him!

Meng Zongqiu suddenly said, "Xia Kun! Tonight, take some men and set up the mourning hall for the third brother." "Yes, Boss!"

After giving his instructions, Meng Zongqiu slowly walked out of the courtyard, a paulownia leaf falling in the twilight. They were originally four sworn brothers, but now two were gone, leaving only him and the second brother alive…

Old Man He and Duan Rong were walking back to the kitchen when they encountered several bandits along the way. They all chuckled and stared at them, because Old Man He was only wearing a single shirt and underpants, which looked rather comical in the twilight.

Old Man He suddenly asked, "Duan Rong, you were just tied up there, were you scared?"

Duan Rong knew that Old Man He asked this because he was afraid, so he said, "I'm not afraid! I just miss my mother!"

Old Man He chuckled and said, "Missing your mother is just scared."

Duan Rong's eyes flickered, but he didn't pick up on that topic. Instead, he asked, "That man surnamed Hu is quite capable. He caught that woman as soon as he arrived and found out that she was the one who poisoned her."

Old Man He said, "That's right. The chief and second chief have been poisoned several times, and it was Doctor Hu who cured them."

"Oh!" Duan Rong responded in a drawn-out tone, then casually asked, "Then Doctor Hu's martial arts skills must be quite formidable, right?"

Old Man He said, "Doctor Hu doesn't know martial arts, but he is skilled in medicine and poisons."

"Oh, I see!" This was also quite important information for Duan Rong.

The two walked into the kitchen courtyard one after the other. The aroma of food wafted through the courtyard. It was almost dinner time, and Guo Tian and the others were busy preparing various things.

They were all taken aback when they suddenly saw Old Man He and Duan Rong enter.

Wang Long, in particular, felt a mix of emotions upon seeing Duan Rong return safely.

Li Gang was stirring the porridge when he saw Old Man He return. He immediately put down the ladle, wiped his hands, and ran over, bowing and scraping, saying, "Old Man He, you're back! I knew you were a lucky person and would be alright!"

Old Man He ignored him and looked at Duan Rong, saying, "Duan Rong, go to the small kitchen first and prepare the lamb chops. I'll get dressed and come over."

"Yes, Elder He!" Duan Rong replied and walked towards the small kitchen.

It was dinnertime, and Old Man He was preparing dinner for the two heads of the household and their distinguished guest, Mr. Hu.

Li Gang's face froze for a moment. He bowed and scraped as he walked over, but Duan Rong and Old Man He didn't even glance at him before walking away. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, so he walked back with a gloomy face and continued with his work.

Here, Wu Mingfu used a long spear to pierce the woman's naked corpse through her heart and nailed it to a pillar on the side of the arrow tower at the entrance of the mountain stronghold.

By this time, the last rays of the setting sun had been swallowed up, and the last rays of dusk fell on her fair body. From the spot where the spear had pierced her chest, a line of blood slowly flowed down, tracing the curves of her exquisite figure...

Wu Mingfu walked back to his courtyard with a gloomy face. As soon as he reached the courtyard gate, the guard there said, "Second Master, the chief just sent someone to instruct you to come back and see him in the bunker."

Wu Mingfu's eyes narrowed, and he turned and headed towards the bunker.

The bunker was built against the mountainside and surrounded by high walls. Wu Mingfu walked to the gate of the high wall, knocked on the door, and after a while the door opened a crack, a head poked out, glanced at him, and then the door was fully opened to let him in.

Wu Mingfu walked through the high walls and saw Meng Zongqiu sitting at a stone table in the courtyard enclosed by the walls, drinking tea. Behind him was a bunker built against the mountainside, with only a heavy iron gate at the entrance. Only Meng Zongqiu had the key to that gate.

As soon as Meng Zongqiu saw Wu Mingfu enter, he gestured for him to sit down and said, "Second brother, sit down!"

Wu Mingfu then sat down opposite Meng Zongqiu. Meng Zongqiu poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him. Wu Mingfu took it and sipped it.

Meng Zongqiu suddenly pushed a ring of keys on the stone table in front of Wu Mingfu and said, "These are the keys to the granary. Now that the third brother has left, you can take over the granary business for a few days."

Wu Mingfu took the key and said, "There are many things to do in the village. Now that the third brother is gone, we need to promote another leader!"

Meng Zongqiu didn't actually concern himself much with the miscellaneous affairs of the stronghold, but Wu Mingfu knew that Meng Zongqiu was deeply suspicious. He and the third brother each controlled a region, and Meng Zongqiu could trust them. Now that the third brother was gone, and he alone controlled the granary and armory, how could Meng Zongqiu not be wary? Therefore, he mentioned promoting others, to show Meng Zongqiu that he had no intention of seizing power.

Upon hearing this, Meng Zongqiu glanced at Meng Zongqiu, pondered for a long time, took a sip of tea, and asked, "What do you think of Xia Kun?"

Xia Kun was the guy with the scar on his face. Wu Mingfu knew that this man was Meng Zongqiu's confidant, so he said, "That guy is not bad! He's a ruthless character, and he's quite good at managing his subordinates!"

Meng Zongqiu said, "Then you should mentor him! He's already familiar with the granary matters, so you can hand it over to him."

Wu Mingfu said, "This is easy to discuss."

Wu Mingfu felt that he had finished speaking. He knew that Meng Zongqiu never wasted words and should leave once he had finished.

Just as he was about to get up to take his leave, Meng Zongqiu glanced at him and said, "Second brother! Don't blame me for being talkative! Third brother is already dead because of a woman! A beautiful woman is a dead man! You've always loved wine, and that stuff is poison that burns through the intestines! It ruins everything! Of the four of us brothers, now only the two of us are left. Second brother, I hope we can both live to be a hundred! I advise you, drink less!"

Wu Mingfu's lips moved slightly, and he said, "Brother, I understand."

Wu Mingfu walked out of the high wall and returned to his courtyard. He had originally planned to send someone to tell Old Man He that he would prepare some hearty dishes for him that evening. Li Tang's death had left him depressed, and he was thinking of drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

However, since the head of the gang, Meng Zongqiu, had just given him instructions, he couldn't very well start drinking as soon as he came out. So he had to give up on the matter. "Let's drink another day."

(End of this chapter)