Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 389 The Beginning of Evil (5,000 words)

Snapped.

The slap was swift and brutal.

Judging from his practiced movements, it was clear that this was not the first time Mei Zicong had done this. Several finger marks appeared on Mei Wu's loose skin, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

The slap was very loud, but the people outside the door seemed not to hear it at all. They didn't move, and didn't even turn around to look. They were obviously used to it.

The night wind carried a whistling sound.

It sounded like a mournful cry of pain and sorrow.

The flickering candlelight cast an oddly distorted shadow on Mei Zicong. With his back to the candlelight, his honest face appeared even more somber.

"Old fool, you don't know what's good for you." A low curse echoed in the room. Looking down at the medicine stains on his body, Mei Zicong's eyes grew even colder: "Wouldn't it have been better to live out your final days peacefully and pass on the title of Duke to me? Why did you have to cause all this trouble?"

"You don't actually believe your daughter is alive, do you?"

"You thought he'd bring you a grandson?"

"Dream on, your daughter is long dead."

The cruel words reached Mei Wu's ears, and the white-haired old man seemed to be stimulated, becoming increasingly agitated. His body trembled uncontrollably, and a hissing sound came from his throat, clearly indicating that he could no longer speak normally.

"I'm not afraid to tell you, your daughter was killed by my grandmother, who then threw her into the mountains to be eaten by wolves. Tsk, you really shouldn't have brought my grandmother's family here to take care of your wife back then. Look, the eldest has gone mad, and the youngest is dead."

"You fought hard all your life, and the dukedom you finally earned has fallen into my hands." Mei Zicong said with a smile. Although this was not the first time he had said this to Mei Wu, he felt a strange excitement every time he saw Mei Wu trembling with anger because of his words.

To be honest, Mei Wu was actually quite good to him.

At least, his life, in terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation, was much better than that of the poor mountain village of Meijia.

When he was little, he really liked this grandfather.

He believed he was Mei Wu's grandson.

Back then, he was sensible and well-behaved, though he also had the mischievousness of a child, and would occasionally be punished by Mei Wu for doing something wrong. Until he was five years old, an old woman suddenly appeared before him and told him about her origins, and everything changed.

Mei Zicong is actually quite precocious.

His brain is developing faster than that of children his age.

Suddenly realizing that the old woman was his grandmother and that Mei Wu was not his real grandfather, the young boy felt as if the sky was about to fall.

Life is shrouded in darkness.

He was the grandson of a duke, not the son of a peasant, and he was unwilling to accept this outcome.

He chased the old woman away.

He tried hard to act as if nothing had happened, but his life was gradually changing uncontrollably. He knew that Mei Wu's beatings were justified because he had done something wrong. But after that, he inexplicably felt that perhaps he hadn't done anything wrong, but simply because he wasn't Mei Wu's biological grandson, and that this perverted old man was deliberately finding excuses to torment him.

Every time Mei Wu scolded him, his grandmother would appear outside the Mei residence in time, hug him and comfort him. He felt that his real grandmother was indeed closer to him and treated him better.

As time went on, Mei Zicong's heart became increasingly twisted. At first, he simply disliked Mei Wu, but that dislike gradually turned into resentment and hatred. From some point onward, Mei Zicong's gaze towards Mei Wu became cold and sinister, like a venomous snake lurking in the grass, as if he wanted to tear a piece of flesh from Mei Wu's body. From some point onward, Mei Zicong secretly vowed that one day he would repay Mei Wu tenfold, a hundredfold, for all the beatings he had suffered since childhood.

As for his grandmother deliberately killing Mei Wu's daughter, if it weren't for Mei Wu's adoption, he would have been just an ordinary mud doll, eating chaff and wild vegetables in the village since childhood. He would never have had such a comfortable life now, let alone become the heir of the Duke of Lu, possessing a high status and position. Mei Zicong never even imagined that.

He was probably just an extremely selfish person to begin with.

He has no complaints about his grandmother, because he knows that without her, he wouldn't have everything he has now.

Especially after learning that Mei Wu firmly believed his daughter was still alive, and even secretly sent the three hundred retainers who had retired with him to wander throughout the Central Plains in batches to search for his daughter, Mei Zicong's hatred for Mei Wu reached an unprecedented extreme.

He was angry, insane, hateful, resentful, and fearful.

That damned old man.

What does he want to do?
Could it be that he plans to find his daughter and then pass the title of Duke to his daughter's son?
Why?
That despicable old man, why should he hand over what rightfully belongs to him to someone else?

The title of Duke belongs to me; no one can take it away from me.

From that moment on, the urge to kill the old man became uncontrollable.

Mei Zicong is just very smart and cautious.

He knew that Mei Wu, that old man, held a transcendent position in Ningguo. Even though he didn't have any real power now, he still held the title of Duke of Lu and the title of Grand Tutor. Not to mention the generals who had fought alongside the old man in the north and south, even the Ninghe Emperor would occasionally visit the Duke of Lu's mansion.

If the old man were to suddenly die, Emperor Ninghe would certainly launch an investigation.

Once the investigation finds out about him, all his plans will come to naught.

Although he denied that he was of lowly blood, he had to admit that all his glory, status and position came from Mei Wu. Now that Mei Wu was dead, there was no one in the entire Dongling City willing to stand up for him.

Therefore, he can only proceed gradually.

Each time a tiny, insignificant ingredient was added, the old man's health gradually deteriorated without him even noticing.

My limbs started to become unresponsive.

You might fall if you're not careful.

I get sick from time to time.

It creates the impression that the old man is nearing the end of his life.

He patiently waited for the old man's comrades to grow old and die one by one, for fewer and fewer people to visit him, until the last general who had fought alongside the old man in the north and south also passed away. Only then did he begin to take drastic measures. Who would have thought that at this moment, Song Zhe brought extremely bad news: his younger brother, Song Yan, possessed a jade pendant with a plum blossom inside, and was suspected to be Mei Wu's grandson.

Song Yan's mother was that despicable woman who should have died more than thirty years ago.

Upon hearing this news, although Mei Zicong pretended to be indifferent and even took out a white crystal pendant to show that the Mei family did not have any family heirlooms, he was actually in a state of extreme panic.

A plum blossom is contained within the jade.

Mei Wu was, after all, from Meijia Village.

The story of this family heirloom may have been forgotten in Dongling City, but it is still passed down by word of mouth in Meijia Village. After all, Mei Wu is the most successful person to have come from Meijia Village.

He was creepy.

He feared that everything he had now would soon be taken away.

He desperately wanted to kill Mei Wu, inherit the title of Duke, and settle everything, but he dared not… because that damned bastard Song Yan had also come to Dongling. He seemed to know about this matter as well. If Mei Wu suddenly died, Song Yan would definitely launch an investigation. Once the investigation began, it was hard to say whether Song Yan was actually Mei Wu's grandson, but he would certainly be beheaded.

In particular, Song Yan's ruthless methods made his scalp tingle.

Therefore, during Song Yan's stay in Dongling City, Mei Zicong behaved exceptionally well, doing nothing for fear of being targeted by Song Yan. Today, when he heard that Song Yan had suddenly come to visit, Mei Zicong was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, although Song Yan was ruthless, he was also stupid and was ultimately fooled by Mei Zicong.

Song Yan will be leaving tomorrow.

The moment Song Yan left Dongling, that was the end for this old man.

At that time, everything will be foolproof.

He, Mei Zicong, was no longer some worthless heir, but a genuine duke, standing at the very top of the nobility. Whenever he thought of this, Mei Zicong would tremble with excitement.

A multitude of thoughts raced through Mei Zicong's mind, his eyes gleaming with intense greed and impulsiveness. But he quickly suppressed this urge. Song Yan hadn't left yet; now was not the time to kill the old man. He wasn't willing to take even the slightest risk. However, collecting some interest for now was certainly acceptable.

Mei Zicong licked his lips with a scarlet tongue and suddenly flipped Mei Wu's body over. His back and the spot on the bed where he lay were covered in mud, and the strange smell became even stronger. Suppressing his nausea, Mei Zicong lifted Mei Wu's outer garment. Mei Wu's body trembled violently, and heavy, labored breathing came from his nostrils, clearly in pain.

The sticky, viscous threads looked nauseating.

His back was completely ulcerated, and even something as simple as taking off his clothes was an unbearable torment for Mei Wu. Some of his skin and flesh were even torn off.

When the wet clothes were thrown on the ground, the rotting flesh on his back was fully exposed to Mei Zicong's eyes. Although it was disgusting, Mei Zicong's eyes became even more excited... He had a knife in his right hand, and he used the knife to cut away the rotting flesh, which was the most common way doctors clean wounds.

So, there's absolutely no problem, right?
Although this process may be a little painful, it's all for Grandpa's good.

However, he was unaware that his voice, clearly penetrating the roof tiles, reached Song Yan and Hua Lian Yue's ears. Hua Lian Yue looked at Song Yan with some worry, only to find that Song Yan's expression was calmer than she had imagined, as if nothing had happened.

"Perhaps this is the beginning of all evil?"

Song Yan chuckled and sighed. The next moment, he stomped his foot hard, and with a loud bang, a huge hole appeared in the roof.

Song Yan's figure floated down through the hole in the roof.

Inside the room, Mei Zicong, who was about to make his move, suddenly changed his expression: "Who?"

With a sharp shout, and catching a glimpse of the falling figure out of the corner of his eye, the knife that was originally aimed at Mei Wu's back suddenly changed direction and stabbed towards the figure in a flash.

The movements were incredibly fast.

That sharp, piercing sound indicated a fairly high level of martial arts skill.

This alone shows that although Mei Zicong may not be outstanding, he is definitely not as useless as the rumors suggest.

However, he encountered Song Yan, who had just broken through to the next realm.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, his right hand suddenly shot out.

Spread your five fingers and grasp the blade.

Even with the sharp blade and Mei Zicong's considerable strength, the blade was unable to tear open Song Yan's palm for a moment. All that could be heard was a dull sound like metal cutting through leather.

The physical tempering effect of the Vajra Arhat Technique is simply too exaggerated. Song Yan may not be invulnerable to swords and spears yet, but it is obviously impossible for someone of Mei Zicong's level to hurt him.

Then, the rapidly advancing blade seemed to be suddenly stuck by something, unable to move forward even an inch.

The next second, Song Yan twisted his wrist, and with a snapping sound, the dagger was broken in two.

With a flick of a finger.

call out.

puff.

ah ah ah ah...

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Mei Zicong's painful screams echoed as his body staggered backward from the violent impact. When the dust settled, Mei Zicong was seen clutching his shoulder, thick, scarlet blood gushing out.

Behind Yu Meizi Cong, the broken blade was embedded in the wall.

The excruciating pain contorted Mei Zicong's face, and when he saw that the person who came was Song Yan, his body trembled violently, and a strong sense of fear surged over him like a tidal wave.

All sorts of thoughts kept popping up uncontrollably.

Why is Song Yan here?

Does he already know about his past?

Was he here to compete with me for the title of Duke?

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Mei Zicong could no longer control himself and suddenly opened his mouth: "Men, kill him, kill him..." It didn't matter when Song Yan arrived or how much he knew about the Mei family. In this situation, it was either you or me who would die.

Song Yan is very capable.

He also investigated and found that Song Yan had a sister-in-law who was a ninth-rank martial artist.

However, the Mei family had 120 guards, all of whom were quite skilled, and they even had crossbows that he had obtained from the military camp at great expense. He believed that with this force, even Song Yan's sister-in-law would be riddled with bullets.

He had no choice but to kill Song Yan; he couldn't care less about anything else.

"Ah... my hand!"

"who is it?"

"A ghost!"

Just then, various mournful sounds came from outside the house almost simultaneously.

The noises blended together, creating a chaotic scene.

Mei Zicong involuntarily swallowed hard, hoping for a response, but the screams showed no sign of stopping. Mei Zicong's body trembled involuntarily; with each scream, his fear deepened.

It's unclear how much time passed, but the screams abruptly stopped.

Immediately, with a whoosh, a gust of wind blew by, and the door to the side room was pushed open by the wind.

A figure in a long black dress floated into the house, holding a silk handkerchief and carefully wiping her blood-stained fingers. Mei Zicong's pupils suddenly contracted as his gaze passed over the woman in black. He saw that the courtyard was littered with corpses, and the wind blowing into the house carried a thick stench of blood.

At that moment, Mei Zicong's pupils contracted, his eyes filled with disbelief.

All dead?
This...how is this possible?

There are 120 guards here, as well as some servants and maids.

There are at least two hundred people.

Let alone two hundred people, even two hundred pigs wouldn't be killed in such a short time, would they?

Is this woman... human or ghost?
Song Yan ignored Mei Zicong's trembling eyes and slowly walked towards the bed. Seeing Mei Wu's miserable state, a trace of pity couldn't help but rise in his eyes. Regardless of whether this old man was related to him or not, he was a general who had once protected the country and should not have such a desolate old age.

The old man's head was turned to the side on the bed, and he was looking at me out of the corner of his eye. For some reason, there seemed to be some excitement deep in his eyes.

After pursing her lips, Song Yan still took out a jade pendant from her bosom.

Song Yan had two jade pendants on him, one containing a plum blossom and the other containing snow.

The moment the jade pendant containing plum blossoms was taken out, the old man on the bed suddenly became agitated, his body convulsing violently as if he had been greatly stimulated. His cloudy old eyes flashed with an almost frenzied light, and his throat was filled with hoarse sounds.

"plum……"

"plum……"

"Yingxue!"

Everything is clear.

(End of this chapter)