Several people in the yard, for various reasons not yet eating, threw away their wine and dishes like avoiding snakes and scorpions. The courtyard was suddenly filled with the aroma of wine and the smell of meat.

  "Poison is unpredictable!" Everyone, including Lu Zhongqi, shouted in unison, their voices filled with obvious fear, each taking a defensive stance.

  The black dog ate the food on the ground happily, without any abnormality. The fallen Jianghu good man, however, had seven orifices bleeding and was no longer breathing. The scene was as bizarre as it could be.

  Lu Guan, Jiao Chong and Hu Dao Ren also rushed to the courtyard upon hearing the noise. They looked at the corpse on the ground with equally solemn expressions.

  After a while, seeing no other changes occurred, the crowd began to pack up and examine the corpse, but the fear and vigilance in their eyes could not be concealed.

  "Zhong Qi brother, what is the poison that has no constant?" Meng Qi asked in a cold tone after some deliberation.

  Facing such an enemy, he couldn't care less about exposing his own ignorance.

  Lu Zhongqi's fall is not surprising, as both Xiao Meng and Ruan Niang are young and have high martial arts skills, with cold temperaments. They previously focused on practicing martial arts and had limited understanding of Jianghu affairs.

  He sighed: "Du Wu Chang is a notorious demon head in Jiangnan, good at hiding and poisoning, with ever-changing techniques, unpredictable and unpredictable, making people unable to defend against. For example, just now, the black dog ate it without any problem, but if we eat it, we will be poisoned severely. For example, the live fish that was just caught from the river, directly cooked with river water, after eating it will still be poisoned. He is more feared and dreaded than many famous left-handers who are stronger than him. Unexpectedly, unexpectedly, he was actually trapped by the treacherous prime minister!"

  The unknown is what people fear the most... Meng Qi nodded slightly, just now his brow was tight, his spirit was released, and he sensed all around, but still couldn't find any trace of Du Wujiang, indicating that he wasn't nearby.

  After introducing Du Wu Chang, Lu Zhong Qi said casually: "The top of the world is only a handful of people like Guoshi and Mohou who have begun to comprehend the Heavenly Way. The next level down are the peak of human beings, such as Xie Jun, Gui Wang, Ruyi Seng, and Xi Yue Zhenren, and at most ten or so people. Moreover, there is also a distinction between strong and weak among them, with Xie Jun being the most likely to become a great master."

  "These are all numbered figures, and the vast majority of Jianghu people can hardly meet them. Under normal circumstances, they can only come into contact with famous masters and top-notch masters. Due to the fact that it is easy to be affected by various factors during combat, the boundary does not equal strength, and the strength in battle with this opponent is also different from the strength in another confrontation. Therefore, who is strong or weak can only be roughly judged based on the record of merits."

  "Duwu Chang's personal strength is relatively poor and he may not be able to squeeze into the ranks of top-notch experts, but his use of poison is divine and imperceptible. In terms of reputation, he can be considered a famous figure in his own right. He can stop children from crying at night, and no one in Jiangnan does not fear him. When encountering other experts, they can still fight to the death, but when facing him, they can only walk towards death in despair and panic without any means."

  "If it weren't for the intense toxicity that would easily be detected by people, and if the toxicity were weaker, it would be forced out by a true master using internal energy. In either case, Wu Chong could join the ranks of the Evil Kings and Ghost Kings."

  He said a lot in one breath, as if reminding Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu to be careful of the treacherous and unpredictable poison, but Meng Qi heard that he was taking the opportunity to vent his inner fear - although he had prepared for the obstacles and dangers along the way, who could have thought that they would encounter such a terrible enemy at the beginning!

  Meng Qi nodded slowly and turned to look at Ruan Yushu, transmitting a secret message: "Think of a way to get rid of Du Wujiang as soon as possible, otherwise it will be dangerous."

  "Hmm." Ruan Yushu's expression didn't change, and he replied calmly.

  After examining the corpse and food, Hu Dao Ren discovered that it was a rare poison which had no effect on living things other than humans. Although its toxicity wasn't extremely potent, it was more than enough to kill an average Jianghu person.

  Afraid of being poisoned again, everyone did not eat dinner and waited for dawn on an empty stomach.

  Meng Qi sat cross-legged, listening to all eight directions with his ears. The Great Phantom Shape Technique revolved, not letting go of any tiny movement. He was waiting for Du Wuque to make a move, and as soon as he did, Meng Qi would unleash his ultimate technique, determined to kill him with one strike.

  It was midnight when he suddenly heard someone quietly getting out of bed, stepping out of the room, climbing over the courtyard wall and fleeing quickly into the distance.

  Meng Qi was stunned and sighed, but didn't stop him.

  Once the first one made it, there were a second and third, and in just a short while, nearly twenty people had climbed over the wall and escaped.

  At dawn, Meng Qi had just walked out of the house when he heard Lu Zhongqi's angry voice: "This group of bastards! They say they have chivalrous guts and righteous courage, but as soon as they encounter Du Wuque, they turn tail and run with their tails between their legs!"

  At this time, Lu Guan was surrounded by only a few family guards, leaving only Hu Dao Ren, Jiao Chong and two or three Jianghu good men.

  Everyone who came to help is a matter of righteousness, it's an honor for Lu, worrying about oneself and wanting to leave is human nature, it's the natural order of things, there's no mistake.

  He solemnly saluted Meng Qi, Hu Dao Ren and other remaining heroes: "This trip is perilous, with nine deaths and one life, please ask each friend to consider carefully before setting off with Lu Mou."

  "As I have come here, life and death are already beyond consideration!" Hu Dao Ren said with great enthusiasm.

  Meng Qi grasped his long sword and said sparingly: "I'm not afraid."

  Ruan Yushu didn't say a word, he just nodded slightly, indicating that he wouldn't leave either.

  Lu Guan was deeply moved and bowed again: "Your great kindness, Lu has no teeth but will never forget."

  A lone traveler set out once more, but compared to the previous day, there were fewer people by a margin of seven or eight tenths. Amidst the sparse crowd, an unutterable sense of tragic grandeur shone through.

  Along the way, Lu Zhongqi looked at Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu, and sighed: "I didn't expect that you two, who are not very old, would have the style of ancient chivalrous scholars. I'm troubling you to escort General Lu to the capital."

  Due to a severe shortage of personnel, he had to focus on Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu.

  Everyone dressed up as merchants and left the city quickly. They soon arrived in the wilderness, where trees gradually increased in number, with some still bearing fruit on them.

  Because they had gone without food for half a day and a night, several of the family members and good men from the rivers and lakes were unable to bear it, so they busied themselves picking fruit to fill their bellies. This natural product couldn't possibly have been poisoned too, could it?

  They checked the fruit, casually tasted one, and then held it back, intending to present it to Lu Guan and Meng Qi.

  Suddenly, they one by one spat out white foam and fell to the ground, their bodies convulsing, and in an instant they had stopped breathing.

  Even the naturally grown fruits have been poisoned!

  Jiao Chong rushed up to save him, thinking that his internal strength was not bad and he was still struggling hard. Just then, three poisonous needles shot out from the forest, hitting his face.

  Jiao Chong was prepared and pounced forward, dodging the poisonous needle.

  With a swish, a thin, dark blue light suddenly shot out from somewhere and hit Jiao Chong's left arm!

  Jiao Chong gritted his teeth and drew out his long sword, directly cutting off his left arm. Fresh blood spurted out, then he quickly pressed several major acupoints, temporarily sealing the wound.

  Poison is just nearby! Meng Qi's eyebrows were tightly knitted, and he exerted his utmost effort to activate the Great Phantom Technique. The place where the poisonous needle was shot seemed to appear in his mind.

  Just as he was carefully sensing, Ruan Yushu suddenly transmitted a voice into his ear: "No matter how well he hides his breathing and movements, when someone comes to kill, there is always a killing aura."

  She held the zither with one hand and stroked it urgently with the other, the sound of the music was mournful and stirring, making Meng Qi feel an overwhelming urge to vent his anger towards Du Xicheng.

  At this time, a mound of earth moved slightly.

  Meng Qi made a swift decision, with his long sword in hand, he charged forward.

  The earth mound was opened, revealing an old man with a grey face, his face bearing obvious murderous intent, about to strike out with poisonous needles and sprinkle poisonous powder.

  "Boom!"

  Suddenly, Meng Qi's mouth burst forth with a deafening sound, like a thunderclap on a clear day, stunning Lu Guan and the Tiger Daoist who was protecting him, while Jiao Chong and Lu Zhongqi, who were already injured, felt their ears ringing and fell to the ground.

  Du's body swayed slightly, his eyes dull and showing obvious dizziness, the poison needle and powder in his hand falling to the ground.

  Meng Qitian suddenly rose into the air, a swallow skimmed the water, and in a flash of sword light, he fell behind Wu Chang's body.

  Poisonous blood gushed out from his eyebrows and nose, and with a loud thud, he fell face up to the ground.

  "The sword under the bed, it's necessary to see blood when it comes out of its scabbard..." Seeing this scene, Tiger Dao Ren's mind suddenly recalled Meng Qi's proud words from yesterday.

  His swordsmanship is indeed much stronger than his knife skills!

  With a clang, Meng Qi's long sword returned to its scabbard, and he turned around leisurely, fully displaying the elegance of a swordsman.

  Just as he was about to walk towards the corpse of Du Wu Chang, a puff of white smoke suddenly burst out from the corpse, and the nearby grass and trees withered quickly.

  When the white smoke disappeared, the corpse had turned into a puddle of pus and blood, with nothing else remaining.

  "Those who play with poison are ruthless, turning themselves into poisonous people." Due to his previous experience, Meng Qi did not rush over to search for spoils of war, and was considered lucky to have escaped.

  "Little Meng brother, your swordsmanship is even better than I imagined." Lu Zhongqi got up, swaying and saying.

  Lu nodded and bowed his head, dug a big pit, and buried the people who died unjustly with a sad expression.

  "How's that, how's my swordsmanship?" Meng Qi whispered to Ruan Yushu, wanting to clear his name. My swordsmanship is so elegant and carefree, what a joke those rumors about the "Crazy Monk with the Golden Thunderbolt Knife" are!

  Ruan Yushu remained calm and collected: "That's right. The roar is also very powerful."

  The roar was fierce... Meng Qi decided not to talk to her for the time being.

  Piling up the earth mound, Lu Guan splashed down a bit of clear water and regained his resolute expression: "Let's set off."

  Jiao Chong was seriously injured and stayed behind, planning to return home for recuperation. When they set out, there were twenty or thirty people in the large group, but now only Lu Guan, Lu Zhongqi, Hu Dao Ren, Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu five people are left, the rest have either escaped or died.

  This is the first master encountered, and it's the first hurdle on the way to the capital!

  Looking at the remaining few people, Lu Zhongqi felt both heroic and somewhat bewildered about the future. He couldn't help but size up Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu, who were expressionless.

  Changing the route is a must, but can't rely solely on it, can they make it through? Can they rush past many masters' interceptions and reach the capital?