Chapter 172 – How to Elegantly Take Out Meng Liang (Part 9)
The words caught everyone off guard—not just the viewers in the live stream, but also Meng Hunyun and even Meng Liang himself was bewildered.
Did he really say that?
Meng Liang indeed uttered those words, but not directed at Jiang Pengji; they were meant for Stepmother Gu Zhen.
Regardless of the recipient, the fact remained that he had spoken them, so Jiang Pengji wasn’t lying.
Upon hearing this, Meng Hunyun didn’t doubt Jiang Pengji’s integrity; instead, he concluded that Meng Liang had been spouting nonsense and twisting the truth!
He laughed grimly, forgetting to mask his astonished tone.
“The Young Master is a living Bodhisattva; how could he be deceived by such scoundrels?”
Hearing that familiar voice, Jiang Pengji suddenly remembered something.
She twisted Meng Hunyun’s face to peer closer and then displayed a furious expression.
In a low voice, she questioned, “How could it possibly be you?!”
Meng Hunyun didn’t answer her; instead, he asked, “Do you even know how this beast has concocted lies about me, Meng? Why would I falsely accuse him? What could I possibly gain from accusing Meng Liang? My wife and daughter were brutally killed—wasn’t that the doing of this beast? He has the audacity to twist the truth!”
Jiang Pengji cast a cold glance at Meng Liang and then at the seething Meng Hunyun, feeling a sense of “indecision.”
Just then, distant footsteps echoed from outside, causing everyone in the Wood Room to tense up.
With no other choice, Jiang Pengji took a deep breath and said in a stiff tone, “It’s not safe to linger here; we should move to another location.”
Even as she spoke, she didn’t lower the knife pressing against Meng Hunyun’s neck, and naturally, his subordinates didn’t dare to act rashly.
Meng Liang’s mind might be hazy, but his instincts were still sharp; whether it was Meng Hunyun on his left, who bore a grudge for the death of his wife and daughter, or Liu Xi on his right, who had intentionally plotted against him, leaving him humiliated at the Gambling House—both were schemers with ill intentions towards him.
However, he couldn’t speak or even write due to his hands being tied; otherwise, he would have exposed Liu Xi’s true motives long ago.
“Now that we are safe, there’s no one here to disturb us. You have ample time to tell me the truth. I absolutely despise deceit and betrayal,” she said coldly to Meng Hunyun. “Initially, I thought you were merely a desperate refugee forced to leave your homeland, but it seems you were only putting on a show to get close to me and extract information.”
Since there had been no live stream the previous day, the viewers were unaware of how adept Jiang Pengji was at acting and thus rushed to comfort her.
【A Yan】: “Don’t cry, Host! Don’t be sad; it’s clear this filthy man is the sly one!”
【Cafeteria Lady】: “Poor Host, getting deceived gives a totally unwell feeling. Aww, don’t feel down.”
【Xi Yan】: “Yes, don’t feel bad. We will stand by you; let that man be damned.”
Among these naive spectators and newcomers who didn’t understand the situation, there was also a different group with contrasting attitudes.
【Old Driver Alliance】: “Betting a spicy strip, the Host is definitely pulling a fast one!”
【Nongfu Spring is a Bit Suspicious】: “Life is like a play, all depends on the acting. After last time, I no longer believe in the Host’s integrity.”
The viewers in the live stream were enthralled, nervously fidgeting as some saw through the truth, while more felt sympathetic towards the Host.
Jiang Pengji graciously accepted these sympathies, but her acting was still on point.
Meng Hunyun pressed his lips together and, clasping his hands, said, “This is my fault for not being honest with the Young Master; however, this matter relates to my life and those of my comrades, so I had no choice but to keep things hidden. Losing my life is trivial; what I fear most is not being able to take down my enemy!”
As Jiang Pengji’s blade slightly loosened on Meng Hunyun’s neck, he felt it and sighed inwardly.
The Young Master Liu Xi possessed remarkable skills, yet he was also excessively soft-hearted. Such kindness was far too dangerous.
Jiang Pengji seemed oblivious to Meng Hunyun’s changing expression and pressed on with an intense tone, “You previously mentioned that my cousin… no, my cousin brother deceived me, so what’s this all about? Is it not the calamity in Cangzhou Meng County that originated from you? The war has spread, causing suffering for countless people!”
Meng Hunyun’s heart ached as Jiang Pengji evoked his most painful memories.
In pursuit of revenge for his wife and daughter, he hadn’t thought it through; he led his brothers to rebel against the Meng Clan and burned down the governor’s residence.
Yet, he hadn’t anticipated the Meng Clan’s shortsightedness, deploying the Meng family army to capture them!
Meng Liang engaged in evil, and the Meng Clan exploited the common people, igniting public outrage. The Meng army, under the guise of searching for Meng Hunyun and his group, ruthlessly plundered innocent merchants and townsfolk while claiming to be on a mission.
The Meng army was no longer the fearsome and valiant force of the Great Xia Dynasty, but a bunch of thugs!
Meng Hunyun’s rebellion against the Meng Clan was the match, but it was the Meng army that truly ignited the chaos in Meng County, leading the populace to uprising.
Nevertheless, the root cause remained Meng Hunyun’s actions.
His lips trembled, “Though I know not how this beast twisted words to confuse the Young Master, I am not that treacherous scoundrel; I have never wronged the Meng Clan, nor the citizens of Meng County.”
Jiang Pengji’s gaze flickered between Meng Liang and Meng Hunyun, deep in thought as she assessed the truthfulness of their statements.
Others had heard about Jiang Pengji from Meng Hunyun’s accounts, and they still held some goodwill towards her, so they refrained from acting rashly.
Jiang Pengji said, “If that is the case, then start from the beginning and tell me the full truth.”
Meng Hunyun discreetly breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that there might still be a way out of this.
The Young Master before him was not only kind-hearted but also could discern right from wrong.
“This matter begins several months ago.”
Meng Hunyun took a deep breath, striving to maintain his composure; otherwise, he feared he might choke Meng Liang to death without a second thought.
He had his plans; Meng Liang needed to die—otherwise, how would he face his wife and daughter in the afterlife?
Once Meng Liang was dead, he would offer his head to the Meng Clan, hoping to forge a connection for his remaining brothers.
His life held little value to him, but he could not let his loyal comrades die in vain.
With these considerations, Meng Hunyun managed to recount the events.
Though he did his best to keep calm, his fierce eyes reddened, and it seemed he was on the verge of tears.
The live stream audience had long since stopped praising Meng Liang for his looks; one by one, they were heartbroken for Meng Hunyun, feeling tremendous sympathy for him.
The image of a delicate person shedding tears in the wind was beautiful, inviting sighs but not much more.
Yet here was Meng Hunyun, a towering man of seven feet, whose eyes quietly reddened as he recalled painful memories.
All the viewers could see that he was trying desperately to hold back. His hands were tightly clenched into fists, knuckles turning white, with a fierce look in his eyes.
What kind of emotional hurt could bring such a stalwart man to the brink of tears?
