12dz Chapter 140 Cleansing the House, Secrets in Peril
Chapter 140 Cleansing the House, Secrets in Peril
Upon hearing this, the noisy crowd fell silent, and all eyes turned to Meng Fuqing.
The white wolf crouching beside Meng Fuqing yawned and let out a "woof" as if in response to Meng Fuqing's words.
Yang Dacai's anger was silenced by the sound the white wolf made, fearing that the sound would provoke the wolf and endanger his life.
He didn't dare, but someone else did.
“Qing girl, you’ve got quite the airs now. It’s true you’ve brought back a lot of stuff, but if you’re in charge of the caravan, what about the village chief, Chief Du, and Young Master Xie?” An old voice rang out from the crowd.
Meng Fuqing narrowed his eyes slightly. The voice seemed somewhat familiar. Looking at the old man slowly approaching with a cane, he recognized him as a clan elder from the village.
She still remembered the night she first transmigrated, when Shan Qiyu accused Meng Shaoyuan, and he said, "He's gone, what's the point of saying all this?"
Having had little contact with this clan elder along the way, she had almost forgotten his words, never expecting him to suddenly appear and make his presence known.
Why don't you ask them if they have any objections?
Xie Jin leaned against a tree with his arms crossed, his voice languid: "Wasn't it obvious enough just now? Everything is up to Miss Meng to decide."
Before Du Zhong could speak, the clan elder Meng Ruilin said, "Young Master Xie, I am Qing'er's elder. I was just giving her a few words of advice on manners. Please don't take it to heart."
"What a shameless old man!" Yan He, who was engrossed in watching the show, couldn't help but complain.
Xie Jin scoffed, "Relying on your age and seniority, what else can you do besides use your status as an elder to intimidate her?"
Meng Ruilin's face turned pale and then red, but he still forced a smile and lectured Meng Fuqing: "It's one thing for a girl like you to make a fuss over trivial matters, but is it any of your business to kick people out of the team or the clan?"
He had harbored resentment over the Meng Shaoyuan incident, and therefore had no contact with Meng Fuqing's family during his escape.
Seeing that they were robbing this and that, but the benefits they received were pitifully small, his five sons didn't want to miss the opportunity to rise to the top in one step when they encountered the imperial tomb, and neither did he.
"Third brother!" Meng Bochang said sternly, "Tell me honestly, who among you could have done the 'little things' that Qing'er did along the way? And who didn't benefit from them?"
"Second Brother," Meng Ruilin said confidently, "I've wanted to say this for a long time. How could she have accomplished what she did all by herself? She just asked for it, and the whole village worked for her, but she got all the benefits. How can that be fair?"
"Village chief, you're really something! Being led by the nose by a little girl! Where is your dignity as village chief and clan leader? Aren't you afraid people will laugh their heads off?"
Meng Bochang trembled uncontrollably at Meng Ruilin's words, his eyes bloodshot as he looked at him.
The toil and exhaustion of the past few days overwhelmed him at this moment. He tasted blood on his tongue and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, then collapsed.
Fortunately, Xie Jin and Du Zhong caught him, preventing him from falling to the ground.
The villagers of Mengjia Village were in chaos, crowding around. Meng Bochang kept calling out "Qingyatou".
Meng Fuqing immediately squatted down, responding while taking the opportunity of feeling the pulse to probe for life to transfer healing power into the old man's body.
Meng Bochang's face was deathly pale, his eyes half-closed, and he murmured, "Grandpa Village Chief is no longer useful... You can worry about me for now, whatever you want to do with him is up to you..."
After saying that, he fell into a deep sleep. Meng Wan'er rushed to Meng Bochang's side and sobbed uncontrollably.
"What happened to my grandpa? Is he alright? Is he alright?"
“He must have fallen into a deep sleep. Everyone disperse and call Doctor Zheng to come and treat him.” Meng Fuqing stood up.
Zheng Yi, who had rushed over long ago but couldn't squeeze in no matter what, was finally able to see his old friend thanks to Meng Fuqing's words.
"Tell me, what kind of mess is this?" he sighed as he took her pulse. "Worrying about this and that all day long, and what kind of ungrateful wretches are they? Sigh!"
As he spoke, he raised his eyes and cursed Meng Fuqing, "You too, so young and with such poor eyesight, you've managed to protect all sorts of good and bad people and let them live. If you don't kick them out, don't come to me for medical treatment in the future!"
Meng Ruilin's face flushed red with guilt and anxiety at Zheng Yi's words, and she couldn't help but speak up to defend herself: "What does it have to do with Meng Fuqing if we go into the imperial mausoleum? Is she so opposed because she has ulterior motives?"
Meng Fuqing did not answer. Instead, she walked past Meng Ruilin and whispered something in Meng Ali's ear before leading the white wolf to the Meng clan.
He raised his voice and said, "To be honest, I did have my own selfish reasons just now. I couldn't bear to see Grandpa Village Chief sad, and since he asked me to make the decision, I'll take the liberty of doing so this time—"
This place is indeed the tomb of a former emperor, filled with countless gold and silver treasures. Entering once can elevate an entire family to a position of great wealth.
This is a one-time opportunity. You might not be able to find the place again later. Take advantage of the current crowds to get in, and it's first come, first served. Now, those who want to get in, take a step forward.
Xie Jin smiled, watching the scene intently.
Among the crowd, Shen Yuan frowned deeply, "What is Miss Meng up to?"
The villagers and bandits may not know that imperial tombs are not places one can simply enter at will.
Shen Lianxing's gaze was fixed on Meng Fuqing, and he uttered four words in a low voice: "Clean up the house."
Shen Yuan suddenly realized, but couldn't help feeling a chill; this girl was truly decisive.
They understood, but the villagers didn't necessarily. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
Seeing this, Meng He couldn't help but ask Meng Linlang, "Is it really possible to go to the imperial mausoleum?"
Meng Linlang said in a low voice, "Second brother, you'd better not have such thoughts."
"I wasn't... just curious," Meng He said sheepishly.
Until the Meng Ruilin family all stood up, followed by the second family...
In the end, four families stepped forward, two of which were in-laws.
Meng Fuqing smiled and looked at the Black Tiger Stronghold members, "What about you? Those of you who want to go in, including the Niu family, why don't you take this opportunity to stand up together?"
Among the crowd, Niu Er saw his boss's amiable expression and reached behind his back to wave to his family.
"Second Uncle, is your hand cramping?" he heard his little niece ask.
One by one, people stepped forward, until no one else did. Meng Fuqing then asked, "Is that all?"
At this moment, someone in the crowd asked loudly, "Miss Meng, are you and Young Master Xie going in together?"
Meng Fuqing retorted, "When did I say that?"
She then asked Meng Ali, "Have you memorized everything?"
Meng Ali nodded emphatically, "Big sister, Ali will remember!"
"Alright—those of you who just stepped forward, you can all see the entrance to the imperial mausoleum. Whether you live or die after you go in is no longer our concern, and this group is no longer your concern either. Please leave!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted into chaos.
Xie Jin made a gesture to his men, and Mu Feng and the others all placed their hands on the weapons at their waists.
He now had a dagger in his hand.
After he finished doing all this, those who had stood up earlier all felt they had been tricked and their faces turned ugly.
"Miss Meng, we thought you had your own plans before you stepped forward. It's not right to lie, is it?"
"Yes! If you want to kick us out, just say so!"
Just as the crowd approached Meng Fuqing, several of them had swords and knives placed against their necks by Mu Feng and his men.
Xie Jin held his dagger to Meng Ruilin's neck, who was trembling uncontrollably. He said in a deep voice, "Why are you unhappy about granting your wish? Anyone who dares to lay a hand on me will be killed!"
The white wolf howled loudly in response to the commotion of the crowd, as if both intimidating and threatening.
After realizing what was happening, the bandits and villagers who hadn't yet stepped forward also picked up their weapons and stood in front of Meng Fuqing to protect him.
The commotion subsided instantly, and Meng Fuqing simply said, "Take care, I won't see you off."
The villagers and bandits who stepped forward still held a glimmer of hope, so they didn't make too much of a scene. They simply tried their best to take away some of the public grain.
Meng Fuqing and Du Zhong did not obstruct them too much, after all, they had carried grain together and gone through life and death together. After sending them away, the caravan continued on its way.
After this incident, although everyone was puzzled, they were also shocked and dared not raise any further objections.
Meanwhile, inside Zheng Yi's carriage, Zheng Yi once again felt his old friend's pulse and still felt something was wrong.
If you only check the pulse, the person shouldn't be vomiting blood. Or is it that your old friend put on this show to cooperate with Meng Fuqing, and is just too tired to fall asleep right now?
He remained silent for a while, and seeing that no one was hurt, he put his mind at ease again.
Qi Liang found Meng Fuqing, frowned, and asked in a low voice, "Why is the black box in Xie's hands? Why isn't it in yours?"
“It would be too conspicuous for me to carry it,” Meng Fuqing said. “What’s wrong?”
"You trust him far too much," Qi Liang said in a muffled voice.
Meng Fuqing glanced at him. "You don't believe him, but you do? I still remember how unwilling you were when I asked you to do things for me."
Qi Liang was silent for a moment, then said, "I won't tell anyone about the black box, don't worry."
After saying that, he rode his horse ahead.
The caravan bypassed the swamp and traveled for half an hour before stopping to rest. During this time, Meng Fuqing briefly described the situation inside the so-called imperial tomb.
After hearing this, everyone's faces turned pale and then red, filled with lingering fear.
Meng Fuqing no longer cared about the feelings of these people and kicked the white wolf that was trying to scare Meng Ranran and Meng Ali.
The two little ones were very curious about the majestic white wolf, both afraid and wanting to touch it. Meng Fuqing had to hold their hands before they dared to touch it.
Another large hand reached out in front of him. Meng Fuqing paused, looked up, and sure enough, it was Xie Jin.
"Miss Meng, may I have a word with you in private?"
Meng Fuqing followed Xie Jin away from the convoy. Seeing that they were getting further and further away, she called out to him, "We're far enough, let's talk."
Xie Jin said directly, "This place is not far from the real entrance. I would like to go into Emperor Jingyuan's tomb with you."
He pointed to himself, then to Meng Fuqing, "Me, and you, together. Perhaps we can find one of the antidotes I'm looking for inside, the Azure Pearl."
Meng Fuqing's brow twitched. Following the clues from before, she looked at Xie Jin's eyes behind his mask and took three steps back, asking warily, "Why do you insist that I go with you?"
In an instant, various thoughts swirled in her mind. Soon, she picked up a stick and traced it back, and suddenly realized—Meng Linlang.
Yes, Xie Jin once fed Meng Linlang medicine to make her confess. Is it possible that he heard about the Spirit Spring Space from Meng Linlang?
Knowing the function of the space and that she might have a solution, I wanted to go to the tomb with her.
That makes sense.
The trust that once existed was almost completely destroyed by a single sentence, and Meng Fuqing looked at Xie Jin with utter indifference.
With Meng Linlang as an example, it's impossible for her to be unguarded against someone who might have guessed her secret.