Chapter 67: Xiao Yan: "Your posture for saving the damsel in distress is all wrong"

"Wahaha, saving a damsel in distress! Big Brother Meng Qi is so handsome, I want to offer myself in marriage to you!"

Xiao Yan sent a series of inexplicable barrage comments.

These comments made Meng Qi's fists clench.

His fists hardened.

He realized that this fellow Xiao Yan was somewhat of a closet pervert; he didn't get that vibe when Xiao Yan first joined the group.

Once they became familiar with each other, his inner pervert completely exposed itself.

Now, inside the live broadcast room, he was even more uninhibited.

"This is a live broadcast room, not a no-man's-land. Xiao Yan, restrain yourself!"

Shi Jian spoke up to scold Xiao Yan.

Meng Qi felt a warmth in his heart after seeing Shi Jian's barrage.

As expected of my Brother Shi.

He knows how to protect his own people.

However, this touching sentiment lasted for only a moment...

"Little Meng, your way of playing the hero saving the damsel is subpar. You should have waited until Jiang Zhiwei was heavily injured before making your move. That way, not only would you have saved her life, but with her severe injuries, she would have no choice but to rely entirely on you..."

"A wounded woman depending on you with her whole heart—you could just go *hehehe*!"

The barrage sent by Shi Jian was quoting the original text from the novel.

In the original story, Jiang Zhiwei was injured and had limited mobility, prompting Meng Qi to act as her human mount.

The two of them essentially merged into the "Meng-Jiang Beast."

Meng Qi's face darkened as he looked at Shi Jian's barrage.

I am clearing this instance properly, and you are talking about this nonsense?

You're making me sound like some kind of heretic.

Meng Qi seriously wanted to kick these two fellows out of the live broadcast room.

Ignoring the barrage in the live broadcast room, he turned his gaze to the words appearing before him.

"Jiang Zhiwei and Meng Qi rescued Cheng Yong from the control of the Mind-Controlling Pill, completing the side quest. Each is rewarded with 10 Karma points!"

The blood on the ground gathered to form the words.

The side quest was completed.

"You really guessed it right; all four masters have been controlled..." Jiang Zhiwei looked at Meng Qi with a complex expression, feeling as though a mysterious radiance now enveloped him.

"Also, thank you just now for saving me..."

Jiang Zhiwei expressed her gratitude to Meng Qi.

Although she had maintained a certain level of vigilance, Cheng Yong had attacked in a hurried manner, and even with her quick reflexes, she would have sustained some injuries.

"It was only right... Let's go rendezvous with the others first," Meng Qi said faintly.

Jiang Zhiwei nodded. As the two prepared to leave, they suddenly noticed that the writing on the ground had changed.

"Qi Xia rescued Ding Changsheng from the control of the Mind-Controlling Pill, completing the side quest, rewarded with ten Karma points."

"Zhang Yuanshan, Qing Jing rescued..."

Several consecutive messages flashed past.

A smile bloomed on Jiang Zhiwei's face: "Sister Qi and Senior Brother Zhang, along with Qing Jing, have all completed their tasks as well. They must have been on their guard after listening to your advice!"

The strength of the four martial arts masters was not weak.

However, compared to Zhang Yuanshan and the others, they fell far short.

Knowing in advance that they were controlled by the Mind-Controlling Pill, the group naturally wouldn't be caught by a sneak attack.

Frowning slightly, Meng Qi feigned analysis:

"Since all four masters were controlled by the Mind-Controlling Pill, why were they still locked in the secret cells? This is clearly a trap..."

"The master of the Hidden Emperor Castle couldn't possibly know that we would come here for a quest..."

Prompted by his reminder, Jiang Zhiwei blurted out:

"Unless the target of the trap isn't us!"

"Perhaps there are reinforcements coming behind the four masters, and these four masters are a trap designed specifically to target those reinforcements!"

Jiang Zhiwei voiced her deduction, and after finishing, she gazed at him with burning eyes.

As if eagerly awaiting Meng Qi's approval.

Having already read the script, Meng Qi naturally knew this was the truth.

He had deliberately guided Jiang Zhiwei to think in this direction.

"That must be it!"

Meng Qi paused for a moment before continuing: "The Master of Samsara must want us to join forces with the native experts of this world to subjugate the master of the Hidden Emperor Castle!"

"Mm!" Jiang Zhiwei acknowledged.

After discussing for a bit, the two were about to leave when the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from afar.

The newcomers were precisely the reinforcements they had just guessed about.

There were seven or eight of them, all dressed in short, casual attire. These people were shocked when they saw Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei, and the corpse of Cheng Yong on the ground.

"Master Zhuang, they killed Hero Cheng..." cried a sharp-featured man with a monkey-like face, while the others immediately raised their weapons and looked at the two with extreme caution.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhiwei knew these people were the reinforcements. Unwilling to spark a conflict with them, she stepped forward to explain:

"Everyone, please do not misunderstand. We were entrusted by our master to come and assist Hero Ma!"

"Upon entering the Hidden Emperor Castle, we learned that Hero Ma and the others were trapped inside, so we split up to rescue them. Who would have thought that when the two of us arrived here and opened the stone door to save Hero Cheng, he was controlled by a Mind-Controlling Pill and suddenly launched a sneak attack on me!"

"Fortunately, Junior Brother Dingzhen intervened and killed him!"

Jiang Zhiwei recounted the sequence of events.

Hearing her words, everyone cast their gazes toward Meng Qi.

A young monk with red lips and white teeth.

"How is this possible? Even if this little monk started practicing cultivation from inside his mother's womb, there is no way he could defeat Hero Cheng... Let alone pierce Hero Cheng's throat with a single sword stroke!"

The sharp-faced man from earlier questioned skeptically.

To be fair, Meng Qi's appearance was indeed quite striking.

Standing there, he truly possessed the aura of an expert.

Yet he was far too young.

How could he possibly pierce Cheng Yong's throat with a single sword strike?

Everyone looked at the wound on Cheng Yong's body: a single spot of crimson at the neck.

His eyes were wide open, filled with utter disbelief.

Clearly, before he could even react, his throat had been pierced by a sword.

Such prowess demanded the intervention of a grandmaster of swordsmanship, at the very least.

How could it possibly be the work of this young monk?

The rest of the group nodded in agreement, their wariness toward Jiang Zhiwei and Meng Qi deepening.

Witnessing this scene, Meng Qi knew his moment to show off had arrived.

He once again wore a charming, enigmatic smile.

"It's here, it's here, everyone step aside, my Brother Meng is about to flex..."

"Unbelievable, the Dragon King is smirking!"

Xiao Yan and Shi Jian immediately chimed in to hype him up within the chat group.

Fang Han, Yang Qi, and the others felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when they witnessed this scene.

"When my cultivation was crippled and my father held the family assembly, the situation seemed somewhat similar..."

Yang Qi thought to himself.

After he stole the Hidden Dragon Pill and his cultivation was ruined, the various branch leaders of the Yang family all pressed his father for answers.

He himself was subjected to intense questioning.

Then, he displayed his cultivation at the Body Tempering stage and instantly suppressed everyone present.

That scene shared an uncanny resemblance to Meng Qi's current predicament.

"Did I smile like that back then too?"

Yang Qi began to doubt his life choices.

...

"It seems I smiled just like that during the family martial arts tournament..."

Lin Dong also recalled his youthful days.

Back then, he had also faced skepticism during the clan tournament.

As a result, thanks to the Stone Talisman, his strength advanced by leaps and bounds, stunning the entire audience with his skill.

"Did I really look that punchable when I smiled?"

Lin Dong wore a look of utter disgust...

...

Meng Qi had essentially grown immune to the chat group's barrage. He raised the refined long sword in his hand, preparing to showcase a wave of swordsmanship.

To hell with being a reckless brawler.

He was, after all, an peerless swordsman who killed a man every ten steps, leaving no trace for a thousand miles.