Walking in the cycle of reincarnation

Chapter 27 A Dilemma Since Ancient Times

Meng Jinchuan knelt to the side, his gaze shifting, first stealing glances at Zhang Nanfeng on the rock, then falling on his uncle Meng Cang, who was mired in the mud.

Having spent several days together, he had already figured out the temperament of this "Golden Toad Ancestor." At this moment, the Golden Toad Ancestor sat silently, his eyes deep and unfathomable, clearly waiting for them to speak.

Meng Jinchuan swallowed hard, crawled half a step on his knees, and said in a low voice to Meng Cang:

"Uncle... the Golden Toad Ancestor is waiting for you to speak."

Upon hearing this, Meng Cang's back stiffened, as if he had just woken from a dream, and he remembered the real reason he had come into the mountains today.

He struggled to sit up, his voice hoarse and broken as he said:

"Xiao Chuan...you go back to the village first."

Meng Jinchuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and a look of hesitation crossed his face.

Although he was simple-minded, he knew that what his uncle was about to say must be a clan secret.

He was curious and wanted to hear what his uncle had to say. He was also worried, fearing that if he left and no one was there to mediate, and his uncle said or did something to anger the Golden Toad Ancestor... then he would be doomed.

Seeing that he didn't move, Meng Cang felt a pang of embarrassment. He opened his mouth, but his usual authoritative tone wouldn't come out; in the end, only a soft whisper escaped his lips:

"Listen to... Uncle, let's go first."

A wave of sorrow washed over Meng Jinchuan, and he instinctively looked up at Zhang Nanfeng atop the high rock.

Zhang Nanfeng met the boy's gaze, but did not speak. He simply nodded slightly, signaling the boy to leave.

Meng Jinchuan understood, and despite his doubts, he dared not disobey the order.

He kowtowed deeply to Zhang Nanfeng, then glanced once more at his uncle in the mud, rose, retreated several feet, and disappeared into the forest mist. His footsteps faded into the distance, until they were no longer audible.

Only one person and one toad remained in the forest.

Meng Cang knelt on the mud for a long time, not daring to get up, and only regulated his breathing.

After a moment, carefully choosing each word, he spoke:

"Golden Toad Ancestor... I risked my life to pay my respects today because I have a wish, and I earnestly beg the Golden Toad Ancestor to grant me mercy."

He paused briefly, then wiped the mud from his face with his sleeve, revealing a disheveled yet handsome face. However, the gentle warmth in his eyes was gone, replaced only by fear and naked ambition.

"This junior wishes to seize the position of clan leader and lead the Meng family... back to the Thirty-Six Caves."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nanfeng couldn't help but turn his head.

Seeing this, Meng Cang, observing the expressions on the other end of the line, knew there was a way, and quickly continued speaking while the opportunity was still fresh:

"The Meng family was originally one of the thirty-six caves, but due to Meng Lie's selfishness, they were forced to retreat to this Boundary Stele Mountain and become the lowest-ranking cave clan in the Southern Frontier. We, the younger generation, are unwilling to accept this and vow to lead our clansmen back to our homeland."

......

After a long pause, having finished discussing the Meng family's affairs, he gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and revealed his most secret conspiracy:

"Therefore, I... have had private dealings with the altar. The altar promised to help me seize power."

Zhang Nanfeng was slightly surprised after hearing everything.

Unexpectedly, the Meng family also harbored sordid dealings of fratricide and collusion with powerful forces.

But on second thought, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him. Meng Cang's desire to return to the Thirty-Six Caves coincided perfectly with his own plan.

But Meng Lie, as the clan leader, has so failed in his duty and completely ignored Meng Cang's actions. Is Meng Lie simply unaware, or does he have something else to rely on? Or perhaps... he doesn't care about the position of clan leader at all?

In short, whatever the reason, it is not conducive to his current plans. If Meng Lie continues to sit in the position of clan leader in such a muddled way, the Meng family will remain stagnant and never move forward.

Perched atop the high rock, Zhang Nanfeng remained unmoved, his gaze sweeping down with his deep, dark eyes, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

Meng Cang was overwhelmed and could hardly breathe, but he steeled himself and kowtowed again, saying:

"Golden Toad Ancestor! This junior dares to beg you to bestow upon me that divine poison!"

He looked up, his eyes blazing with a frantic hope:

"I intend to use this poison against Meng Lie. At the right time and place, I can cause him to lose all prestige among his clansmen... At that point, the clan elders will naturally become disaffected, and with no one to support him, I can rightfully seize power and no longer need to rely on the Holy Altar! This will not harm Meng Lie's life, yet it will achieve my goal—truly a... truly a win-win situation!"

His words, though seemingly dignified, still seemed to reflect a sense of brotherhood.

Zhang Nanfeng listened, a cold sneer rising in his heart.

What a "win-win solution"! How ridiculous, how...familiar.

He gazed at Meng Cang's handsome face, twisted by ambition, and in a daze, he recalled his past life as a human.

He had seen similar faces when he was in college.

Some senior students were exploited by their mentors for three whole years. They finally made it to the teaching assistant position, but then they turned around and took advantage of the younger students even more, pouring every last drop of the grievances and hardships the younger students had suffered into their own mugs from their past lives.

Such people suffer greatly, yet instead of thinking about breaking the rules and ending the mistreatment, they are determined to climb to the top and become the one who wields the knife and harms others.

Meng Cang's appearance at this moment overlapped perfectly with those faces.

Zhang Nanfeng's eyes grew even colder, but he did not refuse.

He slowly opened his mouth, and a drop of colorless liquid condensed again inside the venom gland, but the condensed venom was only the size of a grain of rice.

The venom condensed on the tip of his tongue, and Zhang Nanfeng gently carried it with the wind, sending it to Meng Cang's front.

Meng Cang was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. He hurriedly took out a jade bottle, raised it above his head with both hands, collected the drop of poison into the bottle, and hid it close to his body.

The gesture made it seem as if the bottle contained not poison, but the rise and fall of the entire Meng family.

"I will never forget the great kindness of the Golden Toad Ancestor!"

He prostrated himself again, striking the muddy ground heavily, bowing three times in succession. After finishing the ceremony, he rose and, imitating Meng Jinchuan's actions, retreated several feet, turned and hurried away. His white robe and wide sleeves fluttered in the forest mist, and he disappeared in an instant.

The wind in the forest has ceased, and all sounds have returned to silence.

Zhang Nanfeng sat alone on a high rock, gazing in the direction Meng Cang had left, his eyes fixed and unwavering.

He closed his eyes and repeatedly reviewed every word Meng Cang had just said.

Altar.

Those two short words pierced my thoughts and lingered there.

Although Meng Cang only uttered the four words "help me seize power," his words betrayed a deep-seated fear and apprehension. The pleas for mercy he had been forced to make earlier further corroborated this. It was no ordinary cooperation; it was more like dealing with a tiger for its skin.

A sense of crisis quietly crept into his heart.

Since the Holy Altar has already interfered in the Meng family's internal affairs, it will never sit idly by while Meng Cang slowly builds his power. Once it loses patience, or discovers that Meng Cang has someone else to rely on, it will surely strike ahead of time. At that time, not only will Meng Cang die, but the entire Meng family will be destroyed. And its plan to pave the way with the Meng family's power will also be in vain.

Meng Cang is playing with fire; it seems... we need to speed things up.

Before the Holy Altar makes its move, it must help Meng Cang seize power and lead the Meng family back to the Thirty-Six Caves. At the same time, the connection between Meng Cang and the Holy Altar... cannot be broken, but it also cannot be tied too tightly.

Once the Meng family returns to their rightful place in the Thirty-Six Caves, that sacred altar may become another stepping stone for them to explore the miasma-filled eye.