Chapter 154: You

Chen Guanlou took the cup of water, then patted Pingger's head—the little brat was well-behaved, inwardly refined, not mischievous like other children his age, and had saved Pan Niangzi considerable trouble.

His one trick with children: pull out money.

He pulled out a few copper coins and handed them to Pingger. "Buy candy with this. Don't tell your mother."

"Thank you!" Pingger took the money, bowed properly, and ran off.

"A sensible child."

The thought of soon becoming someone's father made him melancholy. How exactly was one supposed to be a father? He sipped some water, continued brooding over the question, then suddenly set down his teacup and began practicing the Sheng Tian Lu!

The water was poisoned!

Every second, every moment, it devoured his life, gnawing at his five viscera and six bowels.

The Immortal Fruit of Longevity, however, repaired his body with every second, every moment—so long as he had a single breath left, the Immortal Fruit of Longevity could save him.

On one side: endless, excruciating pain as poison consumed his life. On the other: rebirth brought by the Immortal Fruit of Longevity!

What a vile poison—truly lethal upon contact with blood. He'd drunk only a tiny sip, yet… he hadn't noticed the poison at all, completely deceived by beauty and by the child.

Who could have imagined that water handed over casually by a little brat was poisoned? Who would ever suspect a child of three or four? To use the weakest among men as tools, to strike with intent against innocence—who could have guessed that the widow's methods were so ruthless?

He spat out a stream of black blood, forcing the poison from his body with the Sheng Tian Lu.

Hearing movement outside, he immediately collapsed to the ground, feigning death from poisoning.

Moments later, the room darkened.

Listening to breath and footsteps, the intruder was none other than Pan Niangzi.

A frail, boneless hand gently tapped his cheek, then hovered beneath his nostrils to check for breath. He held his breath, utterly still.

"Is he dead?"

The voice belonged to Pingger.

Chen Guanlou was stunned, nearly betraying himself.

That cold, seasoned tone—how could it belong to a child of three or four? It was the voice of an old villain, fifty years old at least.

Pan Niangzi remained as weak and meek as ever. "Dead! Definitely dead! After that poison… no one survives."

"Hahahaha… Pan Niangzi, only you can do it. Once you act, no one escapes." Pingger laughed freely—such a grotesque contrast it was, enough to make one faint.

How could anyone exist with a child's face and a villain's voice? His actions were even more ruthless and calculating. Chen Guanlou prided himself on his experience, yet for all this time, he'd failed utterly to see through Pingger's disguise.

And Pan Niangzi—she had been…

He had been betrayed.

So all this—husband dead, family of three—was fabricated.

"My mission is complete. May I return and report?"

"Wait until dark. Move the corpse onto the boat. Then go report yourself." Pingger spoke like a superior; Pan Niangzi was subordinate, obeying orders.

Winter brought early darkness.

The frail Pan Niangzi dragged Chen Guanlou onto a cart. The cart creaked slowly, straight to the riverbank.

Board the boat!

Chen Guanlou was thrown onto the deck.

Pan Niangzi asked, "Why move the corpse? Why not bury it or toss it into the river?"

Chen Guanlou sensed the surrounding qi.

Only three people were aboard—no fourth. He did not yet awaken. He wanted to hear their reasoning, to understand the full story.

Clearly, Pan Niangzi's trio had rented Chen Ergou's home and fabricated a flawless identity solely to target him. Their methods and timing were perfect—no one could suspect a thing. Clearly seasoned veterans, deeply familiar with men's weaknesses.

He even suspected Hu Damu's death had been staged. Whether she was truly dead or not didn't matter—what mattered was that her death advanced the plan.

And he? All he'd thought about was embracing beauty, letting his guard down—combined with Pingger's flawless disguise, anyone without prior knowledge would have been fooled.

Thank heaven and earth—the Immortal Fruit of Longevity saved his life.

Beautiful women are untrustworthy. Zhang Wuji's mother was right.

Pingger stomped twice on Chen Guanlou's abdomen—hard.

Chen Guanlou: …

He endured.

Let him endure a little longer.

A gentleman seeks revenge—three minutes is not too late.

"Don't you see the inconsistencies about this man?"

"I'm dull. I didn't notice." Pan Niangzi's tone was impatient, carefully controlled.

"Hmph!" Pingger sneered sharply. "So many people, so long a tail—and not one of them noticed his flaws? That's the biggest flaw of all."

Qi Laoda!

In an instant, everything became clear.

They were sent by Qi Laoda.

The day he killed Hu's eldest son and burned the boat to rescue the kidnapped children—his trail had finally been found.

He'd wondered why the men tailing him vanished overnight, why their base was abandoned. He'd assumed they'd given up, unable to trace him.

But Qi Laoda hadn't given up—he'd changed tactics, switched to surveillance.

So that's how it was!

Pan Niangzi was Qi Laoda's agent, a member of the child-trafficking syndicate. Pingger's oddities made sense now—such gangs inevitably had a few aberrations. Pingger, when abducting children, was flawless.

No child could resist an invitation to play from a peer—far more effective than a lollipop from an adult.

Pingger was undoubtedly a key figure under Qi Laoda.

Pan Niangzi frowned. "I don't care about inconsistencies. I know my mission is done. I'm leaving."

"Leave? Did I say you could leave? Don't think your master's favor lets you ignore orders. Chen Guanlou's back must conceal either a master or a secret. We must uncover it."

"He's dead. How do you uncover it?"

"Cut him open. The truth will be plain."

Pan Niangzi gagged. "I can't do such bloody work. Find someone else."

"There are only two of us. Here's the knife. You do it."

"Why can't you accept he's just an ordinary man? The nameless hero is someone else."

"Eliminate every other lead, and the only suspect left is Chen Guanlou. He must be hiding something. Move quickly. You don't want to stand before your master and know nothing, do you?"

Pingger forcibly pressed the knife's hilt into Pan Niangzi's hand, coaxing: "It'll be over soon. Finish this task, and you'll return to your master's side. Don't you want to go home sooner?"

Pan Niangzi took the knife, gripped the hilt tightly, drew a deep breath, suppressed her nausea, crouched slowly, clenched her teeth, and brought the blade down.

The blade halted midair, unable to move an inch further.

Pan Niangzi stared—the corpse of Chen Guanlou had opened his eyes.

"You—you're not dead? How is that possible!"