Chapter 3936 — A Scream from the Mountain Cave
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
So even knowing it was a gamble, Meng Jueming had no choice but to grit his teeth and stake every last chip he had on Meng Zhou. If the creature could just prove reliable at the crucial moment, then the Meng family's ancestors would have to have been burning incense for them.
Only ten days remained before the final assessment. Meng Jueming could no longer wait for Meng Zhou to make a full recovery; he had no choice but to talk the fellow into a reckless plunge. It was a great risk, but he had no alternative.
Staring at the blood-red pill in Meng Jueming's hand, Meng Zhou could not keep himself from drooling. Ever since he had first learned of the Midnight Heart-Shattering Pill, he had waited for this day far too long. It was only Meng Jueming who had kept holding him back. Today, at last, he would get his wish.
Yet Meng Jueming did not hand it over so readily. Instead he spoke up: "Meng Zhou, how has your cousin treated you all this while?"
Meng Zhou started, then hurriedly poured on the flattery: "Wonderfully! Ninth Cousin has shown me kindness as heavy as a mountain. Whatever you command, I would dash out my brains and spill my liver without a second thought."
"Good. Then from now on, no matter what happens, you need only remember one thing: you and I are grasshoppers strung on the same thread. Whatever I do, I do for your good, and I would never cheat you or do you harm. That must be burned into your heart, understand?" Meng Jueming said, leading him along with a meaning-laden tone.
"Of course, of course! How could I not know how Ninth Cousin has treated me? Rest easy, Ninth Cousin. I, Meng Zhou, am not the sort to forget a kindness and repay it with treachery!" Meng Zhou, understanding nothing of what lay beneath, went on thumping his chest in assurance.
He assumed Meng Jueming feared he would take the Midnight Heart-Shattering Pill, grow stronger, and then turn on him.
Meng Jueming nodded in satisfaction, then handed over the Midnight Heart-Shattering Pill at last. He paused, then said: "You have already heard Young Master Xu describe the pill's effects. With your present cultivation at the early Foundation Establishment stage, taking it will beyond any doubt raise you to the peak of early Foundation Establishment—of that there is no question. But every thing has its two sides. As the saying goes, medicine is three parts poison. What lies behind such potent efficacy—surely you have some idea in your heart."
"I have! I have!" Meng Zhou nodded again and again. In truth he knew not a whit; he had not grasped the deeper meaning in Meng Jueming's words at all. All he wanted was to swallow the Midnight Heart-Shattering Pill at once and boost his strength.
"Since that is so, your cousin will say no more. There is no time to lose. Once you have steadied yourself a little, take this Midnight Heart-Shattering Pill as soon as you can," Meng Jueming said, his eyes narrowing.
Meng Jueming deliberately refrained from spelling it out. After all, however muddle-headed and foolish Meng Zhou might be, if he learned of the pill's side effects, he would likely not dare take it. This was a thing that could ruin a man's whole life—what sane person would dare stake his entire life as a chip?
In any case, Meng Jueming had said all this beforehand and had done his duty. As for Meng Zhou failing to grasp the deeper meaning of those words, that could only be blamed on his own stupidity, not laid at Meng Jueming's door.
"Yes, yes. Take care, Ninth Cousin." Meng Zhou could scarcely wait to begin.
Though over the past few months Meng Jueming had told him several times that the Midnight Heart-Shattering Pill's efficacy was fierce and domineering, and that one must make thorough preparations before taking it, Meng Zhou had paid it no mind. So long as he could rise a whole stage at once, everything else was nothing but clouds.