Divorce Only Makes a Son-in-Law Stronger-Chapter 134, Matricide

"What—what have you done to my mom?"

Seeing this, Su Mengqing’s expression changed, and she warily took two steps back. The woman from the Sakura Country standing before her was no pushover. To escape earlier, she had released a great swarm of Poison Insects without any regard for the lives of others, blanketing the entire area!

If she wanted to harm Mom and me, we’d have no way to resist!

"Just a little trick to make your mother shut up."

Iguchi Tama’s voice was slightly hoarse, laced with weariness. She coughed softly, a faint trace of blood appearing at the corner of her mouth. Previously forced into a desperate situation by Lin Fan, she’d had no choice but to exhaust all her strength to escape. It had seemed like a close call, narrowly dodging her opponent’s attack, but in reality, the fierce, invisible Qi Force had already struck her from afar, penetrating her body.

At this moment, Iguchi Tama felt an unbearable, burning pain in her chest, as if a pair of giant claws had viciously slashed it. She silently marveled at Lin Fan’s terrifying power. She had already planned to leave Haicheng immediately and flee back to the Sakura Country, but just before her departure, she suddenly changed her mind.

"Su Mengqing, we’re actually two of a kind, and we even share a common enemy: Lin Fan." Iguchi Tama glanced at Zhang Meili, then stared straight into Su Mengqing’s eyes. "What’s more, we’ve both been deeply hurt by men..."

Lin Fan’s face suddenly appeared before her, gradually overlapping with another younger, more immature face from deep within her memory.

It was an old memory from over a decade ago. Back then, Iguchi Tama was studying abroad. During a wilderness summer camp, she accidentally got separated from her companions and fell off a cliff. When she awoke after a long period of unconsciousness, she found herself face-to-face with a limping young soldier from the Xia Country.

She later learned that this grumpy soldier had also been separated from his unit during a wilderness training exercise near the northern border. As two souls who had fallen on hard times, they thought they could rely on each other. But as soon as the soldier heard Iguchi Tama’s fluent Sakura Country dialect, he flew into a rage and stalked off alone. Although they could communicate fluently in a foreign language, they resorted to cursing each other out in their native tongues.

Iguchi Tama, pampered since childhood, was no match for the brutish young Xia Country soldier. She couldn’t out-curse him, nor could she best him in a fight. In the end, overwhelmed by a seething, helpless rage, she fainted once again.

When she woke up, it was already dark. Yet the Xia Country soldier hadn’t left. He was busy setting her fractured bone with branches, cursing under his breath the entire time. The man appeared extremely conflicted and irritated. In the following days, he still didn’t give her a pleasant look. However, he always left her a share of the wild fruit and fresh water he’d painstakingly gathered.

And so, the two people who couldn’t stand each other managed to survive in the deep mountains and ancient forests. Though Iguchi Tama was relentless with her words, she found his image taking root in her heart. Sometimes, when she was alone in the cave, she would eagerly await the return of that grumpy face.

Until one morning, the man went out to gather wild vegetables and fruits and never returned. Iguchi Tama waited until nightfall, but when he still didn’t appear, she broke down and cried. Fortunately, her cries were heard by her companions who had come searching for her, and she was finally rescued. Like a madwoman, Iguchi Tama begged her companions to search the area, but they found no trace of the Xia Country soldier.

Obviously, the man had finally grown impatient. Feeling burdened by her, he had abandoned her and run off on his own. The faint glimmer of joy in her heart instantly turned into a deep, abiding hatred. Iguchi Tama subsequently made frequent trips to the borders of Northern Daxia, hoping to find him and force him to apologize. However, she never found any trace of him... until she came to Haicheng and inexplicably felt that Lin Fan was very similar to that man. It was why she had taken an intense dislike to Lin Fan at first sight.

But how could that proud and surly Xia Country soldier be anything like Lin Fan, who was willing to endure four full years of disdain from the Su Family?

"Miss Iguchi Tama, you... you mean you want to help me rise again and go against Lin Fan?"

The stream of memories was interrupted by Su Mengqing’s astonished voice.

Iguchi Tama’s gaze turned cold again as she nodded. "Exactly. I’m willing to support you, to have you replace my brother Iguchi Watanabe and take over as the vice president of Iguchi Pharmaceutical Group. The only condition is that you must join the Holy Poison Sect, like me, and pass my training and tests."

At this declaration, Su Mengqing’s pupils trembled, her face flooding with ecstasy. This was truly a turn of fortune; her time had finally come!

"Thank you, thank you, Miss Iguchi Tama, for this opportunity! With four years of rich experience managing Su Pharmaceutical, I am more than capable of handling such a great responsibility!" Su Mengqing took a deep breath to suppress the excitement in her heart, her fists clenched tight.

Lin Fan, are you watching? Exceptional people never complain about their circumstances. I, Su Mengqing, will ultimately rise again and become an existence you can never hope to reach!

"Very good. Confidence is a good thing. I also admire your tenacity; you weren’t crushed by Lin Fan." Iguchi Tama nodded in satisfaction, then turned her gaze to Zhang Meili, whose face was also alight with elation. "And now for my first test. I want to see if you’re ruthless and decisive enough."

"May I ask... what you need me to do?" Su Mengqing’s smile stiffened as a dreadful premonition surfaced in her mind.

"It’s simple. Your mother has been controlled by my drugs. She’s unable to move or speak, just like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered." Iguchi Tama turned to stare at Su Mengqing, the corners of her mouth curving into a cold smile. "I want you to personally dispose of this burden. Strangle her to death. Right now."

BOOM!

The words struck her like a physical blow, and Su Mengqing staggered backward as if she’d been punched. A few steps away, Zhang Meili’s small eyes bulged in shock. The elation on her face froze, instantly draining away to be replaced by a ghastly, panicked pallor. She had thought her daughter, favored by this mysterious woman, was about to soar to great heights. She herself would escape this bitter life and once again enjoy wealth and luxury.

Who could have possibly thought the price for all of this would be her own life?!

No, don’t agree, Mengqing, don’t do it! I’m your mother, your own mother!

Zhang Meili wanted to scream with all her might, but the only sound that came out was a hoarse rasping in her throat. Tears streamed from her eyes as she frantically darted them about, trying to signal to the increasingly grim-faced Su Mengqing to calm down.

Silence. A deathly silence.

One second, two seconds, three seconds... A full minute passed. For Zhang Meili, who was on tenterhooks, each second stretched into an eternity.

Finally, Su Mengqing took a deep breath, and the conflict in her expression melted into one of resolved acceptance.

Mom, I’m sorry. For my future, I can only sacrifice you...

But before Zhang Meili could breathe a sigh of relief, her daughter’s soft words struck her like a thunderclap, sending a violent tremor through her heart.

No, no, don’t come over here!

Zhang Meili’s face was a mess of tears and snot, and she wet herself instantly. But no matter how pitifully she looked at Su Mengqing, her daughter’s footsteps didn’t stop. And so, with a bizarre, half-crying, half-laughing expression, Su Mengqing walked step by step until she stood directly in front of Zhang Meili.

CRACK! CRACK!

Su Mengqing suddenly bent down, her hands seizing Zhang Meili’s neck! The pressure on her throat tightened, and Zhang Meili gasped for breath, her chubby face turning crimson as she was starved of air. Feeling the oxygen being progressively squeezed from her windpipe, she was in extreme agony, desperately wanting to struggle. But her entire body was rigid; she couldn’t move at all.

In a flash of insight, Zhang Meili immediately held her breath. She rolled her eyes back, pretending to have died from suffocation. Still, Su Mengqing seemed unconvinced, relentlessly tightening her grip. Cold sweat dripped down Zhang Meili’s back as she struggled to hold her breath, terrified of giving herself away.

"Alright. Congratulations, Miss Su Mengqing. You have passed my first test."

Finally, Iguchi Tama’s cold voice came from above. Instantly, Zhang Meili felt the pressure on her throat release. Su Mengqing had let go, collapsing backward onto the ground, gasping for air.

In the gloomy night, the two devil-like figures finally departed.

"Hah... hah..."

Having endured the torturous ordeal, Zhang Meili’s eyes immediately refocused, and she gulped down mouthfuls of fresh air.

Evil spawn, evil spawn... you actually dared to strangle your own mother to death!

She bit her lip hard, covering her face with her hands, trying not to cry out loud. But then, Zhang Meili’s entire body trembled. She stared incredulously at her own hands. The right side of her body, paralyzed for days, had regained its mobility!

Could holding my breath for so long have somehow cleared the blocked blood vessels in my brain? This must be a blessing in disguise from the heavens... But now, I have nothing left. Even if I’ve miraculously recovered, what good is it?!

She had no home to return to; her husband and children didn’t want her. On top of that, she was penniless, and her stomach was growling with hunger.

Wretchedly, Zhang Meili scrambled to her feet, sobbing silently. She looked around helplessly with tear-blurred eyes. In the end, hunger won out over reason. She dragged her feeble body out of the alley and stood beside a large trash bin on the street.

RUSTLE! RUSTLE!

Bending over, she frantically rummaged through the trash. Zhang Meili’s face brightened. She was in luck—she’d found a sour bun with a few bites taken out of it.

She stared at it for a moment, swallowing hard. Then, ignoring the strange looks from passersby, she wolfed down the sour bun.