Chapter 401
Enemy or Friend?
Chapter 401 Enemy or Friend?
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Uncle Fei's words sent Meng Mengda's blood running cold. The familiar face before him was utterly foreign to him. Using beast-taming techniques to "control people"?! He'd gone mad!
"Let me go! I absolutely refuse to become your puppet!"
Mengmengda began to twist and turn wildly.
"You might as well kill me now!"
"Uncle Fei, about your benefactor—does he really know nothing? Or does your so-called benefactor know from the very beginning what he can get from you?"
Meng Mengda also planted a seed for Uncle Fei, suspecting that once planted, this kind of thing would eventually grow into a towering tree.
"Helping others do evil is not repaying a debt of gratitude!!"
"Uncle Fei!!"
……
Ignoring Meng Mengda's struggles, Uncle Fei calmly glanced at the end of the dark passageway and nodded to Jing Zheng, "Go."
Jing Zheng nodded, picked up Meng Mengda, who looked exactly like him but whose strength was worlds apart, and left.
On Mengmengda's left shoulder, where Uncle Fei had just taken a picture, sat a "bee" the size of a hummingbird, or rather, it looked exactly like a bee, except that the stinger on its tail emitted an eerie and dangerous red light—it was "Qinyuan".
"Wait." Just as the two figures were about to blend into the darkness of the passageway, Uncle Fei called out to Jing Zheng.
"Does Master have any further instructions?"
……
"Mo Tingfeng is not easy to deal with; be careful in everything you do."
"Remember, I don't need you to risk your life. If things go wrong, retreat immediately."
"Yes! Master, rest assured, Jing Zheng will keep it in mind."
……
Uncle Fei tucked his left hand back into his sleeve, glanced meaningfully at the now deserted passageway, and turned to walk in the opposite direction.
The surroundings returned to tranquility—or rather, deathly stillness. Not a single maid or servant was to be seen, as if this passageway and main hall were forbidden areas they had long known they must never set foot in.
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"My goodness, you've finally come out!"
In the woods near Jinglan's camp, Jing Zheng was immediately grabbed by Ding Heran as soon as he appeared. Ding Heran looked him up and down to check for any unusual marks or injuries on his body.
"Did everything go smoothly? Did you avoid any mishaps?!"
No, no.
Jing Zheng deliberately made himself appear to stutter a little, after all, the effects of the disguise potion were almost worn off, and he couldn't always act too much like "Jing Zheng"—as for how to appear like Meng Mengda, Jing Zheng wasn't worried at all. Apart from Meng Mengda himself, Fei Shu probably understood him the most.
"Commander Ding, who is this... who is this gentleman?"
Jing Zheng looked at Hua Zhe Zhan behind Ding He Ran with an inquisitive gaze.
This is also something Uncle Fei had advised Jing Zheng on—there's no need to pretend to know unfamiliar faces, because Meng Mengda prefers to be alone. Not to mention outsiders, he doesn't even know many of his fellow Po Yuan Shi from the Si Chen Mansion, so he can take the initiative to ask.
"Ahem, this, this is General Hua Zhe from the Upper Realm. She will accompany us to see Lord Si Chen later."
"why?"
As Jing Zheng asked the question, he subtly observed Hua Zhezhan, wondering who this person was, from the Upper Realm? Had he been exposed?
“Because…” Ding Heran scratched his head.
"Well, because, because she is the representative of the Lord's Mansion to observe the Warlock Rating Trial this time, it is also her duty to visit Lord Sichen regularly to know the progress of the trial, well, yes."
Ding Heran cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly. He couldn't very well say that it was because he was careless and didn't notice that Hua Zhezhan was sleeping in the nearby crevice, and that his strange behavior of hiding there had been mistaken by her as a reckless person who coveted women, and now they had to go back together to find Lord Sichen to verify it... Ding Heran shook his head, shaking off the strong sense of frustration that welled up in his head.
"Is it absolutely necessary for you to come along?"
Jing Zheng looked into Hua Zhe's eyes again. They were clean and indifferent, revealing no hidden meaning. But for some reason, he instinctively didn't want to get close to this person, let alone cause any trouble.
"To be honest, I... I have some matters to report to Lord Si Chen immediately. General Hua, perhaps we could visit at another time, so as not to keep you waiting." "Yes, General Hua, as you can see, I wasn't lying. We are indeed on a mission." Ding Heran quickly chimed in after hearing "Meng Mengda" say this. He didn't want Hua Zhezhan to gossip to Mo Tingfeng either!
"Why don't you visit at another time? He Ran will definitely welcome you personally."
"There's no better time than today." Hua Zhe coldly sheathed his sword at his waist. "Besides, I'm just going to pay my respects to Lord Si Chen; it won't interfere with your business."
After speaking, she gestured for Ding Heran to proceed, and the latter, having exhausted all other options, could only dejectedly lead the way, completely unaware of the unusual behavior of the two people behind him.
Hua Zhezhan took two steps closer to Jing Zheng, her nostrils flaring slightly as if she were trying to identify something by scent. From an angle she couldn't see, Jing Zheng clenched his fists—alarm bells rang in his mind, ding! He had most likely been exposed.
Although he didn't know who this woman was, she was clearly suspicious of him.
Should he kill this woman? But if he kills her, Ding Heran must also be eliminated so he can use the excuse of being attacked to see Mo Tingfeng... and then take advantage of the chaos...
No, that's not right. The thought crossed his mind in an instant, and Jing Zheng immediately abandoned this foolish idea. Putting aside the fact that he knew nothing about this woman's strength, just consider Ding Heran—they had just fought yesterday. He was almost a level A fire-type sorcerer, and Qiongqi had fallen to him. Although Ding Heran was injured now, killing him would not be easy. If there were other Vengeful Spirit Masters lying in ambush nearby, he would be completely finished.
……
Jing Zheng was lost in thought when he suddenly heard Hua Zhe Zhan say something in a low voice.
"What? I didn't hear you clearly."
“I said,” Hua Zhezhan lowered his voice even further, seemingly not wanting to attract Ding Heran’s attention,
Have we met before?
……
"General Hua is joking. Meng Da is in charge of case recording in Si Chen Mansion on a daily basis and hardly ever leaves the mansion. I'm afraid he has no chance to see a majestic general from the upper realm like you."
"Is that so?" Hua Zhe stopped and stared straight at Jing Zheng, his sharp gaze seemingly piercing through his skin.
Jing Zheng felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze, and he racked his brain trying to recall if he had ever seen her when he was still a "human".
Impossible. She doesn't look much older than her granddaughter Ruan Mianmian. She couldn't have been born 800 years ago, so she couldn't have seen herself.
But that look in his eyes...
Ding! Alarm bells rang incessantly in my mind. It was clear that she wasn't looking at Meng Mengda; she was looking at me.
Jing Zheng felt his throat go dry. This woman named Hua Zhezhan hadn't appeared here for no reason. What was her purpose? Who was her target? Mo Tingfeng? Or himself?
“You exude a strong murderous aura.” Hua Zhe Zhan no longer deliberately lowered his voice.
"Clam?"
Ding Heran was startled by Hua Zhezhan's words, and subconsciously sniffed her armpits while turning around.
"No, I just took a bath eight days ago. General Hua, are you mistaken... uh, you mean Mengda?"
Ding Heran chuckled, "Wait a minute, him? Murderous aura? Impossible."
Jing Zheng was startled, his clenched fist loosened, and he feigned confusion, glancing at Ding Heran before looking at Hua Zhezhan.
"General Hua, I... I drank a disguise potion, I don't usually look like this."
Hua Zhe didn't answer, but circled Jing Zheng expressionlessly, then sniffed him a few more times.
"I'm sorry, I take back what I just said."
Finally, he walked past the two men and went on his way.
Ding Heran shrugged helplessly at Jing Zheng, her face saying, "What can you do with her? You can't exactly beat her up, can you?" and hurried after him.
Jing Zheng was left standing there, pondering Hua Zhe's words—"Wait!" Was she reminding him?
Watching Hua Zhezhan's retreating figure, Jing Zheng forced himself to retract his consciousness layer by layer, shrinking "Jing Zheng" into an insignificant speck of dust.
He knew very well that masters never sense killing intent through killing aura. Killing intent is like the chill that emanates from a blade before it is drawn, while killing aura is an inner resonance that only those who have been licking blood from the edge of a knife for many years and have crawled out of hell possess.
If she could sense his murderous intent, given Mo Tingfeng's cunning and shrewdness, he wouldn't even have the chance to approach her and speak, let alone make a move.
This woman...
Is she friend or foe?
Jing Zheng narrowed his eyes.
Is she really just a representative from the Realm Lord's Mansion attending the ceremony? Is she really just a general from the Upper Realm?
Who is she?