Grudge Breaker

Chapter 385 The Uninvited Guest (Part 2)
A young man dressed in the robes of a Broken Vengeance Master, who looked rather sturdy and round from behind, bowed to Mo Tingfeng and said, "M-Master."

"Mengmeng? What brings you here!"

Before Mo Tingfeng could speak, Song Weichen had already warmly greeted the newcomers.

"You, you..."

The socially awkward Meng Mengda looked at Song Weichen with a mixture of confusion and nervousness. Why was there a girl here? And she looked so unfamiliar! But why was she calling him "Mengmengda" like the Venerable One? He stammered even more.

Song Weichen then realized that Meng Mengda had never seen her without her white robes, so he naturally wouldn't recognize her. She had been careless... How could she explain this? She could only look to Mo Tingfeng for help like a little puppy.

"Ahem, um... For this trial, I specially cast a spell on the White-Robed Venerable. Meng Mengda, why don't you pay your respects to the White-Robed Venerable and the Cangyue Divine Lord?"

"Yes! Your subordinate is Meng Mengda, the recorder of the Records Department of the Sichen Prefecture. I have met with you two sirs."

"Your subordinate is here on the orders of Lord Si Chen to assist in searching for clues."

The chubby boy stammered, sweating profusely. He wanted to wipe it but didn't dare, which made Song Weichen inexplicably want to laugh.

“Cang Yue, don’t let his appearance fool you, he’s actually quite powerful. He can see people or scenes related to murder weapons by touching them; it’s called ‘the art of seeing in the scene.’”

"Mengmengda, you have the prestigious identity of being personally blessed by Lord Sichen as a prophet. Don't always look like you're doing something wrong and give people the wrong impression. Stand up straight!"

"What prophecy, a seer?"

Meng Mengda looked at Song Weichen and then at Mo Tingfeng, even more bewildered.

“Brother Wei is using a game term called ‘Werewolf’ as a metaphor to say that you are a good person. It’s normal that you don’t know it.” Ding Heran interjected from the side. Actually, he had never played it either, but fortunately, he had heard the Black and White Robes mention it when he suspected Meng Mengda’s identity last time, and he couldn’t help but want to show off.

Upon hearing his words, Meng Mengda's face showed a mixture of surprise, shyness, and gratitude. Before he could say anything, Ye Wujiu suddenly snorted coldly.

"Meng Mengda, half a month ago, you took advantage of your position to steal disguise potion from the archives of the Writers' Department, disguised yourself as the deceased Vengeance Master Lü Chi, and sneaked into Goddess Peak. Did you think the adults didn't know?!"

These words were like a thunderbolt. The little fat boy's expression changed drastically, and he knelt down with a thud!
"Big! Big..." He couldn't even utter the extra half word.

……

In fact, Ding Heran and Ye Wujiu did it on purpose. First, Ding Heran lowered his guard by taking advantage of Song Weichen's words, and then Ye Wujiu suddenly shouted out the truth—giving a sweet date and then slapping him, so that he would not dare to conceal anything in his subsequent report.

Having worked with Mo Tingfeng for many years, the three of them had developed a highly skilled teamwork.

“Mengda, stand up and speak. I believe you. Speak freely about any discoveries you may have and do not hold back.”

Seeing that the time was right, Mo Tingfeng spoke at the opportune moment.

"There are no outsiders here, so please calm down and report everything you have observed today."

"Yes, my lord."

Although Meng Mengda responded, he remained lying on the ground, seemingly trying to calm himself down. Everyone understood, and even the usually domineering Gu Cangyue did not urge him.

Finally, Meng Mengda stood up, took out a dragon fingernail-like object from his pocket, and presented it to the wooden table in front of Mo Tingfeng and the others.
.
"My lord, this is a piece of 'Qiongqi' toenail that I found at the place where you were attacked by the ferocious beast."

Sure enough, the chubby guy could only speak fluently and without hesitation when he was immersed in the case.

“The ferocious beast harms people with its teeth and claws, so this is undoubtedly its weapon. In this urgent situation, I used the emergency technique on this creature without your permission.”

After a slight hesitation, he lifted his sleeve, and everyone was stunned to see that Meng Mengda's arms were covered with a thick layer of black hair, making them look unlike human hands.

"Everyone, don't worry, this is a side effect of the procedure and will disappear on its own within half a day. However, the changes I've undergone prove that the beast tamer who controlled the ferocious beast attacking you has such mane. In addition, after touching Qiongqi's toenails, I saw three images—"

"The first scene: In a huge cave, seemingly at midnight, a man dressed in a somewhat strange military uniform reaches out to the sleeping Qiongqi, his arm covered in black mane. Then, as dawn breaks, Qiongqi lies prostrate at the man's feet, as if in submission."

"The second scene: The man is having a secret rendezvous with a noble lady in a cave with bamboo groves and wooden houses. The lady is crying and holding a tattered waist tag with the character '争' (struggle) blurred on it."

"The third scene is a smaller cave with lots of thatch, ferns and moss inside. A black bear is hibernating with its cubs when suddenly the cubs are shot through by a sharp arrow. The black bear is enraged, and then a man is tied up and thrown into the cave. Although his face is not clear, his clothes and build are the same, so it should be the same man."

"If my guess is correct, this person should be the beast tamer who manipulated the ferocious beasts to attack you and your brothers. It's just a pity that my abilities are limited and I only saw this much."

……

A moment of silence fell over everyone. Although they were certain that what the chubby boy had seen was important, the amount of information that could be considered a clear clue was limited. After much deliberation, Ding Heran clasped his hands in a fist salute to Mo Tingfeng.

"My lord, should I immediately arrange for a thorough investigation to find the man with black hair among the participating sorcerers?"

"Not urgent."

Mo Tingfeng already had a guess in his mind, but before arranging the operation, he needed to confirm some details with Meng Mengda.

"Mengda, the information you provided is very important. Let me ask you, why did you say that the man's military uniform was strange?"

"My lord, that commander's uniform doesn't look like the current style. I'm not an expert in this area, so I can only roughly estimate that it's at least three or four hundred years old."

“Three or four hundred years?” Mo Tingfeng pondered for a moment, then looked at Ye Wujiu. “I remember you are quite knowledgeable about these military uniforms. Can you show us the commander’s uniform that is nearly a thousand years old?”

"Yes, sir, please take a look."

Ye Wujiu began to cast his spell, and sixteen handsome outfits immediately appeared on the walls of the cliff cave. From the decorations to the material of the clothing, every detail was exquisite. It was clear that the styles of the handsome outfits from similar years were very similar, while the greater the time gap between them, the greater the difference.

"My lord, the military system and commander's uniforms have been reformed sixteen times in the past thousand years in the Dream Realm, and they are all here."

"Alright. Mengda, take a close look. Do you see any similar styles here that you see in the picture?"

"Yes! Sir."

The group headed towards the cliff face. Meng Mengda walked in front, carefully examining the clothes and comparing them with those in his memory. Finally, he stopped.

"My lord, I can confirm that it is this general's uniform."

Mo Tingfeng's gaze darkened as he looked at the handsome outfit Meng Mengda had chosen.
"It seems... Weiwei and Lady Cangyue's previous guesses were correct; the Beast Tamer may indeed be Jing Zheng."

"Jing Zheng?!" Ding Heran and Ye Wujiu, though unaware of the previous events, knew of Jing Zheng and were both shocked upon hearing this deduction.

With a wave of his hand, Mo Tingfeng caused the remaining fifteen military uniforms on the cliff to disappear, leaving only the one chosen by Meng Mengda.

"This is the style of a general's uniform from eight hundred years ago, and the time coincides perfectly with the time when Jing Zheng was appointed to quell the rebellion in a time of crisis."

"Combining this information with the other two scenes Mengda saw, everything becomes clear—if I'm not mistaken, the cave with the black bear is the place where Jingzheng faked his death. Mengda saw that the cave contained thatch, ferns, and moss, which is very consistent with the vegetation characteristics near the border. If it were an inland cave, it would be mostly filled with pine needles and foxtail grass."

"And the mane that grew on Mengda's body was that of a black bear. From this, we can infer that Jingzheng must have done something to the black bear, perhaps enslaving it, or perhaps being eaten by it. The mane that grew was some kind of unexpected backlash."

"So, Jing Zheng is still alive, and someone has known all along."

With another wave of his hand, Mo Tingfeng revealed Jing Lan's image on the cliff face.

"Mengda, is this the lady you saw?"

“That’s right! She is…?” Meng Mengda had never met Jing Lan before, so he naturally didn’t recognize her.

"She is Ruan Xingxuan's biological mother and Jing Zheng's only daughter, Jing Lan."

Mo Tingfeng's expression darkened slightly; it seemed Jing Lan was hiding many things from him.

But Mo Tingfeng didn't understand. Jing Lan knew that the "Fang Sheng He He Technique" had been running for many days and that Goddess Peak was the only chance to break the formation. Otherwise, Du Juan's soul would completely replace Ruan Mianmian. So why did she tolerate or even instruct Jing Zheng to use his beasts to attack and obstruct the Breaker of Vengeance from saving her daughter at such a critical moment?
……

The atmosphere inside the cave was heavy, and everyone remained silent. Although they couldn't speak openly due to their duties as exorcists, the pain from fighting the ferocious beasts and the doubts in their hearts were equally real.

Suddenly, Song Weichen, who hadn't spoken until now, exploded.
"Are you all stupid? You're rushing off to deliver your heads to the Ruan family?"

"To be honest, my family, from Lao Longjing tea to her mother to her hairy maternal grandfather, is all completely devoid of any flavor—pure dregs!"

"You're all desperately searching for people, but what about Jing Lan and Jing Zheng? They're desperately trying to kill you!"

"Save it? Forget about it! Let the old Longjing tea plant die a natural death!"

She was genuinely angry; her face was flushed.

"Exactly! For the sake of some unrelated woman, you let Weiwei act alone and put her in danger! Mo, well done!" Gu Cangyue added at the opportune moment.

The atmosphere of analyzing the case was perfectly interrupted by the two. Ding Heran and the others looked at each other, wanting to leave the cave but not daring to, especially Meng Mengda, who felt as embarrassed as if his fig leaf had been ripped off in public. Once he stopped analyzing the case, he didn't even know where to put his hands.

"slight."

The beauty was furious, and Mo Tingfeng, disregarding what Meng Mengda, who had been kept in the dark in the past, might think, publicly gave her a light hug to soothe her.

"You're so angry because you're worried about me and don't want anything to happen to me, right?"

He coaxed her gently, and the tips of Song Weichen's ears immediately turned red.

"Of course... there's also He Ran, Wu Jiu, and everyone else..."

She stammered, as if possessed by Meng Mengda.

"Listen to me, don't be angry. Be careful not to get sick from anger."

Mo Tingfeng's tone was so sickeningly sweet that Gu Cangyue wanted to kill him in public—this bastard is getting more and more shameless!

"The duty of the Vengeful Spirit Master is to protect the peace of the Dream Realm. Our search for Ruan Xingxuan is not merely for the Ruan family, but also to uncover the mastermind behind the conspiracy, expose the plot, and prevent a greater crisis from befalling the Dream Realm. I—"

Before he could finish speaking, Song Weichen interrupted him.
"Don't try to reason with me. I'm a pretty selfish and ruthless person. I only care about whether the people I care about are safe and whether they get hurt. As for the others, whether they live or die is none of my business."

Mo Tingfeng knew Song Weichen's temperament all too well, and knew she was just saying things out of anger.

He then smiled faintly and whispered in her ear, "Actually, I'm just as selfish and ruthless as you. I only care about whether you'll be hurt by these conspiracies, and I don't care about anything else. That's why I must deal with these villains hiding in the shadows and protect you for all eternity."

Even though she knew that given Mo Tingfeng's character and overflowing sense of responsibility, only half of what he said was true, Song Weichen's emotions were still soothed. She wasn't angry with him in the first place, but it was really unfair to take it out on Lao Longjing and her unreliable mother.

Her eyes flashed with threat as she poked Mo Tingfeng's chest with a finger. "I'm warning you, whatever you do, you're not allowed to get hurt or anything! Try making me worry and see what happens!"

……

Ding Heran and Ye Wujiu were used to the interaction between the two, but poor socially awkward Meng Mengda was greatly surprised, even more so than when he himself grew black mane and learned that the beast tamer who appeared on Goddess Peak was Jing Lan's biological father Jing Zheng, who had been dead for eight hundred years. What was going on? Did he know something terrible? Could he still get out of here alive, Mom?
Within just one hour of entering the cave, Meng Mengda's wish to escape for the ten thousandth time that day was fulfilled.

Just as devastated as the chubby boy was another person—Gu Cangyue. Slightly different from Meng Mengda, he was the one who had achieved his wish to kill Mo Tingfeng for the ten thousandth time today.

Just as the giant bird's volcano of jealousy was about to erupt, Song Weichen suddenly turned and glared at him, "And you! You're no less of a worry! I'm warning you, you absolutely cannot get hurt or injured! Try making me worry about you and see what happens!"

呲——

The world's largest active volcano has ceased firing.

Gu Cangyue was overjoyed, and proudly pouted her chin at Mo Tingfeng.
"Hey Mo, don't think you're anything special. Weiwei cares about more than just you!"

……

"Alright, let's get down to business. Let's finish this and go home. I don't want to stay in this awful place for another second." Having vented her anger, reason regained its hold, and Song Weichen took the initiative to steer the topic back on track. "Wujiu, summarize it."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Ye Wujiu remained focused and unaffected by the dramatic events that had just transpired.

"Based on current findings..."
First, the identity of the beast tamer who premeditatedly manipulated the ferocious beasts to attack the Vengeful Master is now clear: it is none other than Jing Lan's father, Jing Zheng.

Secondly, Jing Zheng faked his death and escaped, lying low for eight hundred years. His appearance at Goddess Peak this time does not seem to be to rescue the missing Ruan Xingxuan. His true purpose is still unknown.

Third, given that Jing Lan concealed the fact that Jing Zheng was still alive, and that the two appeared on Goddess Peak in the open and in the dark, the subordinates reasonably suspected that there was a mastermind behind them and that there was a secret they were hiding.

My subordinate has a reasonable suspicion that, given the above factors, it is possible that—

Is Ruan Xingxuan's disappearance a hoax, and the truth is that the Jing family, spanning three generations, meticulously orchestrated and staged a clandestine conspiracy?