Grudge Breaker

Chapter 386 is pure extortion!
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Lao Longjing fakes his disappearance; three generations of the Ruan family stage a charade together.
Song Weichen was stunned. No way... What kind of good person would risk their own flesh and blood to set a trap for someone else? But upon closer reflection, he had to admit that Ye Wujiu had indeed provided a new approach to solving the case.

“Alright, following Wu Jiu’s line of reasoning, if the Ruan family really did orchestrate this, what would they be after?” Mo Tingfeng asked calmly. “Especially since Jing Zheng faked his death for many years, why would he show up now? What exactly do they want to achieve that they must do through Ruan Xingxuan’s disappearance?”

...This question is quite difficult.

The crowd couldn't think of a reasonable motive for a moment, and Ding Heran, the master of easing tensions, seeing that the atmosphere was about to become awkward, had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue the conversation.

"Mother Ruan is most concerned about Consort Ruan's marriage. Is it possible that this is related to that?"

He glanced timidly at Mo Tingfeng, "Consort Ruan has long admired you, sir. Could it be that she is unable to win your heart, and thus her whole family conspired to take a risky path to gain your favor?"

"Nonsense!"

Mo Tingfeng's face turned pale, but Song Weichen was listening! Ding Heran, since you don't have a brain, you might as well donate your mouth too!

"Weiwei, don't listen to He Ran's nonsense, he—"

"Shh..." Song Weichen interrupted Mo Tingfeng.
"What He Ran means is that if Lao Longjing is sick, his whole family goes crazy with her? They even went so far as to bring out his grandfather, who had been hiding for hundreds of years after faking his death, just so that you would marry her? That doesn't make sense."

"Yes, yes! That doesn't make sense! I knew it was the crane—"

"Shh..." Song Weichen interrupted Mo Tingfeng once again.
"Although it's unreasonable, if we consider the case of Lao Longjing and her ambitious mother, it might not be impossible."

Song Weichen's expression was normal, and it was impossible to tell whether she was genuinely analyzing the case or harboring malicious intent. Yin Yang Mo Tingfeng was so frightened that the dignified Lord Si Chen didn't dare to breathe loudly and could only listen obediently.

"Look, finding the missing Old Dragon Well has become a crucial part of the trial. Everyone is eager to find her and get points."

"Under such circumstances, if Jinglan or Jingzheng deliberately sabotage Laolongjing, causing her to feign injury or suffer any aftereffects, will you take responsibility? As the Lord of Sichen, you were the one who turned her into a trial challenge. If something happens to her because of this, of course you have to take responsibility, and you will bear full responsibility!"

"If you think about it this way, Jing Zheng's use of his beast to obstruct your rescue, Jing Lan's deliberate concealment of her whereabouts after entering the mountains, and even her deliberate disappearance a few days ago all make sense. Their motive is very clear: they want to stage an accident to force you to marry her."

Song Weichen's expression grew colder as she spoke. She was already unhappy about Mo Tingfeng getting involved. It wasn't like the Chaos Soul was causing trouble. The disappearance of a living person was naturally the responsibility of the local prefecture. Why was the Sichen Mansion making a fuss?

Now things are really messed up. First, there's Qin Xueying's blunderous arranged marriage, and now Lao Longjing is fully responsible for it—Song Weichen smiled faintly, "Hmph, very good. Bing Tuozi is not far from having women on both sides."

Her laughter sent chills down Mo Tingfeng's spine.
"micro--"

"I think Weiwei makes a very good point!"

Just as Mo Tingfeng was about to speak, he was interrupted for the third time while casting his spell—his straight man, Gu Cangyue, had appeared.

"It seems Ruan Xingxuan has gone to great lengths for you, Mo. Aren't you moved? In my opinion, you should give in to her. Don't worry, Weiwei will protect me!"

Big Bird spoke with a sly smile, and he suddenly felt a little bit of goodwill towards Ruan Mianmian and the Ruan family.

……

Mo Tingfeng's teeth were practically grinding to powder. Moved? He dared not move!! No, he had to find a reason to punish Ding Heran by taking away a year's salary! No, two years!

"Ding Heran! Did you forget to bring Goddess Peak back to the manor?" Mo Tingfeng couldn't say anything about anyone else, so Ding Heran was inevitably the target.

"Let me ask you this: if Ruan Xingxuan's disappearance is a hoax, then is Du Juan's threat to resurrect her by borrowing her life real?"

"Even if we take a step back and assume that the Ruan family, Du Juan, the necromancer, and even those behind them have already secretly conspired, how can they guarantee that the 'Fang Sheng Harmony Technique' will not have any flaws and that Ruan Xingxuan's life will not be in danger?"

"Based on my understanding of Ruan Xingxuan, no matter what she wants, she would never gamble with her own life, and Ruan's mother would never agree to it—so Jing Zheng's sudden appearance and attack on Po Yuan Shi with his beast must have another reason."

"I still believe that Ruan Xingxuan's disappearance and the danger she faced are real, not a fabrication."

……

To be fair, Mo Tingfeng's analysis was very clear and objective, but unfortunately, Song Weichen was clearly emotional and wouldn't listen. She walked over to Ding Heran, who was kneeling down to admit his mistake, helped him up, raised her chin, and looked at Mo Tingfeng defiantly.
"Okay, my fellow debater, since we are now each sticking to our own version of events, how do you intend to prove your point, and how do you intend to break this deadlock?"

Finally, her eyes welled up with tears, a mixture of grievance and sadness in her eyes.
"Don't worry, I'll do whatever you say. Song Weichen is just a lowly commoner with only one life. If anything happens to me on Goddess Peak, I'll take full responsibility. I won't try to extort money from you."

"slight……"

Mo Tingfeng's heart clenched. He knew Song Weichen was jealous—letting her risk her life on Goddess Peak while he was busy saving other women. But... he felt like he was stuck in a spider web, knowing it was a trap but unable to escape.

"Weiwei, it's my fault, I..."

"Mr. Mo, I'm tired." Song Weichen shook her head. She was currently only surviving thanks to the little magic power that Gu Cangyue had given her earlier. "I'm not feeling well. Could you please get to the point?"

The torches on one side of the mountain wall burned out, crackling a few times before turning into a wisp of black smoke and dissipating, leaving the cave half-lit and half-lit. Coincidentally, Song Weichen stood in the shadows, while Mo Tingfeng stood in the light—the two were so close, yet their positions were clearly distinct.

Mo Tingfeng let out an almost inaudible sigh, waved his hand, and the torch was lit, pulling Song Weichen back into the camp of light.

"Alright, everyone, obey my command."

"He Ran, you will personally follow Jing Lan and set up the Burning Vision Seal around her to try to find Jing Zheng's whereabouts."

"Yes! Your lord!"

"Wu Jiu, the brothers with the Earth Net, set up the formation as planned, lure out the necromancer, and prepare to break the Corpse Formation."

"Yes! Your lord!"

"Here you go." Mo Tingfeng tossed a brocade pouch to Meng Mengda, who opened it to find a bottle of disguise potion inside.

"This... sir?"

"Mengda, can you recreate Jingzheng's appearance?"

"If you can get an 80 or 90% like her, that's enough. Use the dim light to get close to Jinglan. First, try to get some information out of her, and second, try to get something she has close to her. Then use the Realm Insight Technique again. Maybe you'll make some additional discoveries. He Ran, assist Mengda in his operation and ensure your safety."

“I suspect that there is someone behind Jing Zheng. His sudden reappearance after faking his death for many years may not be just to save Ruan Xingxuan.”

"Yes! Your lord!"

Ding Heran and Ye Wujiu responded and left quickly, while Meng Mengda walked more slowly, lingering until he reached the cave entrance and stopped completely, his chubby back full of hesitation.

"So cute?"

Song Weichen strained to look at the chubby boy; she could no longer see people clearly, which meant her magic power was almost exhausted.

"Are you having trouble carrying out your mission? Don't be afraid, just say so."

"No, no, thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency."

After a slight hesitation, Meng Mengda turned back and knelt before Mo Tingfeng.
"My lord, why don't you ask me... why I disguised myself and infiltrated Goddess Peak before?"

……

Not receiving a response, Meng Mengda, who had been looking down, couldn't help but timidly look up at Mo Tingfeng—and met a pair of clear eyes.

"Because I know you'll tell me when you're ready, I don't need to ask, all I need is to give you time."

"grown ups!"

Meng Mengda lost control of his emotions and prostrated himself in devout worship.

"Thank you for your trust, sir! Mengda will certainly live up to your expectations!"

He looked up, his eyes bright, and took something out of his pocket and handed it to Mo Tingfeng.

"Please have a look, sir!"

"This is?"

"This is the tooth of the Soul-Devouring Beast. Before Lü Chi committed suicide in the River of Three Crossings, he was attacked by this beast. When I was ordered to compile and record Lü Chi's case, I saw the scene of him fighting with this beast when I touched the sword he used to commit suicide. So I went to find it and found this item. I didn't make a fuss and brought it back quietly."

“Through this Soul-Devouring Beast’s tooth, I saw a few more fragmented images…” Meng Mengda hesitated noticeably, seemingly unsure of what he was about to say. “Not far from the entrance to Goddess Peak, this Soul-Devouring Beast seemed to be sleeping. Suddenly, it opened its eyes and saw a human hand—a left hand. From the cuff, I could tell it was a Broken Vengeance Master’s robe, belonging to the Gray Robe Faction under Commander Ding’s jurisdiction.”

"The next scene I saw was this beast fighting with Lü Chi. It bit him with its teeth, but it didn't seem to be trying to kill him. Instead, it wanted to inflict a bite on him and make him lose his mind."

"There was a very fast and blurry scene during the fight. It seemed that there was another Vengeance Breaker nearby, wearing a gray robe, who flashed by, but the speed was too fast for me to see clearly."

"...Based on what I have seen, I believe that Lü Chi's death was not suicide, but related to this gray-robed Master of Destruction. Since he had been to Goddess Peak, I wanted to sneak in to find clues, but I also know that a trial competition will be held here soon. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, I thought of using the method of disguising myself as Lü Chi to investigate. Unfortunately, I did not find any useful clues."

"My lord, I believe there is a traitor among the gray-robed men, who is up to no good."

Meng Mengda finished speaking in one breath, feeling a sense of relief and joy. This matter had been weighing on his mind for many days, making him restless and unable to eat or sleep.

"I understand. Go now, but don't make a fuss about this."

Mo Tingfeng helped Meng Mengda up.
"I promise you, I will definitely find this person on Goddess Peak this time."
.
The cave finally returned to calm, leaving only the three of them.

"slight."

Mo Tingfeng turned to look for Song Weichen, only to find her leaning on Gu Cangyue's shoulder with her eyes closed, as if she had fallen asleep.

"Not only are you incapable of protecting Weiwei, but you also lack the sense of perception. Are you trying to call back her soul?" Gu Cangyue raised her chin and used her inner voice to rebuke Mo Tingfeng.

"slight?"

Ignoring the bird's inner voice, Mo Tingfeng frowned and called out again as he approached.

"If you call me again, I'll cut your tongue off!" Gu Cangyue still used his telepathic voice, afraid of waking Song Weichen.

"Something's wrong with her!"

As they spoke, Mo Tingfeng had already reached Song Weichen's side. With a gentle embrace, Song Weichen fell back into his arms without any resistance—she wasn't asleep, she was clearly unconscious.

"Quickly, I'll protect you! Transfer the puppet energy from your Dream Sprout to Weiwei!"

Mo Tingfeng quickly formed a protective array, shielding Gu Cangyue and Song Weichen within it. After about an incense stick's time, the puppet in Song Weichen's arms gradually began to glow with a lustrous sheen, its puppet energy already reaching 80% full.

Another incense stick later, her long eyelashes fluttered, and she woke up, feeling warm all over and her energy restored.

"How are you feeling now? Is there anything that's bothering you?" Seeing that she was awake, Mo Tingfeng subconsciously moved closer, but Song Weichen was somewhat resistant.

"I'm fine now, you can go ahead and get back to work. See you at the next post tomorrow night."

"slight……"

"Cangyue, let's go."

"it is good!"

The big bird was very happy and followed behind Song Weichen like an obedient little sparrow.

"slight!"

Just as Mo Tingfeng was about to give chase, he was blocked by ice shards released by Gu Cangyue.

"You clingy brat. Weiwei will naturally be protected by me, but the eldest daughter of the Ruan family is still waiting for you."

"Weiwei, wait a minute."

Mo Tingfeng racked his brains trying to figure out how to keep her here, how to talk to her alone for a while. If he just let the little girl leave in a huff, with the restless Gu Cangyue by her side... No, he absolutely couldn't let that happen! He had to call for reinforcements!

"Weiwei, the route to our base tomorrow is winding and difficult to navigate. Let Xiao Biezhi come out and familiarize herself with the way, so we don't get lost."

"No need, just tell Cang Yue, he knows the way."

“I don’t trust him! What if Mengya is affected by the puppet energy and he goes crazy again? I don’t dare to gamble. I feel more at ease with Xiao Biezhi.”

"you……"

Song Weichen rolled her eyes. This excuse was even worse than pre-cooked food made with 82 gutter oil. Humph, men.

Despite her complaints, she still released the little guinea pig as instructed—Song Weichen was curious to see what kind of trouble the little meatball could cause for him.

"father!"

As soon as the little guinea pig came out, it saw Mo Tingfeng smiling at it, so it stretched out its paw and pounced on him.

"Dad! Is your internet connection lagging? Why did it take you so long to hear the mouse calling? Handsome was already taken care of by Big Sister before you came."

"Handsome?"

This unfamiliar title was like a thorn, suddenly piercing Mo Tingfeng's nerves.

Who is Shuai Shuai?

"That's him!"

The next second, a man suddenly appeared in the cave—a man with sword-like eyebrows and a straight nose, a general who stood tall and imposing with his battle robes still on, surrounded by the lingering chill of the underworld.

"So your name is Weiwei."

The man smirked as he watched Song Weichen's retreating figure; he had certainly gleaned a lot of information from the little guinea pig.

……

"We're doomed..."

Song Weichen's back stiffened. Help! She had completely forgotten about Li Kan!

A ghost marriage husband... Damn it... How am I supposed to explain this... Although she had the idea to use a small guinea pig to make the contract, Li Kan is still a man who is always with her!

Skull hurts.

"Weiwei, who is he?!"

"Weiwei, who is he?!"

Behind them, Mo Tingfeng and Gu Cangyue's voices came in unison, their tacit understanding was unparalleled.

"Cough... Ha, ha."

Song Weichen chuckled dryly and turned around, backing away towards the cave entrance as he laughed.

"Uh, if I said he was a wild general I picked up on the road... would you... believe me?"

While backing away, Song Weichen accidentally stepped on some loose stones at the cave entrance, stumbled, and fell backward without warning!
"what--"

Before she could even cry out in surprise, Li Kan had already caught her—his strong arms held her firmly, and a warmth spread across her back. Song Weichen looked at Li Kan in astonishment, her big eyes blinking. What was going on? He was actually warm? It wasn't the stiff, lifeless feeling she had in that strange ghost marriage shrine anymore?

"you……?"

"What am I?"

Li Kan smiled slightly.
"Has my lady forgotten me?"

!!!

Mo Tingfeng and Gu Cangyue exchanged a glance and spoke in unison.

"lady??!!!"