Grudge Breaker

Chapter 396 Playing with fire -
Five hours ago, fifteen miles outside the cave where Jing Lan was staying, Meng Mengda took out the disguise water that Mo Tingfeng had given him, tilted his head back and drank it down. Soon, the little fat boy was transformed into a tough and unyielding man in front of Ding Heran.

"Commander Ding, do I look... like him?"

Meng Mengda transformed himself into the appearance of Jing Zheng, which he had seen through the "Immersive Technique," and looked at Ding Heran with hopeful eyes.

"..."

Ding Heran's face darkened.
"You're asking me? Do I look like someone who's ever seen Jing Zheng before?!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's true."

Meng Mengda smiled awkwardly, somewhat at a loss—but since he was currently in Jing Zheng's form, his helplessness looked very incongruous.

“Mengda, I don’t know if you look like Jing Zheng, but I’m sure his expression wasn’t as… cowardly as you are now.”

Ding Heran put his arm around Meng Mengda's shoulder, looking completely at ease.

“Brother Wei once told me that being a spy is like acting; you have to have a strong belief! Don’t think you’re playing Jing Zheng; you have to genuinely believe that you are him! Only in this way will you avoid giving yourself away because of a guilty conscience.”

"Oh... okay, I, I, I'll try my best."

"..."

"But more than whether it looks like him or not... I'm more worried about your stuttering problem, bro. You mean that Jing Zheng, he doesn't happen to stutter a bit, does he?"

"Commander Ding, you don't need to worry about that. Once the disguise water takes full effect, my stutter will disappear, and my voice will become the same as the Jing Zheng's voice that I heard when I was in the Realm of Emptiness."

"Hey, little fatty, you know what, you really shouldn't believe it! It's working, it looks like it now! Well, at least I think it looks like it."

"Little Fatty, let's go! Proceed according to plan!"

Their plan was for Ding Heran to lead a team to ambush around the cave in advance and set up "Burning Vision Seals" to monitor changes inside the cave, while Meng Mengda would go to Jinglan's camp alone via the open road.

In this way, if the cave were to become unusual due to Meng Mengda's appearance, Ding Heran would know immediately—for example, if people were secretly gathering inside the cave, or if a targeted message was sent out, it would indicate that the little fat man had already been exposed before even entering the cave. If such a situation occurred, Meng Mengda would stop advancing and retreat quickly.

Conversely, if everything goes as planned, then proceed into the cave. Whether it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, let's risk it all and see what happens. Ding Heran will be waiting outside the cave as agreed.

In the dawn light, two figures disappeared into the mountain mist and vanished in an instant.
.
After an incense stick's time, Meng Mengda, disguised as Jing Zheng, reached the cave entrance without any hindrance. He paused slightly, turned his head slightly in the direction he had agreed upon with Ding Heran beforehand, and slipped into the cave.

The cave wasn't large; it seemed to have only three or four accompanying chambers besides the main cave. However, since it was the temporary residence of Jinglan, the matriarch of the Ruan family, on Goddess Peak, one could see that it had been carefully tidied up as much as possible—thick bamboo curtains separated different functional areas, incense was burning all around, and the sound of dripping water from the crevices of the cave added to its unique elegance.

"What brings you here, sir?" Meng Mengda had just stepped through the entrance to the cave when he was stopped by a maid who looked like a top-notch martial artist.

"What? Don't you recognize me?" Meng Mengda tried to remain calm; she was just a gatekeeper maid.

"Please forgive my poor eyesight, but may I ask how you are addressed? Please allow me to inform you."

The maid's words made Meng Mengda feel guilty again—could it be that his disguise had gone wrong and the maid couldn't recognize him as Jing Zheng? However, all's fair in war, so he decided to try a little trick. If it didn't work, he could still run away.

"You really don't recognize me?" Meng Mengda deliberately raised his voice.

The maid was taken aback, staring at the face before her that bore a striking resemblance to Jing Lan. Her mind raced – could this be the mistress's mysterious guest? Although she hadn't seen him, the cave wasn't large, and she'd overheard some rumors circulating "inside." But that man was always elusive, so why would he come through the main entrance?

Seeing the maid's stunned and fearful expression, Meng Mengda guessed most of it. It was probably not that the disguise was wrong, but that the maid had never seen Jing Zheng before due to her status.

"What are you standing there for? Go and call Lan'er out."

"This servant wouldn't dare! This servant will lead you in right away." The maid had never heard anyone address Jing Lan by her maiden name before, and she immediately became certain of her judgment. She bowed humbly and greeted her, "However, this servant is of low rank and cannot see Madam. Would it be alright if I first led you to the main hall and then asked Madam's personal nanny to guide you?"

"Enough with the noise. Move aside, I'll be going."

"Yes Yes!"

The maidservant retreated in a panic, bowing her head and waiting until Meng Mengda's figure disappeared into the winding passageway. "I didn't expect to get in so easily." Meng Mengda walked cautiously through it, thinking to himself, "It seems that most of the servants don't know Jing Zheng. Apart from Jing Lan, at most only the personal nanny mentioned by the maidservant has seen Jing Zheng in person. That makes things easier. After seeing the nanny, I just need to come up with a reason for why I wanted to enter the cave openly."

……

The cave was dark and flickering with candlelight. As Meng Mengda walked through it, his mind was racing, considering all the possibilities and what he would say if he saw Jing Lan. He was completely unaware that a hand with scarlet nail polish was reaching for him from behind!

The sudden, unpredictable throbbing pain in his arm nearly snapped Meng Mengda's nerves. Just as he was about to fight to the death, a low "Father" pulled him back to his senses.

Upon closer inspection, the person in front of me was none other than Jing Lan, but why did she look so anxious and fearful?
"Father, why are you still here? Hurry! He's here!"

"Him? Who is he? Who came?" Meng Mengda tried hard to suppress the question that was about to come out of his mouth, and cooperated with Jing Lan, letting her pull him to the end of the cave passage.

The place was clearly blocked by rocks, a dead end—but strangely enough, the two of them passed through the mountain like Taoist priests from Laoshan, which turned out to be an illusion—in the blink of an eye, everything in front of Meng Mengda suddenly opened up, and he was already in a secret chamber inside the cave.

Meng Mengda had never been so nervous. The good news was that he had run into Jing Lan as soon as he entered, and she hadn't noticed anything unusual about his identity; the bad news was that he seemed to have encountered some terrible emergency, and the enemy he had come to had Jing Zheng as his target.

The chubby boy's mind was in turmoil. This was completely different from what he had imagined! This wasn't about conviction at all! How was he supposed to proceed?!
"Father? Father!" Seeing him in a daze, Jinglan called out twice more anxiously, "Hurry up and leave! It'll be too late if we don't leave now!"

“Going... cough, I think going is not a solution.”

Meng Mengda reluctantly agreed, thinking he might as well go all the way and meet that person; perhaps he could find more clues.

"Lan'er, if I leave, what will you do? Since he has come looking for us, perhaps... I should go and meet him."

……

"Father, what are you saying?"

Jing Lan gave Meng Mengda a strange look.
"Didn't we agree? Now is not the time to fall out with him. Saving Mianmian is the priority! My precious daughter can only rely on us!"

"That guy surnamed Mo keeps saying he'll have all the participating sorcerers search for her, what a nice way to put it! Using Mianmian's disappearance as a trial hurdle, he doesn't care about her safety at all. How could he come up with such a terrible idea! In short, you can't trust anyone from the Si Chen Manor, and he's no exception!"

……

Jing Lan's words only confused Meng Mengda more. It seemed she didn't appreciate the efforts of the Si Chen Manor and Mo Tingfeng, but that wasn't important right now. What Meng Mengda cared about was who the visitor was. Clearly, judging from Jing Lan's words, the visitor had some connection to the Si Chen Manor.

Could it be...

A bold idea sprouted in Meng Mengda's mind—could it be that the person who came was an insider from the Si Chen Mansion? This person was not only the real culprit who used the Soul-Devouring Beast to "control and kill" Lü Chi, but also the mastermind behind making Jing Zheng fake his death and lie dormant for many years!
In a flash of inspiration, Meng Mengda felt he was incredibly close to the truth. No! This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; he had to see this person!

……

“Lan’er! I’ve thought it over carefully, and I can’t leave.” Meng Mengda added some facts he knew, while deliberately making his words ambiguous. “Yesterday, in the risky battle against the Si Chen Manor, both Qiongqi and Xiang Liu were defeated. I’m afraid my whereabouts have been exposed. In the current situation, I must go to see him. Perhaps Mianmian’s matter can be turned around because of this.”

"Father……"

Jing Lan wanted to persuade him further, but Meng Mengda interrupted her.

"Lan'er, my mind is made up."

……

"That's fine."

Jinglan activated the mechanism, the illusion vanished, and they returned to the dark passageway. She pointed to the heavy bamboo curtain at the end of the passageway.
"The main hall is just beyond the three bamboo curtains. He is there. Father, please be careful. But Mianmian's matter cannot be delayed any longer. Lan'er will go ahead first."

"Alright, take care of yourself."

Meng Mengda headed deeper into the cave, completely unaware of Jing Lan's deep and shrewd gaze upon him, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Father, between the phrases 'inviting the enemy into a urn' and 'substituting a plum for a peach,' which do you prefer?"

Jinglan whispered, then vanished back into the shadows of the dark passageway like a ghost.