Grudge Breaker

Chapter 397 Inviting the Enemy into the Trap (Part 1)
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In the dimly lit passageway, Meng Mengda walked cautiously. The silence around him made him feel uneasy, as if countless eyes had quietly sprung up on the secluded mountain walls, watching his every move. If he made even the slightest mistake, he would fall into the deepest hell.

Meng Mengda was prone to sweating. Although he was currently dressed as Jing Zheng, his back was already soaked with sweat, which made his skin itch – no, perhaps it was an itch in his heart.

He desperately wanted to know whose face would appear behind the heavy bamboo curtain.

Who exactly is this person, capable of commanding Soul-Devouring Beasts and even making Jing Zheng work for him? And why would such a person conceal his abilities and infiltrate the Si Chen Manor? What is his ultimate goal?
Is this person old or young?
Is it part of the Heavenly Net or the Earthly Net?

Could she be one of the few people I met in the Si Chen Manor?
Is it possible that... this person is actually Lü Chi, who is already dead?

Meng Mengda was startled by the thought. He stopped in his tracks, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down from his wild thoughts.

The last bamboo curtain is before us; take one more step and the answer will be revealed.

What he needs most right now is not to consider all the possibilities, but to remain calm and composed when faced with a definitive answer, without giving himself away.

"Click—"

He finally took that step.
.
The main hall was empty.

Only a cup of hot tea on the table emitted wisps of white steam, making it impossible to tell whose it was or whether it was specially left for Meng Mengda.

What about people?

Meng Mengda subconsciously turned to leave, only to find that the passageway leading to the main hall had disappeared at some point, and behind him was a solid rammed earth mountain wall.

Is this just another smokescreen?
With that thought in mind, he imitated Jinglan's previous stance and rammed straight into the rammed earth wall.

"Bam—"

The mountain wall remained completely still, but he himself couldn't control the surge of blood and qi.

"With your little bit of cleverness, you think you can completely escape my control?" A man's voice suddenly came from behind.

Something inside Meng Mengda suddenly snapped.

He was all too familiar with that voice.

So familiar with the person that you don't even need to turn around to know who's behind you.

A chill ran down my back—perhaps because I was no longer sweating, and my damp clothes clung to my skin, sticky like snakes.

"What? Are you so guilty you've become mute?" The man's voice behind him drew closer.

"No, no," Meng Mengda managed to find his dry, hoarse voice.
"I just don't know how to face you."

To some extent, he was telling the truth. This doesn't represent Jing Zheng, but only himself, Meng Mengda.

The man chuckled softly, "While I've been sitting here waiting for you, I've been reflecting on when exactly you started to slip out of my control?"

The sound of clothes and teacups behind him indicated that the man had sat down and taken another sip of tea.

"I, I didn't."

Meng Mengda remained standing with his back to him, saying, "I was just... just desperate to save my granddaughter."

The next moment, as if making a huge decision, he finally turned around to face the man.
"boom----"

Even though there was no thunder, Meng Mengda felt his eardrums vibrate—he almost couldn't help but bow to the man in front of him in accordance with the etiquette of the Sichen Mansion, but how should he address him? He didn't know how Jing Zheng usually addressed him—he couldn't very well use the way he addressed him in the Sichen Mansion, could he?

Uncle Fei.

……

I never expected it to be Uncle Fei.

No, he should have noticed something; the mole was Uncle Fei. Meng Mengda suddenly remembered that day: he had secretly come to Goddess Peak, thinking he had gotten away with it, but when he returned and closed his room door, he found Uncle Fei already waiting for him in his room. At that time, Uncle Fei had made him break out in a sweat, which then quickly cooled down, clinging to his back like a snake—just like now.

……

"You? To save your granddaughter? Is that it?"

Uncle Fei's words brought him back to reality. Yes! He was Jing Zheng now! Not Meng Mengda, caught red-handed by Uncle Fei! He still had to bring this momentous discovery back to Lord Si Chen; he absolutely couldn't let it slip!

Meng Mengda composed himself, and when he spoke again, his back straightened up unconsciously.

"Yes, save my granddaughter. I only have one daughter, Lan'er, and one granddaughter, Mianmian. Lan'er is heartbroken over her, how can I ignore her?"

Uncle Fei stared at Meng Mengda with a playful look for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

"If it's all for your granddaughter, then why did you obey my orders to command Qiongqi and Xiangliu to ambush the people from Sichen Mansion? The man surnamed Mo has been traveling for many days, isn't it all to save your own granddaughter?"

...It turns out that the ambush was ordered by Uncle Fei to be carried out by Jing Zheng.

Why did Uncle Fei do this? And why did Jing Zheng carry it out? Worst of all, these are questions that Meng Mengda needs to answer immediately, and they are among the answers he came here to find out.

He swallowed hard; if he could, he would love to drink a sip of the tea in Uncle Fei's hand.

"What, have you lost your temper?" Uncle Fei's eyes held an even stronger sense of amusement.

"because……"

Mengda had no choice but to speak up; he decided to take a gamble.
"Because I obey your orders. Since it is your request, I dare not disobey. Besides, I believe you will not stand by and watch me lose my only granddaughter. After so many years of friendship, you will surely help me."

"is it?"

"Didn't I tell you that your granddaughter got involved in this matter because she had no choice but to? I value and trust you so much, you shouldn't ruin my important plans because of such trivial past events."

"Big thing? What big thing! What exactly do you want to do?!" Meng Mengda's inner question was so loud that it almost burst out of his mouth. What exactly was Uncle Fei's "big thing"? Was it to disrupt the sorcerer ranking trial, or to destroy the Si Chen Mansion, or perhaps—to get rid of Mo Tingfeng and take his place?
"Yes, I was so eager to save my granddaughter that I lost my composure and committed a grave mistake. Please advise me on what to do next." Meng Mengda knelt down on one knee, hoping to extract more information by agreeing with Uncle Fei.

"Ah--"

Uncle Fei's laughter was ordinary, yet it sent chills down one's spine.

"It doesn't hurt to tell you."

"I will make sure that Mo Tingfeng is utterly disgraced and can never sit in this position of Si Chen again."

"I will plunge the world into chaos so that the true master may return!"

Uncle Fei stopped beside Meng Mengda, who was kneeling on the ground, and looked down at him. A huge, unprecedented sense of oppression overwhelmed Meng Mengda—he tried to say something, but he really didn't know what to say.

"Ah--"

Another soft laugh came from above.

"Are you trying to ask me why I hate Mo Tingfeng so much? Or, who is the 'real person' I'm talking about?"

"Or do you want to ask something more specific? What is my goal in this Goddess Peak Warlock Ranking Trial?"

"Or perhaps you want to ask me why I can command Jing Zheng to fight for me?"

"Mengda, how can I know what you really want to know if you don't ask?"

!!!

"you!"

Startled, Meng Mengda stood up and instinctively backed away.
"How did you know I was...?"