Chapter 3966 — Telling the Truth

"What's this? Does Miss Murong have some hidden complication she'd rather not speak of?" Kang Jingming was a perceptive man himself; one look at Murong Zhen's expression told him there was more to the story. Anyone else might not have grasped at once who this "Eldest Miss Shangguan" was, but Murong Zhen came from Chongtian Pavilion—there was no way she could be ignorant of the name.

Murong Zhen started at his words and hurriedly forced a smile, covering for herself. "Steward Kang misunderstands. This humble girl was merely trying to recall whether she had ever come across such a matter before."

"Oh? And has Miss Murong managed to recall anything?" Kang Jingming continued to run his greedy eyes up and down her alluring figure while asking, as though nothing were amiss.

"I won't conceal it from Steward Kang—something did indeed come back to me. Back when the spirit beast trial was held in the rear mountains, it happened that I discovered Eldest Miss Shangguan had for some reason appeared there as well, and all alone. She came under attack from a spirit beast, and in the end Wei Zhao stepped forward and saved her." Murong Zhen spoke in half-truths.

Such an account served her purposes best. Not only could she remove herself from the affair and stand safely apart, but once she made plain the ambiguous **relationship** between Wei Zhao and Shangguan Lan'er, she could use it to stoke the fire between Xu Lingchong and Wei Zhao. Whichever of the two came off the worse, it was no bad thing for her.

Beyond that, airing the matter also counted as currying favor with Kang Jingming. Now that Meng Jueming was dead and she faced the ever-strengthening—indeed, ascendant—Wei Zhao, she was isolated and hard-pressed, with no means to contend against him. She had to find outside support quickly, and this Kang Jingming before her was a perfect candidate.

For one thing, though Kang Jingming's own strength was not great, he had Xu Lingchong as a mighty patron at his back, and he was himself an alchemist. His value did not lie in charging into battle, so there was no need to set much store by his fighting prowess.

For another, he and Wei Zhao had shared a blood feud since their days in the mortal world. The enemy of one's enemy is a natural ally.

In Murong Zhen's eyes, if this ally Kang Jingming were put to good use, his value would be no less than Meng Jueming's had been. Not only could he be used to check and counter Wei Zhao, but given the right opportunity, she might even ride this connection to climb once more toward Xu Lingchong's lofty branch—and that would be the day Murong Zhen truly rose to prominence!

"Wei Zhao stepped in and saved Eldest Miss Shangguan's life? Ha, the wretch actually has luck like that?" Kang Jingming was startled, and could not help but feel a pang of envy.

To be owed a life-saving debt by Eldest Miss Shangguan—that was a blessing no amount of lifetimes could earn. If such a tremendous favor were played well, soaring to wealth and glory afterward would be a trifling matter. Why was it that he, Kang Jingming, never stumbled upon such an opportunity?

"Exactly what I was thinking. I've even heard people say Eldest Miss Shangguan used to rather dislike Wei Zhao—yet along comes a chance like this, and it lets the dead fish flip over, so to speak. From then on, who knows, he might sprout wings and turn into a phoenix." Murong Zhen piled on the embellishments.

"Him? Sprout wings and turn into a phoenix? In his dreams!" Kang Jingming ground his teeth with hatred, yet he was not so easily fobbed off. A doubt rose at once, and he asked: "Since Miss Murong happened to be present at the time, why didn't you step in as well? Currying favor with Eldest Miss Shangguan would surely be better than letting Wei Zhao hog all the glory, no?"

Murong Zhen faltered, then put on a frail air. "This humble girl was no match for Wei Zhao. Had I shown myself then, I feared he might strike me down."

"I see." Kang Jingming looked at her with mingled belief and doubt, but did not press further. This answer was already enough to give Xu Lingchong an accounting. What came next was his own business.

It remained to be seen whether Murong Zhen knew what was good for her. If she did and pledged herself to him obediently, then there was nothing more to say. If not, Kang Jingming would naturally embellish his report, placing Murong Zhen at the scene as well—and then let her see how she died.

It must be said that Kang Jingming was a thoroughly vicious man; in a single instant he had already devised his means of threatening Murong Zhen.

Yet before Kang Jingming could open his mouth, Murong Zhen had already obligingly taken the initiative. "The sky has gone dark. If Steward Kang does not disdain it, why not rest here in this humble girl's wooden dwelling for the night?"

Kang Jingming's eyes lit up at once. He rubbed his hands eagerly, though on the surface he still feigned propriety. "Miss Murong, here we are—a lone man and a lone woman. Is that... quite proper?"

"What is there to be proper or improper about? If Steward Kang is willing to do this humble girl the honor, it is a favor she would never dare hope for!" Murong Zhen breathed out fragrant words, her eyes silken with allure, and reached both hands to her waist, slowly untying her sash.

Murong Zhen knew very well that with her strength at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, she could overawe only ordinary newcomers; her body was her greatest asset. Just as she had once ensnared Meng Jueming, if she meant to land Kang Jingming on her hook, going to bed with him was not merely unavoidable—it was the crucial first step.

Only in bed was a man most easily off his guard, most easily stripped of his defenses. With a whisper of pillow talk, any request became simple enough. That was the sense of the saying that lust clouds the mind.

Leaving aside how Kang Jingming and Murong Zhen colluded in their villainy, after a night of pleasure a written note at last found its way into Xu Lingchong's hands.

"So that's how it is." Xu Lingchong read it through carefully, and only then did understanding dawn in his heart.

Young Master Xu had pursued Shangguan Lan'er for so many years that he knew this eldest miss's temperament like the back of his hand. She had something of a young lady's temper, true, but she was one who never failed to repay a kindness.

If Wei Zhao truly had saved her life, then no matter how much she disliked the man, should the crucial moment come and he sought her help, she would certainly step forward for him. That explained why she had gone to the Law Enforcement Hall to get Wei Zhao out of his predicament.

Yet think it though he might, Young Master Xu was still not quite easy in his heart. He would have to ask her to her face just what Shangguan Lan'er's attitude toward Wei Zhao really was.

After all, the trope of a hero rescuing a beauty was far too common. Even if the eldest miss had found the poor wretch utterly distasteful at first, once he saved her life, it was not impossible for her to veer madly in the opposite direction and fall for him. Xu Lingchong had to be on his guard.

"That, well..." Faced with Xu Lingchong's pressing question to her face, Shangguan Lan'er tilted her head, then suddenly curved her lips and said: "Just as you said—this young lady doesn't want to owe him a favor, so naturally she had to do him this one good turn."

"And there's nothing else beyond that?" Xu Lingchong pressed relentlessly.

At that, Shangguan Lan'er's delicate brows knit at once. She eyed him sidelong, her tone unfathomable: "What do you mean by that? Since when did this young lady sink so low as to have to report her thoughts to you?" R1152