Chapter 118: Little Scoundrel

Feng Mingyu and Huang Qian hadn’t expected this turn of events. However, Xiao Dingfei’s status was different from theirs. He was from the main headquarters in Jinling, and everyone had to address him as “Young Master Dingfei.” They couldn’t afford to offend him or reprimand him, so they could only cough to remind him not to be too frivolous.

But Xiao Dingfei ignored them.

Even in front of the sect leader and Gongyi Cheng, he didn’t restrain himself. Now, without even looking back, he waved his hand dismissively, saying, “I know, I know. Just asking, no big deal.”

Everyone present was stunned, looking at each other in disbelief.

Zhang Zhe’s brow furrowed.

Jiang Xuening, seeing this “old friend,” couldn’t help but twitch her mouth. She instinctively wanted to use her previous life’s tactics against him, but seeing Zhang Zhe beside her, she didn’t dare act rashly. She just glanced at Xiao Dingfei without responding.

This reaction gave Xiao Dingfei a different impression.

His gaze easily returned to Zhang Zhe.

Zhang Zhe’s frown didn’t relax. He already disliked Xiao Dingfei, knowing that in the previous life, he had been close to Jiang Xuening. This added to his prejudice, and his eyes were cold as he said, “My sister was inadvertently involved in this matter. Please, Young Master Dingfei, don’t speak nonsense.”

Sister?

Xiao Dingfei didn’t believe it, smirking inwardly: Sister? More like a lover, right?

He responded with a half-hearted “Oh, I see.”

Everyone was taken aback, unsure whether to believe Zhang Zhe.

Jiang Xuening was stunned.

Hearing “sister” gave her a strange sense of loss. But she quickly thought: Now that she was unexpectedly involved in this, having to stay with Zhang Zhe, if not siblings, should they claim to be “husband and wife”?

Zhang Zhe was a gentleman and wouldn’t take advantage of her.

So she quickly calmed herself, erasing that strange sense of loss.

She looked at Zhang Zhe.

Zhang Zhe lowered his eyes.

Xiao Dingfei, with his usual playful smile, asked, “So, are you Du Junshan?”

Zhang Zhe replied, “If you think I am, then I am.”

Xiao Dingfei raised an eyebrow: “And if I think you’re not, then you’re not?”

Using Gongyi Cheng as bait to lure the Heavenly Sect and pretending to be the mysterious Du Junshan to infiltrate the sect was a strategy proposed by Xie Wei in the court.

This strategy had a basis.

It was based on secret reports and relationships found on Gongyi Cheng. Given his status, he knew many secrets, allowing them to impersonate Du Junshan.

But there was no mention of Xiao Dingfei.

If Zhang Zhe were his old self, facing an unknown Young Master Dingfei, he might have been flustered. But the memories of his previous life were not in vain.

He dared to take on this task, relying not only on the information from Gongyi Cheng but also on his own knowledge.

For instance, in the previous life, when Xiao Dingfei first returned to the capital, he caused a lot of trouble for the Xiao family, some of which were quite scandalous. This was the perfect time to use that information.

Everyone’s eyes were on Zhang Zhe, seeing him pause. The newly arrived Heavenly Sect members even became wary, blocking other exits.

Jiang Xuening held her breath, waiting.

Zhang Zhe finally spoke calmly: “Young Master Dingfei has always been unrestrained, with debts at the Eight Directions Gambling House unpaid, a courtesan dying for you, and though you carry a sword, you can’t last ten moves against a trained fighter. I wonder, how did you get involved in this mess?”

Xiao Dingfei’s expression changed instantly. He almost blurted out, “How do you know?” but caught himself, his eyes cold and serious.

These things were true.

But they happened over several years, and even those close to him might not remember. Yet this person knew them clearly, sending a chill down his spine! Moreover—

The other party asked how he got involved in this mess.

When Huang Qian mentioned that this person might be the “Du Junshan” of the Heavenly Sect, Xiao Dingfei found it amusing. He thought the court was foolish to believe that no one in the Heavenly Sect knew who Du Junshan was.

So, seeing Zhang Zhe, he wanted to expose him.

However, the exchange that followed was unexpected, forcing him to consider another possibility: If this person was an official, he must know that person. How could that person allow someone to impersonate him? And the Heavenly Sect hadn’t heard a word about it!

Thinking this, Xiao Dingfei felt a chill down his spine.

Feng Mingyu and Huang Qian were confused, not understanding: “We’ve been at the branch for a long time. Even when we go to the main headquarters to see the sect leader, we often only see Master Gongyi. We’ve never had the chance to meet Master Du Jun. We’ve heard of him but never seen him. Young Master Dingfei, you’ve been at the main headquarters for a long time, so…”

Xiao Dingfei interrupted without thinking: “So what?”

Huang Qian was stunned.

Xiao Dingfei frowned, as if finding the question offensive, and rudely said, “So what if I’ve been at the main headquarters for a long time? Does that mean I should have seen Master Du Jun? Do you think people like us can meet such a divine figure?”

Damn, if these two idiots saw him, they’d wet their pants!

He couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Feng Mingyu and Huang Qian didn’t know they had been labeled as “idiots” by Young Master Dingfei. They were still trying to understand: “You mean…”

Xiao Dingfei said without hesitation: “Never seen him!”

Just hearing what that deadpan Zhang said, he felt this mess was likely orchestrated by that person. He cursed the old man for not dying and cursed Xie for being ruthless, but he didn’t dare expose Zhang Zhe as an impostor, fearing it would ruin that person’s plans and bring disaster upon himself.

As for the Heavenly Sect?

To hell with the Heavenly Sect, what did it matter to him!

Feng Mingyu and Huang Qian were shocked by his outright denial.

Zhang Zhe sensed something was off.

Jiang Xuening, knowing Xiao Dingfei from her previous life, felt he had thought through many twists and turns in that moment. “Never seen him” was likely a lie!

After speaking, Xiao Dingfei flicked his sleeve, not intending to deal with the matter further.

Last time, he had left a message to mislead those looking for him and returned to the capital’s branch.

He heard that Gongyi Cheng had gone to that person’s residence.

Terrified, he fled the capital, only to receive a secret message from the main headquarters in Tongzhou, ordering him to assist in rescuing Gongyi Cheng from the court.

What a joke!

Rescue Gongyi Cheng?

If Gongyi Cheng had gone to that person’s residence, how could he be captured by the court? If the court didn’t want to kill Gongyi Cheng, that person would be the first to do it to silence him.

There was definitely a trap.

But the sect leader’s order was absolute. He couldn’t refuse or fake illness, so he reluctantly came, thinking he wouldn’t have to break into the prison, just provide support, which shouldn’t endanger his life.

As his gaze casually swept the crowd, he suddenly saw a small figure with a topknot in the corner.

The child was looking at him.

Recognizing the child, Xiao Dingfei broke into a cold sweat, relieved he hadn’t foolishly claimed to have seen Du Junshan. Otherwise, that person would settle old and new scores with him, leaving him with no place to hide!

The onlookers thought they understood: The mysterious Du Junshan was so secretive that even the Heavenly Sect members didn’t dare confirm his identity. Zhang Zhe’s ambiguous answers and his abilities, like opening the city gate, suggested a close relationship with Du Junshan.

Feng Mingyu and Huang Qian thought the same.

They considered that Young Master Dingfei, despite his flashy appearance, was a tough nut to crack. Knowing his dirty secrets, Zhang Zhe must be an insider. His words hinted at a connection with Du Junshan, implying he was sent by him.

They hadn’t considered it might be a setup.

After all, Zhang Zhe had shown his abilities, helping them escape the prison and pass the city gate. The court had never been so ruthless as to risk releasing criminals and rebels for such a scheme.

So, they quickly settled on addressing Zhang Zhe as finding “Master Zhang” finding “Young Master” awkward and disrespectful.

Huang Qian subtly asked if he worked for Du Junshan.

Zhang Zhe didn’t deny it, saying, “The master has been reclusive lately, rarely leaving his retreat.”

To them, this painted a picture of a hermit, sending Zhang Zhe to handle matters.

Jiang Xuening finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Dingfei, hearing this, almost rolled his eyes in exasperation where no one could see.

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