Chapter 163: Chapter 155: Li Yan in an Embrace, Capturing Zheng Fan

As Zheng Hu’s Storage Bag landed in Lu Zhao’s palm, he tucked it away without a second glance. At this moment, time was life. He took a deep breath, and the technique for his Breath Concealment and Shapeshifting Skill instantly activated.

VMMMM...

A nearly imperceptible ripple washed over his body. His bones and muscles felt as if they were being kneaded and reshaped by invisible hands. His skin tone and texture shifted, and even the aura emanating from his pores rapidly converged and twisted, finally settling into the exact likeness of Zheng Hu. As for Zheng Hu’s unique Magical Power signature—that of the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer—Lu Zhao replicated it precisely with his Magic, flawlessly.

’It worked!’ Lu Zhao thought with a silent cry. He pushed his Wind Manipulation Technique to its absolute limit, his body becoming a blurry gray shadow as he raced toward the Zheng Family’s Spirit Mountain. He had to use Zheng Hu’s identity to get inside, capture Zheng Fan, and escape through a weak point in the Array—all before the Zheng Family’s leadership, especially that old Foundation Establishment monster, could react!

Half a day later, the fierce wind still howling past his ears, the vast sea of forest was a blur receding beneath him. The enormous silhouette of the Zheng Family’s Spirit Mountain, shrouded in a pale cyan mist, was now clearly visible.

Lu Zhao gazed ahead. The Spirit Mountain’s slopes were steep, with strange peaks jutting into the sky, and he could faintly make out pavilions and towers dotting the landscape. The mountain gate stood imposingly at the mouth of a valley. Beneath gate towers of white jade dozens of feet high, Zheng Family disciples in uniform robes stood as still as pines. The cold glint of Magical Artifacts at their waists was faintly visible, and their combined Spiritual Pressure—all at Mid-stage Qi Cultivation—wove into an invisible iron wall, making the atmosphere somber and heavy.

Wearing Zheng Hu’s face, Lu Zhao stared straight ahead, his expression as hard as Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron. He made no effort to conceal the suffocatingly cold and sinister aura as he strode forward.

The disciples on guard recognized his face. Seeing the "Fourth Elder" return and feeling that familiar, sinister aura, they all bowed their heads in greeting. No one dared to approach him, much less obstruct him in any way. Along the path, any Zheng Family disciples he encountered, whether from branch families or mere servants, turned pale upon seeing the "Fourth Elder." They fell silent, bowing and moving aside from a distance, not even daring to breathe too loudly. Seeing this, Lu Zhao relaxed slightly. ’It seems Zheng Hu’s authority in the Zheng Family was immense, and the news of his death hasn’t arrived yet,’ he thought. ’This tiger hide will serve me for a while longer.’

Lu Zhao continued without pause, following the route from Zheng Hu’s memories directly to his cave residence on the mountainside. A simple Restriction guarded the entrance, which Lu Zhao easily dispelled with Zheng Hu’s Magical Power signature before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

The moment he stepped inside, a mixed scent of faint perfume and the clean, bitter aroma of Spirit Grass wafted over him. The residence’s interior was surprisingly luxurious, a stark contrast to its cold, hard exterior. And at that moment, standing gracefully in the center of the room, was a woman.

The woman appeared to be in her early thirties. She wore a ruqun, a traditional skirt and blouse, in a pale lotus-root pink with an elegant cloud pattern. Her figure was slender and graceful, her waist delicate. She had a classic oval face, her skin as fair and smooth as the finest white jade, though it was now tinged with the pallor of anxiety.

Beneath her willow-leaf brows, her almond-shaped eyes, which tilted up slightly at the corners with a natural allure, now shimmered with moisture, filled with anxiety and sorrow. Her nose was elegant and straight, and her cherry-colored lips trembled, adding to her pitiable charm. This was none other than Zheng Hu’s Dao Companion, Li Yan.

The moment Li Yan saw "Zheng Hu" enter, her beautiful, tear-filled eyes lit up as if she were grasping a lifeline. She rushed forward and cried out in a choked voice, "Husband! You’re finally back!" She grabbed Lu Zhao’s sleeve, her voice trembling with boundless terror and supplication. "Tian’Er... How is Tian’Er? Did you save him? He’s your only son with a Spiritual Root! Husband, you must save him! Please..." Her voice trailed off into heart-wrenching sobs.

A soft, fragrant body slammed into his chest, and Lu Zhao instantly went rigid. ’Alarm bells screamed in his mind. This is bad.’ The woman had moved too fast, her desperate pleas too sudden—he hadn’t had time to react! Forcibly suppressing the pounding of his heart, he maintained Zheng Hu’s usual icy expression, one full of undisguised irritation and impatience.

"What are you crying about!" Lu Zhao snapped, perfectly imitating Zheng Hu’s deep, raspy voice. His tone was glacial, filled with unquestionable irritation. "So noisy! Of course I’ll save Tian’Er. Do you need to stand here wailing about it? Get out! Leave me in peace!"

He flung his sleeve back sharply, using just the right amount of force to break Li Yan’s grip without seeming either too abrupt or too weak.

Startled by his sudden rebuke and the sharp motion, Li Yan stumbled back half a step. The tears in her almond-shaped eyes instantly spilled over, tracing paths down her pale cheeks and making her look even more wretched.

She opened her mouth, as if to plead, argue, or even question him, but upon seeing the impatience etched onto her "husband’s" face, the words died in her throat. She knew Zheng Hu’s temper all too well. To speak further now would only invite a sterner scolding, or perhaps even punishment.

In the end, she just gave "Zheng Hu" a single, mournful look with her tear-filled eyes. Biting her lower lip, she whispered in a choked voice, "Husband... I... I only beg you to please save Tian’Er..." With that, she covered her face, turned, and stumbled quickly out of the cave residence, her slender retreating back an image of pure helplessness and despair.

The stone door of the residence slowly closed, sealing him off from the outside world. Only then did Lu Zhao’s taut nerves begin to unwind. His back was already slick with cold sweat. ’That was close!’ he thought. ’If I hadn’t reacted so quickly and responded with Zheng Hu’s usual attitude, my cover would have been blown instantly.’

The immediate crisis was averted, but Lu Zhao didn’t dare to delay for a second. He had to act now! The longer he waited, the more could go wrong.

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