Chapter 568 - 568: This Deal Is Very Tempting

"Hmph! Quite vigilant, aren't you?"

A square-faced, burly man appeared in the doorway. It was none other than the General of the Eastern Territory, Zheng Wuji.

He stood as imposing as a mountain, steady and unshakeable. His face was grim, his gaze sharp as a blade as he stared coldly at Jiang Xinghai and Nightingale.

His tone dripped with unconcealed displeasure and menace. "You two must be Nightingale and Jiang Xinghai, correct?"

"I am Nightingale, under the command of Zhong Yunman. Greetings, General Zheng."

Nightingale took a step forward. Given their respective titles and the rules of etiquette, she had no other choice.

"I don't care who you serve. Trespassing on territory under my jurisdiction and attacking my men... you must have very little regard for me."

Zheng Wuji was clearly using his subordinates—the ones Sun Zhen had knocked unconscious outside the cave—as a pretext.

Jiang Xinghai and Nightingale exchanged a glance. They could both feel the palpable threat in Zheng Wuji's words.

It wasn't enough to make Jiang Xinghai back down, however. He said coolly, "Those men were tailing us with ill intent. Isn't it perfectly reasonable that we neutralized them?"

"Perfectly reasonable?"

Zheng Wuji laughed mockingly. "Here, in my territory, you knock out my men, and you claim you're in the right? It seems you truly have no respect for me, Zheng Wuji!"

He stalked toward Jiang Xinghai and Nightingale, his expression growing more menacing with each step.

"General Zheng, we were wrong to trespass, but please don't be so aggressive. We were only acting in self-defense," Nightingale tried to explain.

"Self-defense?"

Zheng Wuji snorted. "Is that what you call self-defense? Running amok in my territory? Since you refuse to be sensible, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Nightingale quickly added, "General Zheng, this is a trivial matter for you. Surely you don't intend to resort to force? I'm also a member of the War Department. If you insist on this, I won't hesitate to report your conduct to our superiors!"

"Nightingale, is it?"

Zheng Wuji's eyes narrowed. "If Zhong Yunman herself were here, I would naturally show her some respect. But you? You're not qualified to stand on equal footing with me, which means you have no right to negotiate. I say you're in the wrong, and that makes you wrong!"

Nightingale started to argue again, but Jiang Xinghai pulled her into his arms.

"So, you're going to make a move?"

Jiang Xinghai maintained his cool, indifferent smile. "We're not exactly lambs to the slaughter, you know. If you're going to attack us, you'd better be prepared for us to fight back."

"Prepared for you to fight back? Hahaha..."

Zheng Wuji suddenly threw his head back and laughed, his eyes fixed on Jiang Xinghai. "You... you're the kid who interfered with the Cao Family's business on the Pujiang Shore, aren't you?"

"You..." Jiang Xinghai faltered, momentarily stunned.

Clearly, he hadn't expected Zheng Wuji to know about that.

Nightingale looked just as bewildered.

"Your expression says it all. It was you."

Zheng Wuji's face grew even darker. "And don't bother wondering how I know. In the Eastern Territory, almost nothing escapes my notice."

"In that case, do you know which island Mirror Lake Manor is on?" Jiang Xinghai asked, seizing the opening.

"It's on..."

Zheng Wuji almost blurted it out. The name "Mirror Lake Manor" was top secret!

"Hmph! So your real purpose is to find Mirror Lake Manor!"

It dawned on Zheng Wuji that he had even more reason to get rid of them now. And he wouldn't even have to do it secretly.

All he had to do was announce their intentions to the public, and he'd have the perfect excuse to kill them.

"So, you do know where Mirror Lake Manor is."

Jiang Xinghai had, of course, noticed the subtle shift in Zheng Wuji's expression. 'Things just got a lot simpler,' he thought.

Now he wouldn't have to go through the trouble of investigating the manor's location.

'All I have to do is enslave Zheng Wuji, and everything will fall into place!'

"Die!"

Suddenly, Zheng Wuji waved his hand, sending a blast of energy surging toward Jiang Xinghai and Nightingale.

"Hmph!"

Jiang Xinghai simply smiled again. His opponent was merely at the Great Perfection stage of the late Creation Realm. He was hardly a threat.

A single, cold snort was all it took to neutralize the fierce gale from Zheng Wuji's attack.

"What?!"

Zheng Wuji's pupils contracted. He had completely misjudged Jiang Xinghai's cultivation level!

It was no wonder. Before Jiang Xinghai had left Shanhe Province for Shanghai, Zhao Wenxiang had reminded him to conceal his cultivation level.

Now, to any outside observer, he appeared to be just a Great Venerable.

"Let's make a deal. Tell me the location of Mirror Lake Manor, and I'll give you a great opportunity—one that will help you break through to the Celestial Destiny Realm." Jiang Xinghai decided against simply overpowering him, even abandoning the idea of enslaving him.

After all, Zheng Wuji was a member of the War Department, not to mention the General of the Eastern Territory.

He was an official figure, and Jiang Xinghai didn't want to get entangled with that.

"That's a very tempting offer."

Zheng Wuji's eyes narrowed again. "But the secrets of Mirror Lake Manor are..."

He hesitated.

After all, Jiang Xinghai had spoken with such conviction, as if he truly had a way to help him break through to the Celestial Destiny Realm he had so long yearned for.

He had originally thought he could kill these two intruders with ease, but their words and actions had filled him with an indescribable sense of danger.