CHAPTER 572: CHAPTER 456 TREASURE PIGGY ACHIEVES ANOTHER GREAT FEAT

The two pushed their Qinggong to the extreme, neither willing to admit defeat.

Chen Long had just caught up, but within moments, Lu Yuan left him behind again.

Chen Long redoubled his efforts, leaping forward to overtake Lu Yuan.

"You want to chase after my sister? You’ve got a long way to go."

"Oh, really?"

Lu Yuan let out a cold chuckle, instantly overtaking Chen Long, and even turned back to raise an eyebrow at him with a playful smile: "My grandmother’s Qinggong might be impressive, but unfortunately, you only learned the surface techniques!"

Chen Long retorted coldly, "Even the surface techniques are enough to beat you!"

By now, night had fallen deeply, but the bustling streets of the Imperial City were still ablaze with lights.

Occasionally, drunken civilians would glance up, tipsy and bleary-eyed, catching a glimpse of two fleeting shadows disappearing into the night.

"Damn, drank too much—I just saw ghosts..."

The two raced madly, heading straight for the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. Lu Yuan quickly called out, "There are guards—don’t alert them unnecessarily!"

Chen Long came to a sharp halt, his shoe soles almost sparking against the cobblestone path.

But Lu Yuan’s pace never faltered; with a swift leap, he landed on top of the wall.

Turning back to look down at Chen Long, he smiled playfully and said, "All’s fair in war; I win!"

There were indeed guards present, but Shangguan Ling had already "swept" the area clean earlier.

Shangguan Ling was hidden in a large tree nearby. Upon hearing that infuriatingly playful voice, he didn’t need to guess—it had to be the Grand Commander himself gracing them with his presence.

He quickly mimicked the sound of a bird call.

This was their secret signal.

Lu Yuan said flatly, "You want me to look up just to talk to you?"

Shangguan Ling shuddered slightly before hastily applying Qinggong to leap down, bowing respectfully to Lu Yuan: "Grand Commander."

Lu Yuan replied, "I am now the Imperial Grandson of Liang Country."

What’s the difference...? You’re still putting on airs?

Shangguan Ling adjusted his tone seriously and said, "Greetings, Prince Changsun."

Lu Yuan was somewhat satisfied.

Shangguan Ling asked with full decorum, "Prince Changsun, what brings you to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion so late tonight?"

Chen Long, who had just climbed over the wall, furrowed his brow: "Can you speak properly?"

Shangguan Ling bowed, "Brother Long."

Chen Long: "..."

Lu Yuan stated, "A secret rendezvous—stand guard at the door. I’ll be leaving through here afterward."

Shangguan Ling, force-fed a mouthful of dog food: I shouldn’t have asked!

The Hunting Eagle circled above, guiding Lu Yuan and Chen Long to avoid patrolling disciples and eventually reach Meng Qianqian’s small woodshed.

Even there, the two couldn’t stop competing about who would enter first.

"What are you two doing?"

Meng Qianqian asked curiously.

Lu Yuan glared at Chen Long, "He doesn’t want me to come see you."

Chen Long’s body stiffened, "How can you say that without hesitation!"

Meng Qianqian spoke softly, "Brother, I was the one who called Prince Changsun here. I have something tonight that needs his help."

Chen Long said, "Whatever it is, just tell me. If he can do it, I can too."

Meng Qianqian replied, "I need to hide someone in the Crown Prince Mansion."

Lu Yuan glanced at Chen Long, "Go ahead, you do it."

Chen Long remained silent.

Taking advantage of Chen Long’s momentary frustration, Lu Yuan stepped into the room.

Meng Qianqian was holding the Peony he had gifted her, while Tan’er lay sleeping on her lap.

Upon hearing movement, Tan’er’s small ears twitched slightly, but realizing the sound was familiar and safe, she continued sleeping.

Lu Yuan’s gaze shifted to the other side of Meng Qianqian, where a man with eyes bulging like copper bells clung tightly to Meng Qianqian’s wrist, completely ignoring Lu Yuan and Chen Long’s arrival.

"You called me here in the dead of night—not for a rendezvous, but to hide this man for you?"

The Prince Changsun’s mood soured again.

Meng Qianqian tilted her head and said calmly, "I’m in trouble; the first person I thought of was Prince Changsun."

Lu Yuan’s temper immediately dissipated.

Sitting across from Meng Qianqian and the man, Lu Yuan hooked a small stool with his foot, pulled it over, and used his fingertips to tap on the man’s hand: "Let go."

The man remained motionless.

Meng Qianqian explained, "He might’ve been imprisoned for too long; his mind seems a bit unhinged."

Lu Yuan gestured for Chen Long to come over with a beckoning finger.

Chen Long walked over, asking oddly, "What now?"

"Lend me your hand."

Lu Yuan grabbed Chen Long’s wrist and directed it toward the man’s other hand.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the man grabbed Chen Long’s wrist, he immediately released Meng Qianqian’s.

Meng Qianqian blinked, "That worked? Tan’er tried earlier and failed."

Lu Yuan pointed at the man’s left hand, the one that had previously gripped Meng Qianqian’s wrist, "Tan’er tried with this hand, right?"

"Yes."

Meng Qianqian nodded.

Lu Yuan explained indifferently, "He needs to hold onto something first to feel secure. Asking him to release what he already has? Of course, he wouldn’t agree."

Meng Qianqian suddenly understood, "I see."

She turned to the dazed man. "So he’s not completely out of his mind after all."

"Do you know him?"