Chapter 121: The Wind Rises
“The Wind-Bell!”
In an instant, Zhu Xuanji was startled.
Once the fate of the world undergoes a drastic change, it will lead to turbulent winds and clouds, causing the heavens and earth to change colors, creating a vast fortune that influences countless people and various forces. If this fortune expands, it will lead to frequent wars and intense upheavals.
This Wind-Bell was bestowed by the King, specifically used to detect drastic changes in fate and the influence of fortune.
“The Wind-Bell has rung. Is it due to the natural surge of fortune, or is someone using a technique?”
Zhu Xuanji subconsciously raised his head and looked towards the peak of Mount Huoshi.
He had long known about Meng Kui’s divine ability, *Sitting on the Mountain and Watching!*
Sun Lingtong’s unreasonable behavior would not cause Zhu Xuanji to back down. He had various methods to punish this suspect.
But now, he didn’t want to do so anymore.
Before his departure, the King had specifically instructed him to be cautious of changes in fate and to be wary of Meng Kui.
Zhu Xuanji remembered this deeply, fully aware that he had no means to suppress the fortune. Now that the Wind-Bell had rung, if he continued to be involved in this situation, he would inevitably be affected. Even if he were to close his doors and stay inside, the entanglement of fate and the changes in fortune would still bring disaster from the heavens while he sat at home!
Zhu Xuanji himself had no means to interfere with fate, so the only solution now was to withdraw as soon as possible. Being outside the situation would prevent him from being influenced.
“I’ll let you off today, but I will come for you.” Zhu Xuanji released his power, sending Sun Lingtong flying away.
He disappeared from the spot, swiftly leaving the city.
It wasn’t until he had distanced himself hundreds of miles away from Mount Huoshi that the Wind-Bell stopped ringing.
“With such a small range of fortune fluctuation and such a drastic change in fate, the suspicion on Meng Kui becomes even greater.”
“If the fortune field doesn’t expand later, it’s very likely to be the result of Meng Kui’s divine ability, *Sitting on the Mountain and Watching*!”
Zhu Xuanji’s face turned gloomy as he immediately decided to rely on the Wind-Bell’s detection range for verification.
As soon as Zhu Xuanji left, Sun Lingtong stood up.
Sun Lingtong found it hard to believe, thinking to himself, “Did I really just drive Zhu Xuanji away so easily?”
On the surface, he spat out a mouthful of saliva, wiped his small face, and seeing the stunned small vendor, he yelled, “Did you see that? Learn from it!”
He then looked at his subordinates and eagerly asked, “Did you record everything?”
His subordinate nodded, “It’s all in the jade slip.”
Sun Lingtong threw his head back and laughed three times, “Excellent! This is the greatest achievement of my life.”
“Come, spread the word that I, Sun Lingtong, with a Foundation Establishment cultivation, forced Golden Core Zhu Xuanji to retreat!”
“Hahaha, I’m going to be famous, I’m going to be famous!”
“If anyone doubts it, just throw the jade slip in their face.”
“Yes, quickly make copies of the jade slip, ten or even hundreds of them, and distribute them for safekeeping, to prevent confiscation!”
Sun Lingtong’s methods were shrewd; he intended to establish his reputation first and then use it to pressure Zhu Xuanji, preparing for the future when Zhu Xuanji would come after him again.
As Zhu Xuanji left the city, Ning Zhuo entered.
Unlike when he left, Ning Zhuo’s team now included Yuan Er.
Yuan Er and Ning Zhuo sat in a carriage, with Yuan Er occasionally glancing at the Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng, sitting beside Ning Zhuo.
Their conversation came to an end.
“So that’s how it is,” Ning Zhuo sighed softly.
He had finally understood the situation.
It turned out that in a few days, it would be the death anniversary of Yuan Yi, and as Yuan Yi’s son, Yuan Er had to pay respects at his grave.
There were over ten burial sites for Yuan Yi, but the real tomb was in the desolate wilderness where Yuan Dasheng, driven by emotion, had lost control and rushed to.
The other false graves were deliberately arranged by Yuan Yi. On one hand, they were meant to prevent others from desecrating his grave out of revenge; on the other hand, they served as bait to lure out hidden enemies.
After all, in the cultivation world, there were many methods to curse and kill others using their remains.
Yuan Er originally didn’t want to leave the Monkey Head Gang’s headquarters, but this was a ritual to honor his ancestors, especially the founder of the Monkey Head Gang, so he had no choice but to take action.
The elders of the gang were also urging him to do so. If he didn’t, he would surely be labeled as cowardly and unfilial by those with ulterior motives. This would be a fatal blow to Yuan Er’s already miserable reputation!
Yuan Er had no choice but to comply. He had initially planned to contact Ning Zhuo to expedite the creation of Yuan Dasheng’s mechanical construct, but the messengers he sent out never returned.
Yuan Er did everything he could to conceal his whereabouts, deliberately setting out several days early to secretly perform the ritual.
Unexpectedly, he encountered an ambush on his way, and all his attendants were killed, leaving him as the sole survivor.
He instinctively fled to his father’s burial site, only to be rescued by Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng.
After that, Yuan Dasheng, under Ning Zhuo’s orders, came to the rescue.
“Mr. Ning, this is the Uncle Monkey automaton you made for me, right? It must be!” Yuan Er couldn’t hold back any longer, his eyes fixed on Yuan Dasheng, filled with urgency and desire.
“It’s really powerful, far surpassing the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.”
“Mr. Ning, you are a man of your word. I admire you immensely!”
Yuan Er praised him endlessly.
Ning Zhuo smiled slightly and patted the arm of Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng, “This is just the initial product, newly crafted. My trip outside the city was mainly to find wild beasts to test the power of Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng in actual combat.”
“Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng…” Yuan Er savored the name, his eyes shining, and he gave a thumbs up, “Mr. Ning, your skill in automaton crafting is profound, and your naming sense is also extraordinary. It’s a perfect fit, absolutely fitting.”
“Can we complete the handover now?”
Ning Zhuo shook his head, “No rush, no rush.”
“Through actual combat with beasts and cultivators, I found that Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng still has many areas that need improvement.”
“I’ll hand it over to you only after I’ve completed the improvements.”
“When it comes to Ning Zhuo’s creations, they must be masterpieces. I wouldn’t deliver a hastily made, rough product.”
Yuan Er’s eyes widened, his face full of anxiety, “But, Mr. Ning!”
“You see, I’m in great danger right now, too dangerous.”
“This time, if I hadn’t been lucky enough to encounter you, I would have died, died at the hands of those shameless, insidious, and ruthless assassins!”
“The key thing is, you let a few assassins go. I, I…”
At this point, Yuan Er was so agitated that he stammered and couldn’t finish his sentence.
Ning Zhuo sighed, spreading his hands as he offered a perfect explanation, “I couldn’t see the specific situation at the time. I’m just at the Qi Refining stage, not the Foundation Establishment stage. I don’t have spiritual sense.”
“The Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng, is controlled by the staff head. The staff head stores my divine sense, and the setting I imposed on it is to engage in unrestricted combat with any hostile target it encounters.”
“So, when some assassins lost their killing intent and fled in panic, Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng wouldn’t be triggered and thus wouldn’t pursue them.”
“If I had been there, I would have certainly eradicated all the evil!”
Yuan Er blinked repeatedly, his mouth dry, “About the staff head, I’m aware as well.”
“To be honest, Mr. Ning, ever since you agreed to craft a Foundation Establishment-level automaton for me, I’ve been scouring the gang’s library, studying related knowledge day and night, and relentlessly practicing the techniques for controlling automatons.”
“If you hand over Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng to me now, I’ll definitely make good use of it! I…”
Ning Zhuo’s expression darkened, and he spoke with displeasure, “Enough, Chief Yuan Er, you don’t need to persuade me any further.”
“This is my principle. I won’t hand over Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng until I’ve finished improving it.”
“You must understand, a shoddy product would tarnish my reputation.”
“In the future, I plan to walk the path of automaton crafting, and my reputation must be protected from the very beginning!”
Ning Zhuo spoke with righteous conviction, completely forgetting about the time he had made the crude Mechanical Explosive Monkeys.
If Chen Cha were to hear this, he would undoubtedly be gratified, feeling that Ning Zhuo had found his way back and that it was a fortunate thing indeed for a prodigal son to
return.
Yuan Er breathed heavily, his mouth slightly open, with many things he wanted to say, but under Ning Zhuo’s stern gaze, he ultimately held back.
Although Ning Zhuo was only at the Qi Refining stage, his status was no longer what it used to be.
The automaton carriage Ning Zhuo was riding in, along with the guards accompanying it, made Yuan Er keenly aware of the disparity in their positions.
Ning Zhuo continued to reassure him, “Chief Yuan Er, don’t be too nervous, it’ll be fine.”
“Now that you’ve entered the city, I’ll directly escort you to the gang’s headquarters.”
“You’ve already honored your father, and I can testify to that.”
“You can use my relationship to strongly intimidate the traitors within the gang. I doubt they’d be so insane as to bring assassins into the headquarters.”
Yuan Er’s face turned pale, “Yes, they probably wouldn’t be so reckless.”
“But the enemies left behind by my father and Uncle Dasheng’s rise are different!”
Ning Zhuo immediately refuted, “They can’t enter the headquarters either. If they could, they would’ve succeeded in assassinating you by now, wouldn’t they?”
“After all, in the past, Yuan Dasheng wasn’t always by your side, right?”
A fine layer of cold sweat appeared on Yuan Er’s forehead, “That…seems to be the case…it should be the case.”
“If Mr. Ning could deliver the product now, that would be the best outcome.”
Yuan Er’s face was full of distress, his tone pleading.
Ning Zhuo mercilessly shook his head, refusing once again.
In the end, he escorted Yuan Er directly back to the Monkey Head Gang headquarters as promised, drawing the attention of countless gang members.
Yuan Er was somewhat reluctant to get out of the carriage.
It was only under Ning Zhuo’s urging that he unwillingly glanced back at Tree Martial Combat Ape, Dasheng, and reluctantly got off the carriage.
“Let’s head back,” Ning Zhuo waved, and the team set off again.
Yuan Er remained standing in place, staring at the automaton carriage until it disappeared from sight, before finally moving his leaden feet.
Back in his empty inner room, his longing for Yuan Dasheng intensified to the extreme, causing two silent tears to roll down his cheeks.