Chapter 168: Blooming of a Single Line
Ning Zhuo asked, “What are your three names?”
The leader of the Monkey Head Gang was about to answer, but Ning Zhuo waved his hand.
The latter said, “Forget it, there’s no need for such trouble.”
“I will give each of you a code name. If you die, your successor will still be called by the same code name.”
“You will be called Monkey Head.” Ning Zhuo pointed at the leader of the Monkey Head Gang, his gaze carrying an imposing air.
The leader of the Monkey Head Gang gritted his teeth, his face showing a smile, expressing his joy. “Yes! Thank you, sir, for giving me a code name.”
Ning Zhuo then pointed to the leader of the Crane Mouth Gang, “From now on, you will be called Crane Head.”
The leader of the Crane Mouth Gang opened his mouth, wanting to say, “I came here to negotiate with you, our Crane Mouth Gang hasn’t surrendered yet.”
“We’ll only surrender if the terms are right!”
But in this situation, he could only shout in his heart and couldn’t say anything out loud.
After a few breaths of silence, the leader of the Crane Mouth Gang lowered his head, his eyebrows drooping, and cupped his hands in response, “Yes.”
Ning Zhuo then looked at the leader of the Turtle Breath Gang, “As for you, you will be called Turtle…”
The face of the leader of the Turtle Breath Gang changed!
“Turtle Shell.” He interrupted Ning Zhuo before he could finish, answering quickly, “Sir, my childhood nickname is Turtle Shell. If you call me that, I will feel like I’ve found home and seen my elders.”
“You are fully qualified to call me that!”
“Hmm…” Ning Zhuo hummed, lost in thought.
The leader of the Turtle Breath Gang’s heart raced slightly, and he quickly said, “Lord Ning Zhuo, we hold much evidence of Feng Heizi’s smuggling and selling of prohibited captives.”
“Turtle Shell requests permission! Let me personally go and deal with Feng Heizi, he will surely submit.”
“In that case.” Ning Zhuo waved his hand, “You go then. If you fail to recruit Feng Heizi, I will hold you accountable.”
“Yes, sir.” The leader of the Turtle Breath Gang turned and left immediately, walking quickly without the previous composure, giving off an urgent impression.
Ning Zhuo then looked at the leader of the Crane Mouth Gang, “The impure medicinal herbs are almost all purchased from your gang.”
“You go invite him. With this relationship, can you manage it?”
The leader of the Crane Mouth Gang was shocked. How did Ning Zhuo know about this secret business transaction?
He quickly nodded, “I will do my best.”
Ning Zhuo then looked at the leader of the Monkey Head Gang.
The latter hurriedly said, “Monkey Head is here, ready to follow your orders!”
Ning Zhuo said, “You go find the One-Armed Craftsman. This person has a fiery temper and loves refining self-exploding magical tools. His arm was lost from one of his own explosions.”
“Talk to him properly. Under no circumstances should you use force.”
“This person despises threats the most, so remember to speak gently!”
“No matter what method you use, get him to acknowledge my control over the black market and return to business. Without his self-exploding magical tools, the black market would lose a big draw.”
The leader of the Monkey Head Gang clasped his hands, “Understood!”
Ning Zhuo issued three orders in succession, then summoned the Floating Cloud again, enveloping himself and silently began cultivating.
“He really doesn’t waste a single moment!”
The Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Ning family transmitted their thoughts to each other, filled with admiration.
Since the beginning of their actions, Ning Zhuo had repeatedly exceeded their expectations.
Especially tonight’s performance, which made the Ning family members feel that Ning Zhuo had everything under control, directing the situation with strategy and mastery of the overall picture.
Time gradually passed.
The three gang leaders successively brought good news.
The leader of the Crane Mouth Gang was the first to succeed. “Impure” was an alchemist, lazy by nature and disliked trouble.
For him, the change in the black market’s ruler didn’t matter, he continued selling his pills.
The leader of the Turtle Breath Gang was the second to succeed.
His accomplishment was much greater than that of the Crane Mouth Gang’s leader — under his threats and promises, Feng Heizi had no choice but to sign a contract, fully joining them.
The last to return was the leader of the Monkey Head Gang.
He returned disheveled, with injuries on his body.
Convincing the One-Armed Craftsman had been quite difficult.
The One-Armed Craftsman, sensing the chaos in Puppet Immortal City, had planned to relocate, with his belongings almost packed.
The leader of the Monkey Head Gang tried everything, even offering his own assets as compensation, but it was still unsuccessful.
In the end, he risked provoking him and fought a battle with the One-Armed Craftsman.
The One-Armed Craftsman won, but he took a liking to the Mechanical Explosive Monkey used by the leader of the Monkey Head Gang.
This mechanical monkey could self-detonate with impressive power, something the One-Armed Craftsman had known for a long time.
What he didn’t know was that it was Ning Zhuo who had created the Mechanical Explosive Monkey. After learning that Ning Zhuo was now controlling the black market, the One-Armed Craftsman became much more favorable and changed his mind, deciding to stay.
As morning light shone upon the city, the black market welcomed a brand-new day.
The demise of the Viper Gang.
The joint announcement by the Monkey Head Gang, Crane Mouth Gang, and Turtle Breath Gang.
As well as Feng Heizi, the One-Armed Craftsman, and “Impure” reopening the market simultaneously.
All these things shocked the people and left them full of wonder: “How did the black market undergo such a massive transformation overnight?”
“What exactly happened last night?!”
“It’s said that a noble son from the Ning family personally came down. Originally, it was to avenge his friend, Yuan Er, forcing the Monkey Head Gang to submit, and then he took control of the entire black market.”
For a time, the townspeople were filled with chatter, and rumors swirled.
City Lord’s Mansion.
Fei Si began handling official matters.
Since the issuance of the recruitment decree, cultivators from outside continued to flood into Puppet Immortal City.
The top of Mount Huoshi was no longer a restricted area, and under Fei Si’s arrangement, it had returned to the grand scene it had been before the Immortal Palace’s emergence.
The city guard’s defense was just for show. Various cultivators came in waves, heading to the Lava Immortal Palace to try their luck.
Most lacked sufficient skill in mechanisms and could only look on in vain. However, a few met the requirements, entered the Immortal Palace, and became the envy of everyone.
All kinds of businesses in Puppet Immortal City became bustling, while law and order sharply declined, with incidents of lawlessness rising. Fei Si’s responsibilities also grew heavier.
The black market’s upheaval had a significant impact on the structure of Puppet Immortal City.
This matter’s report was placed in third position, urgently needing Fei Si’s attention.
After reading it, Fei Si’s face showed delight: “This kid actually accomplished such a thing overnight!”
For Ning Zhuo to take control of the black market, his first obstacle was not the three gangs or the three scattered individuals, but the City Lord’s Mansion.
Sun Lingtong had been able to control the black market because he had connected with Fei Si and voluntarily offered profits, gaining the City Lord’s tacit approval.
Ning Zhuo had written a secret letter in advance and had it delivered to Fei Si through Chen Cha.
When Fei Si read the secret letter, Ning Zhuo’s ambitious gaze immediately appeared in his mind.
“Like!”
“Just like me when I was young.”
Ning Zhuo’s performance in creating the Mechanical Monkey, and later in the matter involving Yuan Dasheng, had left a deep impression on Fei Si.
Fei Si had grown very fond of Ning Zhuo.
“I was also unappreciated in the past.”
“I also climbed step by step through research and constant risks.”
“Yesterday’s Fei Si is today’s Ning Zhuo.”
“Why not give such an outstanding young man a hand?”
After Ning Zhuo returned to the family, although Fei Si was busy with many affairs, he had not forgotten to keep an eye on him from the shadows.
Seeing Ning Zhuo’s rising status in the family often brought Fei Si a sense of heartfelt joy.
In his view, no one understood Ning Zhuo’s true nature better than he did!
He looked forward to Ning Zhuo’s continuous ascent.
Because the higher Ning Zhuo climbed, the more it validated Fei Si’s own life philosophy, proving his own success.
And the greater Ning Zhuo’s value, the more Fei Si could benefit from their relationship.
“Climb.”
“Climb higher, and higher still.”
“When the Meng family takes control of Puppet Immortal City in the future, you will control the Ning family, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
Ning Zhuo’s talent convinced Fei Si that he had great potential for development, making him worth investing in.
So, when Ning Zhuo sought Fei Si’s permission to unify the black market, Fei Si agreed without much thought.
“I just didn’t expect you to accomplish it overnight.”
“How interesting, how brilliant.”
“Using the Ning family’s Foundation Establishment cultivators to make the first move, you greatly
intimidated all the small fry, and throughout the process, you didn’t lift a hand, leaving no evidence.”
“Using force to make the Monkey Head Gang take the lead, you caused great turbulence in the black market. The Monkey Head Gang suffered heavy casualties and became obedient pawns.”
“Precisely recruiting key forces and individuals, you tightly controlled the critical points, achieving twice the result with half the effort!”
As Fei Si was secretly praising him, Chen Cha came to see him.
Chen Cha brought another secret letter from Ning Zhuo.
Fei Si opened the letter and saw that Ning Zhuo had generously offered to hand over fifty percent of the profits to him.
Such a tactful gesture made Fei Si laugh heartily.
These past few days, it was the first time he had laughed so freely.
“Fifty percent is too much, handing over thirty percent is enough.”
“As for the black market, I’ll only let you control it for a while.”
“During this period, manage it well, don’t cause trouble for me to clean up!”
“When the time comes, you’ll have to let go. Before that, make all the preparations you can.”
Fei Si replied with a secret letter and carefully stored Ning Zhuo’s letter.
These were pieces of evidence, keys to controlling Ning Zhuo in the future.
Just like how the leader of the Monkey Head Gang collected evidence to hand over to Ning Zhuo, Ning Zhuo had also intentionally left behind something to gain Fei Si’s trust.
Fei Si’s secret letter reached Ning Zhuo’s hands.
Ning Zhuo remained expressionless, with no waves in his heart.
He had already anticipated Fei Si’s attitude and thoughts.
“The four major powers of Puppet Immortal City: the City Lord’s Mansion, the Zhou family, the Zheng family, and the Ning family, cooperate while also competing, maintaining a certain balance.”
“The black market is one of the buffer zones in the power struggles of the four major forces.”
“It can be controlled by Sun Lingtong, but it cannot be controlled by any of the four major forces, not even in the shadows, through an agent.”
“The only reason I was able to rise to power is because the timing was too special.”
“On one hand, with the recruitment decree, cultivators from outside continue to pour in. A stable black market benefits not only the entire city but also the four forces. And the incident with Boss Sun happened too suddenly. The four forces didn’t have time to properly discuss and find a suitable person to take control of the black market.”
“On the other hand, although I am part of the Ning family, I am from a branch, with irreconcilable conflicts with the main line! Fei Si of the City Lord’s Mansion is happy to see me succeed. The Zhou and Zheng families also hope for internal strife within the Ning family, and they will support me in establishing my own faction. So when I intervene in the black market, they’ll think it’s a great idea.”
“Once the situation changes, outsiders stop coming, and Puppet Immortal City returns to its former state, their need for the black market will no longer be as pressing.”
“Once I control the black market for too long, or if I show signs of aligning with the Ning family’s main line, triggering concerns among the other three forces, they will quickly react and drive me out of the black market.”
Control over the black market had a time limit.
Ning Zhuo had long understood this.
“It doesn’t matter!”
“My goal is the Lava Immortal Palace.”
“Once I seize the Immortal Palace and become its master, what does it matter if I let go of the black market?”
“At this critical moment, I need to make my mark, win over the Ning family’s branch, and thwart the schemes of the main line.”
“The black market is just right for that!”
“Heh heh.”
Ning Zhuo’s lips curled into a smile.
At this moment, he had a strong sense of seeing the whole picture and strategizing from afar.
“This is the feeling, this feeling of control…”
“Ah, it’s so wonderful!”
For a while, Ning Zhuo was deeply immersed in this beautiful feeling, unable to extricate himself.
At the same time.
In his Upper Dantian Sea of Consciousness, the bud of his embryonic divine ability, *Life Hanging by a Thread*, trembled slightly, and the bud opened up a single line.
The change in the embryonic divine ability immediately caught Ning Zhuo’s attention.
A feeling of joy surged into his heart.
“Very good!”
“I can feel that the next change in the embryonic divine ability will be a qualitative transformation, and it will fully bloom.”
“At that time, I will truly master a divine ability — *Life Hanging by a Thread*!”