< Chapter 2: Ning Zhuo >
The Ning family estate.
Today is a significant day for the Ning family—it’s the day the examination results are announced.
Ning Ze and his wife, Wang Lan, had been seated in the main hall since early morning, eagerly awaiting the examination results of the two younger members of their family.
From birth, the descendants of the Ning family are tested annually for their spiritual roots once they reach the age of twelve or thirteen.
Those with the aptitude for cultivation are sent to the family’s private school, supported fully by the family, to study intensively until they are sixteen or seventeen years old, when they take the final examination.
This annual examination determines the fate of the young cultivators.
The top thirty young examinees qualify to join the core industries of the Ning family, promising them a broader future.
While on the surface Wang Lan sips her tea, her gaze frequently drifts towards the main gate, barely concealing her nervous anticipation.
Ning Ze, however, appears distracted and deeply depressed.
He had been waiting until dawn, yet there was no word from the Huang Family Three Ghosts.
“They’ve failed!”
“I hadn’t expected the Young Puppet Master to be so powerful.”
“It’s alright, it’s alright.”
“When I contacted the Huang Family Three Ghosts, I didn’t show my true face; the Young Puppet Master won’t be able to find me.”
“The Huang Family Three Ghosts are overrated. With the Sealing Talisman and the spirit pet Green Knife Mantis, they still lost three against one! I really misjudged them.”
“Alas, Young Puppet Master... What should I do next?”
Forced into a desperate move that ended in painful failure, Ning Ze was plagued with a headache, unsure how to explain the situation to the young clan leader.
Just then, a jubilant young boy burst into the room, exclaiming excitedly, "Dad, Mom, I made it—I’m in the top thirty!"
"Really? Ji'er, did you really make it?!" Wang Lan immediately stood up, her face alight with joy.
The young cultivator Ning Ji spoke loudly, "Of course! Mom, don’t you even believe your own son?"
"Oh?" Ning Ze looked up to see his son Ning Ji’s face brimming with unrestrained joy.
Ning Ji’s performance usually hovered around the fortieth rank, so it was a surprise that he had excelled beyond expectations in this crucial exam.
This unexpectedly good news slightly alleviated Ning Ze's gloom.
Ning Ji, with a raised voice, continued, "Dad, Mom, I’ve made you proud this time. I’ve always said I know what I’m doing. My usual scores aren’t great because I choose not to give it my all."
"Not like someone!" he added with a sneer.
"Usually, this person scores well, consistently ranking in the top thirty. But in this crucial exam, he slipped just below, ending up thirty-first. Oh dear, he failed to make the cut!" Ning Ji turned to look at the young man in white following him, his face full of mockery.
The young man in white, dressed simply with clear eyes filled with a mix of guilt and disappointment, greeted respectfully, "Uncle, Aunt."
Wang Lan turned sharply towards the young man, her voice high-pitched with astonishment, "What? Xiao Zhuo, did you flunk this time?!"
Ning Ze's face darkened as he extended his hand and demanded, "Bring me the report card to see."
Ning Zhuo then took out the report card and handed it to his uncle Ning Ze.
Ning Ze glanced down at it, his expression becoming as somber as still water.
The next moment, he shook the paper in his hand, and said with frustrated disappointment, "Xiao Zhuo, how could you make such a serious mistake this time?"
"I remember, you have had some small achievements in mechanical arts before."
"Previously, the mechanical parrot you made was even praised by the elders of the clan."
"Mechanical arts are clearly your strength, so how could you have scored so low this time?"
"Ah, if not for this poor grade, you would have been in the top thirty!"
His aunt, with a sharp gaze, said, "Xiao Zhuo, tell me, have you been taking on private work from the mechanical workshops again?"
Before Ning Zhuo could respond, his aunt sighed deeply, "Ah, I've told you so many times not to be greedy for money. At your age, you should be focusing on your studies."
"You've focused your energy on making money, it's like picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons."
"Look at you now, ranked beyond thirtieth!"
"The family business is now out of reach!"
Upon hearing this, Ning Zhuo finally mustered up the courage: "Great Aunt, I heard from my classmates, it's said that connections might help..."
Before he could finish, his aunt interrupted loudly, "Use connections? Do you know how many spirit stones that would cost? Do you know how many people we would need to approach?"
"Oh, now you've done poorly on your exams, and with just a light-hearted comment, your great uncle and I must go around pulling strings, running our legs off, finding backdoors for you?"
"And you have the nerve to ask this of us!"
"If only we knew this would happen, why did we bother in the first place."
"I've told you before to focus on your cultivation, not to take on private jobs for those few spirit stones."
"What's the use?!"
"If you had made it into the top thirty and entered the family business, you'd earn much more. And with fewer responsibilities and more time, you could continue your cultivation."
Ning Zhuo suddenly raised his head, his face flushed with humiliation, and said with gritted teeth, "Uncle, Aunt, I, Ning Zhuo, take responsibility for my own actions!"
"If it's rank thirty-one, then so be it."
"All these years, I've been grateful for the care from the two elders. If I've ended up like this, it's the bitter fruit of my own making, and I deserve what I get!"
"I take responsibility for my own actions!"
"I don't believe I can't find a way to support myself if I go out on my own."
At this point, Ning Zhuo bowed and excused himself, "Uncle, Aunt, my classmates are waiting for me for dinner. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."
His great uncle stared at Ning Zhuo, silent.
His aunt waved her hand dismissively, "Go on, go! You still feel like dining out even after scoring so poorly!"
Unable to stay a moment longer, Ning Zhuo turned and left in a huff.
Meanwhile, his cousin Ning Ji comfortably settled down.
As the aunt turned her gaze towards Ning Ji, her expression shifted like changing masks, turning her anger into joy: "My son is truly outstanding!"
She pushed the tea snacks on the table toward him, "Try these. These are Jinshan Hall's 'Golden Thread Jade Dew Cakes.' Eating them can enhance the depth of your Sea of Consciousness, strengthen your mental power, and greatly aid your cultivation, even in future foundation building."
Ning Ji's eyes lit up, and he eagerly took one and popped it into his mouth. The texture of the Golden Thread Jade Dew Cake was unique; the cake was soft and glutinous, with harder, crunchy golden threads and a flowing filling inside.
After swallowing three bites, Ning Ji felt a refreshing sensation rising from his stomach to his crown, invigorating his spirit.
He sincerely praised, "Delicious, delicious!"
"Then eat more, they're all yours," his mother said with a smile.
Ning Ji devoured the remaining three cakes and licked his lips, still craving more: "It’s truly worthy of Jinshan Hall’s reputation for deliciousness! Why only four? Are there any more?"
His father scoffed, "Each of these cakes is worth 20 spirit stones. You've just consumed nearly a hundred spirit stones. Do you still want more?"
"You need to work even harder and not slack off! You must perform well within the family from now on, and strive to earn enough with your own hands to afford these spirit nourishments."
Ning Ji protested, "Dad, I’ve made you proud this time! Think about it, if it were my past results, wouldn’t you have to run around using connections, giving gifts and finding backdoors to get me into the family business? My excellent performance in the major exam has saved you hundreds of spirit stones. What’s wrong with enjoying a little treat from Jinshan Hall?"
"Besides, eating these also serves to enhance my spirit, helping me to cultivate better and strive harder."
"If I had had such resources available to me earlier, I would have been among the top performers long ago," Ning Ji mused.
Seeing his son's retort, Ning's father's eyes widened, ready to scold him.
Ning's mother quickly interjected, "Alright, alright, let's all say a little less."
She glared at her husband, "Our son has done well, and he deserves praise for it. You hardly say a few words before you start criticizing him."
"Don’t look at my son as if he's just playful; at critical moments, he is reliable, unlike Ning Zhuo, who usually lets us down with his performance, and in the end, he’s the least reassuring!"
"Look at him, just a few criticisms and he storms off. How unteachable! Am I wrong?"
"Hmph, and then he runs off to eat. He sure is in the mood for it!"
Ning Ji sneered, "His pride is too high, and he’s too opinionated. Mom and Dad’s earnest teachings just don’t sink in with him."
"By the way, we're not really going to use our connections to help him after wasting our goodwill are we?"
Ning's father huffed, "That's not for you to worry about."
Seeing his father getting angry, Ning Ji instinctively shrank back, but then, buoyed by his exam results, he raised his voice, "Mom, if Ning Zhuo can go out to eat, I want to go out too, to eat some spiritual food. Give me some money, you have no idea how much I’ve put into this exam!"
"Alright, alright." Ning's mother chuckled and took out a bag of spirit stones, handing it to Ning Ji.
Taking the money bag, Ning Ji got up and left.
Once outside the Ning family estate and on the street, he did not hurry to his favorite restaurant but wandered the streets instead.
He wanted to see where Ning Zhuo was dining.
It was a rare opportunity to catch Ning Zhuo, and Ning Ji was eager to ridicule him further.
However, after searching left and right, he couldn’t find him.
He asked several shopkeepers and confirmed that Ning Zhuo had not come by.
Ning Ji slapped his forehead, realizing, "This kid is just putting on an act; there's no banquet at all! He's probably at his mother's dilapidated house, crying over her death at this very moment!"
"Forget about him; I'm going to have a meal first."
The spiritual food was not only delicious but also had the wonderful effect of enhancing one's cultivation, which Ning Ji was particularly looking forward to.
His guess was partly correct.
Ning Zhuo had already returned to his own home.
Compared to his uncle and aunt's residence, Ning Zhuo's house was modest and rundown.
He gently closed the courtyard gate, walked through the small yard, entered the main house, and proceeded to the inner room.
This was his bedroom as well as his study.
Although the furniture was old and simple, it was kept very clean.
Ning Zhuo touched the lion-shaped stone on his desk.
A flicker of light passed over the surface of the lion stone, indicating that no one had visited during his absence.
Ning Zhuo then turned around, went to the bed, and slightly twisted the railing beside it, causing a series of mechanical noises to emit.
Immediately, the bed shifted to the side, revealing an underground passage.
He stepped down the wooden ladder, entering the secret basement.
Once his feet hit the ground, he twisted a switch on the wall, moving the bed above back to its original position.
As the light above was cut off, runes on the walls of the basement lit up, brightening the small space.
At this point, the expressions of loss, grief, and repression vanished from Ning Zhuo's face, replaced by a calm demeanor.
He settled down at his most familiar workstation, which was covered with various mechanical components.
Ning Zhuo pulled open a drawer on his right, revealing a drawer full of pastries.
Each pastry was wrapped in paper.
On the paper was the emblem of Jinshan Hall.
He casually grabbed a handful, about five or six, channeled his magical power, and in the next instant, burned the paper off the pastries without causing the slightest damage to the Gold Thread Jade Dew cakes.
Clearly, he had performed this action countless times and had mastered it to perfection.
Ning Zhuo chewed on the pastries, his gaze slightly unfocused as he mentally reviewed his performance from the day.
This good habit had been maintained for over a decade.
"There shouldn't be any problems."
"I just didn't expect that in this major exam, the performance of others was generally flawed, not showing their true capabilities."
"When I was looking at the rankings earlier, I almost thought I had failed to control my score, nearly making it into the top thirty."