Chapter 226: No Wonder It's Fei Si
The second layer of rumors had arrived!
It perfectly followed the previous wave of rumors, causing an uproar.
In this second layer of rumors, many new details were revealed—how Zhu Xuanji, the Detective, obtained clues about the true teachings of the Demon Dao.
The rumors mentioned that Zhu Xuanji had acquired a Mechanical Demon General. This mechanical puppet possessed the combat strength of a Golden Core stage and was a rare puppet left behind by the Lava Immortal Palace.
Originally, the Demon Dao's true teachings were hidden within the Mechanical Demon General.
After Zhu Xuanji obtained the puppet, he discovered that the true teachings were missing.
With his exceptional investigation skills, he found clues from the puppet, and through continuous investigation, he tracked down Yuan Dasheng of the Monkey Head Gang.
He suspected that Yuan Dasheng had once come into contact with the Mechanical Demon General and stolen the true teachings of the Demon Dao.
However, Yuan Dasheng had long since died, and his body had been acquired by Ning Zhuo.
This meant that the true teachings of the Demon Dao on Yuan Dasheng had already fallen into Ning Zhuo's hands!
The impact of the second layer of rumors was far greater than the first.
On one hand, it involved Zhu Xuanji. Zhu Xuanji, a Golden Core cultivator and a member of the royal family, held the position of Detective within the Detective Division, giving him a prestigious and renowned status. The involvement of such a prominent figure naturally sparked a surge of public interest.
On the other hand, the rumors seemed extremely realistic, with many details described convincingly.
As soon as the rumors spread, some cultivators wanted to meet Zhu Xuanji to verify their authenticity.
Zhu Xuanji did not clarify the rumors, nor did he deny them.
This subtle attitude led many people to speculate, with some gaining insights after careful consideration.
Zhu Xuanji secretly exchanged thoughts with the Golden Core cultivators from the three families.
They were also speculating and discussing who might have spread the rumors.
Ning Jiufan clenched his fists and said angrily, "Who else could it be? If it's not one of us, then it must be the City Lord's Mansion!"
"We retrieved the Mechanical Demon General from the Demon Ape King's court. Before the operation, we had informed Meng Kui. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, Meng Kui likely knows everything that happened in the Ape King's court."
Zheng Shuanggou questioned in confusion, "I don’t get it. Why would they announce something like the Demon Dao's true teachings? If I were the City Lord’s Mansion, I’d secretly gather intel, and once confirmed, send skilled assassins to completely eliminate Ning Zhuo."
"Why make this public?"
Zhou Nongying smiled slightly. "It’s obvious, they’re trying to clear their name!"
"Once Ning Zhuo faces an assassination attempt, it’s highly likely that someone from the Demon Dao, lured by the rumors, will make a move on him to seize the true teachings, risking everything."
"The City Lord's Mansion is muddying the waters first, then secretly sending a powerful assassin to take Ning Zhuo's life."
"Even if the assassin is caught and testifies against the City Lord's Mansion, they can easily deny it, claiming that it was the assassin's personal act and that they were framed after being captured."
"This is actually an old trick used by many powerful factions," Zhou Nongying concluded.
The Golden Core ancestors fell silent.
They all felt an invisible pressure.
"It’s indeed Fei Si..." someone sighed, voicing the thoughts of the group.
In their view, Fei Si had clearly realized that there might be a trap around Ning Zhuo.
So, what was his approach?
Regardless of whether there was a trap, he acted first.
He controlled public opinion even before attempting to assassinate Ning Zhuo, already beginning to clear the City Lord's Mansion of any suspicion!
Troublesome.
Vexing.
These were the overwhelming feelings Zhu Xuanji got from the second wave of rumors and from Fei Si’s tactics.
"Besides clearing their name, there’s another layer of meaning here," Zhu Xuanji's gaze deepened.
He subtly observed the other Golden Core ancestors.
He carefully noted their expressions.
It was obvious that among all the Golden Core cultivators, Ning Jiufan from the Ning family looked the worst.
He was under considerable psychological pressure.
Zhu Xuanji understood and knew exactly what Ning Jiufan was worried about.
"If there’s a traitor among us, Ning Jiufan is the least likely."
"Not only because he’s compromised and his reputation is at stake, but also because Ning Zhuo is the Ning family’s talented cultivator."
Zhu Xuanji pondered over whether the rumor had indeed originated from the City Lord’s Mansion.
The other Golden Core cultivators seemed to accept this, but as a Detective, Zhu Xuanji never made conclusions without evidence.
"If this rumor didn’t come from the City Lord’s Mansion, then who?"
"Who knew I had acquired the Mechanical Demon General?"
From Zhu Xuanji's perspective, there were only two parties—the City Lord’s Mansion and the alliance between him and the three families.
After some thought, Zhu Xuanji spoke to the others, "Two waves of rumors have spread, clearly orchestrated by someone behind the scenes."
"The current situation has undoubtedly become extremely severe."
"We must increase our protection for Ning Zhuo. After all, Ning Zhuo is the Ning family's genius cultivator. As I told Daoist Ning Jiufan before, I will do everything I can to protect his safety."
"So, from now on, we will form pairs and take turns guarding Ning Zhuo."
"All rotations will be arranged by me."
Zhu Xuanji’s words made some of the Golden Core cultivators thoughtful.
Although Zhu Xuanji and the three families had signed a contract, such constraints were not foolproof.
Like locks and the methods to break them, they continually evolved in response to each other.
The same was true for contracts and methods of oath-breaking.
Zhu Xuanji didn’t openly mention his concerns about a traitor, but he divided the six Golden Core cultivators, including himself, into three teams.
Each team had two people.
He made sure that the two Golden Core cultivators from the Zhou and Zheng families were never on the same team.
This was to prevent the threat of a traitor.
Ning Zhuo's residence.
"What?!"
"Such rumors exist?!!"
Ning Zhuo shouted, unable to sit still, and immediately stood up.
His face was pale, and though he tried to remain calm, his expression still revealed a trace of panic.
Two Ning family Foundation Establishment cultivators who reported to him exchanged glances. From Ning Zhuo’s reaction, they both felt that the rumors might be true.
Ning Zhuo’s gaze flickered as he placed his hand on the desk, lost in thought for a moment before he waved the two Foundation Establishment cultivators away. "Keep a close eye on the rumors. If anything changes, report to me immediately."
After the two Foundation Establishment cultivators left, Ning Zhuo couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead.
His forehead was covered in cold sweat.
He swallowed hard, still feeling dry-mouthed, so he grabbed the teapot on the desk and drank a large gulp of cold tea straight from the spout.
He sat back down, opened a drawer, and pulled out a jade slip, using his spiritual sense to write.
It was a distress letter addressed to Ning Jiufan.
After finishing it, Ning Zhuo thought for a moment, then took out another jade slip.
This one was also a distress letter, but it was addressed to Zhu Xuanji.
Both distress letters were quickly delivered to Ning Jiufan and Zhu Xuanji.
The content of the letters was similar, full of Ning Zhuo’s innocence, grievances, as well as his fear and unease.
The gist of it was as follows:
"I truly haven’t obtained any Demon Dao true teachings."
"I’m being wronged, I’m innocent."
"I’m just so unlucky to have stumbled into this situation. Someone is surely coming to harm me, coveting the Demon Dao true teachings."
"They’ll definitely be disappointed. Even if they kill me, they won’t get the true teachings!"
"But I don’t want to die. I’m still young, I’m still so small, I’m only sixteen years old."
"So, Lord Ning Jiufan (Zhu Xuanji), I beg you to save my life. Just come forward to clarify things, and my crisis will be resolved!"
After reading the letters, Zhu Xuanji tucked the jade slip away with a blank expression.
Ning Jiufan, however, was not so indifferent. He secretly sought out Zhu Xuanji, exchanged some irrelevant chatter, and then got to the point: "Lord Zhu, how much do you think Meng Kui knows about our actions in the Demon Ape King's court?"
Zhu Xuanji replied, "Meng Kui is at the Nascent Soul stage, far surpassing us in cultivation and combat power."
"Before the operation, I informed him specifically so that he could serve as our fallback."
"With his abilities, he surely noticed our actions in Mount Huoshi."
"However..."
"I’m not sure to what extent he is aware."
Zhu Xuanji spoke vaguely.
He had his difficulties too.
He couldn’t outright tell Ning Jiufan that Meng Kui was fully aware of everything that happened to him, could he?
That would only increase Ning Jiufan’s psychological burden.
Ning Jiufan sighed and left.
Zhu Xuanji’s face became contemplative.
The struggle between the righteous path and the Demon Dao had its own unique flavor.
"I’ve already had a round
of confrontation with the City Lord's Mansion over the rumors."
"Fei Si is indeed formidable."
"Two waves of rumors were enough to destabilize us."
At this time, a cultivator walked straight to the gate of Ning Zhuo's residence.
His actions immediately drew attention.
"Halt."
"Who goes there?"
The Ning family’s Foundation Establishment guards intercepted him halfway.
Zhu Xuanji and Ning Jiufan also covertly locked their gaze on the man.
The visitor cupped his hands respectfully and said, "I am Su Mo. I apologize for disturbing you, two Foundation Establishment seniors."
"I am just a low-level Qi Refining cultivator, earning a living by crafting talismans."
"I recently arrived in Huoshi Immortal City and heard that the Ning family is renowned for talisman crafting. Young Master Ning Zhuo, in particular, is a rising talent among the Qi Refining disciples of the Ning family."
"So, I’ve come to pay a visit, hoping to exchange some talisman-crafting techniques with Young Master Ning Zhuo."
The two Foundation Establishment guards exchanged glances, their faces full of disdain.
"Hmph, you couldn’t have come sooner or later, but you chose now? You must be up to something."
"Why don’t you just admit that you’re here because of the rumors about the Demon Dao true teachings?"
Su Mo smiled slightly. "Seniors, it’s already late at night. I am indeed 'late.'"
"As for the rumors, I know nothing about them."
"I only know that I’ve come to challenge Ning Zhuo. If he refuses, it would dishonor the Ning family's reputation as a talisman crafting expert."
The two Foundation Establishment guards became even more disgusted.
But this matter couldn’t be easily dismissed. It had to be handled carefully.
"Fine, fine. Wait here. I’ll go report this!"
(End of the chapter)