Chapter 255: Shearing Wool from the Golden Core Ancestors
Ning Zhuo walked out of the medical hall.
Halfway, three Golden Core cultivators descended from the sky: Zhu Xuanji, Ning Jiufan, and Zhou Nongying.
Ning Zhuo had already anticipated the arrival of the Golden Core cultivators and hurriedly bowed in greeting.
Zhou Nongying asked, "Young one, what just happened inside the medical hall?"
Ning Jiufan followed, "I lost the connection I had with you for a while. Tell me what happened in the medical hall."
Zhu Xuanji simply stared at Ning Zhuo without saying a word.
Ning Zhuo made a sound of acknowledgment and then earnestly explained to the three Golden Core cultivators that he had just accepted a high-paying task in the medical hall and had entered the critical treatment room.
"Perhaps that room was special and blocked everything inside and out," Ning Zhuo said.
The three Golden Core cultivators exchanged quick glances. Ning Zhuo's explanation aligned with their previous speculation and discussion.
With a worried look, Ning Zhuo added, "Did entering the critical treatment room weaken your connection with me? Hmm... Could you possibly add a bit more protection for me?"
Ning Zhuo proactively requested additional monitoring measures from the Golden Core cultivators.
This behavior caused Zhu Xuanji's eyes to flicker slightly.
Seeing Ning Zhuo's fearful appearance, Ning Jiufan, the ancestor of the Ning family, snorted, "Look at how little courage you have."
Ning Zhuo quickly complained, "Oh, Ancestor, this junior is only at the Qi Refining stage. If I had your kind of power, I'd surely be sweeping through the land, bold and fearless."
"I am of the Ning family's blood. You have to give me a bit more protection, don't you?"
"How could this junior not be aware of the current situation?"
"That villain who controlled the Five Elements Tower and bombarded Mount Huoshi was truly ruthless and evil!"
"What's even more terrifying is that, to this day, we still haven't figured out who he is."
"Those of us in the reform team, because we have the status of trial disciples, have extreme convenience in competing for various duties."
"Right now, we're earning great merits in large numbers, so we're definitely a thorn in the real culprit's side. He's bound to attack us."
"But, for now, thanks to the protection of the Golden Core ancestors, he hasn't had the chance."
"This trip to the medical hall, I went alone into the treatment room, essentially walking into the tiger's den knowingly."
"How could that be called being afraid of death? That's clearly the courage of one who views death as a return home."
These words left the three Golden Core cultivators momentarily speechless.
Ning Jiufan snorted again, "You brat, you're all talk."
"Why don't you mention that the medical hall is a critical place where only trial disciples can compete for positions?"
"The real culprit, even if he's at the Golden Core stage like us, can't get near the medical hall."
"You were perfectly safe in there."
"That's exactly why, when we lost our connection with you, we didn't rush in."
"How can you call that viewing death as a return home?"
Ning Zhuo put on a solemn expression and carefully said, "To report to the ancestors, this junior sees it this way."
"Currently, we've discovered that only trial disciples are eligible to take on positions in the medical hall."
"But is that really the ultimate answer? No one can be certain."
"For now, all the evidence points to that conclusion."
"However, it might be possible that outsiders can use certain channels or methods to sneak into the medical hall."
"After all, the Lava Immortal Palace was left behind by the Three Sect Lords. The Three Sect Lords were known for their compassion. With their magnanimity, they wouldn't create benefits only for their own people and leave no path for others."
"It could be possible that the real culprit has a way or a secret method to infiltrate the medical hall and harm me."
Ning Zhuo said this specifically to cover up the flaw in his actions.
As the Five Elements Tower leader, he had fully activated the tower to bombard Mount Huoshi.
This action was a potential flaw.
Because, to this day, no one had managed to join the Five Elements Tower.
Similarly, no one had been able to join the Command Platform and take up related duties there.
At present, Zhu Xuanji and the others hadn't fully confirmed the fact that "only trial disciples are eligible to work in the Five Elements Tower."
Once they did confirm this, they would most likely narrow the suspect list to the trial disciples!
This would be extremely unfavorable for Ning Zhuo!
Therefore, before that happened, Ning Zhuo needed to use his speculations to divert Zhu Xuanji and the others from any future suspicions.
This was planning ahead.
The three Golden Core cultivators listened to his analysis, and for a moment, no one refuted him.
Before confirming with the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, they indeed couldn't be entirely sure.
Speaking of which, Zhu Xuanji had entered the Immortal Palace many times, and on multiple occasions, he had attempted to communicate with the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, but none of those attempts had succeeded.
Under such circumstances, Ning Zhuo's claim of risking his life and viewing death as nothing was plausible.
Zhou Nongying suddenly laughed and said to Ning Jiufan beside him, "Brother Ning, your Ning family has indeed produced a talent. It's truly enviable."
Ning Jiufan quickly responded modestly, "Not at all, compared to the likes of Zhou Zhenshen and Zhou Zhu, Ning Zhuo still has a long way to go."
"He has some insight into the situation, but don't be fooled by his brave words. He's actually just greedy and looking for a reward."
Ning Zhuo's eyes gleamed, and he immediately put on a fawning smile, "Hehehe, Ancestor, I'm not doing this just for myself."
"I'm contributing to the family."
"Look, my current situation is so dangerous. Shouldn't you give me more protective measures?"
"Can you bear to see a junior of the Ning family fall prey to that vicious criminal?"
Ning Jiufan pointed at Ning Zhuo and laughed, cursing, "Look at this. You see? This is a fine descendant of the Ning family. I knew I wasn't wrong about you."
Zhou Nongying and Zhu Xuanji also laughed when they heard this, and the atmosphere instantly lightened.
Ning Jiufan continued, "Last time, I already gave you plenty of talismans for protection, and I didn't take them back."
"What more do you want this time?"
"You are indeed contributing to the family, but the family will definitely reward you accordingly later. You won't miss out on your share!"
Ning Zhuo quickly interjected, "Actually, I want to split from the family. Ancestor, can I split from the family?"
"As for those rewards, I don't count on them much! If the main family doesn't pin a crime on me, that's already good enough."
Ning Jiufan's face immediately turned angry, "How dare you!"
He was just about to scold Ning Zhuo when Zhou Nongying suddenly burst into laughter, interrupting him.
Zhou Nongying's mood shifted from worry to joy.
A moment ago, he had seen Ning Zhuo's brilliance and had been deeply concerned.
Although the Ning family's strength wasn't as great as the Zhou family's, Ning Zhuo, this junior, had recently been making waves, clearly surpassing both Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zhenshen.
This made Zhou Nongying feel a small sense of threat, and he had been uncomfortable.
But now, seeing Ning Zhuo expose the Ning family's weaknesses and openly talk about the tensions between the branch and main family, Zhou Nongying couldn't help but look forward to the day Ning Zhuo and the main family fell out.
After a few hearty laughs, Zhou Nongying took out a magic tool from his storage belt and tossed it to Ning Zhuo.
It was a handkerchief.
The handkerchief was covered with countless chaotic, irregular formation patterns.
But in reality, it only appeared to lack order.
Zhou Nongying explained, "This is the Four Directions Inversion Formation Plate. When you're in a crisis, just throw it out, and it might buy you some vital time."
Ning Zhuo received it with great joy and quickly expressed his thanks.
Ning Jiufan's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He knew Zhou Nongying was trying to undermine him, but on the surface, he still had to thank Zhou Nongying.
Zhu Xuanji smiled and descended to the ground, walking a few steps to stand beside Ning Zhuo.
"You are indeed a meritorious person."
"Recently, the reform team members have made great progress, all thanks to your selfless sharing of experience."
"Let me check on you."
Ning Zhuo sneered inwardly, fully aware of Zhu Xuanji's suspicion. But on the surface, he put on an expression of joy and cooperated enthusiastically.
Zhu Xuanji placed his palm on Ning Zhuo's back, activating a spell, and at the same time, his eyes flickered with faint golden light.
After a round of inspection, Zhu Xuanji confirmed that the monitoring measures he had placed on Ning Zhuo remained intact.
Only then did he relax.
Ning Zhuo looked eagerly at Zhu Xuanji and said, "Lord Zhu, in the pursuit of truth and the investigation of the culprit, we will spare no effort, even risking our lives."
"As of now, it seems that this junior has taken a risk by probing the medical hall—there should be no culprit hiding inside."
He paused for a moment before shifting the topic, "
However, I believe the medical hall is only temporarily safe."
"With the beast tide running rampant, the villain can easily earn merits by slaying beasts en masse. It's much more convenient and faster than before."
"If he really has some shortcut or loophole to join the medical hall, then we're doomed!"
"But, whenever I think about how important the Lava Immortal Palace is, and how I have the opportunity to contribute to the family and the Southern Dou Country, my heart fills with motivation, and my blood boils with excitement, I—"
"Alright, alright." Zhu Xuanji waved his hand, showing a look of helplessness, cutting off Ning Zhuo's words.
"I know what you're getting at, and I understand your meaning."
"Here, take this as a reward for your recent good performance."
With that, he tossed an object.
Ning Zhuo hurriedly caught it and, upon closer inspection, realized it was a crystal stone.
The crystal was completely transparent, quite heavy, and seemed like it was made of pure glass without any impurities.
Ning Zhuo gasped in surprise and exclaimed, "This is a supreme-grade crystal stone!"
Zhu Xuanji explained, "This crystal originally contained ice elemental natural spiritual energy, but I've already used it up."
"However, it's still highly valuable!"
"Because any supreme-grade crystal stone will automatically absorb spiritual energy from its surroundings to replenish itself."
"Only, an ice-elemental supreme-grade crystal can only absorb ice-elemental energy."
"You enjoy crafting mechanisms, right? This supreme-grade crystal stone is a natural mana reservoir, very suitable for your use."
"However, if you want to fill it with ice-elemental mana in an environment like Mount Huoshi or the Lava Immortal Palace, you'll have to put in some extra effort."
Ning Zhuo expressed his gratitude repeatedly, holding the supreme-grade crystal stone in one hand and the formation handkerchief in the other, looking expectantly at Ning Jiufan.
He didn't say anything, but his eyes said it all.
Zhou Nongying and Zhu Xuanji also turned their gazes to Ning Jiufan.
Ning Jiufan coughed lightly and, with a neutral expression, said, "If you're worried about the reward for your contribution, then let me tell you. I will personally oversee the reward this time. Are you satisfied?"
Ning Zhuo quickly expressed his satisfaction and was about to continue speaking.
Ning Jiufan had already turned and flown away with a wave of his sleeve.
Zhu Xuanji and Zhou Nongying chuckled and also flew off into the sky.
Once the three Golden Core cultivators disappeared from Ning Zhuo's view, he let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.
He had anticipated this scenario long ago.
Sun Lingtong's advice had been very wise.
Had he used the three drops of Supreme Water inside the critical treatment room, it was likely the three Golden Core cultivators would have re-implanted new monitoring measures on him just now.
Ning Zhuo stored away the formation handkerchief and the supreme-grade crystal stone into his storage belt.
It seemed like each time, he managed to shear some wool off the Golden Core ancestors.
He knew exactly why.
"The potential and abilities I've shown make the Golden Core ancestors believe that I will inevitably have a place in the future of Huoshi Immortal City."
"Whether they are investing in me or trying to suppress the Ning family and stir up internal strife, they lean toward pulling me in while I'm still insignificant."
"After all, the cost of doing so at this stage is the lowest. Once I reach the Foundation Establishment stage, things will be different."
Ning Zhuo returned to his residence.
To his surprise, he found a jade slip placed on his bedside.
After inspecting it, he browsed the contents and discovered that the jade slip was from Ning Jiufan.
In the jade slip, Ning Jiufan had left a special message for Ning Zhuo, telling him: This talisman annotation is a compilation of his insights from studying the Ning family's talismans, and Ning Zhuo should study it in secret. What shouldn't be said mustn't be said.
Ning Zhuo understood Ning Jiufan's intention.
On the one hand, earlier, Ning Jiufan had kept face in front of Zhu Xuanji and Zhou Nongying by not directly rewarding Ning Zhuo. This jade slip served as compensation.
On the other hand, Ning Jiufan was also worried that Ning Zhuo might flaunt the jade slip and use it to elevate his status within the Ning family.
Ning Jiufan's concern wasn't unfounded.
Had he not specifically left this message, Ning Zhuo had indeed planned to do just that.
Ning Zhuo put away the jade slip.
It was a valuable item, but for now, he had no time or energy to study it.
(End of this chapter)