Chapter 259: Discovery of Ning Zhuo's Flaw
Zhu Xuanji walked out of the warehouse, deep in thought all the way.
He hadn’t expected that the clues regarding the shadow demon cultivators would suddenly come to him in such a manner.
“Could it be that the City Lord's Mansion is using the same old tricks?”
“Using this method to orchestrate a performance, diverting my attention and scattering my energy, making it impossible for me to fully focus on the competition in the Lava Immortal Palace?”
If that was the case, Zhu Xuanji had to admit, this scheme was extremely vicious!
The other side must have accurately grasped his nature, firmly taking hold of his strong desire to protect the city's residents.
The demonic beasts surrounded the city, and the City Lord's Mansion's forces were stretched thin. Fei Si could not possibly investigate the entire Immortal City and could only check if there were fire persimmons buried in critical areas.
Even if these fire persimmons weren’t buried at the key positions of the formation, detonating them in the city center would still cause massive casualties.
If there were too many casualties within the city and chaos ensued, it would inevitably affect the front lines.
Zhu Xuanji trusted in his own ability and leaned toward believing that Fei Si wasn’t lying, but what about Meng Kui?
The Meng family was famous for their frank and direct nature, but Meng Kui was the only strategist among the Four Generals.
Even if Zhu Xuanji confronted Meng Kui, he didn’t have much confidence in his lie-detection methods working against a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
Zhu Xuanji walked along the street, his eyes vacant, his mind filled with various thoughts.
“But what if that’s not the case?”
“What if the City Lord’s Mansion is merely a victim? What if neither Meng Kui nor Fei Si had laid any hidden plans?”
“Then, could the shadow demon cultivator and the one who bombarded Mount Huoshi be the same person?”
Countless possibilities flashed through Zhu Xuanji’s mind.
It was as if he was surrounded by fog, unsure of which path led to the truth.
“Lord Zhu! We finally found you!” A voice interrupted Zhu Xuanji’s thoughts.
Zhu Xuanji focused his gaze and saw a Qi Refining stage cultivator, dressed as a servant.
Zhu Xuanji asked him what the matter was.
The servant bowed deeply and said, “This old servant is under the command of Lord Zhu Hou. Lord Zhu Hou has been selected to serve as the new head of the Kindergarten for Benevolence in Huoshi Immortal City. He arrived two days ago and has already made all the necessary preparations for his new role.”
“Tomorrow, he will hold a ceremony to officially take up the position.”
“Upon hearing that you were present in the Immortal City, Lord Zhu Hou wanted to invite you to attend the ceremony.”
“After all, it was under your recommendation that this position at the Kindergarten for Benevolence was created.”
Zhu Xuanji’s spirits lifted, and he smiled, “This is the only good news I’ve heard today! You’re right. The Kindergarten for Benevolence was a position I reported to the King, specifically instructing that someone from our Zhu family royal lineage be selected.”
“I didn’t expect Uncle Zhu Hou to take on this responsibility.”
“With him there, I am reassured.”
“Unfortunately, I am tied up with important matters and won’t have time to attend the ceremony.”
At this point, Zhu Xuanji’s eyes flickered with a hint of hesitation.
He understood Zhu Hou’s intentions. If he, as a renowned detective, attended the ceremony, it would be akin to publicly supporting Zhu Hou, which would significantly improve Zhu Hou’s situation and facilitate his work at the Kindergarten for Benevolence.
“Since I’ve already promised Li Leifeng, I might as well see it through completely.”
After some deliberation, Zhu Xuanji decided to compromise, “I’ll go see Uncle now. Let’s go.”
With that, he grabbed the old servant by the collar and flew up into the air, majestically heading toward the Kindergarten for Benevolence.
Zhu Xuanji’s actions quickly attracted the attention of countless onlookers.
Just like when he brazenly went to confront Ning Zhuo to carry out his plan of alarming the snake, from this moment on, he had already begun to back Zhu Hou.
Zhu Xuanji landed at the Kindergarten for Benevolence with the servant and met Zhu Hou.
Zhu Hou was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, with a broad frame and a kind-hearted, generous demeanor.
Zhu Xuanji immediately cupped his hands and greeted Zhu Hou with a bow.
During his youth, Zhu Xuanji had received much kindness and support from Zhu Hou.
Therefore, even though Zhu Xuanji had reached the Golden Core stage, he remained respectful and never slighted Zhu Hou.
Zhu Xuanji then apologized to Zhu Hou, explaining that he wouldn’t be able to attend tomorrow’s ceremony.
Zhu Hou smiled faintly and gestured for him to sit down.
Zhu Hou also sat down and said, “When I saw you fly over in such grand fashion, I understood your intent.”
“I’m already very happy that you took the time to visit.”
“Going forward, you can rest assured that the Kindergarten for Benevolence is in my hands.”
“I’ve watched you grow up; how could I not know your ambitions? Our goals align.”
“I will do my best to discover talents within the Kindergarten and send them to the royal family.”
“Accumulating bit by bit, little by little, it will eventually help the royal family contend with the major power factions.”
At this, Zhu Hou sighed deeply.
“Now, in Southern Dou Country, the Meng family, Su family, and others have become too powerful to control.”
“The Emperor in his later years was deeply troubled by personal matters and failed to deal with everything, leaving such a mess for the younger generation.”
Zhu Xuanji remained silent, unwilling to criticize his ancestors.
No matter what, the founding emperor of Southern Dou Country had established such a foundation, and his achievements far outweighed his mistakes.
Seeing Zhu Xuanji’s melancholy expression, Zhu Hou changed the subject, “By the way, Xuanji, while organizing Li Leifeng’s belongings, I found a valuable item!”
“Come and take a look.”
Zhu Hou revealed a mysterious smile, pulling out a jade slip and handing it to Zhu Xuanji.
The surface of the jade slip was smooth, as if it had been frequently used and polished over time. It was clear that Li Leifeng had often used it during his life.
Zhu Xuanji took the jade slip and scanned its contents with his spiritual sense.
He immediately realized that this was Li Leifeng’s diary.
The diary mainly recorded some of the exceptional orphans in the Kindergarten for Benevolence.
Li Leifeng had a keen eye for identifying the strengths in these children, then determining if they had the potential to be excellent cultivators.
Li Leifeng had even created a detailed chart. The chart meticulously documented the names and times, with detailed records.
Upon closely examining the chart, Zhu Xuanji discovered that Li Leifeng didn’t only care for the orphans within the Kindergarten; at times, he even helped impoverished children outside the institution.
Although the Kindergarten received support from various sources, overall, its resources were still limited.
This chart clearly reflected Li Leifeng’s management philosophy for the Kindergarten.
He wasn’t distributing the resources evenly but rather prioritizing those with more talent, investing more heavily in them.
On one hand, he hoped to have a successor, so he had been actively training someone to take his place.
On the other hand, he wanted these resources to be used where they would yield the most value, ensuring a positive return.
He hoped to cultivate some accomplished cultivators who, once successful, could contribute more resources back to the Kindergarten, thus creating a positive cycle of support.
Zhu Xuanji sighed, “As expected of Li Leifeng. His kindness and concern radiate from this jade slip.”
Holding this old jade slip in his hand, he felt its immense weight.
Li Leifeng had poured his heart into managing the Kindergarten, and this devotion, in Zhu Xuanji’s eyes, was even more valuable than a magical treasure!
Zhu Hou noticed Zhu Xuanji’s expression change and smiled, “Are you feeling a bit better now?”
He continued to comfort Zhu Xuanji, “Xuanji, you’ve been under too much pressure.”
“You need to understand, you’re not the only one striving; everyone is working together.”
“You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself or hold yourself to such impossible standards.”
“You’ve already done an excellent job.”
“Perhaps, at times, you might make mistakes, but who doesn’t?”
“As long as you’re a cultivator, you’re still human, and all humans make mistakes.”
“Our royal family is short on talent now, and you’re the only promising cultivator we’ve produced.”
“You shouldn’t bear too much of the burden, and certainly, don’t think you’re fighting alone.”
“People like me, although our cultivation is lacking and our talents are limited, can still contribute to the royal family. Little by little, that power adds up, and it shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Zhu Xuanji replied earnestly, “Thank you, Uncle, for your concern.”
After Zhu Hou’s comforting words, his mood indeed improved greatly.
However, just as Zhu Xuanji was about to return the jade slip to Zhu Hou, his expression suddenly changed.
It was because his spiritual sense had scanned the end of the chart, and there, he found a familiar name.
Ning Zhuo!!!
“How could his name be on this list?!
”
Zhu Xuanji hurriedly examined it in detail.
Li Leifeng had made detailed notes regarding Ning Zhuo in the jade slip.
Over ten years ago, Li Leifeng had once performed a puppet show at the Kindergarten for Benevolence and had accidentally noticed a child huddled in a corner, secretly watching.
The child not only watched in secret but also took advantage of the crowd’s dispersal to steal leftover pastries to eat.
Afterward, Li Leifeng saw him two more times.
On the third occasion, feeling pity for the child, Li Leifeng took him backstage, offering him some fresh pastries to eat.
From that point on, the child came more frequently.
The child often nestled in the corner, watching the puppet show intently.
This was quite different from other children.
Generally, children’s attention is fleeting, easily distracted. They can focus on a new, unfamiliar puppet show for most of the performance.
But once they see the same, familiar puppet show, they tend to run around in the audience, unable to sit still for long.
However, Li Leifeng noticed that every time, this child watched with undivided attention.
This piqued Li Leifeng’s interest.
He secretly observed and was astonished to find that this child was imitating his techniques for controlling the puppet mechanisms!
While others merely watched the show, this child was continuously learning, imitating Li Leifeng’s puppet-controlling techniques during the performance, practicing as he watched.
The child would hide in the shadows, secretly learning, his small hands constantly moving within his sleeves.
After observing for a while, Li Leifeng was astonished.
He discovered that for some of the simpler techniques, the child only needed to watch two or three times before imitating them with a remarkable degree of accuracy.
Realizing this, Li Leifeng found it amusing. Whenever the child came to watch, he would add more complex scenes, incorporating more intricate techniques.
However, these puppet shows only troubled the child for two or three, at most four or five, performances before he could almost fully grasp them.
Finally, it was the “Fang Qing Clears His Name” show, with its many characters and extremely intricate operations, that stumped the child for over ten performances.
But after a dozen shows, the child had already mastered seventy to eighty percent of it.
“He has an extraordinary talent for puppet mechanisms!” Li Leifeng had the thought of taking him as a disciple. After investigating in secret, he discovered that the child’s name was Ning Zhuo, a member of the Ning family’s branch lineage.
Ning Zhuo’s father had died before he was born. His mother passed away when he was two.
Although he had a biological uncle, for some unknown reason, he still lived alone, enduring a harsh life.
Upon learning this, Li Leifeng deliberately left extra pastries, inviting Ning Zhuo to eat whenever he came to watch the show.
Ning Zhuo, though greedy for the food, was very polite, always showing great respect to Li Leifeng, demonstrating excellent manners.
Whenever he saw the small child bowing respectfully to him, Li Leifeng couldn’t help but pat his head affectionately.
In his diary, Li Leifeng wrote, “This kid Ning Zhuo has a large head, which shows he’s quite intelligent.”
He also commented on the Ning family: “The Ning family is a large cultivation clan, but they’re no better than this. Just by looking at Ning Zhuo, you can see the hardships endured by branch disciples.”
After inviting Ning Zhuo to eat several times, Li Leifeng felt the time was right.
Once, when no one else was around, Li Leifeng asked Ning Zhuo if he wanted to acknowledge him as his master, and he would teach Ning Zhuo more about controlling the puppets.
However, Ning Zhuo’s response surprised Li Leifeng.
He said he couldn’t understand the puppet-controlling techniques and was just watching the show for fun.
Li Leifeng knew this was a lie. He had seen too many people, and from Ning Zhuo’s gaze during every puppet show, he was certain the boy was fascinated by the puppets!
Li Leifeng thought to himself, “Haste makes waste.” So, he decided to wait and try again later.
However, after his first invitation was rejected, Ning Zhuo rarely came to the Kindergarten for Benevolence to watch the shows.
Whenever he did come, Li Leifeng would always put on an extra performance of “Fang Qing Clears His Name.” This was the most complex puppet show, and even for Li Leifeng, every performance left him physically and mentally exhausted.
Li Leifeng knew that only such complex puppet shows could draw Ning Zhuo to return a few more times.
By the time Ning Zhuo turned four, he was able to watch the “Fang Qing Clears His Name” show while practicing finger movements, reaching about fifty percent of Li Leifeng’s proficiency in controlling the puppets.
Such talent made Li Leifeng certain that this boy would achieve great things in the future!
“A sharp needle in a sack may be hidden for a while, but it will surely reveal itself. By the time he turns six, he will definitely stand out!” This was Li Leifeng’s personal assessment in his diary.
Upon reading this, Zhu Xuanji’s heart trembled, and he stood up abruptly.
His eyes widened as he stared intently at the jade slip in his hand!
He continued reading.
He found that there were very few entries after this point.
This was because Ning Zhuo came to the Kindergarten for Benevolence less and less frequently. By the time he was five, he only visited two or three times a year. By the time he was six, he stopped coming altogether.
“Ning Zhuo, Ning Zhuo!” Zhu Xuanji muttered repeatedly, golden light flashing from his eyes, his expression becoming frightening.
He hadn’t expected to find such a crucial clue among Li Leifeng’s belongings.
This allowed him to gain insight into Ning Zhuo’s true nature!
(End of this chapter)