Chapter 294 Kidnapping
Other forces targeting Ning Zhuo, putting Ning Zhuo at a disadvantage, was something Ning Xiaoren was pleased to see.
But now, the assassin had dragged him into it. His mood was utterly terrible!
The experience of being implicated by an enemy and falling into a life-and-death crisis was something Ning Xiaoren didn’t want to endure at all.
He forced himself to calm down: "I need to deal with the gu in my body first!"
However, the moment he had this thought, the gu worm suddenly acted up.
Ning Xiaoren once again writhed in pain on the ground, screaming in agony until his voice was hoarse.
"If I openly seek help, I’ll probably die from the pain first!"
He finally understood that the masked assassin had let him go because they had full confidence in the gu worm in his body and had already anticipated that he would seek help.
"I need to find my father and ask for his help. Others likely don’t have a way to remove the gu and wouldn’t sincerely help me anyway."
However, the Ning Family Patriarch was not in the Immortal Palace. He was still in Huoshi Immortal City, managing the family affairs.
For the time being, Ning Xiaoren couldn't contact him and didn’t dare to recklessly leave the palace.
With no other choice, Ning Xiaoren had to comply with the assassin’s demands for now and delay as much time as possible.
After resting for a while, he left his room and headed toward Ning Zhuo’s current residence.
After some scouting, Ning Xiaoren fell into despair again.
The residence of Ning Zhuo and Ning Jiufan was heavily guarded, with layers of Ning Family cultivators surrounding the courtyard in multiple defensive rings.
There were not only members of the Ning Family’s main branch but also a large number of the Ning Family’s side branches and members from the black market.
"I have no way to approach the center of their residence. It’s incredibly difficult just to meet Ning Zhuo, let alone cause him trouble!" Ning Xiaoren huddled in a dark corner, feeling more and more hopeless.
At that moment, a young cultivator swaggered out, walking in a wide, exaggerated stride.
Behind him were several cultivators, flanking him like attendants.
It was none other than Ning Ji.
Everyone around him was constantly flattering and praising him.
Ning Ji, greatly pleased, casually took out some pills or spirit stones and handed them out as rewards.
This gesture made the flattery around him even more intense.
Ning Xiaoren's eyes turned red: "Isn’t this brat Ning Zhuo’s cousin? After Ning Zhuo rose to prominence, he immediately quit his job at the Talisman Hall and went to cling to Ning Zhuo."
"Spending so lavishly, huh, such an arrogant upstart!"
Ning Xiaoren’s heart was filled with resentment and bitterness.
There was a time when he was the one surrounded and praised by others. But now, things had changed, and this once insignificant side-branch Qi Refining cultivator was being held high, while Ning Xiaoren could only hide in the shadows!
The heavens were truly unfair!
Ning Xiaoren glared at Ning Ji, wishing he could beat this arrogant youth to a pulp.
"Wait!"
"I can’t get close to Ning Zhuo, but I can deal with this brat Ning Ji."
"The assassin only wanted me to disrupt Ning Zhuo. If I kidnap Ning Ji and send out a ransom note, wouldn’t that be a disturbance?"
Suddenly, an idea flashed in Ning Xiaoren’s mind, and he thought of a way to deal with the masked assassin.
Narrowing his eyes, a sinister gleam shone from the slits as he began to follow Ning Ji.
After following him for a while, Ning Xiaoren found an opportunity and was just about to make his move when he hesitated.
"I shouldn’t do this personally. It’s too risky!"
"I need to find someone else to do it for me."
But who could he find?
At this point, Ning Xiaoren was no longer the Young Master of the Ning Family.
He had been expelled from the family and was now all alone.
Ning Xiaoren, however, was crafty, and soon a name came to mind—Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother!
Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother had become increasingly deranged, and her sanity was waning.
Ning Xiaoren had retreated to recover, and Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother, seriously injured, had also withdrawn from the frontlines for treatment.
At the medical station in the rear, Ning Xiaoren found Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother lying in bed.
"Granny Xiaohui, I know where Ning Xiaohui is." Ning Xiaoren's first words caused the old woman to shout.
"Quiet, quiet!" Ning Xiaoren hurriedly cautioned, "If you yell like that, the enemy will find out and take Xiaohui away."
"No, my Xiaohui!" The old woman’s face was full of panic, and she immediately lowered her voice.
Under her persistent questioning, Ning Xiaoren told her that Ning Xiaohui had been secretly imprisoned by Ning Zhuo, a secret known only to a few. If she wanted to rescue her granddaughter, she had to kidnap one of Ning Zhuo’s relatives and negotiate, exchanging them as hostages.
Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother’s eyes widened: "That’s a great idea!"
A plot against Ning Zhuo was forming.
Little did they know, this situation had already been detected by the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit hesitated at first; it didn’t really want to contact Ning Zhuo.
Subjectively, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit wanted to see Ning Zhuo suffer.
But now, with the threat of Zhu Xuanji looming, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had to rely on Ning Zhuo's strength to have any hope of erasing all traces.
Earlier, Ning Zhuo had explicitly ordered it to scout for him and report anything that might be detrimental to him in advance.
If this conspiracy was carried out without the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit’s warning, Ning Zhuo would likely be far less cooperative with it in the future.
With this in mind, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit coughed a few times. Although it was reluctant, it ultimately contacted Ning Zhuo once again.
In a weak voice, it informed Ning Zhuo of Ning Xiaoren and Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother's plan to kidnap Ning Ji.
Ning Zhuo’s heart stirred slightly: "That’s it?"
Since childhood, his relationship with Ning Ji had never been good.
Allowing Ning Ji to cling to him and indulging him was mostly for the sake of maintaining his righteous reputation and image.
If the enemy wanted to use Ning Ji to threaten him, it would be a laughable mistake.
"What’s wrong with Ning Xiaoren? As the mastermind, he knows my relationship with my uncle’s family isn’t great, so why would he come up with such a lousy plan?"
Feeling perplexed, Ning Zhuo questioned the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit.
However, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was unaware of Ning Xiaoren’s recent ordeal.
It had only been drawn to the word "Ning Zhuo" from Ning Xiaoren’s mouth and had overheard their plot.
Thus, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit didn’t know about the gu the masked assassin had planted in Ning Xiaoren.
Unless it searched the records at the History Pavilion.
Unfortunately, the History Pavilion no longer existed!
That was one of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit’s own accomplishments.
"Young master, I’ve done a great service this time. You only need to restrain Ning Ji or strengthen his protection." The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit didn’t forget to take credit.
"No, no, no." Ning Zhuo’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
From this plot against him, he sensed an extremely important opportunity.
"Let them proceed without any interference. Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, you must closely monitor their actions from now on. Report to me at least once a day." Ning Zhuo instructed.
He had decided to turn the tables!
Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother acted swiftly.
Seizing the moment when Ning Ji was alone, she easily succeeded.
Ning Ji was only a small Qi Refining cultivator, while Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother was an experienced Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.
Capturing a mere Ning Ji was as easy as turning her hand.
"I know you’re Ning Zhuo’s cousin. Write a letter to your good cousin and another plea to your parents!" Ning Xiaoren disguised his appearance and deliberately altered his voice.
Ning Ji was terrified, his face ashen: "Good sirs, don’t kill me. I’ll do whatever you ask, just don’t kill me!"
"Sob... sob..."
"My cousin is Ning Zhuo. He’s the leader of the black market and very talented. If you let me go, he’ll pay you a hefty ransom!"
There was no need for Ning Xiaoren to search further; what he had done had already been sensed by the masked group.
The masked people hadn’t expected much but stumbled upon a potential breakthrough.
They had long investigated Ning Zhuo’s situation.
They knew that Ning Zhuo’s relationship with his uncle Ning Ze’s family wasn’t close.
Even so, after Ning Zhuo’s rise to power, he had taken good care of Ning Ze’s family. His cousin Ning Ji, after leaving the Talisman Hall
of the Ning Family, had been doing quite well in the black market. Relying on his relationship with Ning Zhuo, he had been behaving arrogantly, committing corruption and illegal acts without ever facing consequences.
There had been attempts to expose him, but Ning Zhuo never responded.
The masked group concluded that, whether out of sentimentality or concern for his righteous reputation, Ning Ze’s family was indeed Ning Zhuo’s weak spot.
With no other progress in other areas, this small weak point became the only breakthrough.
The masked men immediately reappeared, assisting Ning Xiaoren in sending out the ransom note and comforting him.
Ning Xiaoren was inwardly shocked.
With the beast horde surrounding them on all sides, contacting the outside world was very difficult. The power of this group was immense, and he had no idea who they were.
It didn’t matter who they were. After all, Ning Xiaoren was a completely insignificant person with no way to resist. If he wanted to survive, he could only go with the flow.
"My son has been kidnapped!" Ning Ze’s face changed drastically after receiving the letter.
"Oh no, my child, how will I live without you?" Wang Lan panicked, crying loudly.
"Shut up! Do you want the whole clan to find out?" Ning Ze scolded.
In her panic, Wang Lan snapped back at Ning Ze for the first time: "This is all your fault, isn’t it? You sent Ji’er to such a dangerous place like the Lava Immortal Palace. Now look, he’s been kidnapped!"
Ning Ze snorted coldly: "Do you think the black market is any safer? Ning Zhuo is participating in the second round of the palace trials, and all the trial cultivators have been targeted. Staying in the black market wouldn’t have guaranteed Ji’er’s safety either! In fact, by coming to the Lava Immortal Palace, he had a better chance to make a name for himself."
"This useless brat, relying on his relationship with Ning Zhuo, has become more and more outrageous. If he doesn’t accomplish something, he’s bound to get into trouble sooner or later!"
Wang Lan’s expression froze, and she suddenly realized: "So, you’re saying that our Ji’er was dragged into this by Ning Zhuo, that troublemaker?"
"I knew it! From childhood, I could tell that kid was bad news."
"Oh no, how will I live without Ji’er!"
"I don’t want to live anymore!"
Ning Ze slammed the table angrily and stood up: "Ji’er isn’t dead yet, and you’re already mourning him?!"
"For now, we have no choice but to find Ning Zhuo. Pack up; we’ll catch the next group heading to the Lava Immortal Palace and go find Ning Zhuo."
"Hmph!"
"We are the closest relatives Ning Zhuo has in this world. He won’t stand by and do nothing."
Every once in a while, Huoshi Immortal City would organize a group of people. With the internal-external cooperation of Meng Kui, Zhu Xuanji, and other cultivators, they used a temporary short-distance teleportation array to swap personnel.
On the one hand, it replenished the manpower on the frontlines at the Lava Immortal Palace. On the other hand, it replaced the severely injured or those who had to leave the palace.
Ning Ze and Wang Lan took advantage of this channel to successfully enter the Lava Immortal Palace.
Relying on their status, the two managed to secure a meeting with Ning Zhuo.
"What? My cousin was captured? Why didn’t I know?" Ning Zhuo feigned shock.
Wang Lan wept: "Xiao Zhuo, Ji’er grew up with you. You can’t just leave him! If you don’t help him, he’ll die!"
Ning Zhuo immediately reassured them: "Uncle, Aunt, don’t worry."
"From the looks of this letter, the kidnappers just want a ransom."
"For the sake of my cousin’s safety, let’s pay the ransom first. No amount of money matters; my cousin’s life is the priority!"
Ning Ze and Wang Lan’s expressions softened a bit.
No matter what, Ning Zhuo’s attitude was correct, and it reassured them.
With his uncle and aunt’s approval, Ning Zhuo immediately summoned his subordinate, Ning Xiangguo, and instructed him to take the ransom and rescue Ning Ji from the kidnappers.
The masked group couldn’t care less about the ransom.
When they saw Ning Xiangguo, they were thrilled.
"Ning Zhuo took the bait!"
"Keep him on the hook and drain his energy. We’ll have something to report to our superiors."
The masked group immediately raised the ransom demand, sending Ning Xiangguo back empty-handed.
Ning Ze and Wang Lan’s hopes were dashed, and they rushed back to Ning Zhuo.
(End of this chapter)