Chapter 295 A Small Person
Ning Zhuo's face was grim. After discussing with the two others, he decided to agree to the ransom once again and let Ning Xiangguo go once more.
Ning Zhuo comforted his eldest uncle and aunt for a while, and then immediately paid a visit to Ning Family’s Golden Core Ancestor, Ning Jiufan, to explain the situation to him.
Ning Jiufan asked Ning Zhuo, "What do you think?"
Ning Zhuo replied, "I believe this is a result of my participation in the imperial exam, where my performance was quite good. It’s clear that many people don’t want to see me continue to win. So, they are using underhanded means to distract me and waste my time."
Ning Jiufan stroked his beard, his gaze towards Ning Zhuo holding a hint of admiration.
In his view, Ning Zhuo's performance was more than just “good”; it was extraordinary, beyond expectations. The latter had won numerous battles against many Golden Core cultivators, achieving more victories than defeats. This made Ning Zhuo stand out among Qi Refining cultivators, even surpassing Meng Chong.
"Being targeted is quite normal. It’s good that you can see through the essence of the matter," Ning Jiufan said. "So, relying on ransom to bring back your cousin is hopeless. What do you plan to do?"
Ning Jiufan was still testing Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo sighed deeply and, with a troubled expression, looked at Ning Jiufan. "Ancestor, although I’m not very close to my uncle's family, to be honest, for a long time, I lived under their roof, and they treated me with indifference and coldness."
"But firstly, they are my closest blood relatives in this world. Secondly, part of the reason I was able to grow up was because of their protection."
"In terms of both affection and reason, I can’t just ignore them."
"When one is poor, one can only take care of oneself, but when one is successful, one should help others. So, now that I’ve made some achievements, I think about repaying them, to return this favor."
"Given the current situation, I know this is an enemy's plot, but I can only fall into their trap."
After hearing this, Ning Jiufan stroked his beard again and sighed, "Ah, you child..."
Although he stopped speaking, in his heart, he was deeply satisfied with Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo usually seemed casual, often talking about dividing the family, but he was still a member of the Ning family and valued family bonds greatly.
Ning Jiufan had long reviewed Ning Zhuo's background, knowing well that Ning Ze’s family did more than just treat Ning Zhuo coldly; they were indifferent and saw him as a burden. This was evident from the fact that Ning Zhuo lost his mother at the age of two, but it wasn’t until several years later that Ning Ze’s family took him in.
Even so, Ning Zhuo still treated Ning Ze's family kindly, unwilling to give up on Ning Ji, his cousin, even at the critical moment of the imperial exam, willingly falling into the enemy’s trap.
This attitude of "falling into the trap" deeply moved Ning Jiufan.
"To understand a person, you must not only listen to what they say but also watch what they do."
"Ning Zhuo is a good child, pure and kind at heart."
"A fine seedling!"
"With such character and vision, if he becomes the head of the family in the future, it might be a good thing for the whole clan."
Ning Jiufan had long accumulated disappointment and dissatisfaction with the current main line of the Ning family.
Every time Ning Zhuo mentioned dividing the family in front of him, the gradual accumulation had sparked the thought in Ning Jiufan’s mind of what it would be like if Ning Zhuo were to take charge in the future.
Ning Jiufan said, "You don’t need to handle this matter. I will make the arrangements."
Ning Zhuo became anxious. "Ancestor, are you going to take action personally? That’s not acceptable!"
"You are the greatest hope of our Ning family."
"The upcoming imperial exam can do without me, but it can’t do without you!"
"My performance was only decent because I took advantage of the rules of the imperial exam."
"I’m willing to let my energy and time be drawn into this, but you absolutely must not. If you get involved, the enemy will laugh in their sleep!"
Seeing Ning Zhuo’s anxious concern for him, Ning Jiufan felt deeply gratified and couldn’t help but reach out to pat Ning Zhuo’s head.
It was the first time Ning Jiufan had made such an affectionate gesture.
And to be honest, the feeling of patting this big head wasn’t bad at all!
"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing, Little Zhuo."
"And don’t underestimate yourself. Now that the second round of the imperial exam is underway, everyone can see that Lava Immortal Palace’s exam is highly favorable to the trial disciples."
"You switched to cultivating the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, which makes you one of Lava Immortal Palace’s own. This identity advantage shouldn’t be overlooked in the upcoming exam."
"In the next phase, only the two of us from the Ning family will remain in the imperial exam. We must advance together. Even if we don’t secure the position of palace lord, we can still aim for other high-ranking positions, which will lay a solid foundation for the Ning family to establish itself in Huoshi Immortal City!"
"I’ll bear this small storm for you. You must focus all your efforts and not be distracted by external matters."
Ning Zhuo was so moved that his eyes turned red, and he immediately bowed deeply.
Ning Zhuo wasn’t surprised to receive Ning Jiufan’s protection. The latter’s actions were also within his expectations.
After taking his leave, Ning Zhuo immediately summoned Ning Xiangguo and informed him that he was now under the protection of the ancestor and would fully focus on the imperial exam, no longer concerning himself with outside matters.
Ning Xiangguo immediately showed a trace of joy and congratulated Ning Zhuo for gaining the ancestor’s recognition and protection. He told Ning Zhuo that his future was bright, full of promise. He also fully agreed with Ning Jiufan’s view that this was definitely the enemy’s scheme, aimed at entangling Ning Zhuo. If Ning Zhuo were affected, it would impact the entire Ning family, and they absolutely could not let the enemy succeed!
Despite Ning Xiangguo’s flowery words, Ning Zhuo understood that the former was actually a traitor.
Ning Xiangguo had secretly pledged allegiance to the City Lord’s Mansion.
And according to the subsequent intelligence from the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, Ning Zhuo had also learned that the masked people were the black-hand enforcers of the City Lord’s Mansion.
The masked assassins were skilled in using poisonous insects and had once attacked the geniuses of three families.
Ning Xiangguo himself didn’t know the true affiliation of the masked people, but that didn’t stop him from passing on his information to the dark network at regular intervals.
When the City Lord’s Mansion’s dark network received this intelligence, they immediately reported it to their superiors.
The superiors, upon seeing this, became anxious.
After finally finding a way to disrupt Ning Zhuo, Ning Jiufan had ruined it.
This immediately filled the higher-ups with malice, and they wanted to squeeze every last bit of value out of Ning Ji while he was still alive, using his death to deliver a heavy blow to Ning Zhuo’s mental state!
"Although Ning Zhuo is a genius, he’s still just a sixteen-year-old boy."
"Even if his relationship with his uncle’s family is thin, once Ning Ji dies, I have another card to play. I can spread rumors on a large scale, tarnishing Ning Zhuo’s reputation in the righteous path, making him frustrated and angry."
The superior quickly reported their plan.
The final action plan was delivered to Fei Si’s hands.
"Ning Zhuo..." Fei Si sighed, and the image of Ning Zhuo respectfully saluting him appeared in his mind.
But Fei Si could sense the fire burning in Ning Zhuo’s eyes.
"You little brat, in the end, you’re still blocking the way for my Meng family."
No matter how much Fei Si appreciated Ning Zhuo, he couldn’t sacrifice his own interests for him.
Fei Si depended on Meng Kui, and if the Meng family’s interests were harmed, his interests would be harmed as well.
So, he used his sinister and cunning mind to refine the entire action plan.
The superiors, following Fei Si’s instructions, grew more and more impressed the more they pondered the plan, praising, "As expected of Lord Fei Si," and threw themselves into carrying it out.
Soon, the masked people received their orders and arrived before Ning Ji.
"You’re going to die!"
"Ning Zhuo won’t save you."
"Before you die, is there anything you want to say?"
Ning Ji was horrified, crying out that it was impossible and pleading bitterly.
The masked people tortured him severely. Ning Ji, tormented beyond endurance, cursed them, Ning Zhuo, and others, venting his anger and regret before his death.
Ning Jiufan gave orders for a group of skilled family members to launch a surprise attack on the kidnappers' location, attempting to rescue Ning Ji by force and leaving no room for the enemy to play tricks.
Ning Xiangguo also received a secret order from the City Lord’s Mansion. Through the operation of other dark networks, he led
a group of trusted aides and successfully infiltrated the rescue team.
Ning Ji died.
The rescue mission failed.
But Ning Xiangguo succeeded!
He intercepted Ning Xiaohui's grandmother, who was trying to escape, and captured her. He delivered both her and the evidence of her kidnapping Ning Ji to Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo saw the evidence and, in front of Ning Xiangguo, his face darkened as he crushed the cup in his hand in anger.
When he was alone, his gaze was deep and cold.
He felt a chill—it was the cruelty of those in power.
Ning Jiufan didn’t care about Ning Ji’s life or death; what he cared about was the interests of the Ning family. So, he deliberately questioned Ning Zhuo. After understanding Ning Zhuo’s "true feelings," he had no more scruples and acted directly. Whether successful or not, he intended to conclude the matter decisively.
Fei Si, on the other hand, was not only cold but also vicious. He decisively activated the chess piece of Ning Xiangguo, delivering Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother into Ning Zhuo’s hands. Because he knew: Ning Zhuo had deep resentment towards the main line of the Ning family.
Now that Ning Zhuo knew that Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother was the culprit behind the kidnapping of his cousin Ning Ji, what would Ning Zhuo do?
Ning Zhuo would most likely make a scene! He would be furious, agitated, and emotionally unstable, and the environment he was in would also become unstable.
Ning Zhuo would become a ticking time bomb within the Ning family’s faction!
Fei Si’s venomous mind was evident.
And he didn’t stop there; he still held Ning Xiaoren as a backup. A master of strategy indeed.
As for Ning Ji?
Heh.
Who really cared about the life or death of such a small person?
Perhaps only his biological parents.
"The life of a small person is truly fragile." In the dim light of the room, Ning Zhuo's eyes flickered.
Ning Ji's life had taken a sharp turn, from enjoying glory one moment, with flattery from others, to being reduced to a hostage and tortured to death the next.
All because he was caught in the crossfire of high-level power struggles.
He was like a fragment, crushed between two opposing forces.
Ning Zhuo thought of himself.
He knew very well that the reason he earned Ning Jiufan’s favor was largely because he showed value, especially after Ning Xiaohui’s death.
Compared to Ning Jiufan and Fei Si, he was a small person. Compared to the Meng family and the Southern Dou royal family, Zhu family, he was also a small person.
If he made a single wrong move, he too would be ruthlessly crushed.
Just like Ning Ji.
The only difference might be that Ning Ji died not knowing the truth, while Ning Zhuo might at least understand a little, dying with some clarity.
This situation, for Ning Zhuo, was actually even better than what he had planned.
He quickly took action.
The Ning family cultivators arranged in Lava Immortal Palace included representatives from every branch of the Ning family’s main line.
Ning Zhuo first secretly negotiated with them, and after reaching an agreement, he contacted the patriarch’s faction of the Ning family.
This sudden development shocked the Ning family patriarch, who used an emergency teleportation route to personally rush to Lava Immortal Palace to meet with Ning Zhuo in secret.
Ning Zhuo was direct: Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother, a member of the main line, kidnapped a junior from the branch family, threatening the life of a young genius from the family. If this matter were to be exposed, the impact on the main line and on you, the patriarch, would be enormous!
But for the sake of the family and the greater good, I, Ning Zhuo, won’t expose this matter. However, if you want to cover it up, you’ll have to pay a price!
The Ning family patriarch’s face turned ashen. "That price is agreeing to your demand for the family to split? Absolutely not!"
Ning Zhuo smiled slightly. "The other branches of the main line have all agreed. What’s the point of you alone holding out?"
The patriarch remained firm, knowing that having the family split during his tenure would be a major stain on his leadership.
But Ning Zhuo had already gained the upper hand. "The so-called price can always be negotiated."
"Patriarch, don’t you want your son to return to the family?"
(End of Chapter)