Chapter 343: Ning Zhuo's Calculation
As the Lord of Xuanci City and governor of one region, the Xuanci Governor's jurisdiction extended not only over Xuanci Immortal City, but also the surrounding villages, towns, various sects, and families.
Yugang Mountain naturally fell within his area of control.
Although he was a Nascent Soul cultivator, as a governor overseeing this land, he could barely be considered a half-regional lord. However, when faced with Meng Zizhong, a Golden Core-level figure, he also found it quite troublesome.
When one ventures into the world, it's essential to have background and influence.
In this regard, the righteous path was even more particular than the demonic path.
It would be very easy to take down Meng Zizhong, something the Xuanci Governor could accomplish without difficulty.
He didn’t even need to take action himself; a single command would be enough to make Meng Zizhong bow his head.
The difficult part was Meng Zizhong's background.
The Meng Family!
This was a powerful noble family in the Southern Dou Kingdom, one of the founding families.
Xuanci Governor himself was a rogue cultivator by origin. Though he had a family, their support was minimal, and in reality, he had to rely on his own strength to support his clan.
He knew all too well that even the Zhu royal family had to be cautious and strategic when dealing with such influential ministers as the Meng family, let alone someone like him.
"You want to report Meng Zizhong for harboring soldiers and bandits? Just this bit of evidence isn’t enough," the Xuanci Governor shook his head, showing obvious reluctance.
Ning Zhuo smiled. "Governor, I understand your difficulty. Rest assured, I am not here to make things hard for you."
"You just need to report this matter. I believe the Zhu royal family will immediately respond. At that point, all you need to do is follow orders."
"Of course, I could also directly contact Lord Zhu Xuanji. However, I thought it over and felt that reporting above your level might seem disrespectful to you, Governor. You should know that even though I’m young, I’m still the patriarch of a branch of the Ning family. Naturally, I must set an example and act according to protocol."
The corner of the Xuanci Governor’s eye twitched as he inwardly cursed, "This little brat, just go ahead and report it! If I don’t see or hear anything, I won’t be in this awkward situation!"
The governor felt utterly helpless.
From this brief exchange, he already realized that Ning Zhuo was not someone to be easily fooled.
This young junior was clearly well-versed in the rules of the righteous path. Treating him as an equal opponent would be the safest approach.
"Wait here for a moment. I’ll go report this immediately," said the Xuanci Governor as he left Ning Zhuo outside the door, turning back to his study to use an emergency channel to report the case.
Ning Zhuo stood outside the study, not pacing or appearing anxious. He remained calm and composed.
From the start, he knew that the Xuanci Governor could not make the final decision and was unreliable.
His visit here was merely to use this Nascent Soul cultivator as a messenger.
Ning Zhuo's true reliance was on the Zhu royal family!
Of course, even if the Xuanci Governor was merely passing on the message, he couldn’t avoid being involved.
The governor really didn’t want to get mixed up in this, but he had no choice—sometimes trouble just came uninvited.
Over the years, it had become increasingly difficult for the Zhu royal family to maintain control over the Southern Dou Kingdom.
The king had carefully chosen the Xuanci Governor, supporting him to take charge of Xuanci Immortal City—this was no easy task.
On the court, frequent confrontations with powerful ministers, making alliances and suppressing others, and complex strategies barely allowed the royal family to achieve their goals.
The Xuanci Governor was a reliable local official under Zhu royal family control, and now, using the emergency communication channel, he quickly sent a crucial report that immediately caught the king's attention.
The issue of Meng Zizhong seemed minor, but it actually touched upon the larger conflict between the Meng family and the Zhu family.
"Is it Ning Zhuo again?" the king sighed. "No wonder he's the Child of Destiny—wherever he goes, turmoil follows."
The king frowned, feeling reluctant to deal with this matter, as it was quite tricky.
A single misstep would lead to a fierce clash between the Zhu and Meng families.
While the Zhu royal family was indeed more powerful than the Meng family, the Southern Dou Kingdom had other influential families, such as the Su family and other high-ranking ministers.
If the Zhu family wasted too much strength on the Meng family and exposed any signs of weakness, the risks would grow even greater.
As the ruler of a kingdom, one had to carefully weigh the risks and could not overlook any danger.
"The Xuanci Governor cannot be involved in this," the king decided.
He needed to protect this capable local official and prevent him from getting entangled in the conflict between the royal family and the Meng family.
Thus, the king needed to find someone he could trust who could also withstand any backlash from the Meng family.
Before long, the king thought of the perfect candidate.
Zhu Xuanji sped through the air.
He was like a streak of golden light, cutting through the sky.
"In half a day, I’ll reach Qimen Immortal City. From there, I can cut the journey short and quickly return to the capital."
As he was contemplating, Zhu Xuanji's expression suddenly changed, and the token he carried trembled slightly.
Since he was close to Qimen Immortal City, he received an urgent royal order from that location.
"They want me to go to Xuanci Immortal City to handle an emergency?"
After examining it closely, his face darkened.
The reason was that he saw a name he didn’t want to see.
"Ning Zhuo?!"
"What is this brat stirring up in Xuanci Immortal City?"
"Black Wind Tiger Demon, Meng Zizhong…"
Zhu Xuanji’s face showed a look of realization, understanding the royal family's intention in rerouting him.
He sighed and continued forward—using Qimen Immortal City, he could teleport directly to Xuanci Immortal City.
That evening, Zhu Xuanji arrived at the Xuanci Governor’s office and once again saw Ning Zhuo, along with Sun Lingtong.
After reviewing the evidence, Zhu Xuanji bluntly said, "This evidence isn’t enough to prove any private dealings between Meng Zizhong and the Black Wind Tiger Demon. He can easily claim that he sensed killing intent from that cultivator, Shi Sui, and acted preemptively."
"Moreover, there are various excuses he could use, no matter how absurd, to his advantage."
Sun Lingtong said, "With Lord Detective on the case, using the Trace Back Art and Celestial Golden Eyes, are we still worried about not finding incriminating evidence?"
Zhu Xuanji frowned, silent.
The Xuanci Governor shook his head slightly. "The trouble with this case lies precisely in finding the evidence!"
"Harboring bandits for self-gain is a serious crime, especially if it involves the death of the former mayor—this is a grave offense, murdering a government official, which crosses the line completely."
"If we aren’t fully prepared to confront the Meng family, we can’t casually launch such an attack."
A crime this severe would be impossible for the Meng family to confess to.
The charge was too significant—if they admitted it, the damage to the Meng family would be catastrophic.
And once such a crime was announced, the Zhu royal family would also be in a difficult position.
If they didn’t punish the criminal, the Zhu family's weakness would be fully exposed, further emboldening the disloyal ambitions of the other noble families.
At that point, the situation would escalate into a full-scale confrontation between the Zhu and Meng families. Even if the Zhu family won, they would likely be left severely weakened.
And during the intense conflict, the other noble families would surely take the opportunity to benefit from it.
Ning Zhuo smiled, having anticipated this outcome. "My Ning family stands with the Zhu family—if the Zhu family and Meng family start a fierce battle, we will be the first to suffer."
"After all, Meng Kui is still the current Lord of Huoshi City."
"This time, there’s no need to involve Meng Zizhong’s crime of harboring bandits. Bringing him down and letting our people take control of Yugang Mountain will be enough."
"At present, Meng Zizhong is still under the command of the Xuanci Governor, which poses a hidden danger. Removing him benefits both you, Governor, and the Zhu royal family, don’t you think?"
These words hit the Xuanci Governor’s heart, making him cast a deep glance at Ning Zhuo, raising his estimation of the young man yet again.
Zhu Xuanji snorted coldly, pointing at Ning Zhuo. "I knew you already had a plan. Just spit it out."
Ning Zhuo then elaborated.
The three cultivators listened intently, with Sun Lingtong exclaiming at the brilliance of the plan, and Zhu Xuanji nodding slightly.
The Xuanci Governor once again observed Ning Zhuo.
He had to admit that the young
man before him had left a deep impression.
This plan seemed simple, but his understanding and manipulation of human nature had reached a subtle level.
In ordinary circumstances, someone at sixteen or seventeen should be innocent and impulsive, but this youth seemed like someone who had experienced the intrigues of court and the complexities of human hearts—like a weathered elder, full of deep wisdom and impenetrable schemes.
"And he still hasn’t even revealed his full potential… his future is boundless," the Xuanci Governor realized, feeling a faint sense of affinity toward Ning Zhuo.
With the plan set, the four of them began to act.
Several days later, when Meng Zizhong saw the report in his hand, he flew into a rage. "Investigate! Find out who spread these rumors!"
A rumor had been spreading recently, pointing directly at Meng Zizhong, accusing him of secretly supporting the Black Wind Tiger Demon and being the true culprit behind the death of the previous mayor.
It claimed that Meng Zizhong harbored bandits for his own gain and had malicious ambitions!
However, the stricter the investigations, the more ineffective they became. Instead, the rumors grew louder and more varied.
One version of the rumor even revealed the Black Wind Tiger Demon's hiding place in Misty Mountain, making Meng Zizhong’s heart tremble with fear.
He dared not delay and immediately sent word back to the Meng family, merely reporting the rumors circulating in Yugang Town.
The Meng family quickly became alert, realizing that someone must be stirring up trouble from behind the scenes.
Unable to uncover the truth, and to avoid further complications, the Meng family decisively chose to abandon Meng Zizhong to protect their greater interests.
Meng Zizhong stationed himself in the barracks, organizing his troops for battle.
Standing on the command platform, he shouted, "I was given this post in a time of crisis and have dutifully guarded this place, always vigilant and prepared for war."
"I’ve continuously sent out scouts, and recently we’ve finally obtained results—we’ve located the Black Wind Tiger Demon's hiding place. However, demons and traitors within the town have been stirring up trouble, spreading rumors to incite chaos and delay our army’s advance, giving the demon time to escape."
"Hmph! Does this general fall for such tricks so easily? This time, I will personally lead the troops, avenge our fallen, and sweep away the demons, restoring peace to Yugang Town!"
"Warriors, follow me into battle! Slay the demons and create a new era of peace!"
The soldiers responded in unison, their morale fully roused.
They immediately set off, marching in formation into the teleportation array.
The teleportation array activated repeatedly, sending the town’s garrison directly to the vicinity of Misty Mountain.
In doing so, they finally couldn’t hide their movements, and the Black Wind Tiger Demon’s group caught wind of it.
The Tiger Demon’s eyes turned blood-red in fury, roaring as he led a group of demon cultivators out of the valley, charging straight into the army!
(End of this chapter)