Chapter 602: Spirit Contract Treasure Refining Formation
When he saw the girl confess to him like this, Ning Zhuo’s eyelid twitched. His first reaction was to turn around and leave immediately!
Trouble.
Big trouble had come knocking on his door.
Ning Zhuo observed her expression. Although Qing Chi looked at him with a face full of pleading and sorrow, there was a trace of heroic spirit hidden between her brows. He secretly restrained the urge to slam the door shut.
Ning Zhuo was worried that such an action might provoke her into going mad—pounding on the door and even shouting loudly: “Open the door, open the door! If you have the guts to betray your promise and become a male consort, then have the guts to open the door!”
If that happened, things would become even more troublesome.
Ning Zhuo’s eyes shifted rapidly as he looked around. He had already noticed quite a few people paying attention here, with even more covert gazes being cast in this direction.
Ning Zhuo decided to stabilize the girl in front of him first.
He sighed softly and said to Qing Chi, “Qing Chi, don’t make a scene first.”
“Even if we cannot be together, we still share the bond of being from the same hometown.”
“I will explain everything to you properly.”
Qing Chi immediately urged him, “Then explain! Go on, I’m listening.”
Seeing that her emotions were becoming increasingly agitated, Ning Zhuo quickly shook his head. “No, no, the timing is not right. There are many things I cannot say in public.”
“Fine,” Qing Chi said immediately. “Then let’s go inside and talk!”
How could Ning Zhuo possibly let her enter the room? He continued blocking the doorway. “I’ll send you a flying letter. It’s not appropriate to talk about anything here, after all this is the Strength-Nourishing Institute.”
“Perhaps when it’s convenient for both of us, we can arrange a time and place to properly clarify some matters.”
Qing Chi widened her eyes and said urgently, “I’m free right now! When are you free? How about tonight?”
Ning Zhuo sighed bitterly. “What unfortunate timing. My cultivation has reached a bottleneck and I need to concentrate fully to break through it. Qing Chi, you wouldn’t want to hinder my cultivation, right?”
Qing Chi nodded repeatedly. “Of course not. If you want to break through a bottleneck, I can help you. Let’s go inside and talk!”
Ning Zhuo hurriedly waved his hands, politely refusing while strongly urging Qing Chi to leave first.
After several rounds of verbal negotiation, Qing Chi was left without words. She stared at Ning Zhuo with a mixture of frustration and faint resentment.
“Xiao Ma, I can leave. But before I go, I want to hear you call me Qingqing one more time.”
Ning Zhuo felt his scalp go numb. He glanced around before finally transmitting through divine sense, “Qingqing.”
Only then did Qing Chi feel somewhat satisfied. Filled with reluctance, she turned to leave.
“Xiao Ma, it hasn’t even been that long since we last met, yet talking with you feels like speaking to a stranger. I know you’ve experienced a lot. I can leave, but don’t forget to send me a flying letter and arrange a time to meet!”
“Alright, alright.” Ning Zhuo exhausted a great deal of effort before finally sending the girl away.
After closing the door, he exhaled a breath of turbid air and felt extremely tired.
Sun Lingtong, who had watched the whole show through the Life-Hanging Thread, laughed inside Ning Zhuo’s mind. “Little Zhuo, why didn’t you just let her in and have a proper chat?”
“Oh dear, hurting her feelings like that really isn’t nice.”
Ning Zhuo replied irritably, “I’m not really Jiao Ma. I can’t do something like deceiving her feelings.”
“Besides, this matter isn’t that simple.”
Sun Lingtong was stunned for a moment before immediately understanding what Ning Zhuo meant.
He frowned at once. “That’s right! Her father Qing Yan didn’t want the two of you to continue interacting. He even gave you a heavy gift as compensation to sever the relationship.”
“The Jiao Family is hoping you can climb higher and build a closer relationship with the White Paper City Lord, so they would naturally never tell Qing Chi your location.”
“But Qing Chi not only found the Strength-Nourishing Institute, she also directly found your residence without making inquiries. And you only moved here not long ago.”
“Someone may have secretly told Qing Chi on purpose.”
“Someone is scheming against you, Little Zhuo!”
“Could it be the spy?”
Ning Zhuo shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
“Let me think about how to respond.”
He clasped his hands behind his back and paced around the room. After only one round, he already had an idea.
He immediately wrote a letter—but not to Qing Chi. Instead, he wrote to the Head of the Jiao Family and Qing Yan.
In the letter, he explained that Qing Chi had taken the initiative to come looking for him. However, he did not state what they should do.
These two naturally knew very well what needed to be done.
Ning Zhuo looked at the two letters and thought for a moment before tearing up the one meant for Qing Yan.
Then, at the end of the letter to the Head of the Jiao Family, he added another paragraph asking him to write to Qing Yan and inform him of the situation.
Not long after the flying letter was sent, someone knocked on the door again.
Now, whenever Ning Zhuo heard knocking, his heart would jump.
Whether it was the Head of the Jiao Family or Qing Chi, both coming to visit him were troublesome for Ning Zhuo.
So who had come this time?
Ning Zhuo opened the door and saw an old acquaintance.
The visitor had a burly build and a full beard—it was Yang Weida, who had entered the city together with them.
Yang Weida said as soon as he saw him, “Jiao Ma, you must be careful. Your current situation is extremely dangerous!”
Ning Zhuo raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean by that?”
Yang Weida looked past Ning Zhuo’s shoulder into the room. “Let’s talk inside.”
Why did everyone insist on talking inside?
However, Yang Weida was neither the Head of the Jiao Family nor a lovestruck girl. After thinking for a moment, Ning Zhuo let him enter.
Yang Weida said, “I happened to see Qing Chi coming to find you. Luckily you weren’t foolish enough to let her into your room.”
“You must understand that both you and I hold the status of male consorts, serving the White Paper City Lord.”
“If you get involved with someone outside and secretly associate with them, that’s a serious taboo!”
Ning Zhuo nodded. “I’ve considered that as well.”
Yang Weida shook his head. “No, you haven’t considered enough. Have you thought that someone might be plotting against you?”
“Qing Chi came at far too convenient a time!”
Ning Zhuo frowned immediately and pretended to be shocked. “Ah? That can’t be. Who would want to harm me?”
Yang Weida replied, “There are plenty.”
“Jiao Ma, you’ve just arrived at the Strength-Nourishing Institute and don’t understand the situation here.”
“I came a little earlier than you and gathered some information. The three most powerful male consorts here are Shen Bing, Chen Sui, and Sun Tiesheng.”
“Shen Bing is a local from the Yin Soul Black Marsh Wetlands. When he was young, the youngest son of a pearl farmer obtained a merfolk pearl and stepped onto the path of cultivation because of it. He himself has an ice spiritual root and mainly cultivates the Cold Extreme Art.”
“Chen Sui is an outsider. During a locust plague in his childhood, his parents traded him for grain. He was eventually sold into White Paper Immortal City. He has already been here for more than twenty years.”
“Sun Tiesheng is a native citizen of White Paper Immortal City. He is the illegitimate son of a blacksmith, and that blacksmith is an important member of the Sun Family, one of the city’s major clans.”
Yang Weida briefly introduced them.
Ning Zhuo’s brows furrowed even deeper. “So although I haven’t been here long, I’ve already been suspected and targeted by the three of them?”
Yang Weida nodded. “Jiao Ma, don’t underestimate yourself. Your family’s main cultivation method is famous throughout the wetlands. On top of that, your clever performance when you were falsely accused earlier has already caught the attention of the City Lord.”
“If you are given some time to develop, you will definitely become their strongest competitor.”
“I understand.” Ning Zhuo nodded and cupped his fists toward Yang Weida in thanks. “I’ll be careful.”
After saying so much, Yang Weida noticed that Ning Zhuo seemed to be sending him away and quickly said, “Jiao Ma, although I’m an outsider, I came here with you. We’re on the same side.”
“I’ll be honest with you. I came to form an alliance with you.”
“With those three riding above our heads, how can we ever rise?”
“Jiao Ma, you’ve only just arrived and you’re already being suppressed by them. What will you do in the future?”
Ning Zhuo thought for a moment before looking at him. “You make sense. Our relationship is close, so we can certainly join forces.”
“But what can you help me with?”
Yang Weida smiled.
Ning Zhuo immediately waved his hand. “Don’t bring up the matter of the aphrodisiac ointment again. You know that the higher-ups have distributed even more potent aphrodisiac pills.”
Yang Weida’s smile froze, but he soon gritted his teeth.
“Although I’m just an ordinary traveling merchant, my elder brother is no ordinary person.”
“My brother is called Yang Three-Eyes. He is a Golden Core true disciple of the Myriad Phenomena Sect and also a member of the Evil-Slaying Hall!”
“The ghost tide this time is massive. Even though White Paper Immortal City has offered huge rewards to recruit cultivators from surrounding villages and towns, it will still be difficult to resolve the current crisis.”
“So it’s very possible they will seek outside assistance. They have done so several times before.”
“And the primary target for assistance is the Myriad Phenomena Sect!”
“When that time comes, if I can rise in status beside you, I can also borrow my brother’s power to accomplish many things.”
Ning Zhuo raised his eyebrows and carefully sized Yang Weida up.
He hadn’t expected that this person also had such a connection with the Myriad Phenomena Sect.
“My mother is a true disciple of the Myriad Phenomena Sect. Wen Ruanyu is as well. Now his brother Yang Three-Eyes is also… Are there really that many Golden Core true disciples in the Myriad Phenomena Sect?”
In just a few breaths, countless thoughts flashed through Ning Zhuo’s mind.
He then said to Yang Weida, “A Golden Core true disciple of the Myriad Phenomena Sect—that’s truly impressive!”
“There’s no problem with us joining forces.”
“But let me say this in advance. I have no intention of relying on the status of a male consort to climb upward.”
“As for Qing Chi… we indeed still have lingering feelings.”
“I myself do not wish to rely on aphrodisiacs to gain the City Lord’s favor. I’m only doing this because of my family’s interests and orders.”
“As long as we survive the current ghost tide, everything will need to be rebuilt. Qing Chi and I may also have a new turning point.”
Yang Weida let out an uncertain sound. “This…”
“So when I was at the Zangyang Detached Residence, I didn’t fully display my abilities. Instead, I exchanged for many spiritual foods and cultivated the soul path,” Ning Zhuo said.
Yang Weida’s expression changed slightly. Thinking back, it was indeed true.
Ning Zhuo began to send him off. “I still need to continue cultivating, so let’s stop here. We’ll discuss future matters later.”
Yang Weida had no choice but to leave Ning Zhuo’s residence.
Sun Lingtong felt puzzled and secretly asked, “Little Zhuo, what exactly are you thinking?”
“You clearly don’t want to get entangled with Qing Chi, so why did you say those things to Yang Weida?”
Ning Zhuo replied, “Do you remember the ointment Yang Weida sold us?”
Sun Lingtong said, “Of course. The mechanism ring gave a warning that the ointment had a problem. But Yang Weida himself shouldn’t have any issues.”
“From what we knew earlier, he was suspected to be the savior. That’s why he was inspected even before entering the city.”
“The Mourning Music Phantom Performer must have thoroughly tested him.”
Ning Zhuo nodded. “If I were the Forget River Lord or the City-Destroying Alliance, I wouldn’t send a spy disguised as a traveling merchant at this stage.”
“But that doesn’t mean Yang Weida has no other suspicions.”
As he said this, Ning Zhuo’s gaze became deep.
Sun Lingtong exclaimed in realization. “You think this might actually be Yang Weida’s scheme? That he secretly leaked the information so Qing Chi could find you?”
Ning Zhuo nodded slightly. “As someone from the same village, Yang Weida naturally knows more than others about the relationship between Jiao Ma and Qing Chi.”
“He also understands very well the power of the Jiao Family’s cultivation method.”
“If he wanted to use my strength to oppose those three and force me to ally with him through this scheme, it would be entirely possible.”
Sun Lingtong finally understood why Ning Zhuo had spoken inconsistently earlier.
As the saying goes, speak human words to humans and ghost words to ghosts.
Sun Lingtong frowned. “Then the situation is very complicated. Who exactly is plotting against you? Yang Weida, the three he mentioned, or the spy?”
“The spy also has strong motives to deal with you.”
“First, my previous identity as Iron Tuo was your attendant and personally witnessed the spy assassinating Jinyangzi.”
“Second, the City Lord’s avatar appointed you to investigate the spy. Even though you disguised yourself as Wen Ruanyu’s assistant, that identity alone is enough for the spy to target you.”
Ning Zhuo smiled slightly. “I already have an idea.”
He took the initiative to contact Wen Ruanyu.
“I’ve already devised a plan that may lure the spy to strike again,” Ning Zhuo said directly.
Wen Ruanyu’s eyes lit up. In recent days, he had also been planning this matter and had many ideas. He immediately replied, “I’d like to hear the details.”
Ning Zhuo briefly explained his plan, causing Wen Ruanyu to frown in silence.
Seeing through Wen Ruanyu’s doubts, Ning Zhuo spoke first.
“You think this plan is too simple and straightforward?”
Wen Ruanyu nodded. “That is indeed my feeling.”
Ning Zhuo smiled faintly. With a single sentence, he convinced him.
“As long as the plan works, that’s enough. The Great Dao is simplest. The more complicated a plan is, the harder it is to execute and the more variables it contains. This is an open scheme! Even if the spy hesitates, would the army of the Forget River Lord simply sit idle?”
Wen Ruanyu clapped his hands and laughed. “Exactly! Young Master Jiao Ma has thought this through clearly. Let’s carry out the plan accordingly.”
Thus, that very night, the Strength-Nourishing Institute was placed under lockdown and an important announcement was made—
The Strength-Nourishing Institute would deploy the Spirit Contract Treasure Refining Formation.
This formation was quite classic. It could lower the requirements for a magical treasure to acknowledge a master and reduce the difficulty of refining it, allowing the treasure to recognize its master more quickly.
The only target of the formation was the Golden Swallow Fork.
Whoever refined the Golden Swallow Fork would be able to trigger the immense yang energy within it, allowing the City Lord’s main body to recover and resolve the crisis of White Paper Immortal City.
Any male consort who accomplished this would naturally achieve a heaven-shaking merit and ascend to a high position in a single step.
The Strength-Nourishing Institute distributed formation flags, allowing every male consort to occupy a formation node. All of them released their yang energy with full force, competing to become the master of the magical treasure.
One night passed.
Morning arrived.
The entire courtyard erupted in chaos.
“Someone died! Someone died!”
Shen Bing was dead.