< Chapter 8: Buddha Heart Demon Seal >
"It should be Ning Zhuo begging me to handle this matter."
"Not me rushing to arrange things for him."
"I am his uncle, his elder!"
"If it really came to that, wouldn’t it make him so proud that he'd only look down on me through his nostrils from now on?"
"How could I continue to discipline him after that?"
But the situation was beyond his control.
The young clan leader, Ning Xiaoren, had already cornered Ning Ze, who was not willing to give up his position as manager.
What should he do?
Ning Ze pondered hard for a long time but could not find a solution.
In the afternoon, Ning Zhuo returned.
In the main hall, Ning Zhuo met again with Ning Ze and Wang Lan, stating his purpose: "This time, my main purpose is to take away the daily necessities I use."
During his time studying at the school, Ning Zhuo’s usual residence had been here. He only went back to live alone on weekends.
Ning Ze feigned interest and inquired about recent developments.
Internally, Ning Zhuo activated the power of the treasure seal within his sea of consciousness, while verbally, he informed the couple that he had found a job in the Puppet Workshop with good conditions.
After a brief conversation, Ning Zhuo took his leave.
Wang Lan watched his departing figure and snorted coldly: "What Flying Disk Workshop? Never heard of it. What future can such a small workshop have?"
Ning Ze, expressionless, commented: "Young people are full of vigor. They need to go through some hardships to understand the difficulties of life."
Seeing the stubborn look on Ning Zhuo’s face, Ning Ze felt even more aversion to the idea of using money and connections to help him.
"Wait, maybe I can use his character to come up with a plan." Ning Ze suddenly thought of a good idea.
He sneered: "Ning Zhuo has always been too scholarly, and as a young man, he loves adventure and excitement."
"I recall that many of our family's cultivators have joined the Demon Hunting Society and ventured into the Crimson Flame Demon Molten Cave to hunt volcanic demons."
"I could have someone incite Ning Zhuo to join the demon hunt!"
The great-aunt started to worry: "Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"
She was concerned about money, but she didn't want to see Ning Zhuo harmed or killed.
The great-uncle shook his head slightly: "There are already quite a few members of the Ning family in the Demon Hunting Society."
"Moreover, this time the young clan leader asked me to procure no less than 80 Ruyi Ropes, clearly indicating that our clan is planning a major exploration of the Crimson Flame Demon Molten Cave."
"By then, with the protection of the clan's power, Xiao Zhuo's safety shouldn't be an issue."
"Xiao Zhuo is young and hot-blooded, loves thrills and adventure, and wants to strive alone for success. He is stubborn, dislikes my arrangements, and is eager to join the Demon Hunting Society! How's that for an explanation? Hahaha."
"The beauty of it is—exploring the Crimson Flame Demon Molten Cave is also a major clan affair. Ning Zhuo would be contributing to the family, and arguably, it's still part of the family business. The young clan leader won't be able to hold this against me."
"Of course, money still has to be spent."
"But, the cost of arranging for Xiao Zhuo to enter the Demon Hunting Society is much less than entering a family enterprise!"
The great-aunt blinked and thought for a moment: "That's a good idea."
"However, as the head of the family."
"Since the clan is planning a major action in the Crimson Flame Demon Molten Cave, there will certainly be many opportunities to distinguish oneself. You mentioned, our Ji..."
The great-uncle suddenly widened his eyes and rebuked, "Are you mad? The battlefield is blind to the sword, what if Ji were to go and something were to happen, some mishap occurs? Do you want to see us, the elderly, burying the young?"
"Ah?" The great-aunt was immediately thrown into panic, hurriedly saying, "I was mistaken, I thought too much. It's safest for Ji to stay at home and make talismans!"
Neither spouse noticed that just as Ning Zhuo was taking his leave, two streams of blood trickled from his nostrils.
Ning Ze thought this was his own doing and was secretly pleased.
Little did he know, this was actually the result of Ning Zhuo's deliberate influence.
As the sun set, night enveloped Huoshi Immortal City.
Ning Zhuo took a deep breath, his heart tinged with slight nervousness and trepidation, and opened the alchemy furnace.
"Excellent, it indeed passed!"
Seeing the intact Mechanical Exclusive Monkey, Ning Zhuo relaxed, his heart leaping with joy.
Then, with a thought,
The seal hidden within his sea of consciousness faintly shimmered with light.
It was the magical treasure his mother had left him—the Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
The top of the seal was carved with a figure of Buddha and a demon head, back to back, standing in stark contrast. The Buddha's expression was serene, with eyes full of compassion, while the demon looked fierce, its gaze fiery.
The body of the seal was shaped like a round basin, with Sanskrit talismans flickering on and off around it.
The base of the seal was inscribed with immortal script, ancient in style, bearing only four large characters, precisely "我佛心魔."
A single thought can make one a Buddha, a single thought can make one a demon.
I am both Buddha and demon.
The seal, when reflecting upon oneself, embodies the Buddha's compassion, guiding both oneself and others. When directed at others, it can project a cultivator's thoughts and intentions into another's sea of consciousness, influencing and altering their thoughts. At that moment, it becomes the heart demon of others.
Ning Zhuo had suffered greatly to keep this treasure hidden, paying a heavy price. His extensive purchases of Gold Thread Jade Dew Cakes were primarily to expand his own sea of consciousness, increase his foundation, and bear the burden of this magical treasure.
He had also reaped many benefits from this treasure! For instance, while disguised as the Young Puppet Master in the black market, and when attacked by demonic cultivators, Ning Zhuo used this treasure to shock his enemies' minds, creating flaws in their defense. Even a momentary lapse was often enough to let him emerge victorious.
Similarly, today, in order to influence Ning Ze, he forcefully activated the treasure in his presence, drawing a trace of its power. This led Ning Ze to have the "inspiration" to devise the plan of getting Ning Zhuo into the Demon Hunting Society.
However, this had left Ning Zhuo with a weakened spirit and soul, causing his nose to bleed uncontrollably.
"My uncle is at the Foundation Establishment stage, and I'm only at the third level of the Qi Refining stage. Influencing him is difficult and comes at a cost."
"Unlike when I operated in the black market, where I wore the Cang Tie Han Armor, endowed with the power of Foundation Establishment, I could invoke more of this seal’s power, easily shaking enemies at the Foundation Establishment stage."
"But the real purpose of this seal is not here; it is meant for controlling mechanisms!"
Ning Zhuo activated the power of the seal, forming a heart imprint.
The heart imprint appeared as a pale pink light, shooting in an instant into the Mechanical Monkey’s body.
The next moment, the Mechanical Monkey opened its eyes and leapt out from inside the alchemy furnace!
The Mechanical Explosive Monkey moved agilely and nimbly around the underground workshop, leaping effortlessly without disturbing a single item. Its movements were delicate and precise, responding fluidly to intent.
If anyone else were to witness this scene, they would be astounded.
There are various methods to control mechanisms, with spiritual sense control being mainstream. Normally, to possess spiritual sense, one must be at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Ning Zhuo had equipped the Exclusive Monkey with a device that receives spiritual sense, indicating that such mechanical creations were intended for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.
However, even for an experienced Foundation Establishment stage Puppeteer, it would be challenging to control the Exclusive Monkey with such sensitivity using spiritual sense.
This is because the spiritual sense receiver of the Exclusive Monkey was ingeniously designed by Ning Zhuo with three pellets to save costs, as opposed to the more traditional array plates, significantly reducing control performance. Thus, the issue wasn't the Puppeteer's skill but the inherent limited control capability of the Mechanical Exclusive Monkey.
Yet, under Ning Zhuo’s control, the Exclusive Monkey moved as if it were a real monkey, remarkably lifelike!
This was all due to the heart imprint.
As the saying goes, "like minds think alike."
Using the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, Ning Zhuo imprinted a heart seal onto the Mechanical Monkey, allowing him to command it directly with his mind. This method of control was more convenient and effective than using spiritual sense.
Ning Zhuo tested the monkey’s ability to climb and even store Fire Essence, and all went smoothly.
"Years of preparation have finally culminated in this moment!" The youth felt a deep sense of accomplishment, his thoughts drifting to the Lava Immortal Palace, his eyes shimmering with unwavering determination.