Capítulo 1043: Chapter 383: The Benefits of an Obscure Reputation
One of the rules clearly stipulated: People like Ban Ji and Ning Zhuo should resolve conflicts through the Martial Arts Hall.
If Ban Ji were to attack Ning Zhuo directly and it were exposed, he would surely be prosecuted by the Myriad Images Sect, and even made an example of, to deter others.
“For so many sessions of the Feiyun Conference, no one has done this in over a hundred years.”
“No matter how I provoke Ning Zhuo, he probably won’t enter the Martial Arts Hall with me!”
Ban Ji had already met Ning Zhuo.
By naturally sensing the mana aura, he knew that Ning Zhuo was only at the Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage, while he himself was at the Foundation Establishment Peak.
“Although Ning Zhuo has a Golden Core Level mechanical puppet, his control is lacking.”
“My control ability is much stronger than his, and my Divine Sense is far superior!”
“His Golden Core Level mechanical puppet is probably his family’s support.”
“But my Golden Core Level mechanical artifact is my true strength, something I’ve painstakingly built and refined over the years!”
“And not just one!”
Ban Ji revealed a hint of pride.
“My strength is much greater than Ning Zhuo’s, but that kid definitely won’t face me head-on.”
“He’s using the sect rules of the Myriad Images Sect to entangle me and sabotage my plans. Yet I can’t attack him directly. It’s infuriating, truly infuriating!”
“This hypocritical scoundrel!”
Ban Ji, filled with indignant rage at this point, visualized the image of the young man with a big head smiling subtly at him.
Ban Ji squinted his eyes, wishing he could tear Ning Zhuo’s mouth apart.
“Qing Huanzi’s side can’t be relied upon.”
“But I have other options!”
“From now on, I mustn’t fail again.”
“This time I was really careless, leaking information too early, allowing Ning Zhuo to get involved in Qing Huanzi’s trial.”
Ban Ji decided that from now on, he would keep his whereabouts strictly confidential.
“I must prevent Ning Zhuo from bothering me again!”
“My cultivation of the demon skill goes against heaven’s will. Ning Zhuo is my current human tribulation, so whenever I’m in front of him, my lifespan is definitely lower than his, and I’m likely to suffer bad luck.”
“The upcoming Xingyun Trial must not fail.”
“It’s not only a test but also a networking channel. Once I join the Myriad Images Sect in the future, having these connections would help me quickly establish myself and develop smoothly.”
The Xingyun Trial and Feiyun Conference have tremendous impact and significant importance for a cultivator.
After pacing and thinking for a while, Ban Ji sent out four flying messages in succession.
“First, let’s find something for Ning Zhuo to do.”
“Once I’ve passed these Xingyun Trials, I’ll turn back and properly deal with him!”
A short while later, inside the cave mansion that had been cleaned and repaired, Ban Ji welcomed four demon cultivators.
One was the Rust Disaster Craftsman, another was the Monk of False Words, one called Silk Lady, and the last one was nicknamed Mist Mother.
Ban Ji spoke bluntly: “I’m offering a large sum of money to hire the four of you to deal with one person.”
“This person’s name is Ning Zhuo. He spoiled my opportunity and holds a deep grudge against me!”
“Use all your effort to entangle him and distract his energy. If you do well, I have even more rewards!!”
As he spoke, Ban Ji handed over four copied jade slips to the four demon cultivators: “Inside here is the information about Ning Zhuo.”
The four cultivators immediately used their Divine Sense to probe into the jade slips and quickly read through them.
Mist Mother Liu Qingyan frowned slightly: “Is the information this scant?”
Ban Ji said, “I’ve already purchased the highest level of information from the Commerce Hall. Ning Zhuo… he probably isn’t from this country.”
Silk Lady giggled: “Although the information is scarce, seeing he can mix with Shen Xi and Lin Jinglong suggests he isn’t simple.”
She looked at Ban Ji with eyes like silk: “Young Master Ban, it’s rare for you to hate a peer like this. What loss did he give you?”
Ban Ji snorted coldly, squeezing a sentence through his teeth: “If it weren’t for Myriad Images Sect… if it were outside, I’d have crushed him to pieces already.”
Rust Disaster Craftsman, with a hoarse voice, urged Ban Ji to speak the truth: “The information doesn’t say how you failed. If you want us to deal with him, you have to reveal more facts. Why are you being secretive?”
“If you waste our time, I might suspect Ning Zhuo is just a decoy to delay us, and it’s a scheme of yours, Ban Ji!”
Ban Ji squinted his eyes, staring at Rust Disaster Craftsman, openly revealing his intent to kill: “Blacksmith, don’t be ungrateful. You think I’d waste my effort plotting against you? Do you have family backing? My future prospects are far broader than yours. Why would I waste energy scheming against you?”
Rust Disaster Craftsman was provoked and took a step forward, pressing towards Ban Ji.
The Monk of False Words, seeing the two about to clash, quickly stepped between them: “Alright, Ning Zhuo hasn’t even been dealt with, and we’re already infighting; this isn’t good.”
He first addressed Rust Disaster Craftsman: “The four of us had great cooperation with Ban Ji before, and there was an agreement for aiding each other. This time, he’s using up that agreement to ask us to act. Let’s just follow our agreement.”
Rust Disaster Craftsman snorted coldly and retreated to his original position.
The Monk of False Words then addressed Ban Ji: “Young Master Ban, Rust Disaster Craftsman isn’t wrong either.”
“The four of us are participating in the Feiyun Conference, aiming to join the Myriad Images Sect.”
“You’ve used up our agreement for us to hassle this Ning Zhuo, and we intend to make multiple attempts at the Xingyun Trial as well…”
Before he could finish, Ban Ji interrupted by waving his hand: “Since time and energy are so precious, why don’t you hurry up and get to work?”
“Spare me the haggling nonsense.”
“No need!”
“After it’s done, I’ll offer triple the reward to those who complete it.”
“That’s it!”
“My offer is already quite generous. Don’t be too greedy, you four. Whether you take it is up to you, just one word!”
Ban Ji glared at the four cultivators, appearing very assertive.
The atmosphere inside the cave mansion grew tense.
Silk Lady suddenly smiled, breaking the tension: “I’ll take it, with such a high price, of course, I’ll take it.”
“What about you three?” Ban Ji folded his hands behind his back, showing a smirk of arrogance.
The Monk of False Words and the other two exchanged glances and all nodded.
Ban Ji paid the deposit and cupped his hands to see them off: “Then I’ll be waiting for the good news from you four.”
Watching the backs of the departing four, Ban Ji thought to himself: “Any one of these four could match my battle power.”
“I don’t believe that between the four of them, they won’t be able to deal with you!”
The challenge letter and rumors targeting Ning Zhuo appeared almost simultaneously.
“Monk of False Words?”
“Who is that?”
Ning Zhuo looked at the flying message, feeling puzzled.
Shortly afterwards, the cook came to report on the rumors.
Ning Zhuo suddenly understood: “The rumors involve the Monk of False Words challenging me, and he fabricated an excuse, claiming my family almost tortured him to death. This time, he’s here for revenge, to uphold the Righteous Path.”
“These tactics… are really old-fashioned.”
Ning Zhuo naturally thought of Ban Ji and thought of Pi Fujie.
“The Monk of False Words must be prepared and bears obvious malice; it likely has something to do with these two.”
“But to defame my family… do you know where my family is? Do you even know who they are?”
Ning Zhuo realized: “So when these rumors spread, people’s first reaction wasn’t to look down on the Ning Family but wonder—who is Ning Family? Which people are they?”