"Wind Alarm Bell!"
In an instant, Zhu Xuanji felt a shiver run down his spine.
Once the national destiny changed drastically, it would stir up winds and clouds, altering heaven and earth, forming a vast fortune that affected countless people and various factions. If the national destiny expanded, wars would break out frequently, the winds and clouds would surge.
This Wind Alarm Bell was bestowed by the Monarch, meant specifically to detect drastic changes in national destiny and its influences.
"The Wind Alarm Bell is ringing. Is it a natural flourish of destiny, or is someone using magic?"
Zhu Xuanji instinctively raised his head, looking toward the Huoshi Mountain Summit.
He had long known about Meng Kui's divine skill, Mountain Gaze!
Sun Lingtong was causing such a ruckus; Zhu Xuanji would not back down. He had multiple ways to punish this criminal.
But now, he did not want to do that.
Before his departure, the Monarch had specifically warned him to be wary of changes in destiny and to be cautious of Meng Kui.
Zhu Xuanji kept this in mind, knowing well that he had no means to suppress the changes in destiny. Now that the Wind Alarm Bell had rung, if he continued to be involved in this situation, he would inevitably be affected. Even if he shut himself in at home, the changing destiny would entangle him and bring disasters from the heavens!
Zhu Xuanji himself had no means to interfere with destiny. At present, the only plan was to withdraw as soon as possible. By staying outside the situation, he would not be affected or interfered with.
"I'll spare you for today. I will come for you." Zhu Xuanji released a burst of mana, pushing Sun Lingtong away.
He disappeared from the spot, fleeing the city at high speed.
It wasn't until he was several hundred miles away from Fire Persimmon Mountain that the Wind Alarm Bell stopped ringing.
"For the national destiny to fluctuate so fiercely in such a small range, Meng Kui is most likely the culprit."
"If the national destiny field does not expand afterward, it is most likely Meng Kui's Mountain Gaze divine skill!"
Zhu Xuanji's face darkened. He immediately decided to rely on the Wind Alarm Bell's detection range for verification.
As soon as Zhu Xuanji left, Sun Lingtong stood up.
Sun Lingtong felt incredulous inside, thinking, "Did I just dismiss Zhu Xuanji so easily?"
On the surface, he spat, wiped his small face with one hand, and shouted at the dumbfounded street vendor, "See that? Learn from it!"
He then looked at his subordinate and eagerly asked, "Did you record everything?"
The subordinate nodded, "It's all in the Jade Slip."
Sun Lingtong threw his head back and laughed heartily three times, "Excellent! This is my best score ever."
"Spread the word, tell everyone that Sun Lingtong, with a Foundation Establishment cultivation, forced Golden Core Zhu Xuanji to retreat!"
"Hahaha, I'm going to be famous, I'm going to be famous!"
"Anyone who questions this, just throw the Jade Slip in their face."
"Yes, make dozens, no, hundreds of copies of the Jade Slip quickly and distribute them to prevent anyone from confiscating it!"
Sun Lingtong's tactics were shrewd. He planned to establish his reputation first, using his fame to counter Zhu Xuanji if he came back for him later.
As Zhu Xuanji left the city, Ning Zhuo entered.
Unlike when he left the city, Yuan Er was now part of Ning Zhuo's team.
Yuan Er and Ning Zhuo sat in a carriage, Yuan Er's eyes occasionally glancing at Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, who sat next to Ning Zhuo.
Their conversation had come to an end.
"So that's how it is." Ning Zhuo sighed softly.
He understood the cause and effect of the situation.
It turned out that a few days later was Yuan Yi's death anniversary, and as his son, Yuan Er had to visit his grave.
Yuan Yi's burial site had several locations, but the true grave was in the remote wilderness where Yuan Dasheng had lost control, driven by emotion.
The other fake graves were deliberately set by Yuan Yi—on one hand, to prevent others from desecrating his grave for revenge; on the other hand, as bait to lure hidden enemies.
After all, in the Cultivation World, there were many ways to curse others using bones.
Yuan Er had not wanted to leave the Monkey Head Gang's premises, but since it was a ritual to honor his ancestor, who was also the founder of the gang, he had no choice but to act.
The elders of the gang also urged him to do it. If he didn't, malicious rumors about his cowardice and unfilial behavior would spread, which would be a fatal blow to the already miserable reputation of Yuan Er!
Yuan Er had no choice but to comply. He had initially wanted to contact Ning Zhuo to expedite the creation of Yuan Dasheng's mechanism artifact. However, the messengers he sent out never returned.
Yuan Er tried his best to conceal his tracks, leaving a few days earlier than planned to secretly pay his respects.
As expected, he encountered trouble while on the way.
He was ambushed, and all his attendants were killed, leaving him alone.
Instinctively, he fled to his father's burial place and, against all odds, encountered Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng.
After that, under Ning Zhuo's command, Yuan Dasheng came down to rescue him.
"Mr. Ning, this is the Mechanism Uncle Monkey you made for me, isn't it? It must be!" Yuan Er could no longer contain himself. His eyes were fixed on Yuan Dasheng with an eager and longing expression.
"It's really strong; its combat power far exceeds the Foundation Establishment Peak."
"Mr. Ning, you are a man of your word. I admire you greatly!"
Yuan Er praised continually.
Ning Zhuo smiled slightly and patted Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, on the arm, "This is just the first version, freshly made. My main purpose for this trip outside the city was to look for wild demon beasts to test the power of Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, in actual combat."
"Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng..." Yuan Er savored the name, his eyes lighting up as he gave a thumbs-up, "Mr. Ning, your expertise in Mechanical Techniques is unmatched. Even the name you chose is exceptional, very fitting."
"Can we make the exchange now?"
Ning Zhuo shook his head, "No rush, no rush."
"Through battles with demon beasts and cultivators, I found that Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, still has many areas that need improvement."
"I will only hand it over to you once I have finished all the improvements."
"Anything made by Ning Zhuo is guaranteed to be a quality product. I would never hastily deliver a crude, unfinished version."
Yuan Er's eyes widened with eagerness, "But, Mr. Ning!"
"As you can see, I'm in great danger, extremely dangerous."
"If I hadn't run into you this time, I would've been dead, killed by those despicable, ruthless assassins!"
"The crucial point is, you even let a few assassins go. I, I..."
At this point, Yuan Er was so agitated he stammered, unable to speak coherently.
Ning Zhuo sighed, spreading his hands in a gesture of explanation, "At that time, I couldn't see the exact scene; I'm just in the Qi Refinement stage, not the Foundation Establishment Stage, so I don't have Divine Sense."
"This Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, is controlled by my staff head. The staff head contains my Divine Sense. The setting I applied to it is to fight indefinitely against any target with hostile intent."
"So, when some assassins lost their killing intent and fled in panic, Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, was no longer triggered and did not chase them."
"If I had been there, I would have certainly rooted out all evil!"
Yuan Er blinked repeatedly, his mouth dry, "Regarding the staff head, I understand."
"To be honest, Mr. Ning, ever since you agreed to make a Foundation Establishment stage mechanism combat puppet for me, I have scoured the gang's library. I spent days and nights frantically studying related knowledge and training intensively on how to control various mechanism artifacts."
"If you give me Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, now, I will surely use it well! I..."
Ning Zhuo's face darkened, and he said sternly, "Enough, Chief Yuan Er, you need not persuade me further."
"This is my principle. Until I have finished improving Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, I will not hand it over."
"You must understand, a shoddy product would tarnish my reputation."
"I intend to make a name for myself in Mechanical Techniques, and my reputation must be protected from the start!"
Ning Zhuo spoke righteously, completely forgetting that he once made the crude mechanism Explosive Flame Monkey.
If Chen Cha heard this, he would certainly feel gratified, thinking Ning Zhuo had mended his ways, and his return to the right path was indeed a fortunate event.
Yuan Er breathed heavily, his mouth slightly open. He had many things to say, but under Ning Zhuo's stern gaze, he ultimately remained silent.
Though Ning Zhuo was only in the Qi Refinement Realm, his status was vastly different now.
The mechanism carriage he rode in and the guards accompanying him made Yuan Er acutely aware of the gap in their statuses.
Ning Zhuo continued to calm him, "Chief Yuan Er, you shouldn't be too tense. Everything will be fine."
"Now that you've entered the city, later I will escort you directly to your gang's premises."
"You've already paid respect to your father; I can testify to that."
"You can use my testimony to intimidate the rebellious members of the gang. I believe they won't be so reckless as to let assassins into your premises."
Yuan Er's face turned pale, "Yes, they shouldn't be that impulsive."
"But the enemies left by my father and Uncle Dasheng during their rise are a different matter!"
Ning Zhuo immediately retorted, "They can't enter your premises either. If they could, the assassinations would have succeeded long ago, wouldn't they?"
"After all, in the past, Yuan Dasheng wasn't always by your side, right?"
A fine layer of cold sweat appeared on Yuan Er's forehead, "Well, it seems so... it should be that way."
"If Mr. Ning could deliver it now, that would be best."
Yuan Er's face was filled with sorrow, his tone pleading.
Ning Zhuo mercilessly shook his head and refused again.
In the end, as promised, he escorted Yuan Er directly back to the Monkey Head Gang's premises, drawing the attention of countless members.
Yuan Er hesitated to get off the carriage.
Only at Ning Zhuo's urging did he reluctantly glance back at Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, before disembarking reluctantly.
"Let's go back," Ning Zhuo waved his hand, and the convoy set off once more.
Yuan Er stood still, watching the mechanism carriage disappear from sight before dragging his leaden feet away.
Returning to the desolate inner room, the longing for Yuan Dasheng overwhelmed him, causing silent tears to stream down his face.