Mechanical cart.
Ning Zhuo stared at the Martial Fighting Ape, named Dasheng, sitting next to him.
The results of today's venture outside the city were beyond expectations.
First, Ning Zhuo showcased the Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, to the outside world, demonstrating the outcome of acquiring Yuan Dasheng's corpse.
Even though the material for the Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, did not use anything from Yuan Dasheng's corpse, that did not matter.
Ning Zhuo could fully explain it to the outside world like this: his initial mechanical creations were all prototypes and needed constant improvements before mature mechanical diagrams would use Yuan Dasheng's bones as the main material.
Second, through actual combat, Ning Zhuo tested the combat power of the Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, and indeed found many areas that could be improved and optimized.
"The Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, needs to add spots for talisman engraving, but currently has only six, not fully showcasing Yuan Dasheng's martial prowess."
In this regard, Ning Zhuo had to admit that he had underestimated Yuan Dasheng!
The Martial Fighting Ape already had the most flexible skeletal structure, as it was pieced together, meaning almost every bone could move.
So, at the base design level, Yuan Dasheng could fully express himself and perform all kinds of actions.
But in actual combat, many of Yuan Dasheng's martial techniques relied on other components to exhibit their full power.
The design diagram of the Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, lacked formation setup. Mainly because Ning Zhuo lacked time—the setup of formations was too complex and precise.
Ning Zhuo could only compensate the mechanical power as much as possible through the combination of talismans to meet Yuan Dasheng's martial needs.
Third, Ning Zhuo discovered a path to enhance his control over Yuan Dasheng!
And that was Yuan Er.
When Yuan Er was being assassinated, Yuan Dasheng was ready to act. Under Ning Zhuo's command, it participated in the rescue. This action fully matched its spiritual nature!
When Ning Zhuo gave the order, dozens of sheets of parchment were flipped. After Yuan Dasheng killed several assassins and drove the remaining ones away, over thirty sheets were directly flipped.
"As long as Yuan Er is assassinated a few more times and I rescue him each time with the Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, won't that solve it?"
That was what Ning Zhuo thought at the time.
So, he deliberately let the remaining assassins go.
"If these assassins don't act, I can stage a few assassination attempts myself."
"Yuan Er is hiding in the Monkey Head Gang base anyway, easy to find."
"This time he got ambushed and assassinated, indicating an insider in the gang. He won't trust them anymore and will hide in the deepest part of the base, terrified and barely surviving."
"Unexpectedly, such a person actually has some value."
"Hmm..."
"If rescuing Yuan Er from assassination is not enough for me to fully control Yuan Dasheng, then how about digging up Yuan Yi's grave?"
"In front of the Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, performing a grave robbery, then ordering it to stop me, should also align with its spiritual nature, right?"
"Hmm..."
"Hire some people to attack the Monkey Head Gang, let the Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, see it, and then go to the rescue. After all, it was the foundation it created during its lifetime. It might work too."
Ning Zhuo was inspired, his thoughts opening up, and he thought of many methods.
He felt joyous and couldn't help but reveal a pure smile.
"Actually, aligning with the spiritual nature is quite simple."
"Just find the real need."
The cart drove from the Monkey Head Gang base toward the Ning Family clan land.
"Maybe I should go directly to the Zheng Family? My uncle's house doesn't have any good places for mechanical creation."
Midway, Ning Zhuo changed his route but ended up facing a closed door at the Zheng Family.
The Zheng Family stated: The Zheng Family is currently entertaining distinguished guests, inconveniencing them. They hope Ning Zhuo would understand.
"What kind of distinguished guests?" Ning Zhuo was somewhat regretful and had to return home.
On the way back, he made a detour to check on his courtyard home.
Since the last attack explosion, his house had turned into ruins. However, reconstruction started that very day.
Now, upon looking, the foundation of the house had already been built. The array protecting the house was several levels higher than before, and with the Ning Family's connections, it could directly connect with the entire Fire Persimmon Immortal City Great Array.
Ning Zhuo returned to the Ning Family clan land.
A family messenger had been waiting for him to hand over previous items. These were the various life-saving items the family had provided for his trip outside. The most valuable was the Targeted Teleportation Talisman.
Ning Zhuo sighed inwardly and returned everything.
Ning Xiaoren received the messenger's report, confirmed that the life-saving items had returned to the family treasury, and felt relieved.
He also received firsthand intelligence from the guards and felt somewhat conflicted.
"This Ning Zhuo is truly a mechanical talent!"
"The previous Explosive Flame Monkey was already impressive. Now he's designed a combat mechanism, the Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, with extraordinary combat power!"
"The stronger he becomes, the more he can help the Ning Family in the three-family alliance."
"But... will Ning Xiaohui be able to suppress him if it continues like this?"
Ning Xiaoren, being from the main line, naturally favored Ning Xiaohui over the branch line represented by Ning Zhuo.
He thought for a moment and then sent someone to relay the message to Ning Xiaohui's grandma.
Grandma Ning Xiaohui was conducting a secret special training for Ning Xiaohui.
Ning Xiaohui still had layers of gauze wrapped around her throat, her gaze focused intently on the basin of ice water in front of her.
Her hands were submerged in the ice for an entire incense stick's time!
The bitter cold invaded her body through her hands.
Initially, her whole body shivered, and her face was covered in frost.
Later, her hands turned blue and purple, and her body became numb from the cold.
And now, at the last moment, she even felt a hint of warmth in her numbed hands!
It was like a seed of life sprouting a green bud within ten thousand feet of ice in the extremely cold land.
Ning Xiaohui had an epiphany on the spot.
Her hands also emitted a jade-like glow, absorbing all her frost injuries and coldness in an instant, then converting it into a surging vitality, feeding it back.
In the next moment, Ning Xiaohui was glowing with health, and all her wounds and cold injuries were completely healed!
Even her ruptured throat was restored to its original state.
"Grandma, I succeeded!" Ning Xiaohui tore off the gauze from her neck and cheered in joy.
Her grandma stood beside her, witnessing her granddaughter's breakthrough with comfort and red-rimmed eyes: "Good, good, good, Grandma saw it. Truly my good grandchild."
"You must have comprehended the essence of the Ice-jade Hands by now."
Ning Xiaohui carefully chose her words: "It's like a trace of vitality under extreme cold and cruelty, a transformation after reaching the limit."
Her grandma nodded, calm and steady: "Everything in the world has spiritual nature."
"The talent of a cultivator is the innate spiritual nature. Spiritual nature is countless, and so is talent."
"Grandma made you put your hands in the ice to experience the vitality under extreme cold and cruelty through this hardship."
"As the saying goes, 'Heaven never seals off all exits.' There is no absolute inescapable predicament in the world, and even in the most desperate situation, there is a glimmer of hope."
"This is the principle of the world's operation, the truth that we cultivators seek, and the meaning contained in the Ice-jade Hands."
"Here is a message just transmitted by the young clan leader. Take a look."
Ning Xiaohui glanced at it: "I didn't expect Ning Zhuo to be so talented. The previous Explosive Flame Monkey wasn't his limit, and he quickly created another excellent mechanical monkey."
"But that's nothing."
Her grandma nodded: "Indeed."
"Xiaohui, you have now initially mastered the Ice-jade Hands, and your strength will improve by leaps and bounds."
"Although you have switched to practicing the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, the water element within the five elements can complement your talents."
"Additionally, the earth element mana and the wood element mana are also good combinations for the Ice-jade Hands."
"If you obtain the follow-up cultivation techniques of the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art in the future and surpass the upper limit of our clan's main cultivation technique, the Ice Heart Technique, then changing your cultivation is a better path."
"Ning Zhuo is not good enough."
"Even if he has talent, our clan won't test it for him now."
"Even if it is tested in the future, he will struggle to find good strategies to develop his talent."
"Take this hardship for example. Grandma specially blocked the information for you. Actually, the essence of the Ice-jade Hands has long been recorded in the family manual."
"If you had seen it earlier, it would have been a huge obstacle to your true cultivation enlightenment of the hardship."
"Only by truly experiencing the vitality in the extreme cold and despair can you further master your talent."
"This is the heritage of our family!"
"Ning Zhuo's talent is clearly not common in our Ning Family bloodline. He won't get the guidance and help from the family predecessors, and he will certainly take many detours in the future."
"The future is yours, Xiaohui."
Ning Xiaohui nodded: "Not just the future, but also the present is mine!"
"Once I have fully mastered the Ice-jade Hands, I will return to the Renovation Team and let everyone see the elegance of the Ning Family Main Line!"
...
Accompanied by Wang Lan, Ning Zhuo entered Ning Ze's talisman-making room.
He looked around and sighed: "With some modifications, it can still be used."
Wang Lan, feeling pent-up frustration, forced a smile: "Little Zhuo, it's good as long as it helps you."
"It's a pity that I'm just a woman and don't understand Mechanical Techniques at all. Your uncle is much stronger in this area."
"If he were home, he would certainly help you more."
Wang Lan indirectly reminded Ning Zhuo that his uncle was still locked in a private prison.
Ning Zhuo acted as if he hadn't heard. He took out various mechanism-making tools from his storage pouch, cleared out some facilities from the talisman-making room, and temporarily transformed it into a simple mechanical workshop.
Wang Lan witnessed and participated in the entire process, feeling increasingly bitter and angry but could only endure silently.
Ning Zhuo asked Wang Lan to leave, wanting to be alone to take out the Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, and start disassembling it.
The main modification was to increase the spots for talisman engraving.
After some tinkering, Yuan Dasheng's talisman spots grew from six to ten.
"Next, refining various talismans and adjusting their combinations should basically meet Yuan Dasheng's martial technique expressions."