Ning Ze quietly listened, his eyes constantly flickering.
"So that's how it is." Only now did he understand part of what had happened.
Ning Ze slowly nodded, "Lan'er, you did well."
Wang Lan said, "Even now, I'm still terrified. Today was so dangerous, I never expected Little Zhuo to actually pull it off!"
"I... I don't know how to face him."
"After all, he saved you and took that damned Ning Xiaoren down."
Ning Ze sighed, "That's exactly what I need to talk to you about."
"Little Zhuo..."
"I misjudged him before; I underestimated him."
"Regardless of whether he had expert guidance this time, just his demeanor and speech at the banquet showed he's no ordinary person!"
"From now on, we need to follow closely behind him, supporting him as much as possible."
"Let's have Ji'er stick with him. After all, they are cousins!"
Wang Lan was shocked, "Huh? My dear, you are..."
Ning Ze glared, "Can't you see? With Little Zhuo's reputation and talent, he'll at least be a Family Elder in the future."
"Didn't you see Ning Houjun, Ning Youfu, and the other branch elders all personally showing goodwill to support Little Zhuo?"
"Does Ji'er have talent? Little Zhuo's future is something Ji'er can't match. By having Ji'er follow Little Zhuo now, he can benefit greatly from Little Zhuo, saving Ji'er countless struggles."
Wang Lan was worried, "But Ji'er and Little Zhuo's relationship, you know it, my dear. Even though they're cousins, they never got along; their relationship is not good at all."
Ning Ze shook his head, "You, you, you are still just a woman."
"You haven't seen it clearly."
"Tell me, what is Little Zhuo's relationship with us as a couple?"
Wang Lan hesitated and shook her head, "Not close."
Ning Ze snorted, "To be precise, it's terrible!"
"Yet this time, he cleared my name and saved me. Why? Is it filial piety? Because of our upbringing?"
Wang Lan blinked, hesitantly said, "Although we favor Ji'er more, we did raise Little Zhuo."
Ning Ze shook his head, "Little Zhuo saved me because he could rely on me to take down Ning Xiaoren."
"Another reason: I am his uncle, his closest relative in this world."
"He wants to progress, to rise up, so he must be morally impeccable. He will certainly take care of us because of this blood connection."
"From that banquet, I confirmed that Little Zhuo understands this and has the grace."
Wang Lan, "If that's the case, why do we need to curry favor with Little Zhuo?"
Ning Ze shook his head again, "Little Zhuo treats us well because of our close blood relationship."
"By the same token, the family's main line will see us as being aligned with Little Zhuo because of this."
"Especially today, when we testified against Ning Xiaoren! This means, even if we don't want to, we are seen as Little Zhuo's people."
"We are already tied to Little Zhuo, sharing both glory and ruin."
Wang Lan widened her eyes, "So that's how it is."
Ning Ze continued, "Since we are deeply tied to Little Zhuo, why not fully support him and rely on him?"
"He has talent and grace, depending on him isn't a bad idea."
Wang Lan fell into silence.
The boy they once looked down upon had now become the person their whole family needed to curry favor with and rely on.
This left her struggling to adjust her mentality.
After a long time, she slowly nodded, her tone desolate, "My dear, you are right. We'll rely on Little Zhuo."
Ning Ze nodded, "Tomorrow morning, I'll explain this decision to Ji'er."
The couple finalized their discussion and went to bed.
In Ning Ze's cultivation secret room, Little Zhuo was still working on today's practice.
Amid thick clouds, his body was enveloped in blood light, forming a series of membranes that covered his upper body and partially his lower body, making him appear as if he wore a layer of blood-red light armor.
The Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique had now reached the peak of the sixth level.
But the Demon-infused Bloodline Technique and the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art still had plenty of room for improvement.
Little Zhuo focused on the Demon-infused Bloodline Technique.
Based on his assumption, "With Ning Xiaoren taken down, I will be a much-discussed figure; the focus of conversation among the clan members."
"The main line won't be foolish enough to withhold my rewards."
"Ning Xiaohui's achievements are far inferior to mine. The chances of me obtaining the Ice Jade Wine are extremely high!"
Little Zhuo planned to use the Ice Jade Wine to enhance his mana, so the Demon-infused Bloodline Technique, which had no shortcuts, became his current priority.
The arduous task of refining essence blood ended.
Little Zhuo slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a turbid breath.
He began to ponder the situation.
"Today I took Ning Xiaoren down, gaining fame throughout the clan, becoming widely known."
"In the coming period, I need to recruit more allies, especially from the branch lineage, and formally rise."
"This must be done as quickly as possible; the sooner, the better."
"Once this wave passes, trying to rise up will be much harder."
"As for settling accounts with Ning Ze's family, that can be done later."
Sun Lingtong had always taught him to repay kindness and exact revenge.
Little Zhuo grew up in the Ning Family and knew its internal dynamics very well.
Precisely because he had a deep understanding of the conflicts between the main and branch lines, he could easily exploit them to take down Ning Xiaoren.
Ning Xiaoren's existence had hindered Little Zhuo's progress, so he had to be dealt with.
Little Zhuo never considered leaving the family or recklessly collaborating with outsiders.
He was well aware of the value of his identity as a Ning Family member.
This identity helped him to grow steadily and to learn.
If he wasn't a Ning Family member, Zheng Jian, Zhou Zeshen, and others would treat him differently.
Zhu Xuanji's investigation pressure also made Little Zhuo choose to continue hiding within the family.
After obtaining the proto Divine Skill Life Hanging Thread, Little Zhuo was even more certain he couldn't casually abandon his Ning Family identity.
This was because, once implanted, the Life Hanging Thread could exist long-term. It greatly aided his cultivation, making him realize that uniting more clan members around him would be highly beneficial!
"Speaking of Life Hanging Thread... I noticed today that many classmates' threads have become thicker and sturdier."
"I haven't used the proto Divine Skill on them again."
"Could it be because taking down Ning Xiaoren increased my fame, making them more inclined to follow me?"
As his thoughts shifted, Little Zhuo considered another key point.
"Did my Communication Jade Slip make it through Chen Cha's relay and into Fei Si's hands?"
To deal with Ning Xiaoren, Little Zhuo had secretly utilized his relationship with Fei Si.
Fei Si had always appreciated Little Zhuo, and provoking internal conflict within the Ning Family was beneficial to the City Lord's Mansion, making it highly likely he would request the City Lord's Mansion's inside agent in the Ning Family to help.
When tested, it was indeed successful!
However, the City Lord's Mansion wouldn't expose the critical inside agent to Little Zhuo. Thus, at the banquet, Little Zhuo speculated which branch clan member attending might be the inside agent.
"Ning Family main line, branch lines... and inside agents from the City Lord's Mansion..."
"I didn't need to use Buddha Heart Demon Seal or Life Hanging Thread to achieve this."
"Every person's desires, the conflicts among groups, the regulations of the Righteous Path, aren't they all like strings?"
"I only need to go along with the situation to make them act the way I want."
"When these actions combine, the situation becomes the way I want."
"Isn't this another level of 'Spirit Movement'?"
Little Zhuo thought about how he had previously taken measures to strengthen control over Yuan Dasheng during the Spirit Movement period.
"The reason for my success this time was guiding these people's thoughts."
"Life Hanging Thread..."
As he thought this, a flash of insight appeared in Little Zhuo's mind.
The inspiration surged quickly, but as Little Zhuo instinctively tried to grasp it, it vanished again.
"Was it just my illusion?"
"It seemed like the lotus bud of the proto Divine Skill just trembled and slightly opened?"