Fei Si suddenly realized: "Then everything aligns perfectly."
He then gave a detailed report to Meng Kui.
Meng Kui pondered: "The Foundation Establishment method of the Three Elixir Fields would greatly benefit my grandson Sun Mengchong."
"This Demon Dao True Scripture should be closely guarded by the City Lord's Mansion. If it falls into the hands of demon path thieves, countless lives would suffer."
"Fei Si, go all out and find this True Scripture!"
Meng Kui issued the command directly.
Fei Si, carrying the new orders, returned to the City Lord's Mansion.
He sat at his desk, deep in thought.
"Where could the Demon Dao True Scripture be?"
The first person he suspected was Ning Zhuo!
"This little fellow Ning Zhuo is ambitious. It was him who led the efforts to eliminate Yuan Dasheng back then."
"At that time, was he so active in dealing with Yuan Dasheng and the Monkey Head Gang just because of the Explosive Flame Monkey business?"
"Or could he have accidentally learned through some channel that Yuan Dasheng possessed the True Scripture?"
"During the Fire Persimmon Festival, he actively sought my identity badge... Could he be using me?"
"However, if Yuan Dasheng had the True Scripture, it should have leaked out and transferred to a nearby suitable vessel after his death."
"At Yuan Dasheng's death, both Ning Zhuo and Yuan Er were present. If the True Scripture leaked, these two would surely know and benefit from it."
"They might have reached some kind of agreement in private!"
"Wait a moment."
A slight change in Fei Si's expression indicated his realization.
He remembered that Yuan Er was assassinated soon after.
And the foundation his father built painstakingly, the Monkey Head Gang, had also been taken over by Ning Zhuo a while ago.
"Could this be because of a disagreement over the spoils between Ning Zhuo and Yuan Er, leading to the former killing the latter?"
"Ning Zhuo is indeed suspicious, but... also not very suspicious."
Fei Si thought deeply.
He reasoned — Zhu Xuanji has a very strong ability to detect lies.
"Ning Zhuo is only at the Qi Refinement third layer; he couldn't fool Zhu Xuanji."
"Oh, he's now obtained the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art from the fourth to sixth layers, possibly reaching the Qi Refinement fourth layer."
"But that makes little difference, it's still the Qi Refinement Realm!"
"Unless he has some rare treasure that could resist Zhu Xuanji's scrutiny."
Fei Si shook his head slightly at this thought.
Such a possibility was too small.
"Given Ning Zhuo's ambitious nature, if he had some rare treasure, he would have already shown off eagerly."
"He wouldn't have remained obscure for over a decade and only started to emerge this year at sixteen due to the Magma Fairy Palace."
"He and I are of the same kind, with similar dispositions. Haha."
"He couldn't have endured for so many years!"
Fei Si thought back and forth but found no clues.
Unable to figure things out, Fei Si ordered the City Lord's Mansion to investigate the matter thoroughly.
One thing puzzled Fei Si.
That was Zhu Xuanji giving Ning Zhuo three days to explain himself before leaving.
"Explain what? Why not explain it on the spot?"
"Or did Zhu Xuanji consider other influences?"
"After all, Ning Zhuo is now a famous genius cultivator of the Ning Family."
"You must show respect to the owner when beating a dog. Ning Jiufan contributed significantly on the expedition to Huoshi Mountain Bottom and is the greatest hero of Zhu Xuanji's journey."
"Wait."
"Did Ning Zhuo achieve remarkable results in the exploration of the Immortal Palace because of this Demon Skill?"
"Based on this, he might have already mastered profound Essence Sea cultivation."
Fei Si allowed his thoughts to wander. He was no Divine Hunter, so he speculated freely without the burden of needing evidence.
"Whatever the case, an enhanced investigation is necessary."
Fei Si realized that he lacked key clues; his intelligence was too incomplete to make a correct judgment.
Soon, Fei Si utilized the City Lord's Mansion's resources.
He sent staff from the City Lord's Mansion around to gather information, while also deploying spies to probe Ning Zhuo's true situation.
One night passed.
The Golden Core Ancestors were exchanging information.
"This little guy Ning Zhuo has many spies around him."
"Given how little time he's had to rise, it's normal for other factions to have spies among his ranks."
"Some don't even count as spies, just selling information outside."
...
The subordinates gathered around Ning Zhuo had limited loyalty to him.
Especially those former stewards, who were openly dismissed by the main family because they were corrupt and greedy.
The external factions, large and small, were curious about what had transpired between Ning Zhuo and Zhu Xuanji and sent out to investigate.
Many former stewards used the opportunity to trade information.
Regardless of whether they sold information for profit, were spies sent by Ning Family's Clan Leader and others, or had other motives, they all operated actively in secret.
They had no idea that six Golden Core cultivators were closely watching Ning Zhuo.
All their actions were observed thoroughly by the six Golden Core cultivators.
At most, they had Foundation Establishment cultivation levels and couldn't detect the means of Golden Core Ancestors.
"That Ning Xiangguo is the most problematic one!" Zhu Xuanji said during discussions with the three families of Golden Core cultivators.
Ning Xiangguo was a spy from the City Lord's Mansion.
He had been personally turned by Fei Si years ago and was one of Fei Si's best informants in probing the Ning Family's information.
When Ning Zhuo launched an attack on Ning Xiaoren at that time, he had actively sought Fei Si's help. Fei Si had then secretly ordered Ning Xiangguo to participate in the action and seize the opportunity to infiltrate Ning Zhuo's side.
During the downfall of the Young Clan Leader of the Ning Family, Ning Xiangguo indeed played a significant role.
After Ning Zhuo established the black market, Ning Xiangguo took on an important role, performing his duties excellently.
However, his identity had long been discovered by Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo's Divine Power Life Thread could, to some extent, measure the loyalty of his subordinates to him.
Ning Zhuo chose not to act but gave Ning Xiangguo heavier tasks to fully utilize his talents.
This arrangement by Ning Zhuo unexpectedly proved to be quite clever now!
Zhu Xuanji and the others misunderstood — "Did the City Lord's Mansion send Ning Xiangguo to gather intelligence to prepare for an assassination?"
The three families of Golden Core Ancestors could not help but speculate like this upon learning about Ning Xiangguo's involvement.
Ning Xiangguo's espionage made the six Golden Core cultivators more vigilant.
They remained highly alert throughout, and by the afternoon, there was still no sign of assassination, and everything was calm and peaceful.
Not only did the Golden Core Ancestors not find any assassination, but they also received a rumor.
This rumor spread through the city at an incredible speed.
The rumor was simple: Ning Zhuo, the genius cultivator of the Ning Family, had secretly obtained a Demon Skill True Scripture.
This Demon Skill True Scripture had a significant origin, coming from the Magma Fairy Palace and created personally by the Three Ancestral Masters.
Using this Demon Skill, Ning Zhuo had repeatedly achieved remarkable results in exploring the Magma Fairy Palace.
It was said that Lord Zhu Xuanji had discovered this lead and thus sought out Ning Zhuo publicly yesterday to question the whereabouts of the True Scripture.
"How did such a rumor surface?"
"Who spread it?"
"To spread so quickly citywide, the person behind it is extraordinary."
The Golden Core Ancestors sensed something amiss and smelled a hint of conspiracy.
None of them suspected Ning Zhuo.
Since yesterday, Ning Zhuo had been under their scrutiny for all his activities.
The only outgoing communication had been a letter to Fei Si.
Moreover, the content of the rumor was clearly detrimental to Ning Zhuo, likely stirring others' greed towards him.
As a victim of the rumor, how could he spread it himself?
The rumor reached other ears.
"Ning Zhuo has the Demon Dao True Scripture!" Ning Xiaohui's eyes widened with joy and anticipation upon hearing the rumor.
"If it's true, that's great; a righteous cultivator in the Ning Family secretly practicing demon skills."
Meng Chong found the rumor intriguing: "The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art feels unrestrained, unsuitable for me!"
"Demon skills are more fitting, enhancing the body and charging at the forefront. It's so thrilling!"
Zhou Zeshen and Zhou Zhu discussed it and both believed parts of the rumor to be obviously false. However, some parts seemed to reveal genuine information.
This left them conflicted, unsure what to believe.
Many believed Ning Zhuo truly possessed a Demon Dao True Scripture! Some even fabricated evidence to substantiate Ning Zhuo's connection to it convincingly.
Yang Chanyu stood somewhere, overlooking the roofs before her.
Sun Lingtong hid in her shadow.
Yang Chanyu slowly opened her eyes; she had been using a spell to eavesdrop on the surroundings.
"Our rumor has been successfully spread!"
"But I'm a little curious."
"What did that young genius from the Ning Family, Ning Zhuo, do to provoke you that you would frame him like this?"
Sun Lingtong had long been prepared, and he chuckled: "I've been watching this Ning Zhuo for a long time. He'll be a very useful pawn."
To Yang Chanyu, Sun Lingtong chose not to reveal his true relationship with Ning Zhuo.
After all, inviting Yang Chanyu to help required strength he didn't have to constrain her.
Even though they were betrothed, the marriage only bound the two of them and would not aid Ning Zhuo much.
If Yang Chanyu discovered Sun Lingtong's actions were solely for Ning Zhuo, she would recognize it as his greatest weakness immediately.
Even if she didn't exploit it now, she would hold dark thoughts for the future.
Sun Lingtong diverted the topic: "This level of rumor isn't enough."
"Next, we can propagate the second layer of the rumor."