Upon receiving Fei Si's call for help, Zhu Xuanji prioritized the greater good and immediately left the Magma Fairy Palace.
When a cultivator entered the Magma Fairy Palace, they were guided by a treasure light, but there was no such treatment upon departure.
However, Meng Kui could not sit idly by.
After he disrupted the formation of the demon beasts, Zhu Xuanji managed to escape, soaring into the sky.
Moments later, he entered Cloud City and met with Song Fuli and Fei Si.
Song Fuli bowed, his face filled with expectation and urgency: "Lord Zhu Xuanji, I have long admired your name!"
"The auction is imminent, yet all our items have been stolen."
"I came from afar, not expecting to encounter thieves in Fire Persimmon Immortal City. Now, I can only rely on your strength."
Zhu Xuanji nodded: "Not a problem, I will do my best this time."
Upon arriving at the scene, Zhu Xuanji did not hesitate, immediately displaying his skill.
Trace Origin Technique!
Talent—Golden Eyes!
In an instant, he saw Yang Chanyu and Sun Lingtong working together, forging goods and placing them on the shelves.
The truth was revealed in an instant!
Zhu Xuanji sighed, withdrew the spell, and gave Song Fuli a deep look.
Song Fuli's face was filled with urgency: "Lord Zhu, how is it?"
Fei Si, alongside him, stared intently at Zhu Xuanji.
Zhu Xuanji nodded slightly: "Found it… it was Yang Chanyu and Sun Lingtong."
"Even though the two were invisible, they couldn't escape my Golden Eyes. After a thorough examination, I uncovered the truth."
"Bukong Sect!" Fei Si gritted his teeth, speaking with hatred.
"Bukong Sect…" Song Fuli clenched his fists, showing anger.
He looked at Zhu Xuanji and Fei Si: "The key now is how to retrieve my treasures from their hands."
"Lord Fei Si, I remember when we first entered the city, seeing the ruins from the Golden Core battle, and I asked you about it."
"You said there was no problem, that Fire Persimmon Immortal City was quite safe, and the City Lord's Mansion controlled the situation."
"But now, look!"
"Evil runs rampant in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and my goods were stolen so easily."
"What do you have to say about this? The City Lord's Mansion has to give me an explanation as the victim, right?"
"We, Cloud Merchants, have come a long way, risking countless dangers, doing hard business. Is it easy?"
"I didn't expect to be robbed in the Immortal City after not failing on the way!"
Fei Si's face showed an embarrassed expression. He forced a smile, trying his best to console: "Mr. Song, rest assured. We will do our utmost to track down and retrieve your goods."
Song Fuli spread his hands: "The auction is in two days, can you get it back in such a short time?"
"Moreover, the news of the auction has been released long ago."
"If it can't be held, where will the reputation of Cloud Merchants stand?"
"Oh dear!"
Song Fuli slapped his thigh in frustration, genuinely anxious and agitated.
Fei Si's face turned solemn. He knew very well that retrieving the goods from Bukong Sect's true disciples within such a short time was extremely difficult and had little hope.
But this matter had to be handled, and handled very well and smoothly at that!
He took a deep breath and immediately stated: "I will go see Lord Meng Kui right away to report this matter and ask the City Lord to handle it!"
Before leaving, Fei Si glanced at Zhu Xuanji, earnestly asking the latter to continue the investigation.
Zhu Xuanji nodded and immediately agreed, but also indicated that he could only do his best and could not guarantee any results within two days.
Fei Si sighed, bowed, and departed.
His body turned into a long rainbow, flying straight to the peak of Fire Persimmon Mountain.
Zhu Xuanji stayed behind and smiled lightly at Song Fuli: "Mr. Song, I have something very interesting to tell you."
"According to my investigation just now, Yang Chanyu and Sun Lingtong were not here when they stole the treasures but inside the Cloud Whale."
Song Fuli immediately raised his eyebrows: "What do you mean by that?"
Zhu Xuanji, with his hands behind his back, looked out the window at the Cloud Whale floating in the sky: "The treasures of your merchant caravan were stolen inside the Cloud Whale, which is different from being stolen in Fire Persimmon Immortal City."
"The responsibility for the former lies primarily with your side. As for the latter, the main responsibility falls on the City Lord's Mansion of Fire Persimmon Immortal City."
"Don't you agree?"
Song Fuli took a deep breath, laughed, and said: "Lord Zhu, don't speak carelessly. If you accuse us of faking, concealing, and disguising the theft within Fire Persimmon Immortal City, you'd better have solid evidence."
"Though you are the Divine Hunter, you're part of the Southern Bean Royal Family, aligned with Fire Persimmon Immortal City. So, your testimony can't be considered solid evidence."
Zhu Xuanji snorted coldly and turned to stare at Song Fuli, his gaze becoming very sharp: "You know I am a royal family member, even without evidence, what would stop me from dealing with you?"
Song Fuli took a slight step back, seemingly avoiding Zhu Xuanji's sharpness, his tone firm yet soft: "In the Southern Bean realm, you are the host, and we are the guests. Naturally, it's easy for you to handle us outsiders."
"If you really want to deal with us, we would have no choice but to accept it."
"But, as the esteemed Zhu Xuanji, would you really do that?"
"The always upright Zhu Divine Hunter, the Golden Core emblem of the Southern Bean Royal Family, would not act against merely suspicious individuals without evidence, would he?"
"I, Song Fuli, don't believe it!"
By the end of his speech, Song Fuli's expression was firm, his tone resolute.
At this moment, the confrontation between the two Golden Cores was sharper than any blade!
Zhu Xuanji couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
He stared intently at Song Fuli, and the sharp aura around him receded, his tone easing: "You have investigated me thoroughly, even knowing my usual conduct and respect for Fang Qing."
"It seems your side is also looking to get a share of the Magma Fairy Palace."
Since the conversation had reached this point, Song Fuli saw no reason to hide anymore.
He simply admitted: "Yes, upon hearing the Recruitment Decree issued by your country's Monarch, we came here."
"As Cloud Merchants, we do nothing unprofitable."
"We have carefully studied the Recruitment Decree, considering it meticulously, and found that we are indeed qualified, correct?"
Zhu Xuanji chuckled lightly and nodded: "Of course, you are qualified! As a member of the Southern Bean Royal Family, I extend my welcome and look forward to our cooperation."
Seeing Zhu Xuanji smile, Song Fuli also chuckled, greatly easing the atmosphere.
He said in a deep voice: "I can feel Lord Zhu's sincerity!"
Song Fuli implied that although Zhu Xuanji had discovered the truth, that Yang Chanyu and Sun Lingtong had stolen the treasures inside the Cloud Whale, he didn't reveal it and instead covered it up for the Cloud Merchants.
Zhu Xuanji, as a royal family member, had to consider the Zhu Family's interests.
His intention to hide the truth was evident, aiming to ally with Song Fuli's group.
After all, in the struggle for the Magma Fairy Palace, Zhu Xuanji would likely face Meng Kui in the end.
Zhu Xuanji was at the Golden Core level, while Meng Kui was at the Nascent Soul level, an astonishing gap in their cultivation levels.
Thus, Zhu Xuanji sought to form alliances, hoping to leverage the strength of Song Fuli's group and the Cloud Whale to somewhat counterbalance Meng Kui.
...
The situation had developed beyond Fei Si's expectations.
He flew to the peak of Fire Persimmon Mountain and met with Meng Kui.
Meng Kui gazed at the Cloud Whale on the horizon, silent for a long time before nodding slightly. He authorized Fei Si to negotiate well with the Cloud Merchants, allowing him to make some concessions.
For the sake of his political achievements, Meng Kui had to choose the lesser of two evils and decided to win over the Cloud Merchants.
"I never thought an old man like me would be at the mercy of spirits!"
Meng Kui's gaze penetrated the layers of clouds, looking down at the entire Magma Fairy Palace, his eyes filled with anger.
In his view, the Five Elements Turret bombarding the Persimmon Mountain was due to the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit. Even with some cultivator's cooperation, as the Palace Spirit, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was at least a major accomplice!
"When my Meng Family takes control of the Immortal Palace in the future, I will certainly deal with this Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit severely!"
"But for now, I need to secretly contact this spirit and deal with it superficially."
During this time, Meng Kui had ordered his subordinates to attempt multiple contacts with the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, but all efforts had been in vain, with no progress at all.
"Zhu Xuanji should know some secrets. The Southern Bean Royal Family has deep connections with the Three Ancestral Masters, but probing him on this matter requires extreme caution."
Meng Kui's gaze was profound: "Zhu Xuanji is very perceptive. If he realizes the Palace Spirit's ulterior motives, it would cause a lot of trouble."
Meng Kui temporarily concealed the secrets of the Palace Spirit. In his view, Zhu Xuanji, representing the Southern Bean Royal Family, had always been his main competitor.
Zhu Xuanji, on the other hand, secretly reached a verbal agreement with Song Fuli, attempting to unite the weak against the strong.
Song Fuli exploited the competition between the royal family and the local powers to seek compensation for the stolen treasures, with a good chance of success.
The overt and covert struggles among the three parties significantly drained their energy and time. As a result, Ning Zhuo and his side gained some breathing space.
Magma Fairy Palace.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit could hardly contain its excitement and once again actively contacted Ning Zhuo: "Young, Young Master... good news, Zhu Xuanji has left, he has left the palace."
"Now is the time to act, to eliminate Ning Xiaohui!"
Yang Chanyu also confirmed Zhu Xuanji's movements.
Sun Lingtong infiltrated Ning Zhuo's side, transmitting to him: "Brother, I've got it figured out!"
"That Song Fuli is truly a cunning merchant! He must have discovered the theft early but kept quiet, moving the fake goods to the Immortal City and then staged the crime scene to claim compensation from the City Lord's Mansion."
"The news about the theft has already spread all over the Immortal City, likely orchestrated by Song Fuli to exonerate himself and pressure the City Lord's Mansion."
"Zhu Xuanji left the palace this time to investigate this major theft case."
"Now that he is away from the palace, it is indeed the best time to act."
"I will act, and Yang Chanyu will guard secretly. We can eliminate Ning Xiaohui and remove this major threat!"
Sun Lingtong was eager to move.
However, Ning Zhuo frowned and paced back and forth in the room.
"No, wait a bit longer." Ning Zhuo hesitated and conflicted, but eventually restrained Sun Lingtong temporarily.
Sun Lingtong was puzzled, but the ten years of tacit understanding made him realize that Ning Zhuo must have had his reasons for such a choice.
"Alright, I'll stay close to her and wait for your signal."
"Contact me using Life Hanging Thread!"
"Just say the word, and I will act immediately."
Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo reached an agreement.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit waited impatiently but saw no action from Ning Zhuo or Sun Lingtong.
It stomped its feet on the throne in frustration.
It kept growling: "Ning Zhuo, Ning Zhuo! What are you waiting for? What are you hesitating about?!"
"Act, act quickly!!"
"That Ning Xiaohui is about to secure her position, alas! Truly, a child cannot be entrusted with important tasks!"
Roar, roar...
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit roared, spitting pillars of fire in frustration.