This talisman was oval-shaped, with a deep azure base that seemed to be permeated with a faint layer of oil sheen.
At the center of the talisman was a fluid silver rune, undulating like ripples on water, cresting and troughing left and right, manifesting a supple and spirit-movement-like power.
From the edges of the rune, lines extended towards the upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right corners.
These lines stretched to their ends and then coiled into a cluster, sketching out a structure similar to the central rune, just significantly smaller than the large central cluster.
The structure of the talisman, with one large and four small clusters, was very clear.
Ning Jiufan handed over the talisman, introducing it, "This is the Oil Slick and Smooth Talisman, it possesses spiritual nature and is also sealed with much of my Golden Core Power."
"As soon as you are under attack, its spiritual nature will trigger, enveloping you within a layer of an oily, watery light shield."
"Most attacks, as long as they do not surpass the Golden Core Level, can nearly all be deflected or have their force dissipated by the oil-shiny protective shield, and then be skewed away."
Ning Zhuo couldn't hide his elation and repeated, "Good talisman, good talisman!"
Ning Jiufan snorted, "You little brat, truly greedy. However, if you want this talisman, it's not impossible. You should know what to do next, right?"
Ning Zhuo bowed again, "Ancestor, how could I be someone who fears death and clings to life?"
"I only wish to preserve a useful life, to repay your mentorship and contribute to our Ning Family."
"Ancestor, I will surely give it my all to secure more key positions for our Ning Family."
"Still, can this talisman really save my life? Ancestor, for the sake of insurance, please give me a few more talismans like this one."
Ning Jiufan curled his finger and knocked on Ning Zhuo's head, scolding, "Greed that knows no bounds! Don't overdo it. This spirit-infused talisman is a treasure of the family level, capable of being used multiple times."
"Unless the Bukong Sect has a Nascent Soul-level infiltrator, this talisman will surely keep you safe. Even if you face off against Yang Chanyu, it will be enough to hold out until I come to rescue you."
"Now scram, and get out there and do your job!"
Ning Jiufan waved his sleeve, feeling annoyed at the loss of the Spirit Talisman and seeing Ning Zhuo's greedy face.
Ning Zhuo left his residence and went to find many members of the Ning Family Renovation Team.
They were particularly excited to see Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo told them: initially weak, he had been secretly controlled by the Bukong Sect, but now the dark clouds had given way to bright flowers, and he felt relieved.
Furthermore, in the past two days, he had been by Ning Jiufan's side, receiving teachings and cultivation from the Golden Core Ancestor, and although his strength had not increased significantly, his perspective had widened a great deal.
The morale of the Ning Family Renovation Team was greatly boosted.
They complained to Ning Zhuo that the Zhou Family and Zheng Family renovation teams had changed their usual demeanor, although they had been kind and warm when learning from Ning Zhuo's experience previously, they were now almost turning their backs on them in the competition for key positions.
Especially the Zheng Family, with their naturally straightforward and bold character, now that Zheng Jian was the second to obtain the Physician role, they started acting arrogant and looked down on others.
Ning Zhuo obtained much information and, having achieved his objective, bid farewell to everyone and headed to the Healing Institution.
As he walked, he pondered, analyzing the current situation.
A new policy had caused all three families to adjust swiftly and drastically.
Originally, the three families were closely united, forming a strong alliance. But now, because of positions, they began to compete against each other.
"Such competition is bound to get more intense."
"Although competition among the Righteous Path won't lead to fighting and killing, once it escalates to a certain point, all kinds of underhanded tactics and methods could emerge."
"Although the three families had signed a pact, it likely couldn't have anticipated such a situation. Hence the contents of the pact would have little restrain now."
As Ning Zhuo analyzed, he couldn't help but look up at the sky and sigh, "Meng Kui truly deserves to be the strategist of the Meng Family, a simple policy has started to fracture the tripartite alliance."
"This is not a conspiracy, but a strategy enacted in plain sight!"
"All three families and Zhu Xuanji are aware of Meng Kui's calculations, but they're helpless against them, only able to follow his intentions."
"As for the Zheng Family..."
Ning Zhuo understood the Zheng Family's ambition to take over the Healing Institution.
Indeed, the Healing Institution was one of the most valuable Mechanical Artifacts, and the accompanying positions were extremely important, whether in peace or wartime.
Ning Zhuo frowned in secret.
The current situation was a bit troublesome for him.
The Healing Institution, Command Platform, and the Five Elements Turret were the three components, with the Healing Institution being the most important. Because the Serious Injury Treatment Room within could temporarily block Golden Core Cultivators from detecting Ning Zhuo.
This feature was not present in either the Command Platform or the Five Elements Turret.
"It's fine to have outsiders like Zheng Jian mixed in the Healing Institution, but the busy comings and goings, with many eyes and ears, won't be as convenient as before."
"But I am the director, the highest role in the institution, with great power. I can completely make the Serious Injury Treatment Room my own exclusive domain."
"The Zheng Family's heavy investment is also beneficial to me. The only thing to worry about..."
Ning Zhuo entered the Healing Institution.
Zheng Jian was engrossed in handling a Mechanical Puppet on the desk. Hearing the noise, he quickly looked up in surprise at Ning Zhuo.
"Brother Ning Zhuo, you're here!" Zheng Jian laughed, then bowed his head again, "I'm currently swamped with work, can't leave it. Let's catch up later."
Ning Zhuo nodded, "Haha, Brother Zheng, let's not rush to catch up. I haven't taken on any tasks for two days."
After a brief greeting, Ning Zhuo went to a corner of the hall, chose a bench behind Zheng Jian, and began making mechanical repairs.
After completing three Mechanical Artifact repairs in a row and covertly using his authority as the director to assign a big task to Zheng Jian, he ended his pretense and quietly climbed the staircase, heading upstairs.
He went straight to the Serious Injury Treatment Room and firmly shut the door.
Zheng Jian was too focused and sweating profusely to notice Ning Zhuo's subtle actions.
Ning Zhuo first checked the resources.
Before, Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu stole a trove of treasures from the Cloud Merchant, and a portion of it was given to Ning Zhuo.
After inspecting it, Ning Zhuo found that only a drop of the "Supreme Water" was missing.
An extra Spirit Box had appeared.
The Spirit Box could store Spiritual Nature for a while.
Ning Zhuo had wanted to come to the medical clinic to open the Spirit Box much earlier, but in order to conceal it perfectly, he endured for two more days until even Ning Jiufan couldn't bear it anymore, and then he took action.
Stored within the Spirit Box was Ning Xiaohui's Spiritual Nature!
A faint movement stirred in Ning Zhuo's heart, but he first took out a talisman.
This talisman was long and narrow and of a light blue hue, resembling a sapphire that had been washed clean by water.
The surface of the talisman was smooth, emanating a soft water-like radiance, and it felt cool to the touch.
The runes on it were graceful, like clouds and flowing water, and after staring intently for a few breaths, one could see the runes slowly moving on the talisman paper, like flowing water.
It was indeed the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman!
This Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman is one of the legacies of the Ning Family, similar to the Oil Slick and Smooth Talisman, both containing Spiritual Nature.
Previously, the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman was given to Ning Xiaohui to use, using up much of its Spiritual Nature.
Ning Zhuo had been contemplating how to add Spiritual Nature to the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman.
Now, he brought the talisman close to the Spirit Box and then slightly opened a thin gap in the box.
The next moment, a small amount of Spiritual Nature, like fireflies, fluttered out and directly merged into the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman!
Ning Zhuo's eyes suddenly gleamed, "It can really be done!!!"
For a while, he was overwhelmed with joy, and his eyes even reddened.
Previously, this had just been his conjecture, but now, with practical application, his idea was validated perfectly.
To replenish the Spiritual Nature of the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman, one could certainly start with a cultivator's body.
Ning Xiaohui had used this talisman in her lifetime, cherishing it deeply, and it was almost considered untouchable.
This bond allowed a small portion of Ning Xiaohui's refined Spiritual Nature to be absorbed by the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman, enhancing its foundation.
Ning Zhuo quickly closed the Spirit Box and held the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman, standing still for quite a while.
Gradually calming his excitement, he took various materials from his Storage Waist Belt, then using the facilities in the Serious Injury Treatment Room, he began making mechanical artifacts.
He had a preconceived design, and his methods were quite skilful.
Half a two hours later, a pair of Mechanical Floating Hands was created.
At first glance, these arms looked like crystal clear ice crystals. The fingers were slender and delicate, like white jade, each joint as round and smooth as jade, akin to a work of art.
Intricate, frost-like runes were painted on the surfaces of the palms and backs, exuding an aura of chill and purity.
The entire set of arms conveyed a feminine sense of graceful curves and softness.
Mechanical artifact – Floating Ice Jade Hands!
Ning Zhuo tried to control them, to test the function of the Floating Ice Jade Hands.
They were able to release frost and freeze targets into blocks of ice. However, they had no healing capabilities.
Ning Zhuo attempted to use them to draw runes. They could not automatically draw talismans yet, but when he used them to create Frost Talismans, the experience was profound. Many rune paths that he would struggle with himself came naturally with these mechanical arms, as if water naturally follows the channel it flows through.
"This is what they call innate—Ice-jade Hands!"
"However, currently, Ning Xiaohui's Spiritual Nature is not at full capacity; it needs replenishment."
Only when the Spiritual Nature reaches a certain level, can the innate Ice-jade Hands be restored, endowing the frozen ice cubes with healing prowess.
"When it later ascends to the Spiritual Wisdom Phase and gains a certain level of wisdom, I can use it to continuously make talismans every day!"
"As for acquiring items that Ning Xiaohui frequently used in life, it should not be difficult..."
Ning Zhuo gauged the time and then stepped out the door.
Lingering too long in the Serious Injury Treatment Room might arouse suspicion.
The newly made Floating Ice Jade Hand restraints, he also left in the room and did not take with him.
His Storage Magical Tool could still be inspected by other Golden Core Cultivators.
Although the likelihood was much less than before, Ning Zhuo was still not willing to take such unnecessary risks.
"Brother Ning Zhuo! You've finally come out. Just wait a moment for me to complete the task at hand, then may I borrow a moment to speak with you?" Zheng Jian saw Ning Zhuo come out and quickly called out to him.
Ning Zhuo nodded and agreed.
Once Zheng Jian finished his repair work, he tidied up the workspace and approached Ning Zhuo, "I didn't expect you to be able to get a task in the Serious Injury Treatment Room as soon as you entered. Do you perhaps have some trick to it?"
Ning Zhuo shook his head, "What? Brother Zheng Jian has never seen it before? Perhaps, the tasks we each receive differ from person to person."
Zheng Jian nodded, "We are all limited by time, Brother Ning Zhuo, so I will speak frankly."
"Our Zheng Family wants this medical clinic. I ask that you, Ning Zhuo, give us some consideration."
Ning Zhuo couldn't help but frown slightly, "What do you mean by that?"
He wanted to coexist peacefully with the Zheng Family, but from Zheng Jian's implication, it seemed the Zheng Family intended to monopolize the clinic's positions and corner the market.
Zheng Jian chuckled, "This is our Zheng Family's decision, and since it has been made, it will not be changed lightly."
"Brother Ning Zhuo, we have cooperated before, and I know you are quite capable."
"Name your price, what will it take for you to leave with Ning Family's Renovation Team and from now on stay away from the medical clinic?"