Zhu Xuanji slowly set down his teacup and let out a long sigh, saying, "Sect Leader Lin has managed the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect with such difficulty and worry, it's truly not easy."
"Regarding past events, it would be better to let them go with the wind. Look forward to the future. Given today's situation, my brother should be open-minded and forgiving."
"Within the four seas, all lands belong to the king, and throughout the world, there is no place that is not part of the country. Since the Sect Leader understands the bigger picture, the country's generous rewards will naturally go without saying."
Seeing this, Ning Zhuo stood up and came forward to kowtow, speaking solemnly, "Sect Leader Lin's noble righteousness is truly admirable."
"In past years, when the Ning Family was in distress, we were fortunate to have the great help of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, who rescued us from peril. The Ning Family will never forget this for generations. As a junior, I feel the kindness deeply, yet I have not been able to serve in return. It is my fate today to meet the Sect Leader and once again receive Miss Shanshan's extensive care. I have no way to repay, only a deep feeling of shame and inability to face myself."
"Suddenly today, an incident arose, and the situation is urgent. It was purely accidental that we unearthed and touched upon the treasure, causing an unexpected uproar. The Sect Leader had to activate the Mountain Suppressing Array, filled with killing intent, and I fear that as a junior, I may not survive. This is not my wish, truly it is against my will."
Lin Shanshan's expression changed at once.
She looked at Ning Zhuo with a complicated and resentful expression.
She might not have much worldly experience, but she was heavily nurtured by Lin Bufan and grew up by his side, absorbing his influence.
Therefore, Ning Zhuo's words, which seemed like an apology, immediately let Lin Shanshan know that he was stabbing a sharp sword at her father.
Lin Bufan's face smiled, but inwardly he sneered, "You impudent boy, your tongue is as sharp as a sword, feigning innocence!"
"Purely by chance, how could Zhu Xuanji be here so coincidentally?"
On the surface, Lin Bufan laughed and said some polite empty words, indicating that it was because of Lin Shanshan's disappearance that he took such an aggressive stance.
But that was turning black into white.
The truth is that it was Lin Bufan who first captured Ning Jiufan and activated the Mountain Suppressing Array, which led Ning Zhuo to abduct Lin Shanshan.
Of course, Ning Zhuo would not let Lin Bufan smear the truth in this way, and immediately rebutted, but it still sounded like a junior apologizing.
The two launched into a verbal battle that initially interested everyone.
Gradually, as their verbal confrontation continued endlessly, it seemed there would be no end.
Zhu Xuanji, growing impatient, had to interject, "Enough, both of you stop!"
He suggested that arguing was pointless and they should go check out the Luminous Mirror first.
Lin Bufan stroked his beard while smiling, he agreed, and looked at Ning Zhuo "warmly," thinking, "Cunning little fox!"
Ning Zhuo showed a face full of shame, acknowledging that the teachings of Brother Zhu Xuanji were correct, while glancing at Lin Bufan thinking, "Old fox!"
Turning around, he saw Lin Shanshan glaring at him.
Ning Zhuo responded with a smile, "Miss Lin…"
Lin Shanshan turned her head away, "Young Master Ning Zhuo, don't talk to me."
Lin Bufan felt warmth in his heart and revealed some truth: the Luminous Mirror was a Spiritual Treasure of extremely high grade. Even he had tried probing it repeatedly but had never been able to see the body of the wall. Just the few layers of Formation outside the wall had stumped him.
"These Formations were not inherent to the Reflected Wall but were the work of several Formation ancestors, who joined forces to set them up."
"I moved the entire sect here, allowing the Mountain God of Yuanlai Mountain to infiltrate for over a hundred years, only managing to penetrate the outer two layers of Formations and create a secret passage that connects the underground cavern to the mansion."
Lin Bufan subtly and implicitly urged everyone not to have great expectations for this excursion, for even he had been unable to master the Spiritual Treasure. If the mission turned out unfavorably, it would not be because he, Lin Bufan, was unwilling to cooperate.
Ning Jiufan stroked his beard with a serious face, "If it is as Sect Leader Lin says, containing the methods of countless ancestors within the Reflected Wall, then that's astounding. If we anger the Spiritual Treasure and provoke a counterattack during our visit, I fear we may indeed risk our lives."
Zhu Xuanji, hearing these words, nodded slightly, echoing his own concerns.
He then turned to look at the person beside him, Shen Lingshu, "I would ask Senior Shen to make a move and perform a divination before we proceed!"
Shen Lingshu nodded, "This was exactly my purpose in coming here, to assist you."
Ning Zhuo curiously looked at Shen Lingshu, thinking, "Divination?"
Divination was one of the Cultivation Hundred Skills, and he had long been fascinated by this art. Today, seeing a Cultivator perform it, he found it novel.
"This Senior Shen is not only at the Nascent Soul Level but also dispatched here by the Southern Bean Royal Family, he must be particularly proficient in divination."
"If I get the chance later, I must get closer to him!"
Suddenly, Shen Lingshu felt a premonition of unease.
His expression became more solemn as he thought, "Before setting out, I had a premonition; could this trip be fraught with difficulty?"
He had initially intended to exert only eighty percent of his capability, but disturbed by this premonition, he resolved to go all out with his divination.
Thereupon, he took out his primary Magic Treasure from his Storage Waist Belt—a set of Nascent Soul Level divination tools.
Ning Zhuo watched intently, for it was the first time he had seen a Great Cultivator perform divination before him.
Shen Lingshu, with a profound gaze, gently touched the divination tools in his hand, and began to speak, "Not all among you have uniform Qi Fortune, good and bad are intermixed. Let me calculate each one and then bring them together for an overall divination to discern the fate of this venture."
The crowd had no objections.
Shen Lingshu focused for a moment, first looking toward Ning Jiufan. He reached out, capturing Ning Jiufan's Qi and channeled it into the divination tools.
He cast the divination tools.
The tools emitted specks of profound light, fluttering mid-air before coming to a suspended stop.
Shen Lingshu calculated the result and said to Ning Jiufan, "You have the support of a benefactor and hidden blessings in your life. However, your Lifespan has changed recently, prompted by external forces, with fate and relationships entangled within."
Ning Jiufan's complexion was slightly flushed as he asked, "I have heard that rashly changing one's fate could lead to backlash, is it true that..."
Shen Lingshu shook his head, consoling him, "This is not you actively changing your fate; someone who has cast a spell has shared your burden, so there's no need for concern."
He turned to Ning Zhuo and continued his divination.
After a while, his eyes cold as ice, he said directly, "Young Ning Zhuo, your life force is stable plain, unremarkable, yet within this tranquility, hidden opportunities lie."
Having finished, he divined for Lin Shanshan, "Young Lin Shanshan, your fate harbors the energy of a domestic life, it is not advisable for you to travel far recently. The outside is fraught with chill and dew; the inside warmth protects, staying inside will nourish and strengthen your vitality."
Lin Shanshan's expression slightly changed.
Shen Lingshu then divined for Lin Bufan, his demeanor grave, he said in a deep voice, "Sect Leader Lin, your fate is filled with wealth and honor, yet stillness brings unease, action turns luck. As yin and yang flow through the universe, prolonged stillness will be followed by movement. If you do not act now, disaster will be inevitable, and the rise and fall of success or failure will hinge on a single thought. Action will bring good fortune and protect the foundation of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, conforming with the will of the heavens."
In other words, trouble descends from heaven while one sits idle at home.
This instantly touched Lin Bufan's heart, and he cast a glance toward Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo: ...
Finally, Shen Lingshu looked towards Zhu Xuanji, tossed his divination tools, and found his answer, "Fellow Daoist Zhu, you are destined for a life of toil. Remarkable talents are yours, yet it is through difficulty that great achievements are formed. Effort brings success, and your future accomplishments will be prominent, but this journey requires endurance, success or failure depends on the minutest details. Behind honor, there must be an utmost patient heart, to not defy the heavenly way."
After divining for everyone, Shen Lingshu silently recited a mysterious mantra, gathering his energy for a long time before tossing his divination tools again.
The divination tools combined in mid-air forming various patterns, dazzling the onlookers.
Ning Zhuo stared for a while only to feel a sense of dizziness.
In the end, Shen Lingshu gathered his divination tools and looked around, speaking in a low voice, "According to your respective fates, the journey will be smooth with hidden peace, without alarm or danger, with a steady, unstartled course, there will be assistance. But the way of heaven is ever-changing, the rewards may not meet expectations, only by broadening your minds can you seize the opportune moment."
Everyone listened with bated breath.
With full respect, Ning Zhuo complimented, "Senior Shen's divination skills are truly profound and insightful; having witnessed them, I can't help but admire!"
Unexpectedly, Shen Lingshu coldly said, "Young Ning Zhuo, you should know that destiny is fixed, and the secrets of heaven must not be spoken lightly. From now on, stay away from me."
Ning Zhuo: ??
Now that the divination was complete with such results, everyone began to take action.
Lin Bufan originally intended to leave Lin Shanshan on Yuanlai Mountain, but she insisted on going to personally rescue their senior brother Linghu Jiu. Lin Bufan let her be.
Lin Bufan opened a secret mountain path.
This very path was the one Ning Zhuo had used to enter Yuanlai Mountain through the underground caverns.
He was effectively retracing his steps.
The group directly entered the Array-in-Array; a sea of fog shrouded everything in sight, limiting their vision.
Lin Bufan used his skills, waving his sleeves; the fog seemed to boil and quickly thinned.
Just as a gate started to emerge from the fog, a lean figure with a long sword pierced through the mist, approaching the group.
It was Linghu Jiu.
"Master and esteemed guests, please pause a moment," Linghu Jiu said with an easy smile, then suddenly pointed his sword at Ning Zhuo, "Allow me to challenge one of you first!"
"Ning Zhuo, how about trying your hand in a match with me?"
"Brother Linghu, why do you say that?" Ning Zhuo's face changed slightly, puzzled, "The misunderstanding with your sect has been resolved."
Linghu Jiu just smiled and shook his head.
Lin Bufan stroked his beard, suddenly saying, "No, you are not Jiu'er, you are just a reflection of him."
"Linghu Jiu" nodded, candidly admitting, "My true self has been led away, to a deeper place. My reflection is left here for one purpose."
Saying so, he turned his gaze towards Ning Zhuo, intensely eager for battle.
Ning Zhuo remained puzzled, indicating that Linghu Jiu would never give such an order and would never treat him like this.
Shen Lingshu suddenly said, "I see, this is what it meant by being led away."
Ning Zhuo made an 'ah' sound, feeling that Shen Lingshu, the great divining cultivator, seemed to be targeting him.
Zhu Xuanji urged, "Then let's make it quick, Ning Zhuo, fight him."
Lin Shanshan covered her mouth and smiled, "Suddenly, to witness a fight between our senior brother and Young Master Ning Zhuo, even if it's not the senior brother himself, it's really something to look forward to."
She was very annoyed by Ning Zhuo's behavior and hoped inwardly for "Linghu Jiu" to give that smug boy a proper lesson.
Lin Shanshan's attitude made Lin Bufan's opinion quite clear without saying more.
Ning Jiufan stroked his beard, "Little Zhuo, go and fight! Let everyone witness the grace of the men from the Northern Land, the Ning Family!"
Ning Zhuo showed a bitter smile; Ning Jiufan had great faith in him, but he knew well that Linghu Jiu was not simple, even able to detect the Life Hanging Divine Power, he must be concealing much!
"Warfare is fraught with danger..." Ning Zhuo still harbored hope, not wanting to engage in battle rashly.
At that moment, the voice of the Five Elements God Master reached everyone's ears, "Young Ning Zhuo, quickly fight Linghu Jiu!"
"I've made a bet with Brother Lonely."
"If you lose, don't bother coming in!"
Ning Zhuo: ?!