The first to leave was not Ning Zhuo, but Ning Jiufan.
"Ancestor." Ning Zhuo bowed, "On this return to the city, you must be extra cautious and not negligent."
"The Demon Cultivation Technique bestowed by the Royal Family this time, though precious, has yet to be clearly discerned, so let's not let Yuan Lao rashly cultivate it."
"Regarding the struggle for the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Fire Spirit, with its perilous combats and dangerous warfare, any disruption due to improper cultivation practice could lead to grave consequences."
"Our family's methods of restraining Yuan Lao are essentially Official Skills, originating from the Royal Family. If the Demon Cultivation Technique also comes from the Zhu Family, I fear it may be improper."
"Therefore, I take the liberty of offering an advisory, considering that at this time it is best to be prudent, to suspend cultivation for now and to make a determination once the situation is somewhat stable; that would be the best strategy."
Ning Jiufan listened attentively, nodding silently.
Ning Jiufan had long experienced Ning Zhuo's temperament and tact at the Fire Persimmon Immortal City.
At that time, with only his Qi Refining Level, Ning Zhuo planned for over a decade, and managed to play Meng Kui, who was at Nascent Soul Level, easily, securing leverage among the powers of the Ning Family, Zheng Family, Zhou Family, Royal Zhu Family, and the City Lord's Mansion. Each time Ning Jiufan thought of this, he was awed. Had he been in Ning Zhuo's position, he certainly wouldn't have achieved such excellence.
And this visit to the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect had made Ning Jiufan value Ning Zhuo even more!
Ning Zhuo has now far surpassed Ning Jiufan, his ancestor, in the Five Elements Realm.
He possessed mysterious Immortal Aptitude and won the favor and recognition of the Five Elements God Master, receiving the latter's personal transmission of the Five Organs Temple Spirit Divine Skill.
Once again, Ning Zhuo demonstrated his superior interpersonal skills within the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect. His relationship with Lin Shanshan was ambiguous, yet he managed to get along well with Linghu Jiu.
Not to mention, Ning Zhuo had Hua Guzi by his side, who was almost infatuated with him.
About this, Ning Jiufan admired from the bottom of his heart. He felt that even dealing with Yuan Lao on a daily basis was exhausting, requiring his full attention, while Ning Zhuo danced through these difficulties with ease.
Ning Jiufan carefully listened to all of Ning Zhuo's advice.
Ning Zhuo's concern for the situation in Fire Persimmon Immortal City gave Ning Jiufan much comfort, once again realizing that Ning Zhuo was truly devoted to the family.
Regarding the alliance between the Ning, Zhu, and Zhou families to counter the Meng Family surrounding the Lava Fairy Palace, Ning Zhuo still believed that Taiqing Palace remained an unignorable force.
Ning Jiufan handed Ning Zhuo a Jade Slip, "This is intelligence that just arrived yesterday through the courier station."
"Following your suggestion, I sent emissaries to Taiqing Palace seeking cooperation, but we were rejected."
"As you had anticipated, after absorbing members of the Zheng Family, Taiqing Palace also took over some Immortal Palace offices and has designs on this Immortal Palace; they just haven't acted yet."
"Taiqing Palace, having drawn in Zheng Family Cultivators, therefore, spares no courtesy towards our Ning Family."
The reason was simple, the branch of the family that Ning Zhuo controlled had taken over the traditional lands of the Zheng Family, causing deep resentment among Zheng Family Cultivators who bluntly told the emissaries that if they wanted cooperation, the lands must first be returned.
Of course, that was impossible!
The value of the ancestral lands was enormous; they were the foundation upon which the branch family stood. Nowadays, one of the main incomes of the Ning Clan's branch was the processing of Jade Dark Steel. This was thanks to the numerous Artifact Refining Rooms on the Zheng Family lands, which could use the endless Fire Essence of Fire Persimmon Mountain. Also, some Artifact Refining Rooms even surpassed the quality of those in the City Lord's Mansion.
Ning Zhuo frowned, infusing the Jade Slip with his Divine Sense, and as he read through it, his frown slightly eased.
The Jade Slip elaborated on more details. It wasn't just the Ning Family that had sent emissaries, but the Meng and Zhu families as well, to negotiate with Taiqing Palace.
Compared to the Meng and Zhu families, the Ning Family was nothing. No wonder they were overlooked.
The world is full of heroes like carps crossing the river; so many! Clearly, Ning Zhuo was not the only shrewd person to see the bigger picture.
Obviously, other powers had also realized the residual force of the Zheng Family in Taiqing Palace was not to be underestimated.
"Given the Zheng Family's stance, it's very likely they will side with the Meng Family against our clan. But in reality, what we need to consider is the stance of Taiqing Palace."
"Considering the geographical location of Taiqing Palace, they don't border the Meng Family's sphere of influence. From this perspective, accepting the overtures from the Royal Zhu Family is more likely."
"Sigh, I hope the Zhu Family Royal Family can succeed."
Ning Jiufan also had words of caution for Ning Zhuo before leaving.
On one hand, he encouraged Ning Zhuo, telling him that his actions in the Ten Thousand Medicine Valley were correct, and he should strive to enhance his combat strength. Mechanical Artifacts, after all, aren't one's true body; in critical moments, they can't match the swift and Spirit Sensitivity of one's own power.
There is a saying, "a slim thread of hope," and sometimes one's life hangs by such a thread, and a small error could lead to a huge misstep.
On the other hand, Ning Jiufan warned Ning Zhuo that the world is full of dangers, and just because places like the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect are special, one should not underestimate what lies ahead. When traveling the world next, he must be even more careful, for one can never be without caution against others.
"Just as your next destination, Thousand Peak Forest in Liangzhu Country," he said. "The Six Cave Sect entrenched there used to have good relations with our Ning Family, with plenty of business dealings."
"More than a decade ago, when our clan relocated, we hoped to gain support from the Six Cave Sect. Instead, they betrayed us behind our backs, colluding with our enemies, setting up ambushes and traps."
"At that time, our family had left North Wind Country entering Liangzhu Country, exhausted and complacent, thinking we were safe."
"The betrayal from the Six Cave Sect nearly left us for dead."
"But it was as if the heavens would not abandon us; at the brink of extinction, our clan burrowed into the earth, fortuitously finding a way out through the myriad complex tunnels."
"Eventually, our clan followed an underground river, left Liangzhu Country, evaded the enemy's blockades and traps, arriving at Southern Bean Country, which is inside the Ten Thousand Medicine Valley."
"At the time, due to the Six Cave Sect incident, my clan was like frightened birds and alert to every rustle of leaves, seeing enemies in every shadow," said Ning Jiufan. "However, within the Ten Thousand Medicine Valley, we were treated with great hospitality by Lin Bufan."
"This Sect Leader Lin has never been close to our clan, yet he showed such style and generosity. Because of it, everyone in my clan, including myself, has always harbored a feeling of gratitude towards Lin Bufan," he continued.
"On this trip, even though we learned the truth about the past, Sect Leader Lin indeed took good care of my clan members. The feeling of gratitude and desire to repay that kindness still exists," Ning Jiufan said.
At this point, Ning Jiufan's expression turned grave, "Little Zhuo, if you encounter the Six Cave Sect in Liangzhu Country, seize the opportunity to act."
Ning Zhuo immediately picked up on the underlying message in Ning Jiufan's words and nodded, "Great Ancestor, I understand!"
"The Six Cave Sect is the enemy of the Ning Family. If there's a chance, I will surely give them something to remember us by."
"Very good, very good," Ning Jiufan stroked his beard and chuckled, "I still have confidence in your methods and abilities."
"Remember, a gentleman can take revenge after ten years, and a genius can afford to wait a hundred years."
"You have immortal aptitude. The future is yours, and the Ning Family will eventually rely on you. You must not sacrifice the greater good for a small gain, and your own safety should always come first."
"Great Ancestor, I understand," Ning Zhuo smiled. The Six Cave Sect was already a target of his.
This was because, back then, the Ning Family had to leave in haste, and many of their people perished at the hands of the Six Cave Sect, and many of their possessions fell into their hands.
For instance, the mechanical car that Meng Yaoyin was riding in when she was pregnant with Ning Zhuo was one such possession.
Furthermore, as Meng Yaoyin once mentioned, the complications during her pregnancy occurred in the Thousand Peak Forest, during that period.
Ning Jiufan planned to return first to make preparations for welcoming Lin Bufan and others, as well as to visit Yugang Mountain on the way back to show support for the Ning Family's influence there.
With his Golden Core cultivation, making an appearance would greatly benefit the Ning Family's arrangements in Yugang Mountain.
Ning Zhuo asked Ning Jiufan to take Hanzhou along with him and to place him on Yugang Mountain.
Prior to their separation, Ning Zhuo had already made all the necessary arrangements.
Hua Guzi would stay in the Ten Thousand Medicine Valley to coordinate with other Ning Family members like Ning Yong. His main tasks were to guard the Spirit Hidden Willow, maintain close communication with the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, and manage the business between the two parties.
After communicating with Hanzhou, Ning Zhuo persuaded him to teach the Bitter Cold Scripture to his clan members, enticing Hanzhou to go to Yugang Mountain to transmit the technique.
Hanzhou was not only powerful but the Bitter Cold Scripture was also very useful for the Ning Clan's branch family.
"Our branch family has just been established. Even though the business is up and running, we are short of everything."
A large number of disciples from the branches were treated fairly, and their enthusiasm for cultivation was greatly stirred and reached unprecedented heights.
What they lacked were cultivation resources.
In this situation, the Bitter Cold Scripture was a solution to their predicament.
Because practicing the Bitter Cold Scripture required little cost and yielded high gains. And for the Ning Family members on Yugang Mountain, who were mostly miners used to hardship, this was a significant boost to their practice of the Bitter Cold Scripture.
"This cooperation will definitely be a win-win!" Ning Zhuo was confident about this.
As for the family's cultivation techniques, Ning Zhuo also had his own plans.
Now in possession of the Spirit God Technique of the Five Organs Temple and with profound mastery of the Five Elements Realm, he was fully capable of modifying this divine skill to make it more suitable for the current environment.
Ning Zhuo intended to bestow the modified Spirit God Technique of the Five Organs Temple to his close associates in stages.
For instance, Ning Yong, who was about to be stationed in the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, was willing to switch to this improved divine skill.
A day later, Ning Zhuo set off on his journey in secret.
His departure from Linghu Jiu and Lin Shanshan need not be mentioned.
Zhu Xuanji had also looked after him.
Ning Zhuo thanked Zhu Xuanji for his help, and Zhu Xuanji in turn cautioned him, "Since you're going to Liangzhu Country, you need to be careful. Things have been unstable there recently."
"Liangzhu Country has been mustering their army, showing signs of organizing a large force and flying the banner of destroying mountains and temples, aiming to eradicate the Thousand Peak Forest."
Ning Zhuo immediately sensed that Zhu Xuanji had more to say and directly questioned him.
Zhu Xuanji sighed, gazed at the distant sky, and spoke about the national situation.
As it turned out, Liangzhu Country was small and weak, sandwiched between the Southern Bean Country and North Wind Country, and had always been a buffer zone in the conflict between the two nations.
Because the Monarch of Liangzhu Country only had the cultivation of Divinity Transformation, this led to the Southern Bean Country and North Wind Country having significant influence over it.
"Many forces in the north of Liangzhu Country received covert support from the Northern Land Country, which indirectly affected Liangzhu Country's court."
"At the very south end of Liangzhu Country lies Thousand Peak Forest. For a long, this stretch of woods has been the scene of diverse, complicated, and numerous powers, a situation my country wants to maintain."