"Uncle Monkey!" Yuan Er finally reacted, seeing the fallen monkey on the ground, he cried out in alarm.
He rushed to the monkey's side.
The monkey remained motionless.
For a moment, Yuan Er was overwhelmed with grief, tears streaming down his face.
"Who can save Uncle Monkey!"
"Who can save him!?"
"Quick, open the array, open the array, we need a pharmacist, we need a pharmacist!!"
Yuan Er dragged Yuan Dasheng towards the edge of the array, but ended up tearing its arm off.
Yuan Er sat on the ground, dazed, staring blankly at everything before him.
"Open the formation." Zhu Xuanji suddenly appeared beside Fei Si.
Fei Si's heart skipped a beat; he had not detected Zhu Xuanji's Stealth Technique: "Lord Zhu, there is an anomaly, it might be a trick by the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator. Let's remain calm and await..."
Zhu Xuanji stared at him, golden light flashing in his eyes, his expression sharp: "I said, open the array!"
Fei Si's pupils contracted slightly, forcing a smile: "Since the Divine Hunter intends to take action to apprehend the true culprit, I will naturally cooperate."
The array opened.
Zhu Xuanji came to Yuan Er, chanting a spell towards Yuan Dasheng.
Under his treatment, Yuan Dasheng's severed arm was reattached, his injuries stabilized, his heartbeat resumed, and a faint breath of life returned.
"My lord, thank you, my lord!" Yuan Er kowtowed repeatedly to the unfamiliar Golden Core Cultivator, Zhu Xuanji.
Zhu Xuanji sighed softly: "His injuries are too severe. I've done my best, but I can only keep him alive temporarily."
"This is a Late Autumn Life-Saving Pill. Give it to him, and it will preserve his life."
"But from now on, he will be bedridden."
Zhu Xuanji looked at the critically injured Yuan Dasheng, filled with emotion.
He possessed Golden Eyes; others' vision was obscured by the explosion, but he saw everything clearly.
At the moment of the explosion, Yuan Dasheng wanted to use his demon power to defend himself. But he didn't. Instead, he used his mana to protect the Yuan Er in his arms.
He used his own flesh and blood to bear the explosion, willing to sacrifice himself to save Yuan Er!
"He clearly had demon power but didn't use it."
"He was afraid that revealing his demon cultivator identity would cause misunderstandings and attacks, ultimately involving Yuan Er."
"This monkey is truly loyal and righteous."
Zhu Xuanji was deeply moved, which was why he revealed himself and personally saved Yuan Dasheng's life.
"Zhu Xuanji!!!" On the mountainside, Ning Zhuo, who had witnessed Zhu Xuanji save Yuan Dasheng, glared with cold eyes.
"You ruined my plan!" Ning Zhuo gritted his teeth.
He had designed this trap with great difficulty, cleverly leveraging the situation, calculating most people's mindset and reactions, but he hadn't expected Zhu Xuanji to act this way.
"I lacked intel on Zhu Xuanji."
"What to do?"
Because of Zhu Xuanji's intervention, the originally doomed Yuan Dasheng survived.
"Though he looks in a dire state, barely alive, most of his injuries are physical. His soul is intact."
"He could be soul-drawn to the palace."
"If he meets Meng Chong, Zhou Zhu, or Zheng Jian, these three forces will certainly extend a helping hand and actively treat him."
"Damn it, damn it!"
When Zheng Shuanggou heard that Ning Zhuo had designed the Explosive Flame Monkey trap, he immediately showed interest in recruiting him. The four major factions' desire for talented mechanists was evident.
If they found out that Yuan Dasheng could single-handedly pave a way to Room Seven, they would definitely go mad!
"What to do? What should I do?" Ning Zhuo racked his brain, contemplating so hard that his face turned white, and he felt dizzy.
It was too difficult!
Designing such a trap had exhausted all his energy and intelligence.
It was the result of analyzing a massive amount of intelligence and painstaking deliberation over many days.
After all, he was only sixteen!
Fei Si also looked quite displeased.
Just now, Zhu Xuanji had forced him to open the formation, completely disregarding the occasion.
Fei Si, dark-hearted and ruthless, gritted his teeth and swore to himself: He would remember this and repay Zhu Xuanji in the future. Even if Zhu Xuanji was a member of the Divine Hunter Office and the Royal Family, so what?
"We are all part of the Righteous Path and should act according to the rules. Today you embarrassed me. Fine, fine, don't let me catch an opportunity!"
"My lord, Flying Disc Workshop has sent someone to see you." Shortly after, a guard reported.
Soon, Ning Zhuo was brought in.
Fei Si, in a foul mood, snapped: "Boy, you better have something important to say, truly urgent!"
Ning Zhuo smiled and sent a voice transmission: "Lord Fei, that Zhu Xuanji was quite rude. I have a plan that can alleviate your worries."
Fei Si immediately reprimanded: "Lord Zhu is a member of the royal family, a dignified Divine Hunter. What is your status? A mere Qi Refinement cultivator, how dare you call him by name? Such audacity!"
Though he scolded, Fei Si sent the message via voice transmission, not letting a third party hear.
Ning Zhuo chuckled inwardly and continued: "I was reckless. It's just that Zhu Xuanji acted madly in saving that monkey, disregarding our Fire Persimmon Immortal City!"
Seeing Fei Si frown in displeasure, Ning Zhuo quickly added: "My lord, now the whole city knows Zhu Xuanji saved that monkey. He doesn't want the monkey to die. So, what if the monkey dies?"
Fei Si's frown eased, and he pointed at Ning Zhuo: "Boy, you have a heavy heart. Are you worried that the monkey will recover and compete with you for the Fire Persimmon business?"
Ning Zhuo, seeing Fei Si "see through" him, admitted straightforwardly: "Lord Fei is discerning. How could my thoughts escape your Dharma Eye? I never intended to hide anything from you."
Fei Si shook his head: "This is inappropriate. Stop your scheming. If outsiders learn of this, how would they talk? They'll say I am petty and at odds with Lord Zhu. My own reputation doesn't matter, but I fear it will implicate the City Lord and tarnish the name of Fire Persimmon Immortal City."
Ning Zhuo grinned: "I understand, my lord. Rest assured, I won't act personally or leave any evidence. Just give me a single command, and I will do it in such a way... that even if Zhu Xuanji finds fault, he will have no cause to blame."
"Oh?" Fei Si pondered for a moment, realizing there might be some merit in the plan.
He dropped a command token on the ground, saying deliberately: "Oh no, I lost a command token, what should I do?"
Ning Zhuo quickly picked up the token: "My lord, please wait. I'll retrieve it for you."
Ning Zhuo bowed and left.
Fei Si watched his back.
Fei Si sighed to himself: "This boy from the Ning Family has good perception."
Regardless of whether the plan succeeded or not, he found himself appreciating Ning Zhuo more and more.
Ning Zhuo, with the command token, walked faster and faster, heading for the temporary base of the Monkey Head Gang.
The plan was good, but the execution varied.
He didn't know if this journey would succeed, but he had to try, he had to seize every opportunity.
Yuan Dasheng still clung to a thread of life, and Ning Zhuo only had that one thread of hope!
If Yuan Dasheng survived, Ning Zhuo would die.
For Ning Zhuo to live, Yuan Dasheng had to die.
It was a matter of life and death!
Ning Zhuo knew he was taking a risk, but he had no choice.
Among the four major forces and in front of Zhu Xuanji, he was too ordinary, too weak, too alone.
He could only enter the fray personally to kill Yuan Dasheng again!