Chapter 790: Chapter 262: The Mandate Changes
After a brief conversation with the Paper Avatar of the White Paper City Lord, Ning Zhuo returned to his residence at Cangyang Villa for a short rest.
He took out the four treasures given by the White Paper City Lord and observed them closely.
The liquor of the Cold Bone Moon Dew Wine appeared a translucent silver-gray. When viewed from the side, its surface shimmered with a layer of pale moonlight.
When the liquor was left untouched for a long term, tiny floating particles resembling bone fragments would condense from it.
Ning Zhuo turned his Mechanical Ring and attempted to take a small sip.
The liquor entered smoothly, as clear as snowmelt. As it went down the throat, it surged with a warmth like that of a hot spring. The aftertaste was filled with the cold fragrance of snow pine and icy mint.
The Nine Springs Resting Incense contained nearly a hundred sticks, each resembling slender, withered branches, with a dark purple surface.
Ning Zhuo snapped off a piece the length of half a fingertip and attempted to light it.
The burning Nine Springs Resting Incense released a straight, thread-like plume of smoke, thin and long. Its scent was akin to decayed soil mixed with the moist chill of white plum.
The ash after burning maintained the complete shape of the incense. With a slight touch to something with Yang Energy, it would immediately transform from ash into droplets of Black Water. At this point, its scent resembled the heavy wood fragrance of a thousand-year coffin.
The Hungry Ghost Retribution Cauldron was taller than a person, a large bronze cauldron with three legs and two handles.
The cauldron body was covered in verdigris, the corrosion forming vague Diagrams of Hundred Ghosts Devouring Each Other. The inner walls had remnants of dried dark green ink traces, and the three cauldron legs were wrapped in a layer of gray bone. The cauldron handles seemed to have a deep brown patina, but on closer inspection, they were layered with countless fingerprint and bite mark imprints.
The last treasure was the “Underworld’s Penal Book.”
It was a book with iron covers and iron pages, quite heavy.
The iron-bound cover was dark as night, cast with black iron hoop patterns revealing faint outlines of the Underworld. The spine embedded with black jade carvings of palace rooftops, appeared solemn in design.
The pages were cold rolled from thousand times forged cold iron, thin as blades, casting a faint green luminescence.
Every page was etched with different punishment illustrations, depicting oil cauldrons, mountains of knives, trees of swords, seas of fire, ice mountains, iron beds, heart excavations, tongue extractions, ox pits, grindstones, saw dissections, stone presses, iron trees, gut wrenches, blood pools, and more.
When opened, the iron pages clashed against each other, producing a sound like the clanging of iron shackles.
Ning Zhuo only needed to touch it with his finger, and his soul would feel different kinds of pain.
“These are all great treasures!” Sun Lingtong was also observing, his eyes shining.
Ning Zhuo nodded slightly and put them all away.
He was not in a hurry to use them, but instead began to ponder about the White Paper City Lord.
Previously, the White Paper City Lord was obviously scheming, simple and direct, which caused both Sun Ning and him to have some grievances and guardedness.
But after their last meeting, Ning Zhuo discovered that the City Lord acted quite openly, speaking frankly.
“She could have secretly kept the Omen Poem and other things from me, but she didn’t, not worried that I might demand more.”
“In fact, her gestures were quite grand and not stingy. Just the Cold Bone Moon Dew Wine alone exceeded my expected limits.”
“She truly has the spirit of a heroine among women.”
“Was it for this reason that my mother cooperated with the White Paper City Lord back then? Did she feel the same way about the City Lord as I do?”
“My mother is truly kind and generous, not even taking on the role of Deputy City Lord… Compared to her, my perspective is much narrower and I can’t achieve such selflessness.”
“Myriad Images Sect… True Disciple…”
A knocking at the door interrupted Ning Zhuo’s thoughts.
The visitor was none other than Wen Ruanyu.
Now Ning Zhuo understood that this person was his mother’s fellow disciple, Meng Yaoyin’s junior, at the Golden Core Level, also a True Disciple.
Myriad Images Sect is a Super Sect, comparable to the Soul Devouring Sect and Bukong Sect. To become a True Disciple of such a power, one must be of at least Golden Core Cultivation Level!
“Here I am.” Ning Zhuo stood up and opened the door.
He was not surprised at Wen Ruanyu’s proactive visit, because the White Paper City Lord had explicitly instructed him to work with Wen Ruanyu for the investigation of traitors among the higher-ups.
Wen Ruanyu saluted him with a smile on his face: “I will fully cooperate with Fellow Daoist Jiao Ma to accomplish this important task!”
Since Ning Zhuo had captured three Golden Core Level Ghost Generals alive, Wen Ruanyu’s attitude and tone towards him had become quite equitable.
This time, he was personally instructed by the White Paper City Lord to assist Ning Zhuo, which made Wen Ruanyu even more humble, implicitly taking on the role of Ning Zhuo’s assistant.
Being a Confucian Cultivator, regardless of his true feelings, his outward attitude was well-positioned and appropriate.
Ning Zhuo returned the salute and used Divine Sense Transmission to tell Wen Ruanyu: Let’s avoid alerting the enemy. It’s best to maintain the cover of Jiao Ma’s identity for as long as possible. In the next actions, I will follow you as Jiao Ma, outwardly appearing as your assistant.
Wen Ruanyu pondered this, finding it a wise and cautious move, which enhanced his evaluation of Ning Zhuo a notch, and he readily agreed.
He asked Ning Zhuo where they should start the investigation.
Ning Zhuo did not hesitate and transmitted to him: “I’ve got a preliminary idea; let’s begin by checking the south of the city.”
Upon reaching the south gate of the city, Ning Zhuo once again saw the Paperman Giant Statue and the numerous cultivators actively tidying up the battlefield.
Ning Zhuo said: “I need to see the arrangements that Senior Meng Yaoyin made back in the day.”
Wen Ruanyu followed Ning Zhuo’s private instructions, first having the other cultivators on site withdraw, leaving the two of them alone, and then activating the array to lead Ning Zhuo into the inner space of the array.
Here, Ning Zhuo saw the true structure of the array, so complex and intricate that it made him dizzy.