Ning Xiaoren returned to his reception hall and quickly summoned Ning Ze.
“Co, sit, have so tea.” Ning Xiaoren smiled and invited Ning Ze to sit in the seat beside him.
Ning Ze was puzzled and uncertain, as it was the first ti Ning Xiaoren had treated him so courteously.
He hurriedly expressed, “If there’s anything you need, please instruct your subordinate, and I will handle it.”
Ning Xiaoren pointed to the seat.
Ning Ze, filled with anxiety, sat down.
Ning Xiaoren took a small sip of tea and sighed, “Ning Ze, you've raised a good nephew.”
Ning Ze quickly stood up. “Master, what has Xiao Zhuo done? I will go back and discipline him properly!”
Ning Xiaoren’s eyes widened slightly as he waved his hand three tis. “Sit, sit. Don’t be nervous; this is good news, great news.”
As Ning Xiaoren continued to speak, Ning Ze, who was half-sitting, gradually widened his eyes, and then couldn’t help but open his mouth.
From the mont he left Ning Xiaoren’s reception hall until he returned ho, Ning Ze's face still held an expression of shock.
**Third Layer of Qi Refining Stage, Peak!**
**Astonishing results in the joint test by the three families!**
**On par with geniuses like Ning Xiaohui and Zheng Jian!**
Was this really Ning Zhuo?
Was this still the Ning Zhuo he rembered?
“How did Xiao Zhuo achieve this? Is the Five Elents Qi Regulation Art truly that suitable for his cultivation?”
Curious and puzzled, Ning Ze called for his wife, Wang Lan. “Prepare a family banquet today, and order so Spirit Food from the restaurant.”
Wang Lan asked in confusion, “Spirit Food is expensive. What’s the special occasion today that warrants such a celebration?”
“It’s a family dinner. Invite Xiao Zhuo to the house. Sigh, I haven’t seen him in a long ti,” Ning Ze replied.
Wang Lan’s eyes widened, and she exclaid, “What? Invite Xiao Zhuo to the house for a al? And order Spirit Food? Are you out of your mind?”
Ning Ze sternly replied, “What do you know? This is an order from the Young Clan Leader…”
He briefly recounted what Ning Xiaoren had instructed him to do.
Wang Lan stood in place for a long ti, stunned.
“Xiao Zhuo?”
“Are you sure it’s Xiao Zhuo?!”
Ning Ze snorted, “How could I deceive you? And would the Young Clan Leader lie to ? The joint test of the three families was witnessed by so many people. How could it be fake?”
Wang Lan’s lips moved, as if she wanted to say sothing, but in the end, she said nothing.
Her eyes widened, and her expression beca quite complicated, with disbelief, denial, resentnt, jealousy, and disappointnt all mixed in.
Ning Ze’s face darkened. “What are you thinking? Hurry and make the arrangents!”
Wang Lan replied absentmindedly, “Alright, alright, I’ll handle it.”
She turned to leave, her gaze still blank, her walking posture stiff, as if she was lost in a daze.
With no one around, Ning Ze also let out a long sigh.
He had been sternly ordered by Ning Xiaoren to befriend Ning Zhuo and to try his best to gather so information from him.
Ning Zhuo had grown up to sixteen years old, and this was the first ti Ning Ze had ever humbled himself to invite Ning Zhuo to a banquet.
Ning Ze valued his reputation, and such an order made him feel uncomfortable, as it challenged his dignity as an elder.
But he had no choice.
With a direct order from the Young Clan Leader, he had to comply.
Of course, his rational mind also told him that Ning Zhuo was no longer the sa as before, and building a good relationship with him could be beneficial.
After leaving the Zhou family, many people accompanied Ning Zhuo for a long distance, even though their paths didn’t align.
At the final intersection, Ning Zhuo bid farewell to the others, keeping only Ning Chen and Ning Yong by his side.
When they returned ho, Ning Zhuo invited Ning Chen and Ning Yong inside, offering them tea and exchanging a few words.
Although their ti together was limited and they didn’t converse much, Ning Chen and Ning Yong both felt honored after leaving, their faces glowing with happiness. Along the way, they kept discussing how Ning Zhuo was still humble and sincere, even after gaining fa!
Ning Zhuo waited and finally received an invitation to Ning Ze’s family banquet.
“So, it’s not a summons from the Ning family patriarch, nor even a summons from the Young Clan Leader Ning Xiaoren?”
Ning Zhuo scoffed inwardly but outwardly expressed sincere gratitude to the ssenger, giving a warm smile and assuring him that he would attend the banquet on ti.
The family banquet was lavish!
In his sixteen years, Ning Zhuo had never eaten such fine food at Ning Ze’s house.
Faced with various Spirit Foods, Wang Lan couldn’t eat. During the banquet, she spoke very little, unlike her usual chatterbox self. She hardly looked at Ning Zhuo, as if he radiated a light that would pierce her heart if she dared to glance.
Ning Ji also ate without tasting the food.
For him, everything was happening too suddenly!
Ning Ze maintained a calm deanor, but the air of superiority he had held for sixteen years as an elder wasn’t sothing he could let go of instantly.
Ning Zhuo ate and drank little. Each ti Ning Ze asked a question, he would set down his cup or chopsticks, respond respectfully, but with concise answers, showing no desire to engage in more conversation, keeping a distant attitude.
Ning Ze knew well that he needed to smile, lower his head, and be more amiable.
But until the end of the banquet, when Ning Zhuo left, he hadn’t managed to do so.
Ning Ji quietly followed Ning Zhuo.
He didn’t know why he was doing this.
Perhaps it was the doubt in his heart: “How did he reach the peak of the third layer? It’s so unreasonable!”
“Is it really because the cultivation thod is particularly suitable?”
“No, I have to investigate. He must have so secret!!”
“Following ?” Ning Zhuo had long noticed Ning Ji trailing him, so he deliberately slowed his pace, making it easier for the latter to follow.
Under Ning Ji’s watchful eyes, Ning Zhuo visited many pill shops, purchasing a large number of pills, all for cultivation.
Ning Ji was shocked. “How is he so rich?! Richer than my father?”
“Even though he’s shown his cultivation, the family resources haven’t been distributed to him yet. Even if they had, it wouldn’t be enough for so many Spirit Stones.”
“Illicit gains, his money must be illicit!!”
“I have to report this!”
Ning Ji was overjoyed and hurried ho to report the matter to Ning Ze.
Ning Xiaoren learned of this situation even earlier than Ning Ze. After instructing Ning Ze to befriend Ning Zhuo, he imdiately dispatched a team of cultivators to secretly protect Ning Zhuo. Of course, they were also there to monitor and report on him at all tis.
“Ning Zhuo actually possesses such a huge sum?” Ning Xiaoren couldn’t believe it as he read the list in his hand.
The list detailed the large number of pills Ning Zhuo had purchased.
Ning Xiaoren’s eyes burned with envy as he read. “If I had known Ning Zhuo was so wealthy, I should have gotten closer to him.”
“Did his parents secretly leave it to him?”
“Or is this money illicit, stolen? Or perhaps he’s being secretly funded by demonic cultivators?”
Ning Xiaoren paced back and forth in his study.
As he pondered, the fire of greed in his heart grew ever stronger.
“Ning Zhuo is a branch family mber, now with cultivation on par with Ning Xiaohui. And now he has a huge sum accompanying him…”
“This huge sum has an unclear origin. For the sake of the family, I must investigate thoroughly.”
“Moreover, I don’t need to act personally; I can have Ning Ze handle it. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”
Finally, he stopped in his tracks and shouted toward the door, “Soone, co!”
A servant imdiately entered.
Half an hour later, Ning Ze and Ning Fan led a team of cultivators to surround Ning Zhuo’s small courtyard.
Ning Ze frowned. “Do we really have to do this? It’s too improper.”
Ning Fan replied, “Didn’t the Young Clan Leader give you detailed instructions? Modifying the team concerns the Lava Immortal Palace, a matter of utmost importance. Ning Zhuo’s huge sum indeed has an unclear origin. As his elder, you must take action.”
“The family might still need to rely on Ning Zhuo, and as his relative, you are the most suitable person.”
“Hurry up and do it.”
Ning Ze was from a branch family, while Ning Fan was from the main family. The latter had been specifically sent by Ning Xiaoren to supervise the forr.
Ning Ze sighed and reluctantly knocked on the courtyard door.
Ning Zhuo opened the door, greeted them respectfully, and inquired about their purpose.
“We’ll discuss it inside.” Ning Ze's face was stern as he stepped into the courtyard without waiting for Ning Zhuo to invite him in.
The others followed suit, pushing Ning Zhuo aside toward the door.
anwhile.
The three family patriarchs t secretly again to continue their negotiations.
This ti, they
aid to finalize the distribution of benefits from the three-family alliance.
“This Phoenix Soul Fragrance Pill is very effective in restoring Soul Power. It should be distributed equally among the three families.”
“No,” the Ning family patriarch objected. “Our family has two geniuses, Ning Xiaohui and Ning Zhuo, so we should be adequately supplied. On the other hand, the Zheng family has only one.”
The Zheng family patriarch imdiately snorted, “That Ning Zhuo is rely compatible with the cultivation thod; he has no real talent. How can he be considered a genius? He’s not, not at all!”
Just then, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.
The three patriarchs' pupils shrank, and their hearts trembled.
“Who is it?”
“It’s , Zhu Xuanji!”
“Ah, it’s the great Detective Zhu.” The three patriarchs quickly opened the door and welcod Zhu Xuanji inside.
They had stationed guards outside, but since it was a Golden Core stage cultivator, those defenses were naturally useless.
Zhu Xuanji smiled. “Patriarchs, I have a request.”
Zhu Xuanji had already obtained detailed records from the City Lord, detailing the cultivators who had entered the Lava Immortal Palace over the years.
But these were only the records from the City Lord’s residence.
Zhu Xuanji hoped to obtain the records from the three major families to piece together a more complete version.
The three patriarchs were only Foundation Establishnt stage cultivators, and their alliance against the City Lord’s residence was, to so extent, aligned with the interests of the royal family.
The three patriarchs imdiately sent people to retrieve their records and handed them over to Zhu Xuanji.
Most of the records ca from the Zheng and Zhou families, as the Ning family had only discovered the Lava Immortal Palace this year, so their records were sparse.
Zhu Xuanji glanced at the records, nodding in satisfaction.
As a mber of the royal family, he did not want to see ng Kui and ng Chong take over the Lava Immortal Palace, allowing the ng family’s influence to expand further.
Before leaving, he gave them a piece of advice, “I heard a familiar na on my way here. If you’re talking about Ning Zhuo, it might be worth cultivating this young man.”
“His character needs to be observed, but he does have so talent in chanisms.”
“The chanical Explosive Monkey was designed and created by him.”
The three patriarchs’ eyes widened in shock.
The Ning family patriarch gasped, “What?!”
Zhu Xuanji smiled slightly. “Outwardly, it’s attributed to the Flying Disk Workshop’s owner, Chen Cha, but there’s more to the story, involving Fei Si. If you investigate, you’ll find out.”
Just that one explanation was enough.
Zhu Xuanji waved his hand and disappeared.
Leaving the three patriarchs staring at each other.
Gradually, the Ning family patriarch raised his head slightly, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and a look of joy spread across his face. “Did you two hear that clearly? This was said by Detective Zhu himself!”
The Zhou and Zheng family patriarchs were montarily speechless.
In his joy, the Ning family patriarch had no idea that Ning Zhuo was currently being severely interrogated by his own family.
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