**: A Hint of Bloom**

Ning Ze listened quietly, his eyes flickering frequently.

"So that's how it is." Only now did he understand part of the sequence of events.

Ning Ze nodded slowly. "Lan'er, you did well."

Wang Lan said, "Even now, I'm still feeling the aftershock. It was too close a call today. I never thought Xiao Zhuo would actually pull it off!"

"I... I'm not quite sure how to face him now."

"After all, he was the one who got you out and dragged that damned Ning Xiaoren down."

Ning Ze sighed. "That's precisely what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Xiao Zhuo..."

"I misjudged him before. I underestimated him too much."

"Regardless of whether he had guidance from a mastermind behind the scenes this time, just based on his demeanor and composure at the banquet, he is clearly no ordinary talent!"

"In the future, we must stick close to him and support him as much as possible."

"Let Ji'er follow him. They are cousins, after all!"

Wang Lan was shocked. "Huh? Husband, you..."

Ning Ze glared. "Can't you see it? With Xiao Zhuo's reputation and natural talent, he will at least become a Family Elder in the future."

"Didn't you see how the leaders of branch families like Ning Houjun and Ning Youfu personally stepped in to support Xiao Zhuo and show him goodwill?"

"Does Ji'er have such talent? Xiao Zhuo's future is something Ji'er can't compare to. If we have Ji'er follow Xiao Zhuo now, the latter, considering their past ties, might give Ji'er a leg up. Who knows how much hardship and struggle that could save Ji'er?"

Wang Lan was deeply worried. "Husband, aren't you clear about the relationship between Ji'er and Xiao Zhuo? Although they are cousins, they've never gotten along since childhood. Their relationship is anything but good."

Ning Ze shook his head. "You, you... in the end, you're just a woman."

"You haven't seen the bigger picture."

"Let me ask you, what is Xiao Zhuo's relationship with us, as a couple?"

Wang Lan hesitated, then shook her head. "Not close."

Ning Ze snorted coldly. "To be precise, it's quite poor!"

"But this time, he cleared my name and got me out. Why? Is it because he's filial towards us? Remembering our care in raising him?"

Wang Lan blinked, speaking hesitantly. "Although we favored Ji'er more, it's true that we were the ones who raised Xiao Zhuo."

Ning Ze shook his head. "The biggest reason Xiao Zhuo got me out is that he could use me to pull Ning Xiaoren down."

"Another reason is: I am his biological uncle, his closest living relative in this world."

"If he wants to advance, to climb higher, he must have an impeccable moral character. Therefore, he will definitely look after us, precisely because of this blood relation."

"From the banquet just now, I've confirmed it—Xiao Zhuo possesses this understanding, and this magnanimity!"

Wang Lan: "If that's the case, then why do we need to curry favor with Xiao Zhuo? Can't we just live our own lives?"

Ning Ze shook his head again. "Xiao Zhuo wants to treat us well because of our extremely close blood ties."

"By the same logic, the main family lineage will also see us as being aligned with Xiao Zhuo because of this."

"Especially today, when the two of us testified against Ning Xiaoren! This means that even if we're unwilling, we are already seen as Xiao Zhuo's people."

"We and Xiao Zhuo are already tied together. Our fortunes rise and fall together."

Wang Lan's eyes widened. "So that's how it is."

Ning Ze continued, "Since we are already deeply bound to Xiao Zhuo, why not be straightforward about it and fully support him, throw our lot in with him?"

"He has talent and such magnanimity. Attaching ourselves to him isn't a bad thing."

Wang Lan fell into silence.

The young man she once looked down upon had now become someone their whole family needed to curry favor with and rely on.

This was difficult for her to adjust to mentally.

After a long while, she finally nodded slowly, her tone desolate. "Husband, you are right. I... we will go and attach ourselves to Xiao Zhuo."

Ning Ze nodded. "First thing tomorrow morning, I will explain this decision to Ji'er."

Having settled their discussion, the couple went to bed.

***

In Ning Zhuo's cultivation chamber, he was still carrying out today's training.

Amidst layers of floating clouds, blood light radiated from his entire body, condensing into patches of sinewy membranes that covered his entire upper body and parts of his lower body, as if he were clad in light armor made of bloodskin.

The Mirror Platform Spirit Channeling Art had already reached the peak of the sixth layer.

However, both the Demonic Taint Blood Sinew Skill and the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art still had ample room for improvement.

Ning Zhuo focused his efforts on the Demonic Taint Blood Sinew Skill.

Because, according to his reasoning: "This time, I've pulled Ning Xiaoren down. For a while, I'll be a figure of note, the focus of the clan's discussions."

"The main lineage wouldn't be so foolish as to continue withholding my rewards."

"Ning Xiaohui's results are far inferior to mine. The likelihood of me obtaining the Ice Jade Wine is very high!"

Ning Zhuo planned to use the Ice Jade Wine to boost his法力 cultivation. Therefore, the Demonic Taint Blood Sinew Skill, which had no shortcuts, became his current primary training focus.

The arduous task of refining essence blood concluded.

Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes and let out a turbid breath.

He began to ponder the current situation.

"Today, I brought down Ning Xiaoren, making a name for myself throughout the clan, widely known to all."

"In the coming period, I need to recruit followers, unite as many branch family members as possible, and formally establish my influence."

"This needs to be done quickly, and the sooner the better."

"Once this momentum passes, trying to build influence later will be many times more difficult."

"As for settling accounts with Ning Ze's family, that can be done slowly in the future."

What Sun Lingtong taught him was always to repay kindness and settle grievances.

Ning Zhuo grew up in the Ning family and understood its dynamics inside out.

It was precisely because he understood the contradictions between the main and branch lineages so deeply that he could easily leverage them to help himself oust Ning Xiaoren.

Ning Xiaoren's existence had already hindered Ning Zhuo's progress; he had to be removed.

Ning Zhuo never entertained the idea of leaving the family and rashly cooperating with outsiders.

He was very clear about the value of his identity as a Ning clansman.

His status as a Ning clansman helped him grow up safely and pursue learning and advancement.

If he weren't a Ning, people like Zheng Jian and Zhou Zeshen would have treated Ning Zhuo very differently.

The pressure from Zhu Xuanji's investigation also made Ning Zhuo choose to continue hiding within the family.

After obtaining the nascent divine ability, Thread of Human Life, Ning Zhuo became even more certain that his Ning family identity could not be casually discarded.

This was because once a Thread of Human Life was planted, it could exist long-term. It provided significant benefits to one's fortune, making Ning Zhuo realize the great advantages of gathering more clansmen around him!

"Speaking of Threads of Human Life... I happened to observe today that the Threads of many of my classmates have become thicker and more solid."

"I clearly haven't used the nascent divine ability on them again."

"Could it be because I brought down Ning Xiaoren and gained significant fame, making them more inclined to look to me as their leader?"

His thoughts shifted, and Ning Zhuo considered another key point.

"Has my communication jade slip been transferred from Chen Cha and delivered into Fei Si's hands yet?"

To deal with Ning Xiaoren, Ning Zhuo secretly utilized his connection with Fei Si.

Fei Si had already held Ning Zhuo in some esteem before, and instigating internal conflict within the Ning family benefited the City Lord's faction. Therefore, the likelihood of Fei Si mobilizing the City Lord's agents planted within the Ning family for Ning Zhuo was quite high.

Testing the waters proved successful indeed!

However, the City Lord's faction naturally wouldn't expose key agents to Ning Zhuo because of this. That's why, during the banquet, Ning Zhuo speculated about which among the attending branch family members might be the City Lord's agent.

"The Ning main lineage, branch lineages... and the City Lord's agents..."

"I managed to do all this without even needing to use my Buddha Heart Demon Seal or Thread of Human Life."

"Aren't everyone's desires, the conflicts between groups, the operational rules of orthodox forces, etc., all like strings?"

"I just need to guide them according to the situation, and I can make them act as I want."

"Combining each action together can shape the current situation into what I desire."

"Isn't this another form of 'Moving with the Spirit'?"

Ning Zhuo thought back to when he wanted to strengthen his control over Yuan Dasheng during the Lingdong Stage and continuously took actions that conformed to the spirit's nature.

"The reason for my success this time is that I guided these people by following their own inclinations."

"Thread of Human Life..."

As Ning Zhuo thought this, a spark of insight flashed in his mind.

The spark appeared suddenly, but when Ning Zhuo instinctively tried to grasp it, it vanished.

"Was it my imagination?"

"I seemed to feel the lotus bud of the nascent divine ability tremble just now, as if it opened a tiny crack?"

(End of )