: A Crack in the Bud

Author: Gu Zhenren

Date: 2024-07-31

Ning Zhuo asked, "What are the names of you three?"

The Monkey Head Gang leader was about to answer when Ning Zhuo waved his hand. "Never mind, no need for such trouble," he said. "I'll give each of you a code name. If you die, your successors will still be called by that code name."

Pointing at the Monkey Head Gang leader with a gaze that carried a heavy sense of superiority, Ning Zhuo declared, "You will be called Monkey Head."

The Monkey Head Gang leader gritted his teeth but forced a smile, expressing his gratitude. "Yes! Thank you, sir, for bestowing this code name upon me."

Ning Zhuo then pointed at the Crane Beak Gang leader. "From now on, you will be called Crane Head."

The Crane Beak Gang leader opened his mouth, wanting to say, "I came here to negotiate with you. Our Crane Beak Gang hasn't surrendered yet! We'll only surrender if the terms are right!" But under the circumstances, he could only scream these words in his heart, unable to voice them aloud.

After a few silent breaths, the Crane Beak Gang leader lowered his head and bowed, responding, "Yes."

Ning Zhuo then turned to the Turtle Breath Gang leader. "As for you, you will be called Turtle..."

The Turtle Breath Gang leader's face changed!

"Turtle Shell!" he interjected before Ning Zhuo could finish. "Sir, my childhood name is Turtle Shell. Hearing you call me that feels like coming home and seeing my elders. You are fully qualified to call me that!"

"Hmm..." Ning Zhuo fell silent, pondering.

The Turtle Breath Gang leader's heartbeat quickened slightly. He hurriedly added, "Sir Ning Zhuo, our gang possesses much evidence of Feng Heizi's smuggling and trafficking of forbidden captives. Turtle Shell requests permission to go personally. Feng Heizi will have no choice but to comply."

"In that case," Ning Zhuo waved his hand, "you may go. But if you fail to recruit Feng Heizi, you will be held accountable."

"Yes, sir," the Turtle Breath Gang leader replied, turning to leave swiftly. His hurried steps lacked any of his earlier composure, giving off a sense of urgency.

Ning Zhuo then looked at the Crane Beak Gang leader. "Most of the questionable medicinal herbs are ordered through your gang. Can you use that connection to invite him?"

The Crane Beak Gang leader was startled. How did Ning Zhuo know about this secret business dealings? He quickly nodded. "This subordinate will do my best."

Ning Zhuo then turned to the Monkey Head Gang leader.

The latter promptly said, "Monkey Head awaits your orders, sir!"

Ning Zhuo instructed, "Go find the One-Armed Artisan. He has a fiery temper and loves crafting self-destructing artifacts. He lost his arm to one of his own explosions. Talk to him carefully—do not use force. He despises threats, so remember to be gentle! Use whatever means necessary to make him acknowledge my control over the black market and resume his business. Without his self-destructing artifacts, the black market loses much of its appeal."

The Monkey Head Gang leader clasped his fists. "This subordinate understands!"

After issuing these three commands, Ning Zhuo summoned a cloud to envelop himself and quietly began cultivating.

"He really doesn’t waste a single moment!" the Ning family Foundation Establishment cultivators whispered among themselves, deeply impressed.

From the start of the operation, Ning Zhuo had repeatedly surpassed their expectations. His performance tonight, in particular, made the Ning family members feel that he was confident, composed, strategic, and fully in control of the situation.

Time passed gradually.

The three gang leaders soon returned with good news.

The Crane Beak Gang leader was the first to succeed. "Uncleaned," a lazy alchemist who disliked trouble, didn’t care about the change in black market leadership and continued selling his pills as usual.

The Turtle Breath Gang leader achieved the second success. His results were far more significant—through a combination of threats and incentives, he forced Feng Heizi to sign a contract, fully integrating him into their ranks.

The last to return was the Monkey Head Gang leader, who came back disheveled and injured. Persuading the One-Armed Artisan had been difficult. The artisan, sensing the chaos in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, had been planning to move to another city and was already packing.

Despite the Monkey Head Gang leader’s pleas and even offering his personal assets as incentives, he failed. Finally, he risked provoking the artisan into a fight. The One-Armed Artisan won but became particularly fond of the mechanical explosive monkeys the gang leader used. These monkeys could self-destruct with considerable power, which the artisan already knew. What he didn’t know was that Ning Zhuo had created them. Learning that Ning Zhuo now controlled the black market, the artisan’s favorability soared, and he decided to stay.

By the time morning light illuminated the city, the black market welcomed a new day.

The fall of the Viper Gang, the joint announcement by the Monkey Head, Crane Beak, and Turtle Breath Gangs, and the simultaneous market reopening by Feng Heizi, the One-Armed Artisan, and "Uncleaned" shocked everyone, leaving them full of doubt and suspicion. "How did the black market change so drastically overnight?" "What happened last night?!"

Rumors spread like wildfire. "They say a young master from the Ning family stepped in to avenge his friend Yuan Er, subdued the Monkey Head Gang, and took over the black market in the process."

At the city lord’s manor, Fei Si began handling official duties. Since the recruitment order was issued, foreign cultivators had been pouring into Fire Persimmon Immortal City. The restrictions on Fire Persimmon Mountain’s peak were lifted, and under Fei Si’s arrangements, it returned to its former bustling state before the immortal palace’s appearance. The city guard’s presence was merely for show, as cultivators flocked to the Lava Immortal Palace to try their luck. Most lacked the required mechanical skills and could only watch enviously, while a lucky few met the standards and explored the palace, becoming the objects of envy and jealousy.

Business in Fire Persimmon Immortal City boomed, but public order deteriorated rapidly, with increasing incidents of crime and chaos. Fei Si’s responsibilities grew heavier.

The upheaval in the black market significantly impacted the city’s dynamics. A report on the matter was placed third in priority, requiring Fei Si’s immediate attention. After reading it, Fei Si smiled in pleasant surprise. "What a remarkable kid! To achieve this overnight!"

Ning Zhuo’s first challenge in meddling with the black market wasn’t the three gangs or three lone experts but the city lord’s manor. Sun Lingtong had managed the black market only after establishing ties with Fei Si and sharing profits, gaining the manor’s tacit approval. Ning Zhuo had sent a secret letter to Fei Si in advance via Chen Cha.

When Fei Si read the letter, he recalled Ning Zhuo’s ambitious eyes. "So similar! Just like me in my youth." Ning Zhuo’s impressive performances with the mechanical monkeys and Yuan Dasheng had left a deep impression on Fei Si, who held him in high regard.

"I was also once unappreciated," Fei Si mused. "I climbed step by step through study and constant risk-taking. The Fei Si of yesterday is the Ning Zhuo of today. Why not give such an outstanding young man a boost?"

Even after Ning Zhuo returned to his family, Fei Si, despite his busy schedule, kept a covert eye on him. Watching Ning Zhuo’s rising status within the family brought Fei Si genuine joy. In his view, no one understood Ning Zhuo’s character better than he did. He eagerly anticipated Ning Zhuo’s ascent, as it would validate his own life philosophy and success. Moreover, the higher Ning Zhuo climbed, the more Fei Si stood to benefit from their relationship.

"Climb," Fei Si thought. "Higher and higher. When the Meng family takes control of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, you’ll lead the Ning family. Wouldn’t that be perfect?"

Ning Zhuo’s talent convinced Fei Si of his great potential and investment value. Thus, when Ning Zhuo sought permission to unify the black market, Fei Si agreed without hesitation.

"I just didn’t expect you to succeed overnight. How intriguing and brilliant." Fei Si admired how Ning Zhuo used the Ning family’s Foundation Establishment cultivators to intimidate the underworld without leaving any evidence. By coercing the Monkey Head Gang into spearheading the operation, he destabilized the black market, turning the gang into compliant pawns despite their heavy losses. Ning Zhuo’s precise recruitment of key figures ensured maximum efficiency.

As Fei Si silently praised him, Chen Cha arrived with another secret letter from Ning Zhuo. Fei Si opened it to find Ning Zhuo offering 50% of the black market’s profits to him. This gesture delighted Fei Si, who laughed heartily for the first time in days.

"Fifty percent is too much. Thirty will suffice. As for the black market, you may control it only for a limited time. Manage it well during this period—don’t cause trouble for me to clean up! When the time comes, you must let go. Prepare accordingly before then."

Fei Si replied with a secret letter and carefully stored Ning Zhuo’s original message. These were evidence, crucial for controlling Ning Zhuo in the future. Just as the Monkey Head Gang leader handed evidence to Ning Zhuo, Ning Zhuo willingly left a handle to gain Fei Si’s trust.

When Fei Si’s secret letter reached Ning Zhuo, he remained expressionless, his heart calm. He had anticipated Fei Si’s attitude and thoughts.

"Fire Persimmon Immortal City’s four major powers—the city lord’s manor, the Zhou family, the Zheng family, and the Ning family—cooperate and compete, maintaining a balance of power. The black market is one of the buffer zones in their power struggles. It can be managed by Sun Lingtong but must not be controlled by any of the four factions, even behind the scenes or through proxies."

Ning Zhuo’s success was due to the unique timing. "On one hand, the influx of foreign cultivators under the recruitment order makes a stable black market beneficial for the entire city and all four powers. Sun Lingtong’s sudden downfall left them no time to agree on a suitable replacement. On the other hand, although I’m from the Ning family, I’m from a branch family with irreconcilable conflicts with the main family! Fei Si is happy to see me succeed, while the Zhou and Zheng families hope to see the Ning family weakened internally. They’ll support me in establishing a separate power base. Thus, when I intervene in the black market, they’ll all think it’s a great idea."

"Once the situation changes—when foreign cultivators stop arriving and the city returns to normal—their need for the black market will diminish. If I control it for too long or show signs of aligning with the main family, raising concerns among the other three powers, they’ll quickly expel me."

Ning Zhuo knew his control of the black market was temporary.

"It doesn’t matter! My goal is the Lava Immortal Palace. Once I obtain it and become its master, what does it matter if I abandon the black market? At this critical moment, I need to showcase my abilities, rally the branch family, and thwart the main family’s schemes. The black market is perfect for that."

Ning Zhuo smiled faintly, feeling a sense of overarching control and strategic mastery. "This feeling… this sense of control… Ah, how wonderful!"

For a moment, he was deeply immersed in this blissful sensation.

Simultaneously, in his upper dantian’s sea of consciousness, the bud of the Life Threads supernatural ability trembled slightly, cracking open. The change in the supernatural ability’s nascent form immediately caught Ning Zhuo’s attention, filling him with joy.

"Excellent! I can sense that the next change will be a qualitative leap—the bud will fully bloom. By then, I will truly master a supernatural ability: Life Threads!"

(End of )