: That's Just How the Righteous Path Is

Ning Zhuo's courtyard.

A pair of mechanical arms, like ice crystals, were translucent and exquisitely clear, with soft, elegant curves. The ten fingers were slender and delicate, smooth and well-rounded. The talismans on the palms and backs of the hands resembled ice flowers, emanating an aura of chill and sanctity.

These were precisely the mechanical components—the Floating Ice White Jade Hands.

Natural Talent—Jade-like Ice Hands!

Frigid air enveloped the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yaoyin, rapidly freezing her solid.

To enhance the power, Ning Zhuo activated a temporary formation. At the heart of the formation was the Icy Heart Jade Pot! This was something he had specifically borrowed from Ning Jiufan.

With the combined boost from the Jade-like Ice Hands and the Icy Heart Jade Pot, the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yaoyin, was frozen inside a massive block of ice, and the dents and other damages on her body quickly repaired themselves.

A moment later, the ice block shattered and melted away. The Buddhist Physician, Meng Yaoyin, stood up, motionless.

"How did it go?" Sun Lingtong, who had been helping to maintain the formation, stepped forward, his face full of tension.

Ning Zhuo carefully examined the Buddhist Physician mechanism. He saw that a trace of purple light still lingered within Meng Yaoyin's spiritual essence, and the surface of her golden core was also patterned with cloud-like flowers, rich with purple hues.

He slowly shook his head.

Sun Lingtong couldn't help but sigh.

Ning Zhuo, in turn, comforted him, "Boss, this result is something we anticipated long ago, isn't it?"

"My mother was a Golden Core cultivator in her lifetime. Even after death, transformed into a puppet, she could still repel Zhu Xuanji head-on. She was certainly extraordinary."

"If even she fell because of these injuries, how could we possibly expect to resolve the ailment that took her life using just one magic treasure and a single Natural Talent? It's nearly impossible."

Sun Lingtong nodded. "True. If it were that easy, your mother would have probably taken action long ago, snatched the Icy Heart Jade Pot from Ning Jiufan, and healed herself."

"No." Ning Zhuo shook his head. "My mother was a righteous path cultivator. How could she rob others without reason? She would have definitely traded or borrowed it through a deal with our clan's ancestor."

Sun Lingtong: "..."

He couldn't help but think to himself, "Based on your mother's actions in the Molten Immortal Palace, she didn't seem like a good person."

However, he understood Ning Zhuo very well.

In Ning Zhuo's heart, his mother was naturally unique!

So, Sun Lingtong said, "Oh," and agreed, "You're right."

Ning Zhuo looked at Sun Lingtong, his eyes filled with apology. "Boss, I'm sorry. I've hidden many things from you. I..."

Sun Lingtong looked at Ning Zhuo in surprise, then waved his hand. "Haven't you already apologized? It doesn't matter!"

He chuckled, resting his hands behind his head. "To be honest, I never imagined that the reason I got injured back then was because of your mother. And that's why you saved me."

"Your mother struck really hard!"

"But there was a reason for it. Who told me to snoop around near your home?"

"No wonder, at the critical moment in the fight for the Immortal Palace, I was bewitched by fate and felt hatred and disgust toward you."

On the day Ning Zhuo yielded the position of Immortal Palace Master to Meng Kui, he had secretly confided everything to Sun Lingtong.

After hearing it all, Sun Lingtong finally understood. He was so angry he shouted, "You brat, you hid so much from me! I was worried about you for nothing!"

Seeing Ning Zhuo's sincere expression and the way he stared at him eagerly, what else could Sun Lingtong do?

Of course, forgive him!

Now, hearing Ning Zhuo apologize again, Sun Lingtong instead comforted him. "It's nothing, all these are trivial matters."

"I was the one who repeatedly insisted that you keep your secrets and not let me know."

"You did great, Xiao Zhuo."

"Secret deeds are easy to do; open deeds are hard to accomplish. The reason for your success is precisely because you hid things well, right? It's because you could even keep me in the dark that you, despite your weak cultivation, could ultimately take everyone by surprise and seize the greatest victory."

"Such an excellent habit—you must keep it up!"

Ning Zhuo quickly assured him that he would definitely continue to maintain it and praised Sun Lingtong for teaching him well.

Sun Lingtong proudly put his hands on his hips, chuckling and scolding, "You brat, do you think flattering me will make me happy?"

He had nurtured Ning Zhuo; one could say he practically raised him.

This experience and feeling of being like an elder brother, even a father, left him without a trace of jealousy. He genuinely felt proud and gratified by any achievement Ning Zhuo made.

At that moment, Ning Chen arrived outside the door to report that the Zheng family's clan lands had been formally transferred.

Sun Lingtong straightened his expression. "Alright, it's time for me to handle some proper business. I'll go with Yang Chanyu and sweep through the Zheng clan lands again to see if we can find any hidden vaults. Whatever flaws we discover, I'll report back to you."

Originally, when Ning Zhuo made the agreement with Meng Kui and Zhu Xuanji, they had divided up the Zheng family.

According to the terms of the agreement, the Zheng family's clan lands would be transferred to Ning Zhuo, becoming the clan lands of the Ning family branch!

Sun Lingtong left quietly.

On the surface, Ning Zhuo had already cut ties with Sun Lingtong and the Bukong Sect. So, it was necessary to avoid suspicion where appropriate.

This state of separation was thanks to Zhu Xuanji's guarantee, which made it widely accepted.

Even at the final moment, it was the "Admission Standard" that seized the Immortal Palace once, letting people like Book Gentleman know the information. In their view, the "Admission Standard" was Sun Lingtong; they wouldn't think it involved Ning Zhuo.

Moreover, many Golden Core cultivators remained in the Transfer Secret Pavilion. Even when people like Chi Dun and Zhou Nongying arrived, they were wary of the Great Serpent Scythe's ferocity and didn't transmit into the main hall through the gate.

This provided a huge premise for the private agreement and secrecy maintenance among Ning Zhuo and the other two.

Of course, there were still loopholes.

For example, when Meng Kui blew off the main hall's roof, the situation inside might have been detected by outsiders.

But this actually wasn't important at all!

So what if they found out?

All three involved parties had negotiated and jointly acknowledged it. Who would the public believe?

Even if the public didn't believe Ning Zhuo, wouldn't they believe the City Lord's Manor? Even if they didn't believe the City Lord's Manor, wouldn't they believe the Royal Family's Divine Constable, Zhu Xuanji?

And even if they didn't believe any of them, so what?

Could it affect the cooperation among the three parties?

When Sun Lingtong met up with Yang Chanyu, concealed their presence, and arrived at the Zheng clan lands, they正好 saw Ning Yong and others replacing the name plaque.

The plaque on the Zheng family's gate was taken down, replaced by one bearing the name "Ning Family."

This scene sparked intense discussion among the passersby at the gate.

"It's changed, it's changed! They really replaced it with the Ning family's plaque!"

The related rumors had been deliberately spread by Ning Zhuo's arrangement.

"I heard this is the clan land for the Ning family branch. You know what? The branch family head is actually Ning Zhuo!"

"Ning Zhuo? That name sounds familiar."

"He's a genius of the Ning family, very young, only sixteen years old!"

"What's the situation? How much cultivation can a sixteen-year-old have?"

"Only mid-level Qi Refining."

"With that level of cultivation, he can be a clan head? What's his background?"

"Just an ordinary branch line member, bullied for over ten years. You've probably heard about the conflicts between the Ning family's main and branch lines, right?"

"Then how can he qualify as clan head? Even if it's just a branch family head? It doesn't make sense!"

"You don't get it, do you? This is a clever move by the Ning family. The Zheng family was wiped out, leaving this prime clan land vacant. The Ning family wanted to claim it, but they already have their own clan land—they had no legitimate reason."

"So, they created a branch family? Using that as a reason to occupy this prime asset? That makes sense! So, Ning Zhuo is actually a puppet figurehead?"

"Exactly, you've got insight to figure that out. Wasn't it the same when Ning Zhuo was previously nominated to be the Black Market Lord?"

"Then why didn't the Zhou family create a branch family like this?"

"Tch, they were just a step too late, didn't react in time, and let the Ning family seize the initiative. The Zhou family cultivators are all quite rigid, as you know!"

The passersby immersed themselves in such exchanges, commenting as if they had it all figured out.

What they called "seeing through the truth" was actually just self-righteousness, far removed from the facts.

The real division of interests was much more cruel and cold than what low-level cultivators imagined. Much of the information spread outside was deliberately whitewashed by high-level cultivators.

Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu worked together, secretly searching the area several times but found no hidden vaults. However, they did discover many flaws in the formation and other areas.

Some were old, longstanding issues, while others were newly added.

Clearly, the City Lord's Manor hadn't been honest before handing over the land and had made many underhanded adjustments.

All these were reported to Ning Zhuo.

The clan land's formation needed redesigning, and the various flaws needed fixing. Ning Zhuo knew he was about to establish his own family. Anyway, his true combat strength was already exposed, so acting强硬 would garner more respect and wariness rather than inviting further encroachment from excessive greed.

The greatest advantage of the Zheng clan lands lay in their smelting and forging facilities, which were the best in the Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

Even the City Lord's Manor couldn't compare in this aspect!

On the Zheng clan lands, Ning Zhuo presided over a public memorial ceremony.

He recited the eulogy, so moved that his voice choked with tears: "The heavens shed tears, the wind and clouds lose color. Today, we gather here to mourn our sacrificed clansmen."

"...Ning Xiaoren, Ning Ze, Ning Xiangguo..."

"In life, you were wise and brave, virtuous and noble, shining in all directions, bringing prosperity to the family and peace to the neighborhood."

"Alas! Today you return to the earth, your heroic spirits descend to the underworld... May your souls in heaven rest in peace, protecting your descendants, sheltering the Ning family to enjoy eternal peace!"

After Ning Zhuo finished reciting, everyone in the hall was deeply moved.

Amidst the sea of white mourning clothes, crying gradually arose, and sorrowful music played loudly.

"My husband, my son!" Wang Lan was extremely grief-stricken, crying until she fainted.

Ning Zhuo was greatly alarmed. He personally attended to her, extremely anxious, personally performing acupressure and blood circulation for Wang Lan, feeding her elixirs, and reviving her. Such pure filial piety moved everyone profoundly.

Many clansmen who were unaware of the truth felt a strong sense of identification with him. Even if this branch family head's cultivation was currently low, it didn't matter! Such a benevolent, respectful, and filial person couldn't be bad!

"Ning Chen, quickly help my aunt to the rear courtyard to rest for now."

Ning Zhuo specifically chose a large residence within the Zheng clan lands for Wang Lan to live in.

After handling matters properly, he continued presiding over the memorial ceremony.

Once the main ceremony ended, he actively condoled with Ning Xiangguo's family and publicly gifted them many spirit stones.

He recalled Ning Xiangguo's various contributions in the black market, recounting them in detail, moving Ning Xiangqian and others deeply. They felt that everything they had done was seen by Ning Zhuo. That made it all worth it!

Hidden nearby, Yang Chanyu leaned against a wall corner, her face full of scorn. "Rest in peace? Weren't these people killed by him? Can they rest in peace?"

"Hypocrite! You little brother, you're too hypocritical," Yang Chanyu said disdainfully.

Sun Lingtong, sitting on the wall top also hidden, rolled his eyes at her words. "What do you know? That's just how the righteous path is."

(End of )