**: Nurturing the Enemy**

Under the price list, many detailed rules were written in smaller characters.

For example, the deeper one went into the underground ore vein, the more spirit stones were required, and the allowed time became shorter.

Also, for instance, any ore dug up by cultivators could not be privately hoarded; it all had to be presented upon exiting the mine for inspection. Jade Steel Town would take fifty percent, leaving the other half for the cultivator.

"Ah Zhuo, look here, just as you predicted," Sun Lingtong transmitted his voice to Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo stopped studying the price list and turned to look, spotting the wanted notice for that demonic black tiger.

On the notice, the black tiger snarled, thick blood dripping from between its teeth. The painter was quite skilled, capturing the unique aura of this demon.

"Black Wind Tiger Demon," Ning Zhuo murmured softly, reading the name on the wanted poster.

Besides it, there were a few other demonic cultivators that looked quite familiar to Ning Zhuo.

Upon closer inspection, he realized they were members of the group of demonic cultivators he had seen in the valley. They had been particularly fierce and domineering when fighting over the Blood Food, acting as minor leaders under the Black Wind Tiger Demon.

"There's also that human cultivator," Sun Lingtong added; his observational skills were far superior to Ning Zhuo's.

In the valley west of the mountain, there was only one human cultivator, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator used as a servant by the Tiger Demon.

Ning Zhuo followed the direction but was surprised to find that this human cultivator wasn't on the wanted list; instead, there was a missing person notice for him.

The human cultivator was named Shi Sui, proficient in earth-element spells, and was the son of the previous town mayor. After the Black Wind Tiger Demon led its forces to attack the mountain town, killing the previous mayor and many other cultivators, this Shi Sui had gone missing after the battle and hadn't been found since.

Sun Lingtong: "This Tiger Demon was able to assault the town; its combat power is no joke. Shi Sui was probably captured during that battle, imprisoned in the valley west of the mountain. Instead of being killed, he was kept as a servant to attend to the Tiger Demon."

"When we poison the Tiger Demon later, Shi Sui might serve as our inside man. After all, his father died at the hands of the Tiger Demon! I thought he was a human traitor."

Sun Lingtong looked at Ning Zhuo and smiled. "This way, if we kill the Black Wind Tiger Demon, we can also claim a bounty. Not bad, not bad. Should we take the notice now?"

But Ning Zhuo stopped him: "Boss, no rush. Let's go into the town and investigate further."

"Alright, I'll listen to you," Sun Lingtong said.

Since the incident at the Molten Immortal Palace, Sun Lingtong had witnessed Ning Zhuo's strategic prowess firsthand. He knew his own limitations and understood that in terms of schemes and strategies, this junior brother he had nurtured was cunning, deceitful, sinister, and treacherous, far surpassing him.

The two then disguised themselves as rogue cultivators coming to mine, each paid fifty spirit stones, and entered the small town.

The streets inside the town were quite wide, with massive mechanical vehicles moving about.

On both sides of the street stood simple stone houses. The stone houses shimmered with a jade-like luster under the sunlight, clearly made by the cultivators using local materials.

The town was bustling with people, the calls of vendors intertwined with the laughter and noise of the miners.

Many cultivators were bare-chested, their muscles bulging, voices rough, and demeanor bold and unconstrained—clearly body cultivators.

Aside from them, there were mostly metal and earth element cultivators.

These three types of cultivators were relatively suitable for working as miners.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong first found a tea house, ordered a portion of Jade Rhino Beef and three taels of Jade Dew Wine, and listened to the discussions of the other cultivators while eating and drinking.

When the waiter came to serve the dishes, Ning Zhuo even took out some spirit stones and gave them to him as a reward for answering questions.

After some inquiry, the two obtained a lot of information about the mountain town.

For example, the previous mayor, surnamed Shi, was harsh and narrow-minded towards people. If any cultivator was caught trying to smuggle anything out, he would punish them severely immediately upon discovery, never showing leniency.

Also, the current mayor was surnamed Meng, styled Zizhong, and came from the prestigious Meng family of Southern Bean Country, indicating a noble background.

Since taking office, Meng Zizhong had been known for his bold and straightforward style, lax inspections, frequent military drills, and a preference for martial culture. He often led cultivators out of the town to actively sweep the areas around Jade Steel Mountain, clearing out any threatening demon beasts or demon cultivators, fulfilling his duties diligently.

His own powerful strength also provided the townspeople with a sense of security. In terms of reputation, he was much better regarded than the previous mayor.

Sun Lingtong said, "Meng Zizhong comes from the Meng family, which has a strong martial tradition. Judging by his posting of the wanted notice and his continuous search for the Night Wind Tiger Demon, if we take the notice and approach him, he will likely be happy to provide us with detailed information about the demon."

Ning Zhuo, however, pondered for a moment and slightly shook his head. "No rush, boss. Since we're here, let's go take a look at the mines as well."

Sun Lingtong exclaimed, "Ah? Just a hundred low-grade spirit stones... You care about such a pittance?"

Ning Zhuo smiled. "Since I was young, I've never mined like this before."

Sun Lingtong put his hands behind his head. "You, you're still too young. What's so fun about mining?"

Not long after.

The two were mining on the first level of the ore vein.

"Look, look what I found! Such a large piece of Jade Moist Profound Steel," Sun Lingtong boasted.

"Impressive, boss," Ning Zhuo said with a faint smile.

"Look here, I felt something was off about this spot. After chiseling away the jade steel, guess what I found!" Sun Lingtong took out a piece of associated ore, showing it off.

It was a piece of Biluo Stone. The stone had a waxy texture, appearing grayish. It was a classic raw material for colored ink used in the painting arts among the hundred crafts of cultivation.

Ning Zhuo gave a thumbs-up.

Sun Lingtong grinned, rubbed his hands together, and eagerly threw himself back at the ore vein.

His face was almost pressed against the rock surface, his eyes glowing with spiritual light. He was using his innate Spirit Pupils, allowing him to analyze more accurately, see deeper, and discover more and higher-quality ores.

Sun Lingtong dug and dug, completely immersed.

When Ning Zhuo practically had to drag him out, Sun Lingtong was still reluctant to leave. "We haven't used up our time yet. We each paid fifty spirit stones; we should at least get our money's worth."

"Boss, you've already recouped your costs and more," Ning Zhuo transmitted back while going to the overseer and presenting all the ore he had dug up.

The overseer picked out some ore, scanned Ning Zhuo's entire body with a magical tool, and then waved his hand, letting him leave.

Sun Lingtong had secretly hidden many valuable associated ores, only turning in a small amount of Jade Moist Profound Steel ore.

The overseer's tool couldn't detect it, and he also waved his hand, letting Sun Lingtong go.

Ning and Sun walked together on the street.

Ning Zhuo transmitted his voice, sighing with emotion, "Jade Steel Mountain is uniquely endowed; it's incredibly rich in Jade Moist Profound Steel. If one person could occupy this mountain, just relying on it, they could develop, grow, branch out, and establish a large cultivation family."

Sun Lingtong shrugged. "Jade Steel Mountain is good, but it's far inferior compared to the Fire Persimmon Immortal Mountain. It can only support one mountain town, while the resources within Fire Persimmon Mountain can support an entire immortal city."

"The resources within Fire Persimmon Mountain can be said to be endless, cycling perpetually. Every bit mined from Jade Steel Mountain reduces its reserves; it's not sustainable."

Ning Zhuo slightly shook his head. "Boss, you still don't understand what I mean. Let me be clear: I am the head of the Ning family branch. It's pitiful; my branch family has just been established, everything needs to be done. What does having a minor position in the Molten Immortal Palace amount to?"

"We don't have any reliable family assets."

"What do you think about this Jade Steel Mountain?"

Sun Lingtong was stunned, a bit confused about why Ning Zhuo suddenly brought this up.

"Aren't we supposed to be collecting your mother's belongings?"

"Then we found the Black Wind Tiger Demon. Only by eliminating him might we get what we want."

"Why are you now interested in Jade Steel Mountain? What's this all about?"

Ning Zhuo's smile deepened. "It's all part of the same plan."

Seeing that Ning Zhuo was serious, Sun Lingtong started thinking on his behalf. After thinking for a while without any ideas, he felt rather troubled. "This town is guarded by Meng Zizhong. His background is solid. How do you plan to topple him? And how can you get your branch family involved?"

Ning Zhuo's eyes grew profound. "How about this: we fabricate some evidence to prove that Meng Zizhong has secret ties with the Black Wind Tiger Demon."

Sun Lingtong: "You want to frame him? That's highly difficult, not easy to pull off."

"Don't forget the Divine Capture Division's 'Tracing the Source' technique."

Ning Zhuo chuckled. "Boss, I want to give it a try."

Sun Lingtong felt excited. "I already feel this will be very interesting and thrilling."

So, the two left the mountain town and used the Thousand-Mile Wandering Dragon to return to Misty Hidden Mountain.

The mechanical Wandering Dragon burrowed deep into the valley and found the human cultivator Shi Sui in a corner.

Sun Lingtong struck immediately, knocking him unconscious and stuffing him into the Thousand-Mile Wandering Dragon.

Ning and Sun returned to Jade Steel Mountain and released Shi Sui.

Ning Zhuo used his "Human Life Hanging by a Thread" supernatural power, implanting it in Shi Sui.

When Shi Sui woke up, he was extremely shocked to find himself free.

Ning Zhuo seized the opportunity to transmit a message, posing as a recluse expert, telling Shi Sui that he was the one who saved him but, fearing trouble and unwilling to break his reclusive life, had brought Shi Sui to Jade Steel Mountain so he could report to Meng Zizhong.

Shi Sui was overjoyed, immediately kowtowed several times on the spot, and then rushed into Meng Zizhong's residence.

Ignoring the servants trying to stop him, he reached the inner courtyard and shouted loudly.

This alerted Meng Zizhong.

Meng Zizhong led Shi Sui into his study and questioned him carefully.

Shi Sui told him everything he knew, his emotions running high.

Meng Zizhong asked, "Did you really escape on your own?"

Following the "recluse expert's" instructions, Shi Sui did not reveal the expert's identity. He nodded affirmatively, saying he had prepared for many years and finally seized an opportunity a few days ago, running for his life all the way to Jade Steel Mountain to beg Southern Bean Country to uphold justice for him and take revenge!

"Lord Meng, when will you send troops?" Shi Sui asked, full of expectation.

*Thrust.*

A blade pierced through Shi Sui's chest.

Shi Sui was horrified. He looked at the hand on the hilt, then followed the arm up to see Meng Zizhong's face.

"You... you..."

The next moment, Shi Sui died.

Inside the Thousand-Mile Wandering Dragon, this scene was faithfully recorded.

Sun Lingtong was utterly astonished. "What's going on? This Meng Zizhong really has a problem?!"

He sharply turned his head to look at Ning Zhuo. "Brother, how did you know?"

"We were acting together the whole time!"

(End of )