: Ning Zhuo's Scheme

Author: Gu Zhenren

Date: 2024-10-13

As the magistrate of Xuancheng, the city lord’s jurisdiction extended beyond just the city itself, encompassing surrounding villages, towns, and numerous sects and families. Naturally, Yugang Mountain fell under his purview.

Despite being a Nascent Soul cultivator and a magistrate with significant authority, almost like a regional governor, he found Golden Core cultivator Meng Zizhong a tricky problem to handle.

In this world, background and influence mattered greatly, even more so in the righteous path than the demonic path. Capturing Meng Zizhong would be easy for the magistrate—he didn’t even need to lift a finger, just issue an order, and Meng Zizhong would submit. The real difficulty lay in Meng Zizhong’s background—the Meng family.

The Meng family was one of the founding clans of the Nandou Kingdom, a pillar of the state. The magistrate, on the other hand, came from a humble background as a rogue cultivator. Though he had a family, they offered little support. In reality, it was his efforts alone that sustained them.

He knew well that even the Zhu royal family had to tread carefully when dealing with a powerful clan like the Mengs, choosing the right methods and timing. How could he, a mere magistrate, act recklessly?

“You want to report Meng Zizhong for harboring bandits? The evidence you have is far from sufficient,” the magistrate shook his head, clearly reluctant to get involved.

Ning Zhuo smiled. “Magistrate, I understand your predicament. Rest assured, I’m not here to make things difficult for you. You only need to report this matter. I believe the Zhu royal family will respond promptly. Once they do, you can simply follow orders.”

“Of course, I could also report directly to Lord Zhu Xuanji. But after some thought, I decided against bypassing the chain of command, as it would show disrespect to you, my superior. Despite my youth, I am the head of the Ning branch family and must lead by example, following the rules.”

The magistrate’s eye twitched slightly. Internally, he grumbled, “You little brat, why don’t you just report it directly? If I didn’t hear or see it, I wouldn’t be in this awkward position!”

He felt utterly helpless. From this brief exchange, he realized Ning Zhuo was not someone to be underestimated. This young man understood the rules of the righteous path all too well. The only prudent approach was to treat him as an equal and a worthy opponent.

“Wait here for a moment. I will go and report this,” the magistrate said, leaving Ning Zhuo outside before returning to his study to relay the case through an emergency channel.

Ning Zhuo stood calmly outside the study, not moving around or showing any signs of unease. From the beginning, he knew the magistrate couldn’t make the final decision and was unreliable. He was merely using this Nascent Soul cultivator as a messenger.

Ning Zhuo’s true reliance was the Zhu royal family.

Of course, even as a messenger, the magistrate was inevitably dragged into the affair. He had no desire to get involved, but there was no avoiding it—it was like disaster falling from the sky while he was minding his own business.

Over the years, the Zhu family, as the royal house, had found it increasingly difficult to maintain control over the Nandou Kingdom. The monarch had carefully selected the magistrate, supporting him to oversee Xuancheng. This had not been easy—it required fierce political maneuvering, alliances, and suppression of rivals to secure the position.

The magistrate was a key asset for the Zhu family in maintaining regional control. His emergency report immediately caught the monarch’s attention.

The matter involving Meng Zizhong might seem minor, but it was actually part of the larger power struggle between the Meng and Zhu families.

“Ning Zhuo again?” the monarch sighed. “As expected of the Child of Calamity—wherever he goes, turmoil follows.”

Frowning, the monarch was reluctant to handle the matter, finding it equally troublesome. Mishandling it could lead to a direct confrontation between the Zhu and Meng families. Although the royal family was stronger, the Nandou Kingdom had other powerful clans like the Su family and other influential ministers. If the Zhu family expended too much strength against the Mengs and revealed weakness, the risks would be even greater.

As the ruler of a nation, the monarch had to assess the situation carefully and avoid underestimating any risks.

“The magistrate cannot be used,” the monarch decided first. She needed to protect this valuable local official and prevent him from being caught in the crossfire between the royal family and the Mengs.

Therefore, the monarch needed to find someone both trustworthy and capable of withstanding potential retaliation from the Meng family. Soon, she thought of the perfect candidate.

Zhu Xuanji sped through the sky like a golden rainbow. “Half a day more, and I’ll reach Qimen Immortal City. Using it as a transit point will significantly shorten the journey back to the capital.”

Just as he was thinking this, his expression shifted slightly as the token in his pocket vibrated. He was close to Qimen Immortal City, so he received the royal family’s urgent order transmitted from there.

“Go to Xuancheng to handle an emergency?” After reading the details, his face darkened. He saw a name he had hoped never to encounter again—Ning Zhuo.

“What is that kid doing in Xuancheng?” he wondered. “Black Wind Tiger Demon, Meng Zizhong…”

Zhu Xuanji quickly understood the royal family’s intention in redirecting him. Sighing, he continued forward—using Qimen Immortal City, he could teleport directly to Xuancheng.

That evening, Zhu Xuanji met Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong in the magistrate’s office. After reviewing the recorded evidence, Zhu Xuanji stated bluntly, “This evidence alone isn’t enough to prove Meng Zizhong’s collusion with the Black Wind Tiger Demon. He could easily claim he sensed killing intent from the cultivator Shi Sui and acted preemptively. There are many other excuses he could use, no matter how far-fetched.”

Sun Lingtong replied, “With a divine constable like you investigating, using your tracing abilities and Golden Eye, surely we can find more evidence and leverage against him.”

Zhu Xuanji frowned but remained silent.

The magistrate shook his head slightly. “The trouble with this matter is precisely finding the evidence! Harboring bandits for personal gain is a serious crime, especially when it involves the death of a former town chief. That’s crossing a line. Without adequate preparation for a full-scale confrontation with the Meng family, we cannot launch such an attack recklessly.”

Such a grave crime would never be admitted by the Meng family, as the consequences would be too severe. Moreover, if the accusations were made public, the Zhu family would be forced to act. Failure to bring the criminal to justice would expose the royal family’s weakness, emboldening other powerful clans to rebel.

In that case, the situation would escalate into an all-out war between the Zhu and Meng families. Even if the Zhu family won, they would likely be severely weakened, allowing other clans to profit from the conflict.

Ning Zhuo smiled, having anticipated this. “The Ning family stands with the Zhu family. If the Zhu and Meng families clash, we will be the first to suffer, especially since Meng Kui is still the current mayor of Huoshi City. This time, we don’t need to accuse Meng Zizhong of harboring bandits. We just need to remove him from power and ensure our people control Yugang Mountain.”

“Meng Zizhong is currently under your command, Magistrate. He’s a liability. Removing him would benefit both you and the royal family, wouldn’t it?”

These words resonated deeply with the magistrate, who glanced at Ning Zhuo with renewed respect.

Zhu Xuanji snorted coldly and pointed at Ning Zhuo. “I knew you already had a plan. Out with it.”

Ning Zhuo then laid out his scheme. The three cultivators listened carefully, with Sun Lingtong exclaiming in admiration and Zhu Xuanji nodding slightly.

The magistrate studied Ning Zhuo once more. He had to admit, this young man left a profound impression. The plan seemed simple, but its understanding and manipulation of human nature were remarkably refined.

At sixteen or seventeen, most youths were naive and impulsive, but Ning Zhuo seemed like a seasoned veteran, well-versed in the intricacies of politics and human deceit, with a depth of cunning that belied his age.

“His talents have yet to be fully revealed… He has a bright future ahead,” the magistrate thought, feeling a slight sense of kinship with Ning Zhuo.

Once the plan was settled, the four of them set it in motion.

A few days later, Meng Zizhong, upon reading the intelligence report, flew into a rage. “Investigate! Find out who started these rumors!”

Rumors were spreading like wildfire, accusing Meng Zizhong of secretly supporting the Black Wind Tiger Demon and being behind the death of the former town chief. The rumors claimed he was harboring bandits for personal gain and plotting treason.

However, despite his efforts to suppress and investigate the rumors, they only grew stronger, spawning even more versions. One rumor even revealed the Black Wind Tiger Demon’s hiding place—Misty Hidden Mountain—terrifying Meng Zizhong.

Not daring to take any chances, he reported the situation to the Meng family, describing the spread of rumors in Yugang Town.

The Meng family immediately became alert, realizing someone was pulling strings behind the scenes. Unable to identify the culprit, they decided to cut their losses to avoid further complications.

Meng Zizhong entered the military camp and began mobilizing the garrison, preparing for battle.

Standing on the command platform, he shouted, “Since taking command here, I have always been diligent and prepared. Through relentless reconnaissance, we have finally discovered the Black Wind Tiger Demon’s hiding place. However, demonic spies in the town are spreading rumors to incite internal strife, delaying our attack and buying time for the demons to escape.”

“Do they think I will fall for such a cheap trick? Today, I will lead you into battle to avenge our losses, eradicate the demons, and restore peace to Yugang Town!”

“Warriors, follow me into battle! Slay the demons and bring about an era of peace!”

The garrison roared in response, their morale soaring. They marched in formation into the teleportation array, which activated repeatedly, transporting them near Misty Hidden Mountain.

The commotion finally reached the Black Wind Tiger Demon and his followers. Enraged, the tiger demon led his band of demonic cultivators out of the valley, charging straight toward the military formation!

(End of )