: Spirit Contract Treasure Refining Array

2025-05-24 Author: Gu Zhenren

Seeing the girl confess her feelings to him like this, Ning Zhuo's eye twitched. His first reaction was to turn around and leave!

Trouble.

Big trouble had come knocking on its own.

Ning Zhuo observed her expression. Although Qing Chi was looking at him with a pleading, miserable expression, he detected a hint of spirited determination between her brows. He suppressed the impulse to slam the door shut.

He was deeply worried that such an action might provoke her into a frenzy—pounding on the door, even shouting, "Open up! Open up! You have the nerve to betray your promise, to become a male consort, then have the nerve to open this door!" That kind of scenario.

If it came to that, it would be even more troublesome.

Ning Zhuo's eyes darted around, quickly surveying the area. He'd already noticed many people nearby were aware of the situation, with even more covert glances directed their way.

Ning Zhuo decided to stabilize the girl in front of him first.

He sighed softly and said to Qing Chi, "Qing Chi, stop making a scene."

"Even if things don't work out between us, we still have the bond of fellow villagers."

"I will give you a proper explanation."

Qing Chi immediately urged him, "Then explain! Go on, I'm listening."

Seeing her emotions trending towards greater agitation, Ning Zhuo quickly shook his head. "No, no, now is not the right time. There are many things I cannot say in public."

"Fine," Qing Chi said immediately, "Let's talk inside!"

Ning Zhuo didn't dare let her in and continued blocking the doorway. "I'll send you a message. It's not appropriate to talk here, this is the Virility Court, after all."

"Perhaps, when it's convenient for both of us, we can set a time and place to properly clarify things."

Qing Chi widened her eyes and said urgently, "I'm free now. When are you free? How about tonight?"

Ning Zhuo sighed bitterly. "Unfortunately, I've reached a bottleneck in my cultivation and need to focus on breaking through. Qing Chi, you wouldn't want to hinder my cultivation, right?"

Qing Chi nodded repeatedly. "Of course not. How do you plan to break through? I can help you. Let's talk inside!"

Ning Zhuo quickly waved his hands, politely refusing, and strongly insisted that Qing Chi leave first.

After several rounds of verbal exchange, Qing Chi, finding herself blocked at every turn, looked at Ning Zhuo with a mix of dejection and subtle resentment. "Xiao Ma, I can go. But before I leave, I want to hear you call me Qing Qing one more time."

Ning Zhuo felt his scalp go numb. He glanced around and had no choice but to transmit his voice directly to her mind: "Qing Qing."

Only then did Qing Chi seem somewhat satisfied. She left full of reluctance. "Xiao Ma, it hasn't been that long, but talking to you feels like talking to a stranger. I know you've been through a lot. I'll go, but don't forget to message me and set a time!"

"Okay, okay." Ning Zhuo finally managed to send the girl away, expending considerable effort.

He closed the door, let out a heavy sigh, and felt thoroughly exhausted.

Sun Lingtong, however, had watched the whole drama unfold via the Thread of Human Life and giggled in Ning Zhuo's mind, "Xiao Zhuo, why didn't you let her in to talk properly?"

"Tsk tsk, hurting her feelings like that really isn't good."

Ning Zhuo retorted irritably, "I'm not the real Jiao Ma. I can't bring myself to deceive her like that."

"Besides, this matter isn't that simple."

Sun Lingtong was momentarily taken aback, then understood Ning Zhuo's meaning.

He immediately frowned. "Right! Her father, Qing Yan, didn't want you two to continue associating. He even gave you a heavy gift to sever ties."

"The Jiao family is counting on you to climb up and establish a closer relationship with the City Lord. They naturally wouldn't tell Qing Chi your location."

"But Qing Chi not only found the Virility Court, she found your residence directly, without even having to ask around. Remember, you just moved here recently!"

"This likely means someone with ulterior motives quietly told Qing Chi."

"Someone is scheming against you, Xiao Zhuo!"

"Could it be a spy?"

Ning Zhuo shook his head. "Not sure."

"Let me think about how to handle this!"

He clasped his hands behind his back and paced around the room. After just one lap, he had an idea.

He immediately wrote letters, not to Qing Chi, but to the Jiao Family Head and Qing Yan.

The letters explained the situation of Qing Chi actively seeking him out but did not instruct them on what to do. These two would naturally know exactly what to do.

Ning Zhuo looked over the two letters, thought for a moment, then tore up the one intended for Qing Yan.

Then, at the end of the letter to the Jiao Family Head, he added a section asking the Family Head to write to Qing Yan and explain the situation.

Not long after sending the messages, there was another knock at the door.

Ning Zhuo's heart jumped a little every time he heard knocking now.

Both the Jiao Family Head and Qing Chi had come knocking, and both spelled trouble for Ning Zhuo.

Who was it this time?

Ning Zhuo opened the door to see an old acquaintance.

The visitor was burly with a thick beard—it was Yang Weida, whom he'd traveled into the city with.

Yang Weida saw Ning Zhuo and said, "Jiao Ma, you need to be careful! Your current situation is very dangerous!"

Ning Zhuo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Yang Weida looked past Ning Zhuo's shoulder into the room. "Let's talk inside."

Why did everyone want to talk inside?

However, Yang Weida wasn't the Family Head or a lovesick girl. After a moment's thought, Ning Zhuo let him in.

Yang Weida said, "I happened to see Qing Chi come looking for you. You were smart not to let her in."

"You need to understand, both of us are male consorts, meant to serve the City Lord of White Paper."

"If you're fooling around outside, having illicit affairs, that's a major taboo!"

Ning Zhuo nodded. "I've considered that point."

Yang Weida said, "No, you haven't considered enough. Have you considered that you might have been set up?"

"Qing Chi's arrival is too coincidental!"

Ning Zhuo immediately frowned, pretending to be shocked. "Ah, really? Who would want to harm me?"

Yang Weida: "Plenty of people."

"Jiao Ma, you're new to the Virility Court. You don't understand the dynamics here."

"I entered the court a bit earlier than you and found out that there are three most influential male consorts here. They are Shen Bing, Chen Sui, and Sun Tiesheng."

"Shen Bing is a local from the Yin Soul Black Marsh Wetlands. He's the youngest son of a pearl farming family. In his childhood, he obtained a mermaid pearl, which allowed him to step into cultivation. He has an ice spiritual root and primarily cultivates the Extreme Cold Art."

"Chen Sui is from out of town. During a locust plague in his childhood, his parents traded him for grain. He was eventually sold into White Paper Immortal City. He's been here for over twenty years."

"Sun Tiesheng is a citizen of White Paper Immortal City, the illegitimate son of a blacksmith, and this blacksmith is an important member of the Sun family, a major clan within the city."

Yang Weida gave a brief introduction.

Ning Zhuo frowned even deeper. "So, you're saying that even though I haven't been here long, I've already incurred the suspicion and schemes of these three?"

Yang Weida nodded. "Jiao Ma, don't underestimate yourself. your family's primary cultivation technique is famous throughout the wetlands. Plus, your clever performance when you were falsely accused has already caught the City Lord's eye."

"Given some time to develop, you would inevitably become their strongest competitor."

"I understand." Ning Zhuo nodded, cupped his hands towards Yang Weida in thanks, and said, "I will be careful."

After saying his piece, seeing that Ning Zhuo seemed ready to see him out, Yang Weida hurriedly said, "Jiao Ma, although I'm from out of town, I came with you. We're on the same side."

"I'll be frank with you. I came to propose an alliance."

"With these three above us, how can we distinguish ourselves?"

"Jiao Ma, you're being suppressed as soon as you arrive. What will you do in the future?"

Ning Zhuo frowned thoughtfully, then looked at Yang Weida and said, "What you say makes sense. Given our close relationship, of course we can join forces."

"But what can you do to help me?"

Yang Weida smiled.

Ning Zhuo immediately waved his hand. "Don't mention the virility ointment. You know the higher-ups have distributed more virility pills."

Yang Weida's smile froze, then he gritted his teeth and said, "Although I'm just an ordinary traveling merchant, my elder brother is no ordinary person."

"My brother is Yang Sanyan, a Golden Core True Disciple of the Myriad Forms Sect, and a member of the Evil-Slaying Hall!"

"This ghost tide is powerful. Even if White Paper Immortal City offers heavy rewards for cultivators from surrounding towns and villages to come to the city to help, it will be difficult to resolve the current predicament."

"So, it's very likely they will seek external aid. They've done this several times before."

"And the primary target for aid is the Myriad Forms Sect!"

"When that time comes, if I can distinguish myself by your side, I'll be better able to leverage my brother's influence to do many things."

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and look Yang Weida up and down.

He hadn't expected this person to also have such a connection to the Myriad Forms Sect.

*'My mother is a Myriad Forms Sect True Disciple, Wen Ruan Yu is one too, and now his brother Yang Sanyan is also... Are there that many Golden Core True Disciples in the Myriad Forms Sect?'*

In the span of a few breaths, thoughts raced through Ning Zhuo's mind.

He said to Yang Weida, "A Golden Core True Disciple of the Myriad Forms Sect, that's impressive!"

"An alliance is no problem."

"But I'll be upfront with you: I have no intention of relying on the status of a male consort to make my mark."

"My relationship with Qing Chi... there are indeed unresolved feelings!"

"I personally have no desire to gain the City Lord's favor through virility. I'm only doing this due to my family's interests and orders."

"Once we get through this ghost tide, everything will need rebuilding, and Qing Chi and I might find a new opportunity."

Yang Weida exclaimed, "Ah..." hesitantly, "This..."

"That's why, back at the Hidden Yang Residence, I didn't fully exert myself. Instead, I exchanged for many spirit foods and focused on soul cultivation," Ning Zhuo said.

Yang Weida's expression shifted slightly as he recalled that this was indeed the case.

Ning Zhuo began to see him out. "I need to continue my cultivation, so let's end the conversation here. We can contact each other later about subsequent matters."

Yang Weida had no choice but to leave Ning Zhuo's residence first.

Sun Lingtong was puzzled and asked privately, "Xiao Zhuo, what exactly are you thinking?"

"You clearly don't want to be involved with Qing Chi, so why say that to Yang Weida?"

Ning Zhuo: "Remember the ointment Yang Weida sold us?"

Sun Lingtong: "Right, the mechanism ring warned us it was problematic. But Yang Weida himself probably isn't the issue."

"Based on what we knew before, he was suspected of being the 'Savior'. So, he was investigated even before entering the city."

"The Mournful Music Serene Musicians must have checked him thoroughly."

Ning Zhuo nodded. "If I were the Forgotten River Prefect Lord or the City Overthrow Alliance, I wouldn't send a spy posing as a traveling merchant at this juncture either."

"But that doesn't mean Yang Weda is above suspicion in other aspects."

As he said this, Ning Zhuo's gaze turned profound.

Sun Lingtong exclaimed in realization, "You think Yang Weida might be behind this? He secretly leaked the information, letting Qing Chi find you?"

Ning Zhuo nodded slightly. "As a fellow villager, Yang Weida naturally knows more about the relationship between Jiao Ma and Qing Chi than others."

"He also deeply understands the potency of the Jiao family's primary cultivation technique."

"If he wants to use my strength to counter those three, employing this scheme to force me into an alliance with him is entirely possible."

Sun Lingtong finally understood why Ning Zhuo's attitude seemed inconsistent.

As the saying goes, speak human language to humans, ghost language to ghosts.

Sun Lingtong frowned. "Then the situation is quite complex. Who exactly is scheming against you? Yang Weida? The three he mentioned? Or a spy?"

"A spy would also have strong motives to target you."

"First, my previous identity as Iron Weight was your attendant and witnessed the spy's attempt to assassinate Golden Yangzi."

"Second, you were noticed by the City Lord's avatar and appointed to investigate the spy. Even though you disguised yourself as Wen Ruan Yu's assistant, that identity alone is enough for the spy to target you."

Ning Zhuo smiled slightly. "I already have an idea."

He proactively contacted Wen Ruan Yu.

"I've thought of a plan that might lure the spy into making another move," Ning Zhuo said to Wen Ruan Yu straight away.

Wen Ruan Yu's eyes lit up. He had also been devising plans these past few days and had many ideas. He immediately said, "I'm all ears."

Ning Zhuo briefly outlined his plan, causing Wen Ruan Yu to frown and fall silent.

Seeing the doubt beneath Wen Ruan Yu's expression, Ning Zhuo proactively addressed it: "You feel this plan is too simple and direct, don't you?"

Wen Ruan Yu nodded. "That is indeed my impression."

Ning Zhuo smiled slightly and convinced him with just one sentence: "A plan only needs to work. The great path is simple. More complex plans are harder to execute and contain more variables. This is an overt stratagem! Even if the spy hesitates, would the Forgotten River Prefect Lord's forces, once they mobilize, sit back and do nothing?"

Wen Ruan Yu clapped his hands and laughed. "Exactly! Young Master Jiao Ma, you've thought it through! Let's proceed with this plan."

And so, that very night, the Virility Court implemented a lockdown and announced an important matter—the Virility Court would deploy the Spirit Contract Treasure Refining Array.

This formation was quite classic. It could lower the requirements for a treasure to acknowledge a master and reduce the difficulty of refinement, allowing a treasure to acknowledge a master faster.

And the sole target of the Treasure Refining Array was the Golden Swallow Fork.

Whoever refined the Golden Swallow Fork could activate the vast yang energy within, allowing the City Lord's true body to recover and resolve White Paper Immortal City's crisis.

The male consort who accomplished this would naturally achieve a monumental feat and rise to a high position in one step!

The Virility Court distributed formation flags, allowing each male consort to occupy a formation node, fully release their yang energy, and compete for the identity of the treasure's master.

The night passed.

Early morning.

The court was in an uproar.

"Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"

Shen Bing was dead.

(End of )