: Setting Off

"Ning... Zhuo?" Qing Chi chewed over the two characters, her gaze fixed intently on Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo sighed softly and slowly walked up to her.

The tense and wary ghost girl, as Ning Zhuo approached, followed a sudden and powerful surge of emotion within her, voluntarily lowering the wooden stick in her hand.

Ning Zhuo reached out, gently took Qing Chi's hand, and led her away from the corner.

He guided her to sit on the edge of the bed and gestured for the others to find seats as well.

Qing Chi stared blankly at Ning Zhuo, not saying a word.

Turning to her with a guilty heart, Ning Zhuo said, "I know you have many questions. It's alright, I'll tell you everything."

He began from the start, recounting how he stumbled upon the battle in the river, accidentally took on the role of Jiao Ma, and was then misunderstood by Qing Yan.

Then, entering White Paper City and, through conversations with the City Lord, realizing he might be the savior.

After that, following his mother's plans and顺应天命, gathering the power needed to thwart the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's century-long scheme.

Finally, taking a risky gamble, surviving multiple life-and-death situations, and narrowly emerging victorious!

After hearing his story, the group was filled with a mix of awe, sorrow, respect, and melancholy, all swirling into countless感慨, leaving them speechless and dazed.

Qing Chi shook her head. "I don't remember anything. But... I feel that what you're saying is true."

Her eyes were already red, tears streaming down her face.

The ghost girl pressed a hand to her chest. "When I heard about Jiao Ma's death, my heart instantly tightened, as if pierced by thousands of iron needles."

"And when I heard that my... father Qing Yan died protecting us by detonating his golden core, endless grief nearly suffocated me!"

"So, my feelings for you aren't real? Just because I mistakenly thought you were Jiao Ma all along?"

Ning Zhuo nodded, instinctively averting his gaze, unable to meet her eyes, but then mustering his courage to apologize sincerely, "The state you're in now is largely my responsibility. I'm sorry!"

Qing Chi looked conflicted. "Should... I hate you?"

She shook her head again. "I still feel that you are the closest person to me in this world! That feeling makes it impossible for me to hate you."

"I can sense... your sincerity."

"And as you said, this whole situation started with the River of Forgetfulness Prefect. We are merely pawns in the unfolding of Yang Heaven's fate, a tribulation directed at him. We were all caught up in it; it's not entirely your fault."

"The Qing family was always meant to protect our home. Since we took advantage of Heaven's design to build a cultivation army and gained such great benefits, it's only natural we pay a price. How can one enjoy gains without付出 in this world?"

"However, you must assure me that you didn't kill Jiao Ma, and that my father wasn't deliberately set up by you."

Ning Zhuo immediately raised his hand and swore an oath in front of everyone.

Qing Chi shook her head. "We need to make a divine contract before I can believe you."

The amnesiac Qing Chi showed a严谨 and清醒 side.

Ning Zhuo nodded and agreed without hesitation. "No problem."

They didn't have a divine contract on hand, but that was fine; White Paper Immortal City surely had some. Such contracts were commonly used in transactions and weren't rare at all.

After temporarily安抚好 Qing Chi, Ning Zhuo turned to the others. "Once the contracts arrive, I'll make agreements with all of you too."

"Everything I just said, the truth about White Paper Immortal City's ghost tide, must not be revealed."

"At least for now, we absolutely cannot透露 a word to anyone!"

This was also specifically mentioned in the message left by Buddhist Physician Meng Yaoyin in the jade slip.

Mainly because the matter was too significant. Although true, Ning Zhuo was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and attracting too much attention would bring many troubles.

Especially since Ning Zhuo was about to head to the main sect of Ten Thousand Forms Sect to participate in the upcoming Flying Cloud Assembly.

Ning Zhuo needed this opportunity to enter the cave abode his mother had left behind, retrieve her遗物, and use them to treat Meng Yaoyin. So, he had no desire to complicate matters.

Previously, the Qing-Jiao Army had already formed an alliance with the White Paper City Lord, becoming one of the two decisive forces in the Yin Tide Black Marsh.

Ning Zhuo was also the deputy city lord of White Paper Immortal City.

Add to that the factor of the Ten Thousand Forms Sect...

All these ensured that once Ning Zhuo's request was sent, it received high-level attention from White Paper Immortal City.

A day later, over a dozen contracts were gathered and quickly delivered to the祭典军营.

Along with the contracts came Chef Lao.

Chef Lao was skilled in dark cuisine, a spirit chef from the壮阳院, whose spirit food had greatly helped Ning Zhuo enhance his soul foundation.

He had once nearly been executed publicly, saved only because of Ning Zhuo.

To him, Ning Zhuo was his savior!

"Young Master Ning Zhuo, the City Lord's avatar personally informed me of your identity and story."

"I heard you'll soon be setting off for Flying Cloud Country to attend the Flying Cloud Assembly. This old man厚颜 comes to seek a future with you!"

Chef Lao arrived with his luggage,主动投靠 Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo didn't hesitate and agreed immediately. "Having you, Chef Lao, to assist me is truly a joy. How could I turn away such talent?"

In truth, he understood Chef Lao's intention the moment he saw him.

The White Paper City Lord had once saved Chef Lao's life. Before, when the City Lord's avatar, knowing Chef Lao was冤枉, went to the prison and asked him to confess to stabilize morale, Chef Lao agreed!

It was Ning Zhuo's intervention that saved Chef Lao from having to seek death.

Ning Zhuo held great好感 for Chef Lao's知恩图报, even at the cost of his own life.

More importantly, Ning Zhuo immediately grasped the White Paper City Lord's intention.

By特意 informing Chef Lao and促成 his投奔, she undoubtedly had political motives.

"From her perspective, she doesn't know about the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's century-long scheme or his decisive defeat, nor that he urgently needs to recuperate and won't target White Paper City Lord again soon."

"Due to external pressures, she still hopes to cooperate with me. On one hand, to utilize the Qing-Jiao Army's strength for defense; on the other, because I can provide her with the most suitable Yang energy."

This relates to the Yin-Yang Unified Qi Pot.

Ning Zhuo's decision to keep this treasure secret至今, never exposing it, benefited him immensely now.

"Precisely because the White Paper City Lord still needs our side, she formed an alliance. Sending Chef Lao is a gesture of goodwill and also positions him as a link between us, a key联络人."

Though only sixteen or seventeen, Ning Zhuo was wise and mature beyond his years, his political skills honed by life in Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

Reflecting on it, he silently praised the White Paper City Lord's choice of candidate—it was truly well chosen!

Throughout White Paper Immortal City, who could be more suitable than Chef Lao to act as an intermediary between the two sides?

Ning Zhuo used up all the contracts that very day.

With over a dozen contracts signed, everyone's hearts were further settled.

Qing Chi stared at Ning Zhuo, her expression复杂. "Now, I can trust you."

Ning Zhuo looked at her, then scanned the others present, especially the Qing family cultivators. "Everyone has seen my sincerity."

"My mother left a message in the jade slip, advising me to bring Miss Qing Chi on this journey."

"She has divination abilities and said that if Miss Qing Chi stays here, she might face mortal danger. Coming with me, however, will lead to非凡提升."

"Everyone, I swear on my honor that I will take good care of Miss Qing Chi and do my utmost to help her regain her strength and grow rapidly!"

"This is what I owe her."

"Please, Miss Qing Chi, and all of you, give me this chance to make amends!"

Saying this, Ning Zhuo stood up, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply to Qing Chi and the others.

Qing Chi sat呆呆地, staring at Ning Zhuo, clearly moved.

Qing An and the other核心高层 hurriedly stood up, not daring to accept Ning Zhuo's礼.

"How could we trouble Young Master Ning with such a grand gesture!"

"You truly shame us."

"If not for Young Master Ning's多次维护 on the battlefield, we would have perished long ago!"

"Our Qing family's current status is largely thanks to Young Master Ning's一路提拔. We are not ungrateful people."

"Now, with the divine contract signed, even without it... wouldn't we trust Young Master Ning's character?"

Qing An and the others all expressed agreement.

This was within Ning Zhuo's expectations!

First, Ning Zhuo's combat prowess was extremely strong, as they had witnessed firsthand.

Second, Ning Zhuo had a powerful background. He was the deputy city lord of White Paper Immortal City, supported by the Ten Thousand Forms Sect.

Third, Ning Zhuo was indeed the heroic youth who saved White Paper City Lord and thwarted the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's century-long scheme! This煊赫战绩 had already earned him崇拜 throughout the Qing-Jiao Army.

Fourth, Meng Yaoyin's past acts of kindness and sacrifice, along with Wen Ruan Yu's promotion by erecting a giant paper effigy, had long earned the respect and affection of the cultivators in the Yin Tide Black Marsh and all of White Paper Immortal City. Who was Ning Zhuo? He was Meng Yaoyin's son! Thus, the trust the cultivators had in Ning Zhuo had a strong先天基础.

Ning Zhuo finally looked at Qing Chi. "Miss Qing Chi, what are your thoughts?"

Qing Chi gazed into Ning Zhuo's eyes, remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

The amnesiac ghost girl was沉静得过分, no longer as lively as before, which pained Ning Zhuo's heart and strengthened his resolve to treat her well.

His assurances to the Qing family were not false; they came straight from his肺腑.

After successfully persuading Qing Chi and the others, Ning Zhuo immediately made arrangements to depart early the next morning.

"So soon?" Jiao Ma's birth father was surprised, his face full of挽留之意.

Ning Zhuo shook his head. "With Luo Si here to manage things, I'm very放心. Besides, I need to attend the Flying Cloud Assembly; the sooner I go, the better."

"Delaying until now has already made me somewhat焦躁."

Ning Zhuo's威望 ensured everyone accepted the arrangement without further persuasion.

On the day of departure, Wen Ruan Yu also came to join them.

Having served in White Paper Immortal City for a long time, and with such major events occurring, it had been a while since he returned to his sect. It was appropriate for him to go back and report.

As for Yang San Yan, he temporarily took over Wen Ruan Yu's position, stationed at the Ten Thousand Forms Sect outpost in White Paper Immortal City.

This arrangement had another consideration: Yang San Yan had a强硬性情 and, relying on his talent, could achieve Nascent Soul-level combat power.

This would greatly facilitate his efforts to secure benefits for the Ten Thousand Forms Sect later.

White Paper Immortal City, having suffered heavy losses in the great battle, left behind many利益空白地带. Especially since the Soul Devouring Sect had secretly allied with the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's side this time, leading the White Paper City Lord to directly eliminate their outpost in the city.

Wen Ruan Yu, having been stationed in White Paper Immortal City for so long, had complex and close interpersonal relationships. During such times of利益分配, it wasn't suitable for him to confront others.

Yang San Yan was just right for the task.

Setting aside the博弈暗流 of the new round of利益瓜分 in White Paper Immortal City, Ning Zhuo led everyone onto the Ten Thousand Li Roaming Dragon.

The group marveled in惊叹.

Even Wen Ruan Yu, a Golden Core true传, teased Ning Zhuo about his wealth, having such a奢侈品.

Sun Ling Tong gave everyone a tour, while Ning Zhuo assigned cabins.

The Ten Thousand Li Roaming Dragon had numerous cabins, though most basic facilities still needed construction. With a few extra people, there was still绰绰有余 space.

After just two days of travel, the Ten Thousand Li Roaming Dragon returned to the Yang world.

Ning Zhuo and Wen Ruan Yu disembarked and walked towards the Prefect's Iron Stele Pass.

This was the border of Flying Cloud Country.

On the horizon stood a hundred-mile-long black iron wall, the characters "Iron Stele Pass" carved deeply on the battlements as if by axe and knife.

The wall was cast from Spell-Devouring Iron, difficult for ordinary Nascent Souls to breach. The battlements were embedded with three thousand Armor-Piercing Crossbows, their巨大 arrows gleaming coldly.

The garrison commander was a one-eyed veteran, extremely稳重 and谨慎. He verified Wen Ruan Yu's identity several times before finally confirming it.

The massive gate of the stronghold opened, and the commander let them in.

Once inside, Wen and Ning didn't linger, directly using the pass's teleportation array.

Wen Ruan Yu didn't need to pay the teleportation fee, while Ning Zhuo paid a large sum of spirit stones.

The array纹 lit up with a rumble from the earth veins, the formation喷涌出 a pillar of紫黑 light. Within the light pillar, Wen and Ning gradually vanished.

In Nine Palaces Immortal City, a teleportation array lit up and then dimmed just as quickly.

Wen and Ning slowly stepped out of the array.

They had crossed nearly a hundred thousand miles to reach a majestic city.

The city's layout was clearly arranged according to the Nine Palaces formation, with nine hundred and ninety-nine floating black towers in the sky emitting faint玄光.

Neither Wen nor Ning had the闲情逸致 to tour the city.

They went to another teleportation array, where Wen Ruan Yu出面 expressed their request to go to the main mountain gate of the Ten Thousand Forms Sect.

The responsible cultivator told them, "You two are in luck. This batch of cultivators waiting for teleportation has been here for three days. Now, there are正好 two spots left."

Teleporting from here to the main mountain gate of the Ten Thousand Forms Sect was far more than a million miles. Thus, the cost was extremely high.

Coincidentally, the Flying Cloud Assembly was well-known throughout Flying Cloud Country. Many cultivators were heading to the main mountain gate of the Ten Thousand Forms Sect at this time, seeking opportunities.

Wen and Ning joined the group and set off immediately.

The array erupted with thunderous light, golden lightning shot into the sky, piercing through the heavens into the void.

Ning Zhuo didn't know how long it took, only that his vision was filled with golden brilliance, even with his eyes tightly closed.

When he felt solid ground under his feet again, he had reached his destination.

Leaving the hall housing the teleportation array, Ning Zhuo followed the crowd on foot to a square.

"Ten Thousand Forms Sect!" Wen Ruan Yu's expression was复杂, filled with both振奋 and怀念.

The fellow travelers were already exclaiming in惊叹, excitedly praising and discussing.

(End of )