“Wind Chimes!”

In that instant, Zhu Xuanji shuddered.

Once the destiny of a region undergoes a dramatic shift, winds and clouds surge, the heavens and earth change color, forming a vast wave of fortune that influences countless people and factions. If this wave of fortune expands, it will lead to frequent wars and turbulent times.

These wind chimes were bestowed by the sovereign specifically to detect drastic changes in destiny and the influence of fortune.

“The wind chimes are ringing. Is it a natural blossoming of fortune, or is someone practicing sorcery?”

Zhu Xuanji subconsciously looked up towards the summit of Fire Persimmon Mountain.

He had long known about Meng Kui’s divine ability, “Sitting and Observing the Mountain.”

Even though Sun Lingtong was acting so outrageously, Zhu Xuanji would not have backed down. He had many methods to punish such a suspect.

But now, he didn’t want to do it.

Before this trip, the sovereign had specifically instructed him to be wary of changes in destiny and to be careful of Meng Kui.

Zhu Xuanji kept this in mind, knowing that he possessed no treasures to suppress destiny.

Now that the wind chimes had rung, if he continued to be deeply involved in this situation, he would inevitably be affected.

Even if he closed his doors and locked himself away, with destiny entangled and fortune changing, calamity would still strike him out of nowhere.

Zhu Xuanji himself had no means to interfere with destiny.

The best course of action now was to withdraw as soon as possible.

By staying out of the situation, he would not be affected or interfered with.

“I’ll spare you for today, but I’ll be back for you!”

Zhu Xuanji unleashed his magical power, shaking Sun Lingtong away.

He vanished from the spot, leaving the city with extreme speed.

Only when he was hundreds of miles away from Fire Persimmon Mountain did the wind chimes stop ringing.

“Such a small-scale fluctuation of fortune, yet such a drastic change… Meng Kui’s suspicion is even greater.”

“If the field of fortune doesn’t expand afterward, it’s most likely Meng Kui’s ‘Sitting and Observing the Mountain’ divine ability.”

Zhu Xuanji’s expression was gloomy. He immediately decided to rely on the range of the wind chimes to verify his suspicions.

As soon as Zhu Xuanji left, Sun Lingtong stood up.

Sun Lingtong was incredulous. He thought, “He was brushed off that easily?”

On the surface, he spat on the ground, wiped his small face, and yelled at the dumbfounded stall vendor, “See that? Learn from it!”

He looked towards his subordinates and eagerly asked, “Did you record it?”

The subordinate nodded. “It’s all in the jade scroll.”

Sun Lingtong raised his head and laughed three times. “Fantastic! This is the best feat of my life!”

“Come on, spread the word! Say that I, Sun Lingtong, used a Foundation Establishment cultivation base to force back the Golden Core Zhu Xuanji!”

“Hahaha, I’m going to be famous! I’m going to be famous!”

“If anyone questions it, throw the jade scroll in their face!”

“Right, quickly make a dozen, no, hundreds of copies of the jade scroll, and store them in different locations to prevent confiscation!”

Sun Lingtong was experienced. He wanted to establish his reputation first and then use that reputation to put pressure on Zhu Xuanji, in case he came back later.

Zhu Xuanji left the city, and Ning Zhuo entered.

Unlike when he left, Yuan Er had joined Ning Zhuo’s group.

Yuan Er and Ning Zhuo were sitting in a carriage, with Yuan Er’s eyes occasionally glancing at the Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, sitting next to Ning Zhuo.

Their conversation came to an end.

“So that’s how it is!” Ning Zhuo sighed softly.

He understood the whole story.

It turned out that a few days later was the anniversary of Yuan Yi’s death. Yuan Er, as his son, had to sweep his tomb.

Yuan Yi’s burial place had a dozen locations, and the real tomb was in that remote wilderness, the place Yuan Dasheng lost control and was driven to by his emotions.

The other fake tombs were all deliberately arranged by Yuan Yi.

On one hand, it was to prevent others from robbing the tomb for revenge.

On the other hand, it was to use them as bait to attract enemies hiding in the shadows.

After all, there were many methods in the cultivation world to use corpses to curse others.

Yuan Er originally did not want to leave the Monkey Head Gang’s base.

But this was about honoring his ancestor, the founder of the Monkey Head Gang, so he had to act.

The elders of the gang were also urging him to go.

If he didn’t, people with ulterior motives would inevitably spread rumors of his cowardice and lack of filial piety.

This would be a fatal blow to Yuan Er’s already pitiful reputation.

Yuan Er could only obey.

He originally wanted to contact Ning Zhuo to urge him about Yuan Dasheng’s mechanical creation.

But the messengers he sent out disappeared without a trace.

Yuan Er did his best to hide his tracks, and secretly set off several days in advance for the ceremony.

As expected, he encountered an accident on the way.

He was ambushed, and all his followers were killed.

Only he was left.

He subconsciously fled to his father’s burial place, and unexpectedly found a glimmer of hope, encountering the Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng.

Then Yuan Dasheng, under Ning Zhuo’s command, saved him.

“Mr. Ning, this is the mechanical ‘Monkey Uncle’ you made for me, right? It must be!”

Yuan Er couldn’t help but stare at Yuan Dasheng with fervent longing.

“It’s really strong, far surpassing the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage!”

“Mr. Ning, you are a man of your word. I admire you immensely!”

Yuan Er praised him endlessly.

Ning Zhuo smiled and patted the Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, on the arm. “This is only the initial product. Gan Gang helped me create it. My main purpose in going outside the city this time is to find wild beasts and test the power of the Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, in actual combat.”

“Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng…”

Yuan Er savored the name, his eyes shining. He gave a thumbs up.

“Mr. Ning’s mastery of mechanical arts is profound, and his naming skills are extraordinary! It’s fitting, very fitting indeed!”

“Can we make the handover now?”

Ning Zhuo shook his head. “No rush, no rush.”

“Through actual combat with demon beasts and cultivators, I’ve discovered that the Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, still has many areas for improvement!”

“I’ll only hand it over to you after I’ve finished improving it!”

“Anything I, Ning Zhuo, produce must be of the highest quality! I would never hastily deliver a crude and flawed initial product.”

Yuan Er’s eyes widened, and he anxiously said, “But, Mr. Ning…”

“You see, I’m in a very dangerous situation, too dangerous!”

“This time, if it wasn’t for my good luck in running into you, I would have died!”

“Died at the hands of those shameless, insidious, ruthless, and vicious assassins!”

“The key is, you even let some of the assassins go! I… I…”

At this point, Yuan Er was so agitated that he stammered and couldn’t speak.

Ning Zhuo sighed, spread his hands, and offered a perfect explanation. “I couldn’t see the specific scene at the time. I’m only in the Qi Refining stage, not the Foundation Establishment stage. I don’t have divine sense.”

“The Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, relies on my staff-head for control. The staff-head contains my divine will. The setting I applied to it is that it will engage in unlimited combat against any hostile target.”

“So, when some assassins lost their killing intent and fled in a panic, the Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, wouldn’t be triggered and wouldn’t chase after them.”

“If I had been there at the time, I would have eliminated them all.”

Yuan Er blinked repeatedly, his mouth dry. “I also know about the staff-head.”

“To be honest, Mr. Ning, ever since you agreed to create a Foundation Establishment-level mechanical puppet for me, I’ve been scouring the gang’s books, studying related knowledge day and night, and desperately practicing various methods of controlling mechanical creations.”

“If you hand the Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, over to me now, I can definitely use it skillfully. I…”

Ning Zhuo’s face darkened, and he said displeasedly, “Enough, Gang Leader Yuan Er, you don’t need to persuade me any further!”

“This is my principle. I won’t hand it over until I’ve finished improving the Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng!”

“You have to understand that a shoddy product will damage my reputation!”

“I want to walk the path of mechanical arts in the future, so I must cherish my reputation from the very beginning!”

Ning Zhuo spoke righteously, completely forgetting about his previous production of the shoddy mechanical Fiery Monkey.

If Chen Cha heard this, he would surely be greatly relieved, and decide that Ning Zhuo had recognized his mistakes and returned to the right path, a truly fortunate thing.

Yuan Er’s breathing was heavy, and his mouth opened slightly. He had a lot to say, but under Ning Zhuo’s serious expression, he didn’t say it after all.

Although Ning Zhuo was only in the Qi Refining stage, his status was no longer what it used to be.

The mechanical carriage he was riding in, and the guards accompanying him, all made Yuan Er feel the difference in their status.

Ning Zhuo continued to reassure him, “Gang Leader Yuan Er, don’t be too nervous. It’s okay.”

“Now that you’ve entered the city, I’ll take you directly to the gang’s headquarters.”

“You’ve already paid respects to your father. I can vouch for you.”

“You can take advantage of my relationship to severely deter the rebellious elements in the gang. Surely they wouldn’t be so desperate as to let assassins into the gang’s headquarters.”

Yuan Er’s face turned pale. “Yes, they shouldn’t be so impulsive.”

“But the enemies my father and Uncle Dasheng made when they rose to power are different!”

Ning Zhuo immediately retorted, “They can’t get into the gang’s headquarters either. If they could, they would have succeeded in assassinating you long ago, wouldn’t they?”

“After all, in the past, Yuan Dasheng didn’t pay much attention to guarding you, did he?”

A layer of fine sweat appeared on Yuan Er’s forehead. “That seems to be the case. It should be like that.”

“If Mr. Ning could deliver the goods now, that would be the best!”

Yuan Er’s face was full of sorrow, his tone pleading.

Ning Zhuo shook his head mercilessly, refusing again.

In the end, as agreed, he took Yuan Er directly back to the Monkey Head Gang’s headquarters, attracting the attention of countless gang members.

Yuan Er was a little reluctant to get out of the carriage. Under Ning Zhuo’s urging, he reluctantly glanced back at the Tree Martial Fighting Ape, Dasheng, and got out of the carriage with reluctance.

“Let’s go back!”

Ning Zhuo waved his hand, and the team set off again.

Leaving Yuan Er standing there, watching the mechanical carriage disappear from his sight, he moved his leaden feet.

Returning to the empty inner room, his longing for Yuan Dasheng intensified to the extreme, causing him to shed two silent tears.

End of chapter.