Here is the translation of the provided Chinese content into English, in a Xianxia novel style:

A wisp of concern lingered in his heart.

Zhu Xuanji departed Ning Zuo’s abode, yet the gaze he cast upon the young cultivator did not waver. A subtle arcane mark, left by Zhu Xuanji himself, clung to Ning Zuo’s very being.

Silently, Zhu Xuanji observed, every action of Ning Zuo after their separation meticulously scrutinized, revealing not a single flaw, not a flicker of deceit.

Zhu Xuanji’s brow furrowed, the unease that had settled within him stubbornly refusing to dissipate. A prior contemplation had yielded a disquieting realization: in every significant event unfolding, the shadow of Ning Zuo seemed to be cast.

Though the true source of this peculiarity remained elusive, a cursory examination of Ning Zuo was a trivial matter, requiring little effort.

“My Golden Gaze talent, perfected over countless years, has been deceived only by a handful of Golden Core cultivators. Can a mere Qi Refining whelp truly hope to fool me?” Zhu Xuanji mused, shaking his head, remembering his recent, intimate examination.

“Passed! He actually passed!” The Draconic Tortoise Fire Spirit shrieked.

Within the grand hall of the Molten Lava Immortal Palace, the Draconic Tortoise Fire Spirit maintained a vigilant watch over Ning Zuo.

When Zhu Xuanji approached Ning Zuo, the Fire Spirit’s eyes had widened in horror, nearly sending it sprawling from its throne, muttering, “It’s over! It’s all over!”

But to its astonishment, Ning Zuo had indeed managed to conceal himself from Zhu Xuanji’s piercing gaze. Even when the Golden Core cultivator had personally probed all three of his Dantian, not a hint of deception was uncovered.

The Draconic Tortoise Fire Spirit erupted in jubilation, leaping and bounding upon its throne.

“He’s done it! He actually passed Zhu Xuanji’s scrutiny!”

“Unbelievable! Utterly unbelievable!”

“He truly has a trick or two up his sleeve!”

“Magnificent! Simply magnificent!”

“Hahahaha…”

The Fire Spirit’s laughter abruptly ceased, the entire entity frozen as if carved from stone.

A wave of embarrassment washed over it.

“Why do I find myself so… elated for Ning Zuo?”

The Draconic Tortoise Fire Spirit exhaled a breath of murky energy, gradually relaxing once more.

“Regardless, Ning Zuo has weathered this storm.”

“Next, he will undoubtedly address the matter of Ning Xiaohui, will he not?”

“He will prevail! He can deceive even Zhu Xuanji, survive even such a perilous crisis.”

“He possesses considerable guile, a mind as sharp as a honed blade.”

“Had I not witnessed it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that a mere Qi Refining cultivator could manipulate Golden Core masters with such impunity!”

“Such a figure, should he truly come into his own, would be a force to be reckoned with!”

The Draconic Tortoise Fire Spirit had observed Ning Zuo’s meticulous planning with Sun Lingtong and the others, yet despite witnessing the entire conspiracy, its limited intellect had failed to grasp the rationale behind his machinations.

Only after the events had transpired did the Fire Spirit fully comprehend Ning Zuo’s stratagem, and it was filled with an admiration that bordered on reverence.

It was nothing short of divine!

The more it had initially resisted Ning Zuo, the greater its present awe.

“Incredible!”

“Ning Zuo is certain to resolve the issue of Ning Xiaohui. With the troubles of the Historial Records Pavilion gone, I’ll be out of the woods.”

“When that time comes, who will suspect me? Who *could* suspect me?”

“I shall be free!”

The Draconic Tortoise Fire Spirit paced back and forth, chest puffed out, as exuberant as Ning Zuo himself.

It yearned to contact Ning Zuo, to urge him to act swiftly, but the words caught in its throat.

It dared not!

“That whelp Ning Zuo is far too cunning.”

“He can even deceive Zhu Xuanji, which is terrifying.”

“His preparations are meticulous; even as a Qi Refining cultivator, he can trick a Golden Core.”

“The Buddha-Heart Demon Seal is not the greatest factor in this affair, but it’s that flower his mother left him.”

“What, exactly, *is* that flower?”

The Draconic Tortoise Fire Spirit burned with curiosity.

Zhu Xuanji stood alone.

Once more, he penned a letter to the Royal Court, seeking their guidance.

The situation had shifted dramatically. The Zheng family Golden Core had seized a Demonic Scripture. This in itself was of minor consequence, but the true game-changer was Zheng Danlian’s slaying of a True Disciple of the Taiqing Palace.

Furthermore, Luo Shang had loudly proclaimed this event to the world.

Had it been kept quiet, the matter could have been managed.

Zhu Xuanji could have interceded on behalf of the Zheng family, negotiating with the Taiqing Palace and offering clandestine compensation.

But now, with the news broadcast far and wide, the Taiqing Palace, as a super sect, was compelled to react, to safeguard its reputation.

Zheng Danlian now faced immense pressure. Mishandling the situation could endanger not only his life but the entire Zheng family.

Thus, the question arose: should the Zheng family be protected?

Zhu Xuanji’s personal inclination was to do so, but his individual power was insufficient. Preserving the Zheng family required the might of the Southern Bean Royal Court.

However, Zhu Xuanji also had to consider the Royal Court’s position and the overall interests of the Southern Bean Kingdom.

Compared to the Taiqing Palace, the Southern Bean Royal Court possessed far greater overall strength.

This was because the Royal Court could marshal the power of the Meng family, the Su family, and other prominent cultivation clans, assembling a vast army of cultivators.

Sects typically excelled at cultivating elite disciples, allocating a disproportionate amount of resources towards the development of high-level combatants. In a direct confrontation, even gathering all their disciples would be insufficient to withstand the armies of a cultivation kingdom.

This differed from ancient times.

In the distant past, before the myriad arts of cultivation were fully developed, cultivation level was the primary metric for assessing individuals and factions.

After all, each breakthrough – from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core to nascent Soul – represented a qualitative leap.

Thus, higher-level cultivators could often face numerous opponents simultaneously, dominating the battlefield.

However, with the advanced development of cultivation techniques today, enormous progress had been made! For instance, the art of automatons could utilize Golden Core-level materials to construct and refine mechanical puppets with Golden Core combat prowess.

Even if the automaton was controlled by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they could surpass their own cultivation deficit and defeat a higher-level opponent.

This was the progress of the age!

This progress had also reshaped the relationships between kingdoms, sects, and clans.

For a long time in history, cultivation sects had been the dominant force in the world, the optimal form of organizational power.

Even when kingdoms existed, they were merely mortal realms controlled from behind by cultivation sects.

But now, the advancements in the arts of cultivation meant that lower-level cultivators could indeed leverage high-end materials to create higher-level combat power.

This led to the numerical advantage of cultivators resurfacing.

Given sufficient resources and technology, a large number of lower-level cultivators could, to some extent, contend with higher-level cultivators.

Yet, no royal house of a cultivation kingdom would belittle a super sect.

This was because these great sects often produced individual elites with extremely high cultivation levels.

If these elites were to assassinate members of the royal family of a cultivation kingdom, any royal house would undoubtedly find themselves in a headache.

Therefore, from the perspective of the royal family, they typically maintained good relationships with these super sects.

After all, the talents cultivated within these super sects were also coveted by the various cultivation kingdoms.

Super sects continually dispatched their disciples to serve in various cultivation kingdoms, expanding their influence.

In short, if the Southern Bean Royal Court wished to protect the Zheng family, it would likely be able to do so.

Unless the Taiqing Palace had obtained resources or guarantees from other powerful forces and intended to target the entire Southern Bean Kingdom, it was likely that the Taiqing Palace would also compromise with the Southern Bean Royal Court.

Zhu Xuanji was not the sovereign of the Southern Bean Kingdom; he could not make decisions on such important matters.

Therefore, he could only write a letter, reporting this important matter and stating his opinions and thoughts, but he would not interfere with the judgment of the Southern Bean sovereign.

If the Southern Bean sovereign wished to protect the Zheng family, Zhu Xuanji would welcome it with open arms.

If the Southern Bean sovereign did not want to protect the Zheng family and abandoned it, Zhu Xuanji would also be willing to carry out the order.

In his letter, Zhu Xuanji also requested access to a series of intelligence reports related to the Night Rain Demon Soldiers.

City Lord’s Mansion.

Chi Dun stood before Fei Si, his face flushed with agitation, exclaiming, “That Zheng family Golden Core seized a Demonic Scripture! This scripture is extremely important! I personally came into contact with it during the battle; it’s called the ‘Demonic Blood Tendon Art’!”

“Afterward, I analyzed it, and although I only obtained a small amount of content, I can confirm that this ‘Demonic Blood Tendon Art’ is paired with the ‘Five Elements Qi Rhythm Formula’!”

“We must quickly find the Zheng family Golden Core and obtain this Demonic Scripture as soon as possible!”

“This will greatly benefit us!”

“If they truly master it, Young Master Meng Chong’s leading position may be in danger!”

Fei Si’s expression was unsightly: “You brute! I gave the order to restrain yourself, but you charged straight in!”

“The Demonic Scripture is important, but it is by no means the *most* important thing.”

“The current situation is dangerous; you simply do not understand.”

“Don’t block my path; I must go pay my respects to the City Lord.”

Fei Si immediately flew to the summit of Fire Persimmon Mountain to consult with Meng Kui.

“City Lord, that Yang Chanyu first appeared near my City Lord’s Mansion, carrying a Demonic Scripture, appearing as if she wanted to escape.”

“In the end, she was intercepted by a shadowy demonic cultivator, who proactively revealed that Yang Chanyu had just seized the Demonic Scripture.”

“This is clearly a trap aimed at my City Lord’s Mansion, with the aim of letting the world know that the Demonic Scripture is indeed within my City Lord’s Mansion.”

“And my investigation into the source of the rumors has yielded some clarity.”

“The most critical third layer of rumors was secretly pushed by the Zheng family, the Zhou family, and the Ning family, working in concert.”

“If this trend continues, your subordinate is deeply worried that the battle for the Molten Lava Immortal Palace will escalate, spinning out of control and ultimately affecting the innocent civilians of the entire city.”