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The invited guests had nearly all arrived, and the presiding elder ascended the stage.
The hall quickly fell silent.
Presiding Elder: “Esteemed guests, we gather here today, not only for the reunion of colleagues and kin, but also to collectively contribute to the well-being of the common folk of this realm.”
“Elder Gardener Li Leifeng, even in his final moments, remained concerned about his successor.”
“Now, the most suitable solution has been found.”
“Lord Zhu Hou, of the Southern Dou Royal lineage, renowned for his benevolence and magnanimity, shall inherit the Orphanage and bear the weighty responsibility of Gardener.”
“We humbly invite Lord Zhu to the stage, to speak and bestow his guidance.”
A stout middle-aged man, a smile gracing his features, walked onto the platform.
Today, Zhu Hou was clad in a robe of azure satin, a jade pendant adorning his waist, his steps steady. Every movement exuded the majesty of the Zhu family’s royal lineage.
He stood on the stage, cupped his hands in greeting, and surveyed the surroundings, letting out a hearty laugh.
“Fellow practitioners, I, Zhu, am truly humbled to assume the position of Orphanage Gardener today.”
“The path of benevolence is to seek prosperity for the common folk, to bestow kindness and virtue. The boundless compassion of the former Gardener, Li Leifeng, fills me with deep admiration. Today, I shall carry on his legacy and continue to expand this virtuous endeavor.”
“In the future, this Orphanage will broaden its support to orphans, and even to impoverished scholars. The funds generously donated by you benevolent individuals will be used fully, not a single coin less, for the benefit of the world and its people. Here, I wish to set an example, by being the first to donate one hundred thousand spirit stones, as a token of my sincerity!”
Zhu Hou’s purpose in holding this succession ceremony was clear.
His primary objective was to make a formal appearance and collect the first batch of charitable funds since his appointment.
No sooner had his voice trailed off than Zhu Xuanji’s voice echoed from the third floor: “Good! Patriarchal Uncle Zhu Hou speaks excellently! I, Zhu Xuanji, also donate one hundred thousand spirit stones, to congratulate my Patriarchal Uncle on his succession.”
Zhu Xuanji had come today with the intention of supporting Zhu Hou and lending him his backing. At this moment, he did not hesitate and made his move decisively.
The amount he donated was quite interesting, only one hundred thousand, the same as Zhu Hou.
This caused the others who heard it to feel a sense of relief, not feeling pressured, but rather eager for the subsequent donations.
However, these individuals also understood the rules and did not immediately speak up.
They were waiting for another person.
The next moment, the Golden Core True Disciple from Purple Cloud Pavilion indeed spoke, announcing a donation of one hundred thousand spirit stones.
As soon as he finished speaking, Foundation Establishment cultivators rushed to shout their donations, the sounds rising and falling, a continuous murmur for a time.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the building was extremely lively.
The atmosphere in the private room, however, was heavy.
Ning Zhuo sat in the position below Zhu Xuanji. Since entering and sitting down, he had not uttered a word, nor had he touched the exquisite spirit food and tea on the round table.
Zhu Xuanji turned slightly, his eyes, containing a hidden golden gleam, fixed on Ning Zhuo, and smiled: “Seeing this scene now, Ning Zhuo, what do you feel?”
Ning Zhuo looked up at Zhu Xuanji. In Ning Zhuo’s perception, the latter’s smile was like a ferocious beast opening its bloody maw.
It felt as though a massive stone was pressing down on Ning Zhuo’s heart. His gaze did not waver in the slightest.
He spoke calmly: “Naturally, I hope Lord Zhu Hou can keep his word. I hope the Orphanage in Fire Persimmon Immortal City can do better and better.”
“It will.” Zhu Xuanji replied immediately, full of confidence in Zhu Hou.
The smile on his face deepened a few shades: “I saw your name in the Orphanage’s donation records.”
“In the past, you also donated several sums to the Orphanage.”
“Why don’t you donate a little on such an important day like today?”
Ning Zhuo took a deep breath.
He tried to make himself calmer, but the pressure in his heart increased dramatically!
This was because he knew very well that Zhu Xuanji’s seemingly ordinary question concealed a huge threat. Even the slightest misstep in his response would lead him into the other party’s trap.
This engagement, the confrontation between him and Zhu Xuanji, had officially begun!
The bustling outside had nothing to do with him.
The noise, in fact, only served to highlight his current loneliness and plight.
Zhu Xuanji had already acted like a master assassin, delivering a sword strike. On the surface, it seemed unremarkable, but Ning Zhuo was certain that the other party must have exquisite follow-up moves. Once he mishandled the situation, one misstep would lead to a cascade of losses, and he could very likely be suppressed from then on, until there was no hope of winning!
Ning Zhuo’s brow furrowed slightly, his thoughts flashing like lightning in his mind. He quickly weighed his words, and cautiously said: “Those who are poor perfect themselves, those who are successful help the world. Although I am pragmatic, I also have ideals.”
“Furthermore, in my childhood, I also received the care of Lord Li Leifeng. He has been kind to me.”
Then, Ning Zhuo’s tone shifted: “Of course, I also have selfish motives.”
“You know, I am determined to split off.”
“I want to establish my own family!”
“I am already doing this, but for a force to develop and grow, fresh blood and external talents are also necessary.”
“Especially for a newly established one like mine, with shallow foundations, the more newcomers the better!”
“That is why I have been making donations in the past.”
“There will be even more such donations in the future!”
Ning Zhuo smiled, then immediately his face became expressionless: “The Orphanage’s policy is excellent, recruiting so many talents for the righteous path forces of the Southern Dou Kingdom.”
“I am a Ning family member, and I am also on the righteous path. Of course, I also want to get a share.”
“You see, Lord Zhu, I have paid the money, this is in accordance with the rules.”
“As for why I am not donating today? Heh!”
“Today is not suitable. I am currently managing the black market, my righteous identity is not so presentable, so I will not be the spoiler of this atmosphere.”
“If I want to donate, I can do so secretly in the future and still achieve my goal. Why do such a disagreeable thing?”
After listening to Ning Zhuo’s response, Zhu Xuanji fell into a brief silence.
Zhu Xuanji was well aware that Ning Zhuo wanted to split off and establish his own force.
Ning Zhuo had brought this up several times to Ning Jiufan in front of him!
Even Zhu Xuanji felt that this child had considerable courage. A mere Qi Refining cultivator daring to speak to his own Golden Core Ancestor in such a manner.
Zhu Xuanji admired Ning Zhuo.
To be precise, he greatly admired him.
Especially after hearing Ning Zhuo’s response, he gained a deeper understanding of Ning Zhuo – this young man before him had definitely been through trials! He was well-versed in the rules of the righteous path’s game, and although he was young, he was as cunning and experienced as an old fox. He had a very clear goal, cared deeply about the feelings of others, and could empathize.
Ning Zhuo was both hypocritical and sincere.
And this righteous hypocrisy, when it fell upon his young body, actually seemed to possess many endearing qualities.
Ning Zhuo’s response was excellent.
This series of answers significantly increased Zhu Xuanji’s favorable impression of him.
Zhu Xuanji laughed heartily, breaking the silence: “Even with some selfish motives, as long as you know how to repay kindness, you are on the righteous path. In this world, who doesn’t have selfish motives?”
“Even I, who spend my entire year investigating the needs of the populace, examining cases, and pursuing criminals, do so with a considerable portion of the objective being to maintain the royal family.”
“Ning Zhuo, your nature is not bad, you act with integrity, and your future is bright. However, in life, there are always countless detours. I have seen many individuals with good natures who, due to a single wrong thought, went astray and committed sins. By the time they regretted it, it was already too late.”
Speaking of this, Zhu Xuanji stared at Ning Zhuo, his face full of solemnity.
Though he did not use any magic power, he exhibited a powerful oppressive force through his tone and demeanor.
Ning Zhuo took a light breath, his gaze avoiding Zhu Xuanji’s. A flash of lightning seemed to pass through his mind.
He quickly saw through Zhu Xuanji’s intentions: “He is trying to win me over?”
Realizing this, Ning Zhuo’s mind instantly became active.
“If Zhu Xuanji had discovered that I was the mastermind, he would never have treated me like this, but would have taken me down directly!”
“Inferring from his temperament, he should have discovered points of suspicion about me, but wants to follow this lead to catch the real culprit behind the scenes!”
But where was there any real culprit behind the scenes?
Ning Zhuo was the one who bombed the Immortal Palace, set up the trial levels, fought and killed Qi Bai in the city, framed his own genius Ning Xiaohui, directed the Golden Core melee, bombarded the volcano causing the beast horde to attack the city, and planned the Cloud Merchant bandit case!
“I hold great value in Zhu Xuanji’s eyes, he wants to incite me to defect. If there were truly a hidden mastermind, he might even have me serve as a witness.”
“So, has it reached the third line of defense?”
Ning Zhuo’s emotions fluctuated.
To compete for the Lava Immortal Palace, he had carefully constructed several lines of defense.
The first line of defense was to constantly act and create various pieces of evidence from the age of two, scattered along his growth trajectory.
When others investigated this, they would believe that Ning Zhuo had talent in mechanisms, and that his development of mechanical fire monkeys and other things was reasonable.
The second line of defense was the identity of the Fledgling Guest.
The third line of defense would assume that Ning Zhuo was being used, was an accomplice, but not the leader. After all, this youth was only sixteen years old, had just come out of the academy, and was only at the middle stage of Qi Refining.
Ning Zhuo was slightly relieved. The situation had not deteriorated to that final step – using force to directly confront Zhu Xuanji.
“But what clue did Zhu Xuanji get that allowed him to bypass the second line of defense and reach the third?”
Ning Zhuo could not figure out the answer to this question.
He could only speculate: “Did Han Ming get caught? Did Sun Lingtong’s theft lead to clues from the Cloud Merchants?”
“Or… the Orphanage?”
Lacking key information, even with his considerable wisdom, Ning Zhuo could not determine the truth.
He thought with all his might, sweat beading on his forehead.
Seeing his flustered state, Zhu Xuanji did not let him off, pressing further: “Ning Zhuo, what are your thoughts on what I just said?”
“Do you think your own path is the righteous path, or a detour?”
Ning Zhuo’s pressure increased dramatically!
At this moment, he felt as though Zhu Xuanji was pointing a sword at his throat.
How to respond?
This was crucial!
To probe?
A slight misstep could anger Zhu Xuanji.
To remain silent?
This was completely giving up the initiative and would convey to Zhu Xuanji the meaning of tacit agreement.
In Ning Zhuo’s mind, countless thoughts surged and disappeared rapidly.
In just a few breaths, he already felt his mouth dry.