Chapter 91: Choosing to Bear Wrongful Blame

Afterward, Ning Xiaoren secretly summoned Ning Ze.

Ning Ze, with his forehead wrapped in bandages, came to see Ning Xiaoren, showing a very respectful demeanor.

Ning Xiaoren snorted coldly in his heart, knowing full well that Ning Ze could have healed the forehead wound completely but deliberately kept it to garner sympathy, revealing his grievances and subtly reminding him of his contributions and hardships.

“Ning Ze, come, sit down,” Ning Xiaoren said again with a gentle smile.

Ning Ze sat down decisively. “I am truly puzzled, sir. It was clearly under the direct orders of the Young Clan Leader, yet why did you suddenly—”

Ning Xiaoren raised a hand to stop him. “I’ll explain just one thing. The inventor of the mechanical firecracker monkey is actually Ning Zhuo!”

Ning Ze was stunned, thinking he had misheard. “W-what?”

Ning Xiaoren remained silent, leaning back in his chair and slowly sipping his tea.

Ning Ze finally processed the information and stood up in shock, unable to sit still. His eyes widened as he whispered, “Ning Zhuo… Ning Zhuo is the creator of the mechanical firecracker monkey?!”

Ning Xiaoren merely glanced at him once, saying nothing.

Ning Ze’s mouth hung open, his eyes vacant for a moment before focusing again.

“No wonder he has such a large sum of money.”

“But, according to him, this matter involves a Golden Core cultivator…”

Ning Xiaoren set down his cup and sighed. “It’s Fei Si. Fei Si wanted to take credit and presented the mechanical firecracker monkey to the city lord. Chen Cha was his subordinate, not Ning Zhuo’s. So Chen Cha secretly coerced Ning Zhuo, stealing his honor.”

“This matter is still under investigation, but it’s almost certain.”

“So that’s how it is,” Ning Ze exhaled heavily, relief washing over him with a trace of guilt. “I was wrong to suspect him.”

“But given the circumstances then, I had no choice but to act as I did.”

“I needed to give the family—especially you, Young Clan Leader—an explanation.”

Ning Xiaoren smiled. “I know, I know. Come, sit down again.”

Ning Ze sat down once more.

Ning Xiaoren continued, “I know you’re loyal, and you’ve given me an explanation. But now, how can I give Ning Zhuo one?”

“Huh?” Ning Ze was confused.

“Look, this is the situation now.” Ning Xiaoren stood, slowly walking around the desk to the front.

“Ning Zhuo has reached the peak of the third level of Qi Refinement. The Five Elements Qi Law suits him perfectly, and he invented the mechanical firecracker monkey, so he must be our clan’s main force in exploring the Lava Immortal Palace!”

“Our clan must use him, make full use of him, and value him greatly!”

“He is a rare mechanical genius in our clan.”

“But now, he feels wronged; there’s a rift. He’s estranged from our clan.”

“If you were him, having endured what he has today, what would you think?”

At these words, Ning Xiaoren stopped in front of Ning Ze.

Ning Ze hurriedly stood, a bad feeling creeping over him. “If I were Ning Zhuo, facing these investigations, what is that? It’s nothing to feel wronged about. On the contrary, I would be grateful to the family for giving me this opportunity to prove my innocence!”

“I am a member of the Ning family, loyal to the clan, and it is my duty to contribute and sacrifice for it.”

“Hahaha.” Ning Xiaoren pointed at Ning Ze, nodding. “You have great awareness, Ning Ze. You are impressive.”

“I didn’t misjudge you!”

Ning Ze quickly humbled himself.

Ning Xiaoren shifted tone. “But Ning Zhuo isn’t you. He’s only sixteen years old—how much can he understand? How much of that awareness can he have?”

Ning Ze said, “Yes, I will teach him well from now on and guide him on the right path!”

Ning Xiaoren nodded. “That will be for the future.”

“Right now, Ning Zhuo’s heart is hurt. As elders, we must take care of him more, soothe his heart’s wounds, heal his scars, so he can grow happily and cultivate joyfully, isn’t that so?”

Ning Ze felt increasingly uneasy.

Ning Xiaoren added, “As elders, we must have a spirit of sacrifice. Ning Ze, do you have that degree of awareness?”

Under Ning Xiaoren’s direct pressure, Ning Ze could only grit his teeth and ask.

Ning Xiaoren telepathically conveyed his plan.

Ning Ze was horrified and quickly waved his hands. “Sir, how can we do that? What position would that leave me in?”

It turned out Ning Xiaoren’s plan was to investigate Ning Ze next. Overwhelmed, Ning Ze would reveal the “truth”—that for years Ning Xiaoren had secretly supported Ning Zhuo with many spirit stones and resources for cultivation, but Ning Ze embezzled and mistreated Ning Zhuo.

Now that Ning Zhuo had emerged, and upon hearing he possessed great wealth, Ning Ze’s jealousy and greed would drive him to extort Ning Zhuo under the guise of investigation.

In the end, the magnanimous Ning Xiaoren, devoted to the clan, would appear just in time to stop it and uncover the decades-old concealed truth.

Ning Ze did not want to bear this false accusation at all!

Clearly, it was Ning Xiaoren who was ungrateful and negligent, mistreating Ning Zhuo, ignoring him for more than a decade. Yet now he turned around and slandered Ning Ze.

How despicable and petty!

“No, will you do it? Are you still my subordinate?” Ning Xiaoren glared, threatening directly.

“Do you dare refuse? Think of the consequences!”

“Think of your son, Ning Ji, who is living quite well on the clan’s estate.”

A chilling coldness enveloped Ning Ze’s heart.

Seeing Ning Xiaoren’s stern expression, he suddenly realized: Ning Xiaoren had appointed him leader of the investigation not because he wanted to rely on the relationship between him and Ning Zhuo to discover the source of the fortune.

“No, that damned Ning Xiaoren wants to grab Ning Zhuo’s money, frame me, trample on me, deceive Ning Zhuo, and win his favor to rope him in!”

Realizing the truth, Ning Ze’s face flushed with rage; his fists clenched tightly as he breathed heavily.

Ning Xiaoren sneered contemptuously at his display.

That slight sneer was like ice-cold water in the Arctic, extinguishing the fire of anger in Ning Ze’s heart.

Ning Xiaoren was the Young Clan Leader and his direct superior—what could he do?

Though Ning Ze had raised Ning Zhuo over the years without much care, Ning Zhuo had indeed been sheltered by him.

Now, Ning Xiaoren wanted to win over Ning Zhuo and reap the rewards, so he planted false accusations against Ning Ze to cover his own faults.

How cunning, how despicable!

There was no way out.

Ning Ze had no choice.

He could only swallow his pride and bear the blame and responsibility that were not his.

Because he was a subordinate, making a living under Ning Xiaoren’s command. Ning Xiaoren was the Young Clan Leader, second only to the clan head. Even if Ning Ze resisted to the death, he would be forced to comply.

At that moment, Ning Ze suddenly thought of how he had recently pressured Ning Zhuo.

“So this is how it feels to be coerced and unable to resist—so painfully unbearable.”

His heart filled with bitterness and despair.

With this thought, he suddenly felt he deserved his fate.

“Young Clan Leader, it is indeed I who embezzled your secret support and mistreated Ning Zhuo. It’s all my fault!” Ning Ze’s voice became hoarse, his expression extremely gloomy.

Only then did Ning Xiaoren pat his shoulder. “I won’t treat you unfairly.”

“You’ll stay in the clan’s prison for now.”

“I will notify your wife so she can visit.”

Ning Ze was stunned. He hadn’t expected it so soon and raised his eyes to look at Ning Xiaoren.

Ning Xiaoren smiled but his eyes gleamed with cold light.

Ning Ze had no choice but to lower his head, his tone heavy. “Yes, I accept the order.”

…

The Ning clan head returned to the manor with a smile.

This negotiation had won great benefits for the Ning family, far beyond expectations.

Ning Xiaoren came to report, laying out the entire scheme of how he framed Ning Ze and won over Ning Zhuo.

The clan head stroked his beard and murmured, “You handled it quite well.”

“Remember, Ning Zhuo is different now. At least for now, the clan must rely on his strength. You should curb your temperament.” The clan head was well aware of his son’s greedy nature.

A single cold glance from him made Ning Xiaoren break into a sweat, hurriedly nodding that he would never do such a thing again.

“Father, here are the results of my urgent investigation.” Ning Xiaoren then handed over a wealth of intelligence.

The common thread among the many reports was Ning Zhuo.

All the information was closely related to him.