Chapter 76: I Am an Official

After coming to his decision, Ning Zhuo began to act.

He spared no expense to continue capturing wild monkeys, then hired demonic cultivators to poison the Monkey Head Gang’s monkeys, and finally staged a failed assassination attempt on Yuan Er. Yuan Er and Yuan Dasheng, feeling immense pressure, retreated into defensive positions, allowing Ning Zhuo’s first step to succeed.

Seizing the momentum, Ning Zhuo played the role of a petty schemer before Fei Si, prompting a misjudgment. He willingly conceded forty percent of the profits, thus obtaining the corpses of the Monkey Head Gang’s monkeys.

He collected and refined their essence blood, acquiring blood qi identical to Yuan Dasheng’s. He then deliberately participated in the rushed production of mechanical monkeys at the flying disc workshop, personally crafting a large number of inferior explosive mechanical monkeys. Secretly, he used the same blood qi to perform the Demonic Tainted Blood Tendon technique, infusing the qi into the mechanical monkeys.

On the day of the Fire Persimmon Festival, Ning Zhuo was stationed mid-mountain, with formations shrouding the area. He risked using a heart seal to control the mechanical monkeys, inciting them to riot and deliberately attack Yuan Er.

Fei Si activated the formation to destroy the mechanical monkeys, but the latent blood qi had already attached itself to Yuan Er. Terrified, Yuan Er reunited with Yuan Dasheng, resulting in Yuan Dasheng being contaminated and infiltrated.

Ning Zhuo had gambled correctly! Yuan Dasheng, as expected, was unable to detect the subtle intrusion—perhaps because he was preoccupied with concern for Yuan Er and failed to notice the minuscule presence of the same blood qi in his own body.

Though the quantity was small, at the critical moment, it affected Yuan Dasheng’s fingers, causing his “mistake.”

The ancient fire persimmon grove exploded!

Ning Zhuo’s trap was so exquisitely crafted that even Zhu Xuanzhi, with his Golden Eyes, could not detect the identical blood qi. Right under his nose, Ning Zhuo succeeded in his scheme!

However, Zhu Xuanzhi’s rescue of Yuan Dasheng left Ning Zhuo momentarily unsettled—he nearly believed he had been discovered.

Yuan Dasheng survived, leaving a slim chance for recovery! What worried Ning Zhuo even more was that Yuan Dasheng’s body remained intact, not shattered as Ning Zhuo had anticipated. Particularly, Yuan Dasheng’s ten fingers were unscathed, making Ning Zhuo realize he had left a flaw.

When Zhu Xuanzhi treated Yuan Dasheng, he paid no heed to minute details; the same blood qi served as perfect camouflage, so he failed to notice the anomaly in the fingers.

But if, later, they continued their examination, inch by inch—would they not find something?

Ning Zhuo dared not take that risk.

Therefore, Ning Zhuo had to swiftly kill Yuan Dasheng to erase this flaw.

He could not act under his own name—after all, he was only a Qi Refining cultivator and could not withstand Zhu Xuanzhi’s potential retaliation if discovered.

“I can use Lord Fei Si’s name, so that Zhu Xuanzhi, out of consideration for Fei Si, will see me as the executor rather than the mastermind!”

Ning Zhuo threw himself into the scheme, reckless and resolute, successfully persuading those involved and ultimately achieving victory.

Just as he had anticipated, upon learning of the incident, Zhu Xuanzhi regarded Fei Si as the mastermind. Even better, Fei Si himself believed he was the mastermind.

“At last, I have succeeded!” Ning Zhuo sighed deeply in the flying disc workshop.

His mind cleared, his breath calmed, and his thoughts returned to normal.

Zhu Xuanzhi and the others had no idea how close they were to uncovering the pivotal clue—just a hair’s breadth away.

But that tiny gap buried the truth.

A slight discrepancy can lead to a thousand miles of error.

“For now, I can keep hiding,” Ning Zhuo wiped the cold sweat from his brow and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

It was truly not easy.

The entire process involved no force, but it was like walking a tightrope on the edge of a cliff. Several times, Ning Zhuo nearly lost his composure.

He stood up: “Elder Chen, I’d like to handle Yuan Dasheng’s corpse myself. Lord Fei Si assigned me this task—I wish to make a good impression.”

Even though the essence blood had been extracted and the flaw erased, Ning Zhuo, ever cautious, still didn’t want Yuan Dasheng’s corpse to fall into others’ hands.

“You, huh,” Chen Cha sighed, “Very well, I’ll pack it for you.”

“Get some rest. The body’s been pre-treated and will keep for a long time.”

“No need to rush.”

“If you exhaust yourself, it’s not worth it.”

Ning Zhuo bowed in thanks, “Many thanks, Elder Chen!”

…

Fei Si, Zhu Xuanzhi, and a third companion returned to the fire persimmon grove, continuing to dig.

Not just three feet deep, but thirty feet. Meanwhile, several Golden Core cultivators took turns using various spells and magical tools to probe the area.

There was not a single sign.

Fei Si’s expression was as cold as water; he had a premonition that the Shadow Demon cultivator had truly escaped and would not return.

At this point, he needed to keep digging—he would even turn the mountain upside down if he had to.

The logic was simple.

Having botched the task, he needed to at least show he was working hard, so the City Lord could see that, while he had no achievements, he had suffered for it.

“I’ve given Zhu Xuanzhi a ‘reply’ this time, making him look bad.”

“So, the problem shouldn’t be too great.”

Fei Si reflected on his situation and, following his thoughts, considered Ning Zhuo.

His eyes narrowed, his mood complex.

From today’s events, he had glimpsed Ning Zhuo’s talent.

Ning Zhuo was only in the Qi Refining stage, yet dared to venture into the Monkey Head Gang’s territory, threatening and enticing the Foundation Establishment Yuan Er, ultimately causing him to abandon Yuan Dasheng. Judging by this, Ning Zhuo indeed possessed ability and courage!

Fei Si also understood well that Ning Zhuo’s actions were motivated by his own interests.

But Fei Si didn’t mind—in fact, it made him feel that he understood Ning Zhuo, could control him, instilling a sense of security and mastery.

These feelings made him appreciate the young scion of the Ning family even more.

“He truly reminds me of myself when I was young.”

“And, he’s got sharp eyes!”

“I just wonder—was it him who caused the mechanical monkeys’ riot, attacking Yuan Er at the Fire Persimmon Festival?”

Fei Si was no fool; he harbored this suspicion throughout.

In his view, Ning Zhuo had a strong motive!

Of course, he had also heard Ning Zhuo and Chen Cha’s explanations regarding the incident. When the attendant reported it, Fei Si found it reasonable.

But his suspicions were not entirely dispelled.

“I know nothing of mechanical techniques—who knows what methods Ning Zhuo might have used to control the mechanical monkeys?”

“Even if he couldn’t control them, isn’t Chen Cha a Foundation Establishment cultivator?”

“If Chen Cha wasn’t an accomplice, perhaps Ning Zhuo offered a high price to some demonic cultivator?”

As an official, Fei Si naturally distrusted everything, regardless of evidence.

However, Fei Si leaned toward the idea that the mechanical monkeys were controlled in secret by the Shadow Demon cultivator! Who later, in full view, managed to escape.

He favored this theory because it was most advantageous to him.

The Shadow Demon cultivator had outwitted nearly every Golden Core cultivator in the city. Too powerful!

Thus, Fei Si’s failure would be easier for the City Lord to accept.

Look—even Zhu Xuanzhi, with his Golden Eyes, failed to detect the Shadow Demon cultivator. I, Fei Si, was simply powerless.

Fei Si began to rack his brains, considering how to cement this theory, how to report it to the City Lord.

As for the actual truth, he didn’t care at all.

After managing Fire Persimmon Immortal City’s affairs for so many years, how many wrongful cases hadn’t he handled?

“I’m an official, not a divine investigator!”

Seeking the truth was Zhu Xuanzhi’s goal and responsibility. Fei Si only wished to maintain the old order of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, obey the City Lord Meng Kui’s commands, and preserve his own authority and interests.