Chapter 88: The Explosive Monkey Was His Creation!

Ning Xiaoren returned to his reception hall and quickly summoned Ning Ze.

“Come, sit, have some tea.” Ning Xiaoren smiled and invited Ning Ze to sit in the seat beside him.

Ning Ze was puzzled and uncertain, as it was the first time Ning Xiaoren had treated him so courteously.

He hurriedly expressed, “If there’s anything you need, please instruct your subordinate, and I will handle it.”

Ning Xiaoren pointed to the seat.

Ning Ze, filled with anxiety, sat down.

Ning Xiaoren took a small sip of tea and sighed, “Ning Ze, you've raised a good nephew.”

Ning Ze quickly stood up. “Master, what has Xiao Zhuo done? I will go back and discipline him properly!”

Ning Xiaoren’s eyes widened slightly as he waved his hand three times. “Sit, sit. Don’t be nervous; this is good news, great news.”

As Ning Xiaoren continued to speak, Ning Ze, who was half-sitting, gradually widened his eyes, and then couldn’t help but open his mouth.

From the moment he left Ning Xiaoren’s reception hall until he returned home, Ning Ze's face still held an expression of shock.

**Third Layer of Qi Refining Stage, Peak!**

**Astonishing results in the joint test by the three families!**

**On par with geniuses like Ning Xiaohui and Zheng Jian!**

Was this really Ning Zhuo?

Was this still the Ning Zhuo he remembered?

“How did Xiao Zhuo achieve this? Is the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art truly that suitable for his cultivation?”

Curious and puzzled, Ning Ze called for his wife, Wang Lan. “Prepare a family banquet today, and order some Spirit Food from the restaurant.”

Wang Lan asked in confusion, “Spirit Food is expensive. What’s the special occasion today that warrants such a celebration?”

“It’s a family dinner. Invite Xiao Zhuo to the house. Sigh, I haven’t seen him in a long time,” Ning Ze replied.

Wang Lan’s eyes widened, and she exclaimed, “What? Invite Xiao Zhuo to the house for a meal? And order Spirit Food? Are you out of your mind?”

Ning Ze sternly replied, “What do you know? This is an order from the Young Clan Leader...”

He briefly recounted what Ning Xiaoren had instructed him to do.

Wang Lan stood in place for a long time, stunned.

“Xiao Zhuo?”

“Are you sure it’s Xiao Zhuo?!”

Ning Ze snorted, “How could I deceive you? And would the Young Clan Leader lie to me? The joint test of the three families was witnessed by so many people. How could it be fake?”

Wang Lan’s lips moved, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

Her eyes widened, and her expression became quite complicated, with disbelief, denial, resentment, jealousy, and disappointment all mixed in.

Ning Ze’s face darkened. “What are you thinking? Hurry and make the arrangements!”

Wang Lan replied absentmindedly, “Alright, alright, I’ll handle it.”

She turned to leave, her gaze still blank, her walking posture stiff, as if she was lost in a daze.

With no one around, Ning Ze also let out a long sigh.

He had been sternly ordered by Ning Xiaoren to befriend Ning Zhuo and to try his best to gather some information from him.

Ning Zhuo had grown up to sixteen years old, and this was the first time Ning Ze had ever humbled himself to invite Ning Zhuo to a banquet.

Ning Ze valued his reputation, and such an order made him feel uncomfortable, as it challenged his dignity as an elder.

But he had no choice.

With a direct order from the Young Clan Leader, he had to comply.

Of course, his rational mind also told him that Ning Zhuo was no longer the same as before, and building a good relationship with him could be beneficial.

After leaving the Zhou family, many people accompanied Ning Zhuo for a long distance, even though their paths didn’t align.

At the final intersection, Ning Zhuo bid farewell to the others, keeping only Ning Chen and Ning Yong by his side.

When they returned home, Ning Zhuo invited Ning Chen and Ning Yong inside, offering them tea and exchanging a few words.

“The family might still need to rely on Ning Zhuo, and as his relative, you are the most suitable person.”

“Hurry up and do it.”

Ning Ze was from a branch family, while Ning Fan was from the main family. The latter had been specifically sent by Ning Xiaoren to supervise the former.

Ning Ze sighed and reluctantly knocked on the courtyard door.

Ning Zhuo opened the door, greeted them respectfully, and inquired about their purpose.

“We’ll discuss it inside.” Ning Ze's face was stern as he stepped into the courtyard without waiting for Ning Zhuo to invite him in.

The others followed suit, pushing Ning Zhuo aside toward the door.

Meanwhile.

The three family patriarchs met secretly again to continue their negotiations.

This time, they

aimed to finalize the distribution of benefits from the three-family alliance.

“This Phoenix Soul Fragrance Pill is very effective in restoring Soul Power. It should be distributed equally among the three families.”

“No,” the Ning family patriarch objected. “Our family has two geniuses, Ning Xiaohui and Ning Zhuo, so we should be adequately supplied. On the other hand, the Zheng family has only one.”

The Zheng family patriarch immediately snorted, “That Ning Zhuo is merely compatible with the cultivation method; he has no real talent. How can he be considered a genius? He’s not, not at all!”

Just then, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

The three patriarchs' pupils shrank, and their hearts trembled.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Zhu Xuanji!”

“Ah, it’s the great Detective Zhu.” The three patriarchs quickly opened the door and welcomed Zhu Xuanji inside.

They had stationed guards outside, but since it was a Golden Core stage cultivator, those defenses were naturally useless.

Zhu Xuanji smiled. “Patriarchs, I have a request.”

Zhu Xuanji had already obtained detailed records from the City Lord, detailing the cultivators who had entered the Lava Immortal Palace over the years.

But these were only the records from the City Lord’s residence.

Zhu Xuanji hoped to obtain the records from the three major families to piece together a more complete version.

The three patriarchs were only Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, and their alliance against the City Lord’s residence was, to some extent, aligned with the interests of the royal family.

The three patriarchs immediately sent people to retrieve their records and handed them over to Zhu Xuanji.

Most of the records came from the Zheng and Zhou families, as the Ning family had only discovered the Lava Immortal Palace this year, so their records were sparse.

Zhu Xuanji glanced at the records, nodding in satisfaction.

As a member of the royal family, he did not want to see Meng Kui and Meng Chong take over the Lava Immortal Palace, allowing the Meng family’s influence to expand further.

Before leaving, he gave them a piece of advice, “I heard a familiar name on my way here. If you’re talking about Ning Zhuo, it might be worth cultivating this young man.”

“His character needs to be observed, but he does have some talent in mechanisms.”

“The Mechanical Explosive Monkey was designed and created by him.”

The three patriarchs’ eyes widened in shock.

The Ning family patriarch gasped, “What?!”

Zhu Xuanji smiled slightly. “Outwardly, it’s attributed to the Flying Disk Workshop’s owner, Chen Cha, but there’s more to the story, involving Fei Si. If you investigate, you’ll find out.”

Just that one explanation was enough.

Zhu Xuanji waved his hand and disappeared.

Leaving the three patriarchs staring at each other.

Gradually, the Ning family patriarch raised his head slightly, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and a look of joy spread across his face. “Did you two hear that clearly? This was said by Detective Zhu himself!”

The Zhou and Zheng family patriarchs were momentarily speechless.

In his joy, the Ning family patriarch had no idea that Ning Zhuo was currently being severely interrogated by his own family.