Chapter 344: Ning Zhuo's Calculation

As the Prefect of Xuan Ci City, the City Lord's jurisdiction extended not only to Xuan Ci Immortal City but also to the surrounding villages and towns, as well as numerous sects and families.

Jade Steel Mountain naturally fell under his purview.

Although he was a Nascent Soul cultivator and, as a prefect overseeing a region, could be considered half a feudal lord, facing the Golden Core cultivator Meng Zizhong still posed a significant challenge.

In this world, one's background and influence matter greatly. This is even more pronounced in the orthodox sects compared to the demonic path.

Taking down Meng Zizhong would be effortless for the Xuan Ci Prefect. He wouldn't even need to act personally; a mere command would suffice to bring Meng Zizhong to heel.

The difficulty lay in Meng Zizhong's background: the Meng Family!

This was a prominent aristocratic family in the Southern Bean Kingdom, one of the founding heroes.

The Xuan Ci Prefect came from a humble background of loose cultivators. While he did have a family, they offered little support; he was effectively supporting them single-handedly.

He knew well that even the Zhu Royal Family, when dealing with a powerful minister like the Meng Family, had to be cautious, strategic, and choose the right timing. How much more so for him?

"You wish to report Meng Zizhong for raising bandits? This evidence alone is insufficient," the Xuan Ci Prefect shook his head, his tone clearly dismissive.

Ning Zhuo smiled, "Lord Prefect, I understand your predicament. Please rest assured, I am not here to trouble you."

"You only need to report this. I believe the Royal Family Zhu will react immediately. At that time, you merely need to follow orders."

"Of course, I could also directly message Lord Zhu Xuanji. However, after much thought, I felt that reporting directly to a higher authority would be disrespectful to you, my superior. Although I am young, I am still the clan leader of a branch of the Ning family. Naturally, I must set an example and act according to regulations."

The corner of the Xuan Ci Prefect's eye twitched, and he muttered inwardly, "This little brat, why don't you just report directly! If I didn't hear or see anything, wouldn't I be spared this awkward situation?"

The Prefect was filled with helplessness. From this simple exchange, he already knew that Ning Zhuo was not to be underestimated! This junior was remarkably well-versed in the rules of the orthodox path. It would be wise to treat him as an equal opponent.

"Please wait a moment. This official will go and make the report." The Xuan Ci Prefect left Ning Zhuo outside his study and returned inside, using an emergency channel to report the case.

Ning Zhuo stood outside the study door. He didn't wander about, remaining rooted to the spot, completely at ease and unperturbed.

From the beginning, he knew that the Xuan Ci Prefect couldn't make the decision and couldn't be relied upon. He was merely using this Nascent Soul cultivator as a messenger.

The one Ning Zhuo truly relied on was the Zhu Royal Family!

Of course, even by merely relaying the message, the Xuan Ci Prefect was inevitably involved. He truly didn't want to get mixed up in this mess, but there was nothing he could do. It was as if calamity had fallen upon him while he was just sitting at home.

In recent years, the Southern Bean Zhu family, as the royal family, found it increasingly difficult to control the Southern Bean Kingdom.

The King had carefully selected and supported the Xuan Ci Prefect, making it no easy feat for him to be stationed in Xuan Ci Immortal City. It involved frequent clashes with various powerful ministers in the court, building alliances, suppressing rivals, and seizing a narrow window of opportunity to finally succeed.

The Xuan Ci Prefect was a capable official whom the Zhu family relied on to control the local areas. Now, he suddenly used an emergency channel to convey a crucial case, immediately gaining the King's attention.

Meng Zizhong's matter seemed minor, but it actually involved the struggle between the Meng family and the Zhu family.

"It's this Ning Zhuo again?" the King sighed. "As expected of a child of destiny, wherever he goes, trouble follows."

The King frowned. She was hesitant to deal with this matter and found it quite troublesome. Because if not handled properly, the Zhu family would clash violently with the Meng family. As the royal family, the Zhu family was naturally stronger than the Meng family, but the entire Southern Bean Kingdom wasn't just the Meng family; there were also the Su family and other powerful ministers and generals.

If the Zhu family excessively depleted its strength on the Meng family and revealed signs of weakness, the risks would be even greater. As the ruler of a nation, one naturally had to assess the situation and not underestimate any risk.

"The Xuan Ci Prefect cannot be used," the Southern Bean King first determined. She wanted to protect this rare local official and prevent him from easily getting involved in the conflict between the royal family and the Meng family.

Therefore, the Southern Bean King needed to find someone who was both trustworthy and capable of withstanding the Meng family's potential backlash.

Soon, the Southern Bean King thought of a candidate.

Zhu Xuanji was speeding through the air. He was like a golden rainbow piercing the sky.

"In another half a day, I will reach Qimen Immortal City. By transiting through it, I can significantly shorten the journey and quickly return to the capital."

Just as he was thinking, Zhu Xuanji's expression suddenly changed. The token in his embrace trembled slightly. He was not far from Qimen Immortal City, so he received an urgent royal order transmitted from the city's location.

"Asking me to go to Xuan Ci Immortal City to handle urgent matters?" He looked closely, and his face immediately darkened. All because he saw a name he didn't want to see.

"Ning Zhuo?!" "What is this kid stirring up in Xuan Ci Immortal City?" "Black Wind Tiger Demon, Meng Zizhong..."

Zhu Xuanji's face showed a look of sudden understanding, and he realized the royal family's intention in making him reroute.

He sighed and continued forward. With the help of Qimen Immortal City, he could teleport over a long distance and directly reach Xuan Ci Immortal City.

That evening, in the Xuan Ci Prefect's yamen, Zhu Xuanji met Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong again.

After examining the video evidence, Zhu Xuanji stated frankly, "This meager evidence cannot prove that Meng Zizhong has any private connection with the Black Wind Tiger Demon. He can simply claim that he felt murderous intent from that cultivator, Shi Sui, and acted first."

"Besides this, there are various excuses, even if they are utterly absurd, that he can use."

Sun Lingtong said, "With Lord Divine Constable taking action, and with his ability to trace origins and his golden eyes, are we still worried about not finding his criminal evidence and weaknesses?"

Zhu Xuanji frowned and remained silent.

The Xuan Ci Prefect shook his head slightly, "The trouble with this matter lies in finding the evidence!"

"Raising bandits for self-importance is a grave crime. Especially since it's also related to the death of the previous town lord, this is the murder of a court official, which completely crosses the line."

"Before we are fully prepared to fully confront the Meng family, we cannot launch such an attack casually."

For such a serious crime, the Meng family would not confess directly. Because the crime is too great, once acknowledged, the Meng family would suffer enormous losses.

And once the accusations are publicized, the Zhu family would also be in a difficult position. Failing to bring the criminal to justice would completely expose the weakness of the Zhu royal family and further fuel the rebellious hearts of the various aristocratic families.

At that time, the situation would escalate into a full confrontation between the Zhu family and the Meng family. Even if the Zhu family wins, they would likely suffer heavy losses. And the intense fighting process would allow other aristocratic families to profit from it.

Ning Zhuo smiled, having anticipated this, "My Ning family and the Zhu family are aligned. If the Zhu family and the Meng family clash fiercely, we will be the first to suffer."

"After all, Meng Kui is still the current Lord of Huoshi City."

"This time, when dealing with Meng Zizhong, there is no need to involve the serious crime of him raising bandits for self-importance. Just getting him removed and letting our people control Jade Steel Mountain will suffice."

"Meng Zizhong is currently still under the command of Lord Xuan Ci Prefect. This is a hidden danger. Getting him removed will benefit both Lord Prefect and the Zhu royal family, wouldn't you agree?"

This went straight to the heart of the Xuan Ci Prefect, causing him to take a deep look at Ning Zhuo and once again raising his evaluation of him.

Zhu Xuanji snorted coldly, pointing at Ning Zhuo, "I knew you had a plan, just say it."

Ning Zhuo then explained his plan.

The three cultivators listened carefully. Sun Lingtong exclaimed that it was an excellent plan, and Zhu Xuanji nodded slightly.

The Xuan Ci Prefect observed Ning Zhuo again. It had to be said that the young man before him had left a deep impression. This plan seemed simple, but his understanding and manipulation of human nature had reached a subtle level.

According to common sense, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old is usually innocent and romantic, easily moved and impulsive. But the young man before him seemed like an old man who had experienced the vicissitudes of official life, understood the treacherous nature of human hearts, was weathered in body and mind, and had unfathomable depth.

"He still has talent that hasn't been detected... his future is boundless." Realizing this, the Xuan Ci Prefect couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness towards Ning Zhuo.

With the plan agreed upon, the four began to act.

A few days later, upon seeing the intelligence in his hand, Meng Zizhong erupted in fury, "Investigate, investigate for me, who is spreading these rumors!"

A wave of rumors had been rampant recently, directly targeting Meng Zizhong, claiming that he had secretly funded the Black Wind Tiger Demon and was the mastermind behind the death of the previous town lord. Meng Zizhong had ambitions of raising bandits for self-importance and plotting wrongdoing!

However, strict prohibitions and investigations were ineffective, instead making the rumors spread even more intensely and generating many versions.

One rumor even revealed the Black Wind Tiger Demon's hiding place, Misty Mountain, causing Meng Zizhong to be filled with apprehension. He didn't dare to be careless and sent a message back to the Meng family, only mentioning the current state of the rumors in Jade Steel Town.

The Meng family immediately became vigilant, knowing that someone was stirring up trouble behind the scenes. Since they couldn't investigate the source, to avoid further complications and the possibility of incriminating evidence being unearthed, they decisively chose to sacrifice a pawn to save the king!

Meng Zizhong moved into the barracks and began to mobilize the garrison, actively preparing for battle.

Meng Zizhong stood on the platform, shouting loudly, "Since I was appointed in a time of crisis and stationed here, I have always been diligent and trained our soldiers. I have constantly sent out scouts, and recently, I finally gained some intel, discovering the hiding place of that Black Wind Tiger Demon. However, spies and demons in the town are stirring up trouble and spreading rumors, attempting to incite internal chaos to delay our army's attack and buy time for the demons to move."

"Hmph! How could I easily fall into such a trap? This time, I will personally lead the army, vowing to avenge and defeat the enemy, bravely kill the demons, sweep away the evil, and restore a bright and clear world to Jade Steel Town!"

"Warriors, follow me to charge and slay all evil, and create a prosperous and peaceful era together!"

The garrison responded in unison, their morale completely roused.

They immediately set off, lining up neatly, and stepping into the teleportation array. The teleportation array was activated frequently, directly transporting the town's garrison to the vicinity of Misty Mountain.

With this, the commotion could no longer be concealed and was overheard by the Black Wind Tiger Demon and his gang. The Tiger Demon's eyes were bloodshot, and he fell into a furious rage, roaring and leading a group of demon cultivators out of the valley, directly towards the military formation!