Chapter 397: Ning Zhuo Helps Lin BuFan Calm Down

"Why do you say that, Sect Master Lin?" Ning Jiufan was utterly bewildered.

Just moments ago, Lin Bufan was actively treating Elder Yuan, and they exchanged a few words, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

Suddenly!

Lin Bufan's face changed, and he spoke to Ning Jiufan with a stern, somber tone, tinged with accusation.

What on earth had happened?

Lin Bufan stared intently at Ning Jiufan's expression, then clapped his hands and sighed, "Remarkable, truly remarkable."

"Fellow Daoist Ning, your acting skills are truly astonishing."

"To think that I, Lin Bufan, have cultivated for hundreds of years, yet have never seen someone perform so naturally, without a single flaw."

"Alas, your scheme to seize the Brilliant Reflection Wall has already been exposed by me."

"Give up hope. Even with the Infant Soul level Mechanical Dragon alongside him, your clan's genius Ning Zhuo has been defeated within the Formation Within the Formation."

Ning Jiufan: "Huh?"

"Wait, wait!"

"What is the Brilliant Reflection Wall? Ning Zhuo? What trouble has that kid Ning Zhuo gotten into now?"

"Sect Master Lin, the cooperation between my clan and your sect is sincere. Even if I had some scheme, I wouldn't place our only Infant Soul level fighting force in your hands, would I?"

Ning Jiufan spread his hands, "You see, I could have completely hidden Elder Yuan's injuries. Why would I go to such lengths!"

Lin Bufan: ...

He was silent for a moment, his eye twitching involuntarily. He re-examined Ning Jiufan from head to toe and said, "You don't know?"

Ning Jiufan shook his head, looking wronged, "This junior truly doesn't know what happened."

Lin Bufan couldn't help but point a finger at Ning Jiufan's nose, "You, the only Golden Core cultivator in the Ning clan, know nothing?!"

Ning Jiufan's eye also twitched, and he complained, "Sect Master Lin, you don't know how cunning and crafty that little brat Ning Zhuo is. He must have caused trouble again, right? I knew it, calling me here, he definitely had some ulterior motive!"

"Sigh, he's still young after all, only sixteen."

"To be honest, this junior is also extremely troubled by him. He's too young and acts so recklessly. If he has offended your esteemed sect in any way, as his elder, I will bear full responsibility and apologize."

"Sect Master Lin, the relationship between our two parties has been long-standing and always good. The Ning clan absolutely has no intention of becoming enemies with your esteemed sect. Please see the truth!"

Lin Bufan snorted, "Things have reached this point, nothing you say is useful now."

"Ning Jiufan, surrender!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Jiufan's brows furrowed, his fists clenched, and his aura surged.

But in the next moment, Lin Bufan's Infant Soul level aura erupted, completely suppressing him.

Ning Jiufan gritted his teeth, "Sect Master Lin actually wants a man from the North to surrender without a fight? This is going too far!"

Lin Bufan wanted to speak, but Ning Jiufan directly raised a hand to interrupt him and continued, "The Ning clan and your sect are on good terms. If we form an alliance today, it can be passed down for generations. How can we turn into enemies over a momentary mistake?"

"I truly wish to fight with all my might, not to betray my name for valor. But as the only Golden Core of the Ning clan, I cannot act recklessly!"

"The junior Ning Zhuo is young and ignorant, his blood is wild and unrestrained. Now that this disaster has occurred, if I were to cause further conflict, wouldn't it only escalate?"

"Alas, fate is hard to defy, life's path is fraught with difficulty. To have reached this point today, the grief and indignation in my heart are truly hard to suppress, all because I know that without surrendering, there can be no resolution."

"Alas, alas. Although I, Ning Jiufan, have the heart to fight to the death, for the sake of my clan, for the greater good, and for the sake of Elder Yuan, I can only temporarily comply and bring this matter to an end. I hope Sect Master Lin will remember our past friendship, forgive the Ning clan, and not abandon the good old days."

Lin Bufan: ...

His eye twitched a few times before he acted to restrain Ning Jiufan.

Ning Jiufan indeed remained motionless, allowing himself to be captured.

Lin Bufan took a deep breath, his mood slightly improved, "You are indeed sensible. It's just that Ning Zhuo of your clan is too intelligent and discovered my secret."

"If you cooperate with me and bring Ning Zhuo here, this matter can be resolved to some extent today."

Ning Jiufan nodded quickly, "This junior feels that this is mostly a misunderstanding. I will write a flying letter now and summon that little brat Ning Zhuo."

"In addition, this junior implores Sect Master Lin, should you decide to strike down on this junior or the Ning clan, please reconsider."

"Although my Ning family migrated from the North, we have already established a foothold in Fire Persimmon Immortal City. This year, we not only branched out and expanded our scale, but also secretly pledged allegiance to the Royal Family Zhu."

"To be honest, this junior holds an official position and has a secret agreement with the Royal Family Zhu. If Sect Master Lin allows, this junior can produce the corresponding official seal and other items to prove myself."

Lin Bufan's eyebrows immediately rose in surprise, and he said in astonishment, "You are... an official?"

As an Infant Soul cultivator, and this being his base of operations for many years, he naturally wasn't afraid of a mere Golden Core turning the tables.

Immediately, Lin Bufan granted Ning Jiufan's request.

Under his surveillance, Ning Jiufan took out his official seal and other items and presented them for Lin Bufan to examine.

Lin Bufan: ...

He looked at the official seal and documents in his hand, and his eye couldn't help but twitch again.

He had dispatched disciples to investigate and gather intelligence, but it was impossible to uncover the true political standoff in Fire Persimmon Immortal City in such a short time.

Now that he saw these official seals and documents, he immediately understood that the Ning family was so close to the Royal Family, and it seemed that Fire Persimmon Immortal City was definitely full of turmoil and hidden dangers behind the scenes!

To move against Ning Jiufan was to move against an official of the Southern Bean Royal Family.

The key was that this official was also so close to the Zhu family!

Lin Bufan began to get a headache.

At the same time.

Within the Ten Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong looked at the enormous light fog formation covering the four mountains and one valley, both remaining silent.

After a long time, Sun Lingtong finally sighed, "Lin Bufan has directly activated the great formation protecting the mountain. He intends to catch us in a trap."

Ning Zhuo nodded slightly, his expression grave, "It's pretty much as I expected. Whatever is in the Ten Thousand Demon Cave, if it can benefit Linghu Jiu and me so greatly, its value is clearly immense."

"Lin Bufan has been scheming for years, and he, a dignified Infant Soul cultivator, personally holds the position of Sect Master and has been in charge of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect for many years. This shows that he is a person who tends to be in control of the situation."

"Therefore, he acts in this manner."

Sun Lingtong asked again, "How is your clan's Golden Core ancestor?"

Ning Zhuo had already sensed Ning Jiufan through the Life Thread Control, and then revealed a strange expression, "He's still alive."

Sun Lingtong was delighted, "This proves that Lin Bufan is still hesitating."

Ning Zhuo smiled slightly, "After all, if he killed my ancestor, it would greatly damage the reputation of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect. Who would dare to visit here? Let alone the herb business."

"This foundation is the result of Lin Bufan's years of operation. Unless he wants to take out everything from the Ten Thousand Demon Cave and become a demonic cultivator, abandoning this vast industry."

"The problem is, from the fact that I can obtain guidance from the Five Elements Divine Master, it can be seen that he cannot take the entire legacy of the Ten Thousand Demon Cave."

"Furthermore, my ancestor holds an official position. If Lin Bufan killed him, he would be ostracized from the righteous path."

Sun Lingtong nodded repeatedly, "So, you mean we don't have to fight Lin Bufan here? We still have room for negotiation."

Ning Zhuo's expression was solemn, "Lin Bufan is an Infant Soul, and this is his territory. The great mountain protecting formation is under his control. How many years has he been operating here!"

"Fighting here, there is no chance of winning at all."

"Moreover, if it really comes to the point of fighting, it means the situation has already deteriorated."

"We have to help him."

Sun Lingtong: "Ah? Now is not the time to rescue the Ning family ancestor, he must be under Lin Bufan's tight watch!"

Ning Zhuo smiled slightly at Sun Lingtong, "No, no, boss, you misunderstood me."

"My ancestor doesn't need help at all."

"He is a hostage now, and this role is very important." "We need to help Lin Bufan."

Sun Lingtong's eyes widened, very surprised, "Huh?"

"Sect Master, for what reason did you activate the entire mountain protecting formation?" Golden Core level sect elders arrived together.

Lin Bufan naturally wouldn't reveal the matter. He didn't need to explain at all, with a smile and a strong attitude, "You just need to follow orders."

Under his continuous commands, the entire Ten Thousand Medicine Sect was mobilized. Countless cultivators began to search the valley, looking for Ning Zhuo.

Various magical artifacts, treasures, talismans, and so on, were also used one after another, determined to find Ning Zhuo and never give up.

Ning Jiufan's flying letter stopped in front of the cave mansion on Little Peak of Contention, unable to enter.

Ning Zhuo's flying letter, however, flew directly to Lin Bufan's front.

"That brat from your family is truly audacious!" Lin Bufan unfolded the letter and saw it, his face instantly turned cold, his eyes sharp like blades, cutting towards Ning Jiufan.

Ning Jiufan had a bitter expression. He had been completely controlled by Lin Bufan, and his storage belt and other items had been confiscated.

Lin Bufan handed him the letter to read.

After reading it, Ning Jiufan's face became even more bitter.

In the letter, Ning Zhuo claimed that he had buried countless fire spirits under the Ten Thousand Demon Cave, and with just a thought, he could trigger a huge explosion.

Furthermore, he had set up a large number of mechanisms in various hidden corners of the Ten Thousand Medicine Valley, and with just a slight lift of his finger, he could control these mechanisms to release a large amount of information about the legacy of the Ten Thousand Demon Cave, exposing it to the world.

Ning Zhuo therefore threatened Lin Bufan to quickly release Ning Jiufan!

"Ning Zhuo is foolish."

"Man is the knife and I am the fish. I am now in Lin Bufan's hands. He is a dignified Infant Soul cultivator, and he has too many means to use on me!"

"He should quickly leave this place of trouble while in the Ten Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, and then report to the Zhu family and call for reinforcements. That is the right path."

Ning Jiufan shouted in his heart, while verbally criticizing Ning Zhuo fiercely and proactively requesting to write another flying letter to persuade him to surrender.

If Lin Bufan could find Ning Zhuo, he wouldn't have activated the great mountain protecting formation.

Although he was strong, the situation was actually quite awkward for him.

Before Ning Jiufan's surrender letter could fly out, Ning Zhuo's second letter arrived.

This time, Lin Bufan unfolded the letter and saw it, immediately becoming enraged!

"Shameless rogue! This is going too far!!!" Lin Bufan slammed the table and stood up abruptly, his face full of rage, practically on the verge of exploding with anger.

Ning Jiufan's heart skipped a beat upon seeing this. He immediately shouted loudly and scolded Ning Zhuo, while also hinting and asking what Ning Zhuo had done to cause such a huge misunderstanding with Lin Bufan!

"Misunderstanding?!" Lin Bufan roared, "Your Ning Zhuo kidnapped my daughter, and you say this is a misunderstanding?!"

"Hmph!"

"Little rogue Ning Zhuo, you are not a son of man!"

"If anything happens to my daughter, I, Lin Bufan, swear that I will slaughter your entire Ning clan!!"

Lin Bufan had actually secretly ordered Lin Shanshan to be moved before giving the order to search the mountain.

However, Lin Shanshan had already been marked by Ning Zhuo with the Life Thread Control. Wherever she hid in any secret chamber, it was clear to Ning Zhuo.

Of course, there were defensive formations and concealment formations in the secret chamber, but these defensive measures still could not withstand the power of divine abilities.

Ning Zhuo then controlled the Ten Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, piercing through the void and directly entering the secret chamber.

Then, he suddenly appeared and pointed his fingers at Lin Shanshan repeatedly, restraining her.

When Little Ju reacted, she was also restrained.

Ning Zhuo moved the mistress and servant into the mechanical dragon and quickly left.

Lin Shanshan and Little Ju were confined in the cabin of the mechanical ship by Ning Zhuo.

Lin Shanshan had a cold expression, "Young Master Ning Zhuo, you have deceived Shanshan too deeply. What martial art was that just now that made me unable to move instantly?"

Of course, it was the Life Thread Control!

But Ning Zhuo smiled bitterly and bowed in apology, "This is the technique of acupressure with the fingertips. It made Miss Lin laugh."

"This time, this junior's action is not repaying kindness with enmity. It is precisely to help Miss Lin and your esteemed sect."

Lin Shanshan's expression was cold, but she still said, "Speak."

Little Ju shrieked, "Miss, don't listen to him. The Sect Master suddenly activated the mountain protecting formation and is searching for Ning Zhuo everywhere. He must have done something bad. Now, he's even kidnapped us. He's a big villain!"

Lin Shanshan cried out in her heart.

She was just being evasive. If she didn't stall for time like this, how could she get her father to come to her rescue?

Ning Zhuo sighed deeply, "Thank you, Miss Lin, for giving me a chance. Alas... there is a reason for this. Please allow me to explain carefully to you, Miss Lin."

Ning Zhuo then recounted everything about the Ten Thousand Demon Cave, how he discovered the anomaly from the fake wine of Melancholy Brew, and his experience exploring the Formation Within the Formation with Linghu Jiu.

Lin Shanshan and Little Ju were silent for a long time, both in shock.

Ning Zhuo cupped his hands and apologized again, "This junior absolutely has no intention of causing trouble for your esteemed sect."

"I also didn't expect such a situation to arise."

"But obviously, your esteemed Sect Master doesn't want to let us go and wants to strictly guard this secret."

"This junior fully understands. After all, such an opportunity is definitely not simple and is extremely valuable!"

"This junior just wants to save himself."

"My clan's Golden Core ancestor is now imprisoned and under house arrest by your esteemed Sect Master. This junior is truly desperate and can only come to Miss Lin for help."

Lin Shanshan and Little Ju exchanged glances, both feeling shocked and helpless by the complex and awkward situation before them.

They understood Ning Zhuo.

Lin Shanshan's expression softened, "Young Master Ning Zhuo, please recognize the situation. Even if you have the Ten Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, you cannot escape."

"Even if you can escape, can the monk run away after the temple is gone? Unless your clan migrates long-distance from Fire Persimmon Immortal City again!"

"Why don't you release me, and I will go to my father to plead for you. If you trust me, I will arrange proper placement for you and your family."

"But if you persist in going your own way, you will only make matters worse, making it difficult for both sides to back down, escalating conflicts, and causing the situation to spiral out of control, ultimately leading the Ning family into the abyss."

Upon hearing these words, Ning Zhuo couldn't help but size up Lin Shanshan deeply.

He clapped his hands and sighed, "As expected of the eldest daughter of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, I have witnessed your demeanor now."

"However, Miss Lin seems to have overestimated the current situation."

"This junior is merely requesting Miss Lin's help in persuading your father, urging him to calm down, not to make a wrong step and commit a mistake that will be difficult to rectify in his lifetime."

"You should know that this foundation of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, which he founded and managed for hundreds of years, is not easy to come by. It would be too regrettable to lose it because of this."

Lin Shanshan raised her eyebrows, just about to speak.

Little Ju had already interrupted, "That sounds good! Since the Sect Master has already subdued your ancestor, that Infant Soul level demonic ape is naturally also subdued and can't cause any waves."

"Yet you are exaggerating here and still trying to deceive us?"

"Hmph, Miss, don't listen to him, he's just bluffing!"

Ning Zhuo smiled slightly, "It seems Little Ju misunderstood me. The situation is not in the hands of your esteemed Sect Master. Just wait and see, our reinforcements are almost here."

Seeing Ning Zhuo's confident and strategizing demeanor, Lin Shanshan's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Who?"

Outside the Ten Thousand Medicine Valley, Zhu Xuanji rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Oh dear, the mountain protecting formation has indeed been activated. With such a grand display, is it really as Ning Zhuo said in his letter?"

(End of this chapter)