The next moment, Fei Si pushed the door open.
Zhu Xuanji gazed intently at Fei Si. “You arrived quickly.”
Fei Si gave a smile, though it was tinged with bitterness.
Zhu Xuanji's unique identity meant Fei Si monitored his every move.
Although the City Lord hadn’t specifically instructed him to, Fei Si knew what needed to be done.
So, as soon as Zhu Xuanji and his companions left the volcano and headed for the Flying Disc Workshop, Fei Si received the news instantly.
The Flying Disc Workshop and Chen Cha were closely connected to Fei Si, especially regarding the Fire Persimmon Festival.
Fei Si urgently needed mechanical fire explosive monkeys, and as many as possible.
This was critical for his responsibility over the Fire Persimmon Festival, so he dared not neglect it.
Seeing Zhu Xuanji and his party heading for the workshop, he couldn’t sit still and rushed over immediately.
“First off, I have nothing to do with the emergence of the Immortal Palace,” Fei Si began.
“Secondly, this all started due to a small mistake on my part.”
He then detailed how, out of concern for the well-being of the people and the Southern Bean Kingdom’s property, he had been eager to present treasures to the City Lord and had recommended the mechanical monkeys, leading to the mistaken impression that Chen Cha was their inventor.
Once he realized this error, Chen Cha suggested they cover it up.
Initially hesitant, Fei Si had only agreed after Chen Cha’s earnest persuasion.
Chen Cha then privately approached Ning Zhuo, requesting him to transfer the credit for the invention to him, offering substantial compensation.
Ning Zhuo agreed.
The two of them thus signed a contract to keep this secret (in fact, this was at Fei Si's command, with the contract added afterward).
“Well put!” Chi Dun sneered, staring at Fei Si. “But I know you’re lying.”
Zhu Xuanji frowned even more deeply.
Using his cultivation technique, he could discern that much of what Fei Si said was untrue, though the general gist was correct.
Given that Fei Si was a Golden Core stage cultivator and held significant authority, overseeing the daily affairs of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, Zhu Xuanji refrained from exposing him.
Zheng Shuangjun looked at Ning Zhuo and reappraised him.
“So, you’re the true inventor of the mechanical monkeys.”
Ning Zhuo quickly bowed, expressing his gratitude once more to Zheng Shuangjun for saving his life.
Zheng Shuangjun, a Golden Core cultivator, had once rescued the Ning family remnants atop the volcano, including Ning Zhuo, Ning Yong, and Ning Chen.
Zheng Shuangjun chuckled. “Since you remember my lifesaving deed, how do you intend to repay it?”
Realizing Ning Zhuo’s talents in mechanics, he had some thought of recruiting him.
Ning Zhuo forced a smile.
“As a Ning family cultivator, I may not be able to fully repay your kindness, but I will certainly do my utmost.”
Zheng Shuangjun waved it off.
“Forget it, I won’t trouble a junior like you.”
Since Ning Zhuo was a Ning family cultivator, forcibly recruiting him could lead to conflict with the Ning family.
Previously, the three families had already been discussing joining forces against the City Lord’s Mansion.
Ning Zhuo’s change of allegiance was inconsequential if he didn’t come to the Zheng family.
Hearing this, Zhu Xuanji looked at Ning Zhuo again.
“Were you present when the Immortal Palace emerged?”
“Yes, I was fortunate to escape with my life,” Ning Zhuo replied.
“Haha. I know about that,” Chi Dun laughed.
He was in high spirits, having seized leverage against Fei Si, and spoke bluntly, “Afterward, I interrogated many people. The Ning family cultivators were among the first.”
“At the time, I used not only the Heart Questioning Array but also the Heart-Warning Bell bestowed by the City Lord himself.”
“It was the Heart-Warning Bell that alerted me to the Shadow Demon Cultivator sneaking in. From there, I pursued him all the way until he escaped into the Fire Persimmon Forest.”
Zhu Xuanji nodded, getting to the crux of the matter.
“When did you start producing the mechanical fire explosive monkeys? Were your blueprints leaked beforehand? Are there other individuals in the know?”
Through questioning, Zhu Xuanji discovered that the fire explosive monkeys were already on the market before the Immortal Palace emerged.
On the day Ning Zhuo sought guidance from Chen Cha, the two reached a cooperation agreement and began producing and selling the mechanical fire explosive monkeys.
According to Chen Cha, he wanted to release them to the market to gauge reactions and then decide on production scale.
Although Ning Zhuo claimed his designs weren’t leaked, as a mere qi refining stage disciple, he would be unlikely to notice if someone were spying on him.
This lead turned out to be futile.
Tracking every buyer of the mechanical fire explosive monkeys seemed daunting.
Just the thought made Zhu Xuanji’s scalp tingle.
Not to mention the possibility of resale.
In reality, a single mechanical monkey could pass through multiple hands...
At this point, Zhu Xuanji lost interest in the Flying Disc Workshop, Chen Cha, and Ning Zhuo.
As he prepared to leave, Fei Si saw him out.
“Actually, Lord Zhu, there’s no need to go to such lengths investigating this.”
“With the Fire Persimmon Festival approaching, we can encircle the Shadow Demon Cultivator.”
“If we manage to capture him alive, interrogation methods of the Divine Constable Division will surely reveal the mastermind behind this, don’t you think?”
That was precisely Fei Si’s plan.
As the one handling the most affairs, he carefully budgeted his time and prioritized efficiency.
To him, Zhu Xuanji’s extensive investigation seemed inefficient.
The culprit was hiding in the Fire Persimmon Forest; capturing the real culprit would solve everything in one go.
Zhu Xuanji gave a cold snort, glancing at Fei Si.
“I understand your meaning. Don’t worry; I’ll personally oversee the Fire Persimmon Festival.”
“I look forward to confronting that Shadow Demon Cultivator myself!”
Fei Si smiled, having successfully invited support.
As a member of the Divine Constable Division, Zhu Xuanji possessed formidable combat strength.
His royal status also meant he carried numerous treasures.
This greatly increased the odds of capturing the Shadow Demon Cultivator.
Zhu Xuanji left the Flying Disc Workshop.
Halfway, Zheng Shuangjun bid farewell to Zhu Xuanji.
Only Chi Dun remained, whose thinking aligned with Fei Si’s: to capture the Shadow Demon Cultivator during the Fire Persimmon Festival and resolve the central issue.
Zhu Xuanji sneered. “Do you truly believe the Shadow Demon Cultivator is the real culprit behind the bombing of the Immortal Palace?”
Chi Dun froze. “Isn’t he?”
Zhu Xuanji shook his head. “Don’t let your assumptions cloud your judgment.”
“From the current clues, it appears the Immortal Palace suffered damage from a bombing before it emerged.”
“The explosion was caused by the mechanical monkeys. That being said, others could also control such mechanical constructs.”
Chi Dun stomped in place.
Zhu Xuanji’s reasoning made sense.
“But if it isn’t the Shadow Demon Cultivator, who else could it be?”
He racked his brain, then suddenly shuddered, eyes widening in disbelief. “Could it be... Zheng Shuangjun?!”
Zhu Xuanji shook his head again. “Anything is possible.”
“Think about it. If the Shadow Demon Cultivator isn’t the culprit, but we mistakenly believe he is and waste valuable investigation time, how would we recover?”
Chi Dun nodded. “You’re absolutely right, Lord Zhu. But didn’t we just lose the trail of the mechanical monkeys?”
Zhu Xuanji smiled slightly, looking up at the sky. “Chi Dun, you’ve forgotten a crucial lead.”
“The true cause of the Immortal Palace explosion wasn’t the mechanical monkeys—it was the Thousand-Pound Fire Essence.”
“Purchasing such a large amount of fire essence would certainly draw attention, and the seller would remember it vividly!”
Chi Dun clapped his hands in excitement. “Yes, yes. Now this is a solid lead.”
Zhu Xuanji turned to him. “So next, I need you to lead me to investigate the city markets.”
“Yes, my lord!” Chi Dun’s tone grew excited as hope for the investigation reawakened.