“It should be Ning Zhuo begging me to handle this matter, not me rushing to arrange things for him.”
“I am his eldest uncle, his elder!”
“If I really go through with this, won’t he become arrogant, looking down on me with his nose up in the air?”
“How will I ever discipline him in the future?”
However, the situation was beyond his control.
Young Clan Leader Ning Xiaoren had already backed Ning Ze into a corner, and Ning Ze had no intention of giving up his managerial position.
What to do?
Ning Ze pondered for a long time, yet couldn’t find a good solution.
In the afternoon, Ning Zhuo returned.
In the main hall, Ning Zhuo once again paid his respects to Ning Ze and Wang Lan, stating his purpose: “I’m here today mainly to take my daily essentials with me.”
During his studies at the academy, Ning Zhuo’s regular residence was here, only returning to live on his own on weekends.
Feigning concern, Ning Ze asked about his recent circumstances.
Ning Zhuo secretly activated the power of the treasure seal in his sea of consciousness while informing the couple that he had found a job at the Flying Disc Workshop with good treatment.
After a few brief words, Ning Zhuo took his leave.
Watching him walk away, Wang Lan snorted coldly, “Flying Disc Workshop? I’ve never heard of it. What future could a small workshop like that possibly offer?”
Ning Ze remained expressionless. “Young people have high spirits. They must go through hardships to understand the difficulties of life.”
Seeing Ning Zhuo’s stubbornness only deepened Ning Ze’s aversion to spending money and pulling strings for him.
“Wait, maybe I can use his personality to my advantage,” Ning Ze suddenly thought of an idea.
He chuckled coldly. “Little Zhuo is too bookish and, being young, craves adventure and excitement.”
“I remember that many family cultivators have joined the Demon Hunters Association, venturing into the Demon Lava Cave to hunt volcanic demon beasts.”
“I could arrange for someone to encourage Little Zhuo to go demon hunting!”
His wife, however, looked worried. “Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?”
She was stingy with money, but she didn’t want to see Ning Zhuo get injured or lose his life.
Her husband shook his head slightly, “Many members of the Ning family are already part of the Demon Hunters Association.”
“Besides, this time, the Young Clan Leader ordered me to procure 80 wish-fulfilling ropes, clearly indicating our clan is planning a major exploration of the Demon Lava Cave.”
“When the time comes, with the family’s support, Little Zhuo’s safety should not be an issue.”
“Young and fiery, eager for thrills and achievements, he’s determined to make his own way. He stubbornly resists my arrangements, insisting on joining the Demon Hunters Association! How’s that for an explanation? Haha.”
“The brilliance of this idea lies in the fact that the exploration of the Demon Lava Cave is a family matter. Little Zhuo contributing to this exploration can technically be seen as part of the family’s business. The Young Clan Leader wouldn’t be able to hold this against me.”
“Of course, I’ll still need to send money.”
“However, arranging for Little Zhuo to join the Demon Hunters Association will cost far less than securing him a position in the family business!”
His wife blinked, contemplating for a moment. “That’s a good idea.”
“But, husband.”
“Since the family is planning something big in the Demon Lava Cave, there must be plenty of opportunities to gain merit. Do you think...our Ji’er…”
Her husband’s face darkened as he glared at her, scolding, “Are you mad? Blades and swords know no mercy on the battlefield. If Ji’er were to go, and anything untoward happened to him, what then? You want us to bury our son?”
“What?” His wife panicked, quickly retreating. “I was overthinking it. Ji’er will be safest at home making talismans!”
Neither of them noticed that when Ning Zhuo had turned to leave, two streams of fresh blood were trickling from his nostrils.
Ning Ze believed this idea was his own and felt secretly pleased, unaware that it was, in fact, the result of Ning Zhuo’s influence.
As the sun set and night blanketed Fire Persimmon Immortal City, Ning Zhuo took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement as he opened the pill furnace.
“Good, it worked!”
Seeing the intact Mechanical Fire Monkey, Ning Zhuo relaxed, a surge of joy rising within him.
He then focused his mind.
In his sea of consciousness, a hidden seal flickered with light.
It was none other than the magical artifact his mother had left him—the Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
The top of the seal was carved with a Buddha figure standing back-to-back with a demon head, creating a stark contrast. The Buddha’s expression was serene and compassionate, while the demon head appeared fierce, with fiery eyes.
The main body of the seal was bowl-shaped, surrounded by Sanskrit inscriptions that occasionally glimmered and faded.
On the bottom of the seal, in ancient script, were four large characters: “Buddha Heart Demon Seal.”
One thought to become Buddha, one thought to become demon.
I am Buddha; I am also demon.
When the seal reflected upon himself, it embodied Buddha’s compassion, saving both self and others.
When it reflected upon others, it projected their thoughts and intentions into another’s sea of consciousness, influencing and altering their minds.
In that moment, it became the heart demon of others.
To hide this treasure, Ning Zhuo had endured countless hardships, paying a significant price.
He frequently purchased golden silk jade dew cake, mainly to expand his sea of consciousness, increasing his foundation to bear the weight of this artifact.
And he had reaped considerable rewards!
For example, previously, while acting as the Mysterious Puppet Master on the Black Market, when confronted by a demon cultivator’s attack, Ning Zhuo used this treasure to shake the enemy’s mind, creating an opening.
Even a fleeting lapse allowed him to secure victory effortlessly time and again.
Today, he had activated a trace of its power in front of Ning Ze to influence his thoughts, prompting Ning Ze’s “inspiration” to arrange for Ning Zhuo to join the Demon Hunters Association.
However, this had left Ning Zhuo’s soul weakened, his spirit exhausted, with blood continuing to trickle from his nostrils.
“My uncle is at the Foundation Establishment stage, while I’m only at the third level of qi refining. Influencing him took a great toll.”
“It’s not like in the Black Market, where I wore Azure Iron Armor and wielded the power of Foundation Establishment, allowing me to unleash more of this seal’s power and easily shake Foundation Establishment stage opponents.”
“But the true purpose of this seal lies not here; it’s meant for controlling mechanisms!”
Ning Zhuo activated the seal’s power, forming a heart seal.
The heart seal appeared pale pink, instantly shooting into the mechanical monkey’s body.
In the next moment, the monkey’s eyes opened, leaping out of the pill furnace on its own!
The Mechanical Fire Monkey, agile and lively, darted around the underground workshop, moving freely without disturbing a single item. Its movements were deft and controlled.
If anyone else saw this scene, their jaws would surely drop.
There are various ways to control mechanisms, with spiritual sense control being the mainstream method. But to possess spiritual sense, a cultivator usually needs to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.
Ning Zhuo had outfitted the fire monkey with a spiritual sense receiver.
This meant it was intended for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
However, even a seasoned Foundation Establishment mechanism master would struggle to control the fire monkey with such precision.
This was because the fire monkey’s spiritual sense receiver was designed by Ning Zhuo with ingenuity to save on costs by using three pellets instead of an orthodox array disk, which diminished its control precision significantly.
Thus, the low control performance wasn’t a reflection of the mechanism master’s skills but the inherent limitations of the fire monkey.
Yet under Ning Zhuo’s control, the fire monkey moved like a real monkey, lifelike and vivid!
This was all thanks to the heart seal.
As they say, “two hearts in perfect harmony.”
After implanting the heart seal in the monkey with the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, Ning Zhuo could command it directly with his mind.
This control method was far more convenient and effective than spiritual sense.
Ning Zhuo manipulated the monkey, making it leap up and down, even attempting to store fire essence, all without a hitch.
“After years of preparation, it’s finally completed in this moment!”
The youth felt a surge of emotion, gazing towards the Lava Immortal Palace with a glint of resolve in his eyes.