Chapter 599: Ning Zhuo, Deputy City Lord |
“Such an exaggerated rate of progress!” Even Ning Zhuo himself secretly clicked his tongue at the speed of his soul cultivation.
“Previously, I had to consume large amounts of Spirit Food for more than ten consecutive days before my soul reached the level of a thousand souls.”
“Now, using the Four Treasures together, after only two rounds, it has skyrocketed to ten thousand souls!”
Such cultivation progress greatly defied common sense, yet the momentum at the later stage was even more explosive.
But upon careful thought, it actually made perfect sense.
The Spirit Food Ning Zhuo had consumed before had all been Foundation Establishment–level Spirit Food. Yet the Four Treasures he was using now were each Nascent Soul–level!
Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul—this was the normal sequence.
Now Ning Zhuo had skipped past the Golden Core level entirely and was using Nascent Soul–level resources on himself, while he was merely a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.
This was absolutely like using a butcher’s cleaver to kill a chicken, and it was exceedingly extravagant.
While Ning Zhuo continued his soul cultivation, he also kept watch on the outside world.
After the six Golden Core Ghost Generals had been utterly defeated, no one else came to offend this place. The ghosts that had been slaughtering within the city were also gradually eliminated thanks to Wen Ruanyu’s efforts.
Through Divine Ability—Life Hanging by a Thread, Ning Zhuo also observed Sun Lingtong’s surroundings and watched the situation from the battlefield outside the city.
“The defenses of the immortal city are truly formidable!” Ning Zhuo’s feelings were exactly the same as Sun Lingtong’s.
The Yin army dispatched by the Forget River Underworld was an absolutely elite force. Yet after attacking the immortal city for so long, not only had they suffered heavy losses, they had also achieved almost nothing.
Not long afterward, the military flags waved and the signal to withdraw was sounded.
The Yin army slowly retreated, voluntarily ending this siege.
They had paid the price of thirty percent of their forces, yet the only result was scraping away a few layers of talisman paper from the walls of the immortal city.
Even in retreat, they remained orderly. Several Golden Core Ghost Generals personally guarded the rear, and everything proceeded in perfect formation.
Sun Lingtong mixed among them and moved together with them.
This Yin army did not directly retreat back to the Underworld. Instead, they camped on barren land ten li away from White Paper Immortal City and slowly began constructing fortifications.
Since they could not take the city by force, and news had arrived that the internal turmoil in the city was gradually subsiding, the commander of the Yin army could only temporarily withdraw while secretly hoping that the city guard army of White Paper Immortal City would come out to fight a field battle.
A field battle?
Not even if they died!
Tie Gu Zheng knew perfectly well that their city guard army could not employ military arts, while the opposing side was a genuine army. If they fought in the open field and left the strong defensive terrain of White Paper Immortal City, the city guard army would not even last two bites against the Underworld forces.
Wen Ruanyu returned to the giant paper figure statue.
He slowly put away his self-portrait and watched Ning Zhuo cultivating his soul, unable to hide his envy.
These four soul cultivation treasures were all Nascent Soul–level. Even after staying in White Paper Immortal City for so long, Wen Ruanyu had never possessed so many at once.
“The Cold Bone Moon Dew Wine combines the methods of soul cultivation and Confucian cultivation. It gathers the qi of the Nine Netherworlds, condenses the essence of moonlight, and uses hundred-year-aged wine brewed from spirit grains and immortal fruits as its base.”
“The Nine Springs Repose Incense was created by the Funeral Song Nether Performer. Only her Nine Springs Sound Method could produce such incense. With her death, it has already become a lost art.”
“As for the Hungry Ghost Backlash Cauldron, it was a grand gift presented to the City Lord by the Soul-Devouring Sect. They crafted it carefully, referencing the Nine-Turn Soul-Devouring Art yet without revealing any of their sect’s core technique. Quite ingenious.”
“But the rarest is still the ‘Underworld Punishment Scripture.’ This is actually a national treasure of the Underworld. Who knows through what channel a previous city lord obtained it.”
Seeing Wen Ruanyu return, Ning Zhuo slowly stopped cultivating.
Wen Ruanyu smiled and first congratulated Ning Zhuo. This time he had rendered great merit, and the White Paper City Lord had granted him a tremendous reward.
Ning Zhuo grew curious and asked what the reward was.
Wen Ruanyu revealed a complicated and hard-to-describe expression, then took out a seal and handed it to Ning Zhuo.
“Jiao Ma, from this moment on, you are the Deputy City Lord of our White Paper Immortal City.”
Even though Ning Zhuo had considered many possibilities, seeing such a reward still shocked him.
He knew that White Paper Immortal City had rarely established a Deputy City Lord. The city normally had only one leader—the City Lord herself.
Yet the White Paper City Lord had been so generous that she directly handed the Deputy City Lord’s seal to Ning Zhuo.
“Is the White Paper City Lord truly so confident in me?”
“Or does she believe I am the savior of this crisis? This is treating me far too favorably.”
“Or perhaps she is confident in the methods she planted within me?”
The White Paper City Lord had planted one talisman inside each of Ning Zhuo’s three dantians.
Sun Lingtong had once suggested trying to steal them out for Ning Zhuo. But later, after Ning Zhuo discovered the past between his mother and White Paper Immortal City, he changed his decision to simply leave.
Under such circumstances, those three talismans could not be removed rashly.
From a certain perspective, they formed the basis of trust between Ning Zhuo and the White Paper City Lord. If they were removed, it would actually create problems.
Now was not the time to take them out.
After thinking for a moment, Ning Zhuo accepted the Deputy City Lord seal and began refining it while asking Wen Ruanyu about the fate of the Silent Ghost General.
Wen Ruanyu replied that the five captured Golden Core Ghost Generals had all been imprisoned and would undergo interrogation.
“Speaking of which, there’s someone you should meet.” Wen Ruanyu suddenly thought of something and took out a token.
He shook it.
The next moment, a ghost flew out from the token.
The ghost quickly condensed into a solid form. He had a thin body and three mouths on his face—it was an old acquaintance, the Many-Mouthed Ghost General.
However, unlike before, the Many-Mouthed Ghost General now wore a layer of paper armor. His skin was also covered in countless tiny white characters. These characters linked together like chains, covering his entire body.
“This humble one greets Young Master Jiao Ma.” The Many-Mouthed Ghost General immediately bowed, clearly having been instructed beforehand.
Even without such instructions, Ning Zhuo’s shocking performance on the battlefield had already terrified him.
Thus, the Many-Mouthed Ghost General acted timidly before Ning Zhuo, completely lacking the presence of a Golden Core cultivator.
Ning Zhuo glanced at him once, then looked at Wen Ruanyu.
“Someone who surrendered like this—can he really be trusted?”
“Trustworthy, trustworthy, trustworthy!” the Many-Mouthed Ghost General hurried to express loyalty.
“Silence.” Ning Zhuo cast him a faint glance.
The Many-Mouthed Ghost General trembled and quickly lowered his head. “Yes, yes, yes.”
Wen Ruanyu revealed a bitter smile.
“Jiao Ma, do you know how much combat strength our city lost in this internal and external turmoil?”
He reported the battle losses, and even Ning Zhuo could not help but be moved.
Wen Ruanyu said, “This ghost tide is different from before.”
“In the previous ghost tides, although the Forget River Underworld had intervened, it acted secretly. But this time, it has dispatched a full Yin army and clearly revealed its determination.”
“The Forget River Underworld can be compared to a cultivation nation. Although the Forget River Lord himself cannot reach the living world, the forces under his command are countless.”
“So this may very well become a prolonged war! We must maintain the number of combatants if we want greater hope of surviving this calamity.”
After explaining the necessity of recruiting enemy generals, Wen Ruanyu continued, “The Many-Mouthed Ghost General is already quite trustworthy.”
“First, the paper armor on him is a restriction personally cast by the City Lord.”
“Second, he has also been placed under the Confucian spell ‘Amnesty and Unity Canon.’”
Ning Zhuo asked curiously, “Amnesty and Unity Canon?”
Wen Ruanyu explained, “It is a Confucian spell capable of reforming and recruiting enemies. Its effect is excellent and very stable.”
Ning Zhuo continued, “Was it cast personally by Senior Wen?”
Wen Ruanyu shook his head.
“No. But the caster is absolutely reliable—an old subordinate specially left behind by Senior Sister Meng Yaoyin.”
“Now, to the main matter.”
“This time the City Lord also ordered you and me to continue investigating the traitor within the city.”
Hearing this, Ning Zhuo felt troubled and could not help frowning.
Wen Ruanyu, however, had even more confidence in him than Ning Zhuo had in himself.
“With you taking action, Jiao Ma, the traitor will not remain hidden for long.”
Ning Zhuo shook his head.
“I only collect clues and evidence, then make hypotheses and deductions. If Senior Funeral Song Nether Performer were still alive, we would have greater certainty.”
Mentioning their deceased colleague caused Wen Ruanyu’s face to darken with grief.
Ning Zhuo knew he was not good at investigations, but there was no choice. He could only force himself forward.
This matter was quite urgent. Ning Zhuo halted his cultivation and began working on the task.
After thinking for a moment, he asked Wen Ruanyu where the source of the ghost uprising that slaughtered the city’s residents had been.
Wen Ruanyu replied that it was deep within the Ink River, where someone had temporarily erected a Ghost Gate. A large number of ghosts had poured out from it.
Ning Zhuo suggested, “Then let’s begin our investigation from the Ink River.”
Wen Ruanyu nodded immediately without any resistance.
“Since the City Lord has ordered me to act as your assistant, you may arrange everything.”
On the surface, Wen Ruanyu still appeared to lead, while Jiao Ma followed at his side.
As for the position of Deputy City Lord, Ning Zhuo chose to keep it hidden for now. There was no need to draw attention at such a critical moment and invite enemy assassins.
The Ink River was the waterway running through the city.
The river water was pitch-black and emitted a fragrance of ink.
When Ning Zhuo arrived at the section where the incident had occurred, he entered the river together with Wen Ruanyu. They discovered only a few traces but nothing of real value.
“The traitor handled things very cleanly,” Wen Ruanyu sighed. “We’ve already searched several times and are now checking every branch of the Ink River in the city.”
After returning to shore, Ning Zhuo thought for a moment.
“All these Ink Rivers originate from the Ink Pool. Senior Wen, you mentioned earlier that the Ink Pool was left behind by Senior Meng Yaoyin?”
“Correct,” Wen Ruanyu replied.
Ning Zhuo was very interested in the Ink Pool itself.
“Then let’s go take a look.”
The Ink Pool lay beneath White Paper Immortal City. The water was black as ink but not turbid. Instead, it possessed a tranquil, profound aura, as if it could reflect a person’s heart.
The surface was perfectly still, like a slab of black jade embedded in the earth. Occasionally, faint ripples appeared, as though it possessed spirituality.
Beside the pool stood a stone stele engraved with two characters—
“Wash Heart.”
As Ning Zhuo and Wen Ruanyu approached, an ink shadow appeared beside the pool and gradually formed into the figure of a hunched man.
He was a skinny old Confucian scholar with white hair and beard, his wrinkles as deep as ravines. Occasionally a spark of brilliance flashed in his cloudy eyes.
He wore a faded blue-gray Confucian robe and had a simple wooden plaque hanging from his waist with the two characters “Guard Ink.”
Ning Zhuo was slightly startled, realizing he had already met this old scholar before.
He was the city gate officer who recorded the names of those entering the city.
“Teacher Zheng, this Young Master Jiao Ma is skilled in strategy and investigation. This time he will act as my assistant to investigate the traitor in White Paper Immortal City,” Wen Ruanyu said as he bowed.
The old Confucian of the Ink Pool had the surname Zheng. After Meng Yaoyin appointed him, he changed his name to Shoumo, meaning Guardian of the Ink.
He had never failed Meng Yaoyin’s trust and had faithfully guarded the Ink Pool ever since.
Because of his service and virtue, even Wen Ruanyu—true disciple of the Myriad Phenomena Sect—treated him with great respect.
Ning Zhuo wished most to learn more about his mother, so he used the investigation as an excuse to ask questions.
The old scholar explained, “In those years, my master saved my life. From that day on, I pledged to follow her and devote my loyalty for the rest of my life.”
“My master ordered me to guard the Ink Pool. All these years, I have never slackened.”
“The Ink Pool is a Confucian cultural treasure derived from the inkstone among the Four Treasures of the Study—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Its waters can educate the people, wash away barbaric martial ferocity, and guide them toward the literary path.”
“The cost of constructing an Ink Pool is extremely high. Yet my master possessed great benevolence and spared no expense, asking White Paper Immortal City for not a single benefit.”
“The city’s continued prosperity and harmonious governance today owes an enormous debt to the civilizing influence brought by the Ink Pool.”
Like Wen Ruanyu, the old scholar greatly admired Meng Yaoyin.
Hearing this, Ning Zhuo smiled faintly, feeling proud in his heart.
“Besides guarding the Ink Pool, do you perform other duties? I once saw you serving as a city gate officer,” Ning Zhuo asked.
Wen Ruanyu smiled slightly.
The old scholar explained, “Maintaining the daily operation of the Ink Pool requires more than simply guarding it.”
“I must observe the people’s conditions so I can guide them appropriately.”
“That is why, besides serving as a gate officer, I also frequently walk through the streets and alleys, participating in many aspects of everyday life.”
Ning Zhuo nodded in understanding.
He asked many more questions, and the old scholar answered each calmly and steadily, giving the impression of reliability.
Ning Zhuo and Wen Ruanyu then examined the Ink Pool but found no clues.
The old scholar spoke up.
“Perhaps there is another lead that might help the two of you.”
“Oh?” Ning Zhuo looked at him expectantly.
The old scholar said, “I have no special methods, but recently I have been assisting with the prison’s supervision and interrogations. That reminded me of the five Golden Core Ghost Generals captured by Lord Wen.”
“Perhaps they know something. We might pry some clues from their mouths.”
Wen Ruanyu nodded.
“That’s true. Even if they reveal nothing about the traitor, extracting enemy intelligence would still count as merit.”
The old scholar smiled.
“I was just about to report for duty. Why not go together?”
The three left the Ink Pool and arrived at the prison.
The old scholar led them into an interrogation room.
He was clearly the person in charge there. As soon as he entered, his subordinates eagerly reported that four of the Golden Core Ghost Generals had already confessed something, though to varying degrees.
Only the Silent Ghost General remained extremely stubborn. No matter how harsh the torture, he had not spoken a single word.
“Interesting.”
“Then let this old man have a word with him.”
The old scholar slowly rolled up his sleeves and took a branding iron from the charcoal furnace.
