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In the academy, Ning Zhuo's performance was above average but otherwise unremarkable. In contrast, Ning Xiaohui, as a member of the main branch and possessing the innate talent of "Ice Jade Hands," always occupied the top position. She was like the moon surrounded by stars in the academy.

At this moment, Ning Xiaohui had a cold expression, her gaze indifferent as she looked Ning Zhuo up and down as he approached!

She was slightly surprised in her heart, thinking, "I never expected that someone so unremarkable in the past actually has quite a good appearance!"

After scrutinizing him from head to toe, she remarked, "I really couldn't tell that you were the one who created the Mechanical Exclusive Monkey!"

Ning Zhuo let out an "Ah," feeling a bit embarrassed as he said, "Well, I think it was just a fluke. If I had to create another new mechanical work, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do it. I have no more information!"

"Yes, I know!" Ning Xiaohui had already reviewed all the information on Ning Zhuo, including the numerous manuscripts and drawings the Ning family investigation team had discovered and copied in the underground workshop.

From that, she saw that Ning Zhuo had spent at least five or six years on the development of the Mechanical Exclusive Monkey!

This discovery significantly lowered her opinion of Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo walked up to Ning Xiaohui and asked, "May I ask why you called me out here?"

Ning Xiaohui frowned slightly, feeling that Ning Zhuo was standing too close.

She took a small step back and questioned him, "You actually gave the Mechanical Exclusive Monkey to an outsider. Why didn't you report it to the family first?"

Ning Zhuo sighed, spreading his hands, his face showing frustration and helplessness as he said, "I really wanted to tell the family, but at that time, my Mechanical Exclusive Monkey still had flaws. It was incomplete and not presentable."

"I couldn't bring it out!"

"I consulted Chen Cha to solve the design problems of the Mechanical Monkey. But I never expected it to be exposed like that. In the end, some big shot took notice of it."

"What could I do?"

"At least they gave me money!"

"Hmph, are you talking about Lord Fei Si?" Ning Xiaohui intentionally revealed the name.

Ning Zhuo immediately showed a look of surprise.

Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Ning Xiaohui's lips curled into a slight sneer as she said, "Ning Zhuo, you're so focused on money, you have such a short-sighted view!"

"Don't you know that in the words ‘fame and fortune,' fame comes first, and fortune comes second? With fame, you naturally get fortune."

"Fame is far more important than fortune!"

"Creating the Mechanical Exclusive Monkey was such a great honor!"

"And now it's been taken away. How could such a loss be compensated by mere money?"

"Is that so?" Ning Zhuo scratched his head, wearing an innocent and foolish expression, as if he was completely clueless about the ways of the world.

Ning Xiaohui, seeing Ning Zhuo's foolish appearance, suddenly felt a surge of disgust in her heart, losing any desire to continue talking with him.

Little did she know that Ning Zhuo had seen through her disdainful and arrogant nature, and had easily manipulated her.

Ning Xiaohui turned to leave, saying, "I came to find you specifically to tell you that there's a small banquet tonight, and I'll take you there!"

"Make sure you clean yourself up properly, and don't disgrace our family!"

Ning Zhuo was surprised, "May I ask what kind of banquet it is? Who will be there?"

Ning Xiaohui kept walking, not turning back as she replied, "It's with people from the joint team of the three families, including Zheng Jian, Zhou Zhenshen, and Zhou Zhu!"

"A dragon should not mingle with snakes. Just follow me and don't talk too much!"

"Oh, okay!" Ning Zhuo quickly responded, "Oh, wait, I need to report this to the Young Clan Leader first!"

"Suit yourself!" Ning Xiaohui walked out of the courtyard, her figure disappearing behind the door.

Ning Zhuo's gaze deepened.

Reporting to the Young Clan Leader was just an excuse; he already knew that since Ning Xiaohui could make her way to the inner residence, she must have received Ning Xiaoren's approval.

"Ning Xiaohui is from the main branch, while I'm from the side branch."

"My cultivation and mechanical skills have already posed a certain threat to Ning Xiaohui."

In the past, Ning Zhuo would have already been warned or suppressed.

But now, with the three families joining forces and striving for fairness, the Ning family, being at a disadvantage, also needed Ning Zhuo's personal efforts to support Ning Xiaohui.

This was why he was being treated with respect.

However, Ning Xiaohui was not one to tolerate competition. If he continued to shine and display his talents, she would become an obstacle in his path.

"I can only continue forward by removing this obstacle!"

Ning Zhuo always planned three steps ahead. As the saying goes, "If a man does not have long-term concerns, he will have near-term worries." He had already started thinking about how to remove Ning Xiaohui as a threat.

After pondering for a while, he shook his head slightly, smiling bitterly to himself.

He couldn't think of a good solution.

Ning Zhuo first went to report to the Young Clan Leader, Ning Xiaoren, about the banquet that evening.

Seeing Ning Zhuo's conscientious behavior, Ning Xiaoren was pleased, having tested that the young man indeed had a submissive nature. He immediately expressed his approval and mentioned that Ning Zhuo's clothes were not suitable for attending a banquet, so he ordered someone to measure Ning Zhuo for new clothes.

As the Young Clan Leader, Ning Xiaoren had a high position and many servants.

In the cultivation world, even the making of ordinary clothes was done with remarkable efficiency!

By evening, the clothes were ready.

And not just one set, but three.

Ning Xiaoren did not miss the opportunity to show goodwill!

He personally attended the entire fitting process, praising Ning Zhuo repeatedly!

In the end, his eyes reddened, his voice choked with emotion as he said, "If only your father, Ning Zhong, were still alive to see you grown up like this, such a fine young man! He would be so proud!"

Ning Zhuo quickly inquired about his father's situation.

But Ning Xiaoren had no idea, so he coughed, saying it was getting late, and that they could catch up another time.

In his heart, he thought about looking into all the information on Ning Zhong to see if he could fabricate some deep connection between their families.

"Oh, by the way!"

Ning Xiaoren took out a bag of money and handed it to Ning Zhuo.

"I know you have a large sum of money, but this is just some pocket money. You should take it as a little gift from your Uncle Ning!"

Ning Xiaoren handed it over slowly, but Ning Zhuo's eyes lit up, and he quickly reached out with both hands, taking the money bag.

His swift movements left Ning Xiaoren momentarily stunned.

"Thank you, Uncle Ning!" Ning Zhuo's thanks were more direct than ever before.

Then the young man added, "Uncle Ning, I don't have any large sums of money."

"I've never thought of myself as having a lot of money. In fact, it's really not much at all!"

"Besides, who ever complains about having too much money?"

"Thank you, Uncle Ning!"

Ning Zhuo expressed his gratitude again.

Ning Xiaoren couldn't help but cough lightly, "Good, good, I'm glad you accepted it!"

Watching Ning Zhuo inspect the money bag, Ning Xiaoren's feelings were mixed.

On one hand, Ning Zhuo's attitude toward money perfectly echoed Ning Xiaoren's own sentiments!

He felt like he had found a kindred spirit.

But this kindred spirit, well, was better off not having.

Especially since Ning Zhuo was taking his money.

On the other hand, it made perfect sense.

Ning Xiaoren thought back to all the information he had seen.

As a child, Ning Zhuo had been under the care of others, suffering harsh treatment from Ning Ze and Wang Lan, and hardly ever had any pocket money, living in considerable poverty.

In contrast, Ning Ji lived in luxury, with plenty of food and clothing.

Ning Zhuo was always short of money, and after entering the academy, he often took on odd jobs!

Given this background, it was not surprising that Ning Zhuo had a strong desire for money.

So, Ning Zhuo agreeing to let Chen Cha take credit for creating the Mechanical Exclusive Monkey in exchange for a large sum of money wasn't surprising at all.

Leaving Ning Zhuo, Ning Xiaoren felt very satisfied.

Because he realized that Ning Zhuo wasn't difficult to win over.

To win someone over, it was actually quite simple—appeal to what they like.

"Ning Zhuo's first interest—mechanical arts."

"His second interest—money!"

"Hmm, I should use mechanical arts classics to win him over!"

Because, when it came to money, Ning Xiaoren liked it just as much.

Nightfall!

The carriage stopped, and Ning Zhuo was the first to jump off the carriage. Then, Ning Xiaohui gracefully stepped down

, using a servant's back as a step.

"Ning Zhuo, your status is not the same as before. You must pay attention to your every move!" Ning Xiaohui frowned, "Jumping off the carriage so casually is too frivolous, not something a member of a prominent family should do."

"Oh, okay!" Ning Zhuo quickly agreed to heed the advice.

Along the way, he looked around curiously, as if he had never been here before!

Everything seemed new to him.

Ning Xiaohui's frown deepened, "Stay close to me!"

Ning Zhuo hurried to follow!

Ning Xiaohui added, "But not too close, keep some distance from me!"

Ning Zhuo: "Oh, oh!"

…

"Welcome, welcome, the two of you!"

Zheng Jian personally stood at the entrance of the private room to greet them.

This small banquet was hosted by him.

Ning Xiaohui and Ning Zhuo entered the private room, finding that Zhou Zhenshen and Zhou Zhu had already arrived.

The few of them gathered with smiles on their faces. Just the energy alone was already something new to Ning Zhuo.

Because he had never seen these geniuses smiling and talking so warmly before.

The dishes at the banquet were naturally exquisite.

Ning Zhuo's eyes sparkled as he stared at the table, and he was the one who picked up his chopsticks the most.

Zheng Jian and the others kept a close eye on Ning Zhuo.

They were relatively familiar with Ning Xiaohui.

But they lacked enough knowledge about the suddenly prominent Ning Zhuo.

Although their two families had conducted thorough investigations and obtained intelligence beyond what the Ning family had.

Many times, however, face-to-face probing and understanding were still necessary.

Seeing Ning Zhuo trying to suppress himself, acting indifferent, but always unable to resist eating and drinking, the group gradually formed an impression of him.

Combining it with the intelligence they had, they quickly sketched out a picture of Ning Zhuo in their minds—an emerging talent from the family's lower ranks, a former marginal figure who, by chance, had entered the upper circles, but who, in the initial stages of adjustment, was out of place. Every glance he cast around revealed his humble past.

During the meal, Zheng Jian and the others naturally talked about the Lava Immortal Palace.

Zheng Jian first raised his glass to Ning Xiaohui, saying, "We must thank the Ning family for providing the talismans, which prevented us from having our souls easily extracted by the Immortal Palace."

"Since our three families are united, and everyone present has already reached the third layer peak of Qi Refining, we can now open the talismans and explore the palace together!"

"I believe that by working together, we will surely overcome the challenges ahead."

Ning Zhuo pricked up his ears, listening intently with a serious expression.

He spoke with excitement and enthusiasm, "If we join forces, we will surely overcome all obstacles and triumphantly advance!"

Zheng Jian: …

Zhou Zhu: …

For a moment, the small banquet fell into a rare silence.