Chapter 720: Secret Meeting at Longqiu Mountain

South Bean Country.

Wanyaomen.

"Dad, you're looking for me?" Lin Shanshan walked into the study, a little resentful, "I'm busy preparing for the war. If it's not something particularly important..."

After Ning Zhuo left, he left the Lingyin Willow at Wanyaomen and asked Hua Guzi to take care of the willow.

The relationship between Lin Shanshan and Hua Guzi started out on the right track, but then took a sharp turn for the worse and deteriorated dramatically.

The two began to fight in the martial arts field, but as the fight went on, they developed a friendship.

The two girls became good friends and regarded each other as rivals, and they loved and hated each other.

Up to now, Lin Shanshan and Hua Guzi have made great progress in strength due to their competition with each other, and have become the two most beautiful scenery in the Wanyaomen martial arts field.

The two had a similar number of wins and losses, but last time, Lin Shanshan narrowly lost to Hua Guzi. So, this time, she was gearing up and preparing for the match with all her might, hoping to get back on track.

As her father, Lin Bufan was naturally aware of this situation.

Lin Bufan was also happy to see this development. After all, during the time when the two girls were competing with each other, his beloved daughter had indeed been working hard and making rapid progress in her cultivation.

Lin Bufan handed a letter to Lin Shanshan, and with just one sentence, his beloved daughter's resentment was wiped away: "This is a letter from Ning Zhuo."

"Ah! Ning Zhuo finally wrote to me?!" Lin Shanshan was immediately surprised.

Lin Bufan suppressed his displeasure, shook his head and sneered: "This is a letter written to me, but I am impatient to explain it. Please read it first."

Lin Shanshan immediately released her spiritual sense and scanned the letter several times.

Lin Shanshan's surprise faded. Although she was a little disappointed, her tone was still cheerful: "I didn't expect Ning Zhuo to have arrived in Feiyun Country."

"I wonder what strange customs there are?"

"How can he have so many golden elixirs? And they are all from the ghost realm?"

"This is a good thing, Dad. There are many prescriptions that require Ghost Dao Golden Pill as an ingredient."

Seeing his daughter speaking well of Ning Zhuo, Lin Bufan felt even more unhappy and shook his head again: "A lot of prescriptions? Can you list ten?"

Lin Shanshan rolled her eyes at Lin Bufan: "Dad, why do you have to be so serious?"

"Ning Zhuo wants to take back the Lingyin Willow and also wants to trade the Ghost Dao Golden Pill with me. This is great!"

"Even though the Ghost Dao Golden Pill isn't a common medicinal ingredient, a precious material like this is rare. Even if we buy it first and then resell it, it will still be profitable."

Lin Bufan nodded slightly: "Your last sentence does make sense."

Lin Shanshan's face was full of smiles.

"The Lingyin Willow has recovered. Ning Zhuo wants to use it, so he must have an important purpose."

"We have to do it despite it."

"If you ask me, why don't we form a caravan, take the elixirs, spirit stones, and the Spirit Hidden Willow, and head to Feiyun Country immediately."

"Dad, the Lingyin Willow is extremely rare and of great importance. If something unexpected happens to it during a long trade journey, it would be disastrous. I can set off and carefully take care of it along the way to make sure it is safe."

Lin Bufan stared at Lin Shanshan, his eyes seeming to penetrate deep into her heart: "You want to see Ning Zhuo, right?"

Lin Shanshan blushed, then argued, "Ning Zhuo is my good friend and even more so our ally. Of course I miss my friend."

"I think the eldest brother must want to too."

"Dad, don't you want to?"

Lin Bufan shook his head: "Can my thoughts be the same as yours?"

He frowned, "Didn't I tell you? Ning Zhuo has already established a family in Liangzhu Country. His wife is Mu Lan, the sole heir to General Mu's mansion!"

Lin Shanshan laughed. "Dad, you can just bluff me for a while, but that's enough. I've already investigated the true situation of Qianfeng Forest. Ning Zhuo was simply forced to marry Mulan due to some strange combination of circumstances."

"They are fake, not real."

Lin Bufan tapped the table lightly with his knuckles. "What if it's true? I think these two are a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman."

Lin Shanshan was very displeased when she heard this, and her face immediately darkened: "Dad, you are bullying me! If Mom were here..."

At the mention of her deceased mother, Lin Bufan's expression changed slightly. He felt his soft spot was hit and sighed bitterly: "Forget it, forget it. You must know that Dad is doing this for your own good."

"Alas... Take this letter and go find Hua Guzi. Before Ning Zhuo left, he arranged for her to look after Lingyin Willow."

"Okay." Lin Shanshan nodded and was about to turn around and leave when she stopped. "Dad, I want to join this caravan. You can't refuse me!"

Lin Bufan's heart moved, and he tried to ask, "How about I leave Hua Guzi here and only let you join this caravan?"

Lin Shanshan was stunned for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "This... is not good! Xiaohua and I are good friends. We agreed to compete fairly... Let her go too!"

She gave a wry smile and added, "If we want to take over Lingyin Willow, we definitely can't hide it from her. Given her personality, if she's really not allowed to go, she might even rebel."

Lin Bufan then smiled and waved to Lin Shanshan: "You should discuss it with her first."

"It's not easy to form a caravan."

"Ning Zhuo mentioned in the letter that he was also using the Ghost Dao Golden Pill to trade with Zhu Xuanji. I will write a letter first to inquire about Zhu Xuanji's arrangements."

The Wanyao Sect, the Nandou Zhu Family, and the Huoshi Ning Family have formed a secret alliance.

The caravan had to cross Liangzhu Country and Beifeng Country before reaching Feiyun Country. The journey would be extremely difficult and challenging. Relying solely on the power of the Wanyao Sect, it was not impossible to achieve this, but the cost would be enormous.

In this case, Lin Bufan would of course go to Zhu Xuanji to ask and discuss to see if there is any possibility of cooperation.

As a result, just as Master Lin finished writing the letter, he received a letter from Zhu Xuanji.

It turned out that Ning Zhuo's letters were sent to each other through post stations in various places and finally reached the Kingdom of Nandou.

The Nandou Kingdom was controlled by the Zhu family, so the relevant letters were naturally sent in limited quantities.

Zhu Xuanji received Ning Zhue's letter a whole day earlier than Lin Bufan.

Lin Bufan opened the letter and knew Zhu Xuanji's intention.

Zhu Xuanji agreed to the deal with Ning Zhuo, and would travel with the caravan to Feiyun Country, but he would not meet Ning Zhuo. He just asked Lin Bufan to arrange a suitable candidate.

Lin Bufan couldn't help but wonder, "Captain Zhu is the face of our royal family at the Jindan level. Is there some important mission that requires him to go out in person?"

"But I feel relieved to have him participate and escort the caravan all the way."

Lin Bufan immediately wrote a reply letter.

In just half a day, the letter arrived in Zhu Xuanji's hands.

Zhu Shenbu sent out his spiritual sense, read through it, and showed a look of distress.

"I didn't expect Ning Zhuo to have already arrived in Feiyun Country."

"Alas, I also want to go to Feiyun Country. Fortunately, with Wanyaomen as our representative, I don't need to meet him."

"It's better to keep your distance, son of the calamity."

As for Lin Bufan's letter asking why Zhu Xuanji wanted to go to Feiyun Country, Zhu Xuanji could only choose to keep it secret.

"This is an operation that our country and Feiyun Country have secretly planned long ago. It is inconvenient to disclose it to Lin Bufan."

"Ning Zhuo is at the main gate of the Wanxiang Sect, but I'm going to Longqiu Mountain."

"If you can't touch it, you definitely won't meet it."

For this diplomatic mission, the royal family of Nandou took a long time to consider the candidate.

In the end, it fell on Zhu Xuanji.

Zhu Xuanji had a premonition that he would be chosen.

After all, a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage needs a pass to enter another country, otherwise it would be considered a provocation.

However, this time, the meeting between the Nandou Kingdom and the Feiyun Kingdom was not suitable for publicity. Therefore, the normal travel permit could not be issued.

In this case, Zhu Xuanji, as the strongest golden elixir, is not bound by the Nascent Soul level. Even if he is exposed, it will not cause conflict between countries.

From this point of view alone, Zhu Xuanji is definitely an excellent candidate.

Two countries.

Capital.

General Mu’s Mansion.

"The imperial edict has arrived!" The messenger walked quickly into the courtyard.

"We accept your order." Led by General Mu, many monks half-knelt on the ground.

The messenger slowly unfolded the imperial edict in his hand and read out its contents.

Among the monks, Mulan couldn't help but look surprised when he heard half of it: "What? You want me to go to Feiyun Country as an envoy?"

Then, an idea struck her: "Hey, this is a good opportunity."

"Ning Zhuo wrote to me the day before yesterday, wanting to trade Ghost Dao Golden Pills. I was even considering forming a caravan."

"Now I go in person, which saves a lot of trouble."

"I just don't know what the mission of this mission is?"

Feiyun Kingdom.

Prime Minister's Mansion.

Kong Zhaoming was handling official business in his study.

Judging from his appearance, he was probably between forty-five and fifty. He had a square face with sharp angles, slightly high brow bones, and eyes as deep as a cold pond. He had a high nose bridge and his lips were pressed into a straight line.

Even when sitting, one can still see that he is tall and straight, with broad shoulders and back.

He exudes a restrained and heavy aura of pressure. When people get close to him, they will involuntarily straighten their backs, hold their breath, and not dare to overstep the line.

His temples were slightly frosted, and atop his head was a simple, dark-colored crown, neither gold nor jade. It held his long hair together, meticulously, without a single strand out of place.

He was wearing a plain, wide-sleeved robe without any fancy embroidery, except for the collar and cuffs, which were trimmed with extremely fine and regular black cloud or circular patterns.

He wore a dark jade belt around his waist, and the jade belt buckle was simple and square in shape.

Like his person, he was also old-fashioned, upright, and a stickler for etiquette. He was strict with others and himself.

"Hmm?" He saw the letter from his son Kong Ran.

"Someone wants to pay a high price to buy a method to discover early intelligence and talent?"

"This kid actually wants to agree?"

Kong Zhaoming couldn't help but snort coldly, revealing his displeasure.

He refuted in his mind, "If talent can be properly tapped, it can be promoted and become a supernatural power. Supernatural powers are the standard of the Divine Transformation level. If cultivators below the Divine Transformation level can master supernatural powers, they will definitely have the strength to challenge those of higher levels."

"The matter of talent and practice is of great importance. How can it be taught lightly?"

"What should we do if a God-transformation-level warrior emerges from the enemy forces?"

"Even if he's not at the Divine Transformation level, even if he could help a Jindan cultivator, it's still wrong!"

In the current world of cultivation, the cultivation countries are actively arming themselves, confronting and guarding against each other.

It is not easy for cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage to enter and exit the country at will, but according to the rules, Golden Core stage cultivators are not subject to this control.

Therefore, even if a Jindan cultivator obtained this set of things, it might cause trouble to the entire country.

"For example, this time, our country held secret talks with envoys from many countries on Mount Longqiu."

"Those who have reached this level should be at the Golden Core level."

"In this process, there will inevitably be mutual learning and competition."

"In other words, a Jindan-level duel also determines the reputation of the country and even affects the subsequent game of interests."

Kong Zhaoming is well versed in the Book of Rites, and is the person in charge of convening and entertaining secret envoys from various countries in Feiyun Kingdom this time.

"Kong Ran is my eighth son. Although he has precocious intelligence and talent, he is of inferior quality."

"The downside is that one can be impatient, lack persistence, be slow and steady, and be inconsiderate."

"For a mere brush, you're going to sell out your talent and skills. Is there anyone who would be so wasteful?"

“No!”

Vientiane Sect.

Bluestone Cave Mansion.

Ning Zhuo crawled out from the fetal breathing spirit boat.

He moved a few times, and the stone skin on his body peeled off piece by piece, revealing his normal skin.

He looked down at his arm; the symptoms of soul power oppressing his flesh had almost disappeared. Only if he looked closely could he see some faint shadows and dark spots.

"However, this is not just because my physical body has strengthened, but also because my soul is weak."

Ning Zhuo had previously used the Hui Yi Pen, which had consumed a lot of his soul power. However, he deliberately let it go and ignored it, allowing his soul to recover on its own.

Putting away the Fetal Breathing Spirit Boat, Ning Zhuo once again delved into studying the Demonic Blood-Stained Tendon Technique.

There is progress, but not much.

Without any other opportunities, Ning Zhuo could only continue to work hard.

After a moment of contemplation, the appointed time arrived. Ning Zhuo summoned Qing Chi and Xue Cai Nu Hui to teach them the art of talisman making again.

In Qing Chi's opinion, two hours passed in a flash.

Seeing that she was reluctant to leave, Ning Zhuo had an idea: "Qingchi, why don't you stay here and be my puppet's training partner?"

Qing Chi suddenly showed a look of surprise and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay."

Ning Zhuo activated the five elements magic power, linked Xue Cainu Hui and Xue Shuyu Xie, and began to practice towards Qing Chi.

Qingchi was quickly put at a disadvantage and then defeated.

Every victory makes Xue Cainu Hui raise her head slightly.

Qingchi's combat power also increased rapidly.

Xue Shuyu Xie's spirit remained motionless, but Ning Zhuo had already guessed it, so he wasn't anxious.

The sparring also allowed Ning Zhuo to gain a deeper understanding of the two mechanisms.

His control became more and more familiar.

Gongsun Yan came to report the results of his investigation and handed Ning Zhuo a jade slip containing information about Ban Ji.

"The Ban family...a famous family of government officials in Feiyun Country!"

"Banji also has a Jindan-level mechanical creation?"

"He's not practicing the Ban family's orthodox techniques, but a magical technique..."

"After I politely declined his offer, he decided to take part in Qinghuangzi's Xingyun Trial?"

After reading it, Ning Zhuo smiled.

Qing Huangzi was a Jindan cultivator, one of the few skilled mechanical cultivators in the Wanxiang Sect. He arranged a small Xingyun test, attracting cultivators from all over the place.

Ban Ji's actions also piqued Ning Zhuo's interest.

"Ban Ji and Pi Fujie are enemies, not friends."

"I've already read his intelligence. Now I'll go and see him in person so I can compare it with the intelligence and gain a better understanding."

(End of this chapter)