Chapter 757 Spreading Rumors? No, This is a Justice Exposed

Chen San quickly apologized.

Ning Zhuo tapped the table with his finger, his gaze icy: "You're new here and don't know me well. I'll let it go this time since it's your first mistake, but don't repeat it next time."

Chen San changed his kneeling position, touching the ground with both knees, and quickly made a promise.

Ning Zhuo grunted, leaned back in his chair, and softened his tone: "Now, Ban Ji and I are like oil and water, and we must settle things before we can stop."

"The Ban family is powerful, so I need to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses."

"Do you know what my greatest strength is, and what the Ban family's greatest weakness is?"

Ning Zhuo deliberately tested Chen San.

Chen San's performance this time exceeded his expectations. He was not only able to execute orders effectively, but also to improvise on the spot, demonstrating subjective agility, which was quite amazing.

Chen San immediately laughed and said, "Young master, you've come at a good time. I've been pondering this matter for the past few days and have luckily obtained the answer. I wonder if it's correct?"

Ning Zhuo smiled gently: "Stop beating around the bush, just tell me."

Chen San then revealed a serious expression: "In my opinion, your greatest strength is your reputation. Although the Ban family is a righteous sect, Ban Ji is a recognized demonic cultivator. In this respect, they are the weakest."

"Hmm, not bad." Ning Zhuo was very satisfied.

Chen San is truly a talent; he saw one of the key points of this situation at a glance.

Ning Zhuo continued to probe: "Now that you have the answer, what should you do next?"

Chen San chuckled sinisterly and lowered his voice, "I've studied Ban Ji's intelligence. He's a demonic cultivator, and there are too many flaws in his past deeds. Spreading rumors about him will be very easy!"

"He once oversaw a mine, and upon taking office, he doubled the already heavy mining workload and implemented even harsher punishments. He made it unsustainable for the miners, and many died from exhaustion. On the contrary, Banji ruthlessly exploited the lower classes, accumulating his own political achievements and enriching himself by acquiring a large amount of cultivation resources."

"When he was in charge of the market, he repeatedly targeted some low-level cultivator families with shallow foundations and incompetent descendants. These families all had some meager inheritances, which Banji obtained for himself through various means, whether it was cheating, deception, or cunning."

"Furthermore, he has been lending money at exorbitant interest rates, taking advantage of the Ban family's reputation to collect huge profits. If a cultivator is unable to repay their debts, the entire person becomes Ban Ji's asset. These people often disappear quickly, and I suspect they were likely used as cultivation material. After all, he is a demonic cultivator."

"I don't even need to exaggerate. With just a little embellishment of this information, I can ruin Banji's reputation and make him despised and scorned by the world!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Zhuo pointed at Chen San and said, "Your smile is inappropriate. Take it off. From now on, when you work for me, don't smile like that."

Chen San quickly put on a stern face and clasped his hands in a gesture of fear and trepidation: "Your subordinate obeys."

“Hmm.” Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment, “Let me correct you a little. What we’re doing isn’t attacking or framing! We’re exposing the demonic cultivator Ban Ji’s numerous misdeeds, and we’re seeking justice for the miners who were exploited to the bone, the small families who were oppressed to the point of bankruptcy, and the innocent people who were drained of their last bit of life by loan sharks and ultimately ‘disappeared’!”

Ning Zhuo's voice gradually rose, filled with sorrow: "Ban Ji, born into a righteous family like the Ban family, should have adhered to the family rules and been benevolent. But he relied on the power of his family to do such an outrageous thing!"

"What did the miners do wrong? They were already struggling to survive, yet Banji treated them like ants and cattle! Driven by his own selfish desires and for that so-called 'political achievement,' he disregarded human life, imposed cruel labor, and caused countless families to break apart, leaving countless orphans and widows weeping in cold caves. And are these lives the materials for his cultivation of demonic arts? I don't know, but I want to know, and many people also want to know the answer!"

Chen San's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "I understand. I need to narrate their tragic situation from the perspective of an orphan and a widow, and stir up the world's doubts about whether Banji's demonic cultivation uses humans as resources!"

Ning Zhuo continued, "Those small families, their ancestors fought hard and painstakingly built up a meager foundation, a bloodline inheritance, the last bit of protection for their helpless descendants! And Ban Ji? He was blinded by greed, using every insidious means to seize and plunder, skinning and dismembering people! How is such behavior any different from those evil demons in the wilderness that dig up people's ancestral graves and sever their roots? This is cutting off their very foundation! How are those small families supposed to survive?"

Chen San's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he was struck by a thought: "I understand! We need to stir up the cultivators with meager family fortunes, make them empathize with the terrible prospect of their hard-won legacy being usurped and forcibly taken by evil people, so that they will develop great vigilance and disgust towards Banji!"

Ning Zhuo continued, "As for the loan sharking and exploitation? It is a naked reflection of their demonic nature! Under the guise of legality, they actually bleed people dry! They force others to sign indentures, leaving them with no control over their own lives! Those 'disappeared' people are the most common and numerous rogue cultivators among us. Ban Ji's current achievements are all built on the sacrifices of these rogue cultivators."

Chen San nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I understand. Make the rogue cultivators hate and despise him from the bottom of their hearts!"

Ning Zhuo softened his tone, sighed deeply, and asked, "Chen San, do you know what I'm sighing about?"

Chen San quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Young Master's strategies are beyond the comprehension of a lowly person like me."

Ning Zhuo slowly shook his head, his face full of heartache: "I am lamenting for the Ban family."

"The Ban family has a long and distinguished history, a reputation for integrity, and is renowned in the region. Over the years, countless merits have been accumulated by its ancestors, and many of its members have upheld justice and earned the respect of the world! But today, because of a 'rat dropping' like Ban Ji, who is deeply tainted by evil, the reputation of the Ban family has been tarnished!"

"We, the righteous people, cannot bear to see such a black sheep and a disgrace to our clan. The fact that the Ban family has tolerated Ban Ji for so many years shows their magnanimity. But Ban Ji, under the guise of the Ban family, has committed all sorts of evil deeds and dragged the family down far too much over the years."

"We should kindly remind the Ban family to make rational choices and get to the root of the problem in order to preserve the merits and legacy of their ancestors who moved here."

Chen San's pupils constricted slightly, his scalp tingled, and he was greatly shocked.

He gave a thumbs-up with obvious admiration: "Young Master! Your skill in spreading rumors is beyond my reach..."

Ning Zhuo frowned immediately: "Huh?!"

*Slap slap*

Chen San woke up with a start and slapped himself twice: "Young Master, you have the world in your heart and are benevolent and magnanimous. Ban Ji harmed you so badly, yet you still acted with public-spiritedness and considered the Ban family's interests. Such a character truly earns my utmost respect!"

Ning Zhuo sighed softly, "You flatter me."

Then, he took out a small storage bag: "Here are some spirit stones, a small token of my appreciation. You can give them to the waiters at the restaurant."

"I prefer to act humbly and always act with integrity. I will never mistreat any meritorious person. Do you understand?"

Chen San's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "Understood!"

Ning Zhuo tossed the storage bag to Chen San and instructed him, "I swear to take down Ban Ji to establish my authority, and my every move will be monitored by the Ban family. You don't need to come over for now."

Chen San has just joined us, but he has handled both missions well. He is capable and has a proper attitude. His only drawback is that his cultivation level is too low.

Chen San immediately cupped his hands and asked, "Then how should I report to you, young master?"

Ning Zhuo then revealed an unfathomable smile: "If I want to find you, I will find you."

He waved.

Chen San bowed and took his leave.

In Ning Zhuo's vision, a silk thread was already floating above his head.

A life hangs in the balance!

The moment Chen San entered, Ning Zhuo planted the seed in him. Ning Zhuo relied on the delicate balance of life and death to confirm Chen San's loyalty to him.

After this report, the life hanging by a thread became visibly more precarious, several times greater!

After thinking it over, Ning Zhuo ultimately decided not to withdraw this supernatural power.

Chen San is different from the others. As an intelligence subordinate, he will be doing many things that involve Ning Zhuo's secrets in the future.

Therefore, Ning Zhuo must observe him and confirm his loyalty.

Only after Ning Zhuo had observed Chen San's loyalty for a period of time using the life-or-death situation as a guide would he have been able to assign more and more sensitive tasks.

Chen San quietly left the Qing Shi Cave.

Throughout the journey, he clutched the storage bag in his arms, muttering to himself, "Is this the righteous path?"

It wasn't until Ning Zhuo handed him the storage bag that he truly realized Ning Zhuo didn't intend to eliminate the restaurant staff completely, and sending the staff away wasn't about sending them to their deaths; he genuinely wanted to prevent the staff from being targeted by the Ban family.

Chen San knew that Ning Zhuo was doing this to express his feelings to him.

Chen San only has a low-grade spiritual root. Although he is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, in the eyes of people like Ning Zhuo, what difference is there between him and a mortal?

Chen San clutched the heavy spirit stone storage bag, feeling relieved.

"Young Master is indeed worthy of his noble lineage; he is so adept at spreading rumors."

“He can do it himself, and he can do it better than I can.”

"I'm so lucky to have gotten in touch with him! If the young master hadn't been a newcomer with few subordinates, would I have had the chance to rise to prominence?"

"Speaking of which, what kind of power is behind the young master? Judging from how he treats Ban Ji and his attitude towards the Ban family, he shows absolutely no fear. I've managed to latch onto a powerful patron, so I must cherish this opportunity and hold on tight, never letting go!"

At this moment, Ning Zhuo, who was secretly observing Chen San's surroundings through the life-sustaining thread, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly: "The life-sustaining thread is still being formed. This Chen San... is not bad."

Mechanized cave dwelling.

Ban Ji strode up to Ban Jie, casually tossing him a token with an air of arrogance.

The token flew into the air and was frozen by Ban Jie's divine sense, revealing its true nature—a stone tablet.

Ban Jie didn't look up, still staring at the intelligence report in his hand: "The blind old man's little test, it's over so quickly?"

Ban Ji chuckled and said, "I have to thank you for handling the blind Yu Gong's children and getting his weakness. Since I refused Ning Zhuo's invitation to join, and I went all out and performed far better than others, the Yu family naturally didn't delay and directly awarded me first place."

"They were smart enough to know what was good for them."

What are you looking at?

Ban Jie handed the intelligence to Ban Ji, who scanned it with his divine sense and found it was about the challenge between Zhu Fenxiang and Situ Xing.

Ban Jie said, "We instigated Yan Linglong to petition the emperor, hoping to instigate a war between Situ Xing and Ning Zhuo, but Zhu Fenxiang suddenly appeared and ruined the plan."

"I have doubts about the nature of this matter."

"If it really was Ning Zhuo's doing, then I will have to raise my evaluation of him and reconsider this duel."

If Ning Zhuo truly orchestrated Zhu Fenxiang's scheme, then this conflict between Ban and Ning can only be considered a draw.

Ning Zhuo plugged the loopholes in his defenses against Situ Xing in advance, while Ban Jie took precautions in advance and held the line of defense for the blind Yu Gong.

Ban Ji: "Ning Zhuo's son comes from the righteous path, so perhaps he has this ability."

Ban Jie sighed, "If that's the case, I'm afraid we'll be at a disadvantage from now on."

Ban Ji frowned, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Ban Jie sighed again: "Ning Zhuo's past is difficult to investigate, and we can't find any evidence against him. Moreover, since he started working in the Wanxiang Sect, he has behaved uprightly and has won first place in both the Confucian and Taoist examinations, which is equivalent to the Confucian scholars giving him some endorsement."

"More importantly, his three answers to Wenxin in the Hall of Exorcising Evil were truly righteous and dignified."

"News about Ning Zhuo's performance has now spread widely within the main gate of the Wanxiang Sect."

In a righteous struggle, one must first seize the moral high ground.

But now, Ning Zhuo's reputation is too good, making it difficult for Ban Jie to take action.

Ban Ji snorted coldly: "What's so difficult about ruining his good reputation? Confucian cultivators can be deceived, can't they? There have been precedents of demonic cultivators cheating in the Zhuxie Hall's Xingyun Trial. We can easily smear Ning Zhuo and accuse him of cheating..."

At this point, Banji stopped talking.

His expression changed slightly as he realized what was happening.

Ban Jie remained expressionless: "It seems you've realized it too. We're not without ways to frame or slander him, but wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the Confucian scholars and the Exorcising Evil Hall?"

"Although there are few Confucian cultivators at the main gate of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, their influence should not be underestimated. This group occupies the middle level of each peak and hall, and they are usually closely united, making them very difficult to deal with."

"Zhong Dao, the current leader of the Exorcising Evil Hall, hates evil as if it were his enemy, pursues justice, and acts in a rather domineering manner."

"If you were him, would you admire Ning Zhuo or Ban Ji?"

Banji looked grim.

It was the right thing for the Ban family to send Ban Jie over.

Ban Jie and Ban Ji have a deep friendship since childhood and are able to cooperate honestly. On the other hand, although Ban Jie is only at the Foundation Establishment stage, he is skilled in this kind of strategic game.

She had a deeper understanding of the situation than Banji.

Ban Ji frowned deeply: "In that case, we can't frame Ning Zhuo. And assassinating him at this crucial moment of the Myriad Manifestations Sect's Flying Cloud Assembly is even more out of the question!"

"What should we do?"

"Ning Zhuo, Ning Zhuo... truly worthy of being my tribulation."

"What a hassle!"

"Perhaps I'll have to face him personally and defeat him head-on in the martial arts hall!"

"But it's such a pity."

“I sent him my challenge, but Ning Zhuo didn’t accept it. He won’t give in easily.”

Upon hearing this, Ban Jie paled instantly: "Wait, a sparring agreement? You didn't tell me about this. Ning Zhuo has your sparring agreement?!"

(End of this chapter)