The five-story puppet show building.

This is the tallest building in the Salesian Kindergarten and was also the place where Li Leifeng often performed when he was alive. Almost every fundraising event took place here.

Although it was morning, many monks had already gathered here.

The puppet show building is in the shape of a Chinese character “U”, with a stage arranged in the central hall.

New arrangements have been made on the stage in preparation for Zhu Hou's succession.

On both sides of the stage, there are two vermilion pillars, on which are engraved two lines of words - benevolent and generous, and be virtuous to the world.

There are more than a dozen round tables under the stage.

There are round stools around the round table.

Many monks were sitting, eating snacks on the round table and chatting, while a few stood in the corners and talked with each other.

All of these people were dressed in gorgeous robes, behaved properly, spoke in low voices, and exuded a gentle and elegant air.

The topics they talked about revolved around Li Leifeng, Zhu Houhe and donations.

They were secretly testing each other to find out how much they would donate during Zhu Hou's succession ceremony.

There are certain rules to follow when it comes to donations.

It can't be too high, nor too low. Some people donate more deliberately to win fame. For some people, the reputation of the righteous path has become a burden at this moment. Even if you are short of money, you have to donate a large sum of money.

In this tentative communication, people pretended to be nice, made jokes, bluffed, and spoke in roundabout ways. Only after everyone had gained something did they really relax.

The topic soon turned to the monsters besieging the city.

"Until now, the City Lord's Mansion has not asked for help from the Southern Bean Kingdom. This shows that the situation is still under control. Although our Fire Persimmon Fairy City is newly built, it can hold on!"

"Any red flame monster, no matter what species, once it falls, every part of its body is valuable. So, from another perspective, these monster waves surrounding the city are actually spirit stone waves."

"Hahaha..." everyone laughed.

In general, because the Lava Fairy Palace has borne the greatest pressure from the beast tide, the situation in the Fire Persimmon Fairy City is very stable and the morale of the citizens has been maintained at a high level.

Some people also had a clear judgment of the situation: "The real key to this monster tide is not the Fire Persimmon Fairy City, but the Lava Fairy Palace!"

"You may not have understood the situation on the top of the mountain. Most of the view is obscured by clouds and smoke."

"But I heard from a fellow Taoist who was able to enter the Immortal Palace that the monster tide there is really terrifying!"

"If Lord Meng Kui hadn't urgently mobilized many Jindan cultivators to enter the Immortal Palace battlefield, the Lava Immortal Palace alone would not have been able to hold on."

"Once the Lava Fairy Palace falls, the Fire Persimmon Fairy City here will definitely not be saved!"

This insightful view was sneered at by the monks around him, who generally felt that he was too pessimistic.

The monk insisted on his own opinion and did not back down in front of everyone: "The clouds and smoke on the top of the mountain are actually a proof. Our City Lord's Mansion is unwilling to let us see the truth. Why?"

"It's because they are worried that if we see a real wave of monsters, our morale will plummet and our will will be broken. When we can escape from the city, we will choose to leave. This is not beneficial to the overall situation."

"There is another proof of the sidelong glance. You have all heard that there has been a rumor recently that all cultivators, including those from the demonic and evil sects, should be united to participate in the city defense."

"If there really isn't much pressure, why would the City Lord's Mansion do such a thing?"

"It is precisely because the situation on the front line is tense and the pressure is enormous that we must mobilize all our forces!"

This remark quickly caused laughter.

The opponents also argued: "Fool! The City Lord's Mansion did this to keep these demonic and evil cultivators under its supervision. The previous Jindan melee was the best warning. Unsupervised demonic cultivators are really abominable. If you are not careful, they will cause a big mess."

"Alas... If it weren't for the recruitment order, there wouldn't be so many miscellaneous people coming to our Huoshi Immortal City."

"The king's vision is very broad, but I hope that the Lava Palace can be digested by our Fire Persimmon City alone..."

After the opponent finished speaking, someone else echoed him.

"This rumor is pure nonsense!"

"I don't think that a city lord's mansion would try to win over even the devil cultivators and evil cultivators. This is too much for the righteous path and brings shame to our Nandou Nation."

"Such evil heretics should be active in the gutters and dark corners."

"Look here. Is there anyone from an evil sect or a demonic sect in such a hall?"

More people chimed in: “Yeah, yeah.”

"That makes sense."

"Brother, I have a question. I heard recently that the Monkey Head Gang is organizing a team to go out of the city to clean up the lone red flame monsters and participate in the entire city defense system. Are people like them considered evil and deviant?"

"Of course!"

"Humph, the founder of the Monkey Head Gang is called Yuan Yi. I know him. In his early years, he made his fortune by relying on a pet monkey named Yuan Dasheng."

"He's not a good guy either. He climbed up from the bottom and merged many small gangs."

"Originally the Monkey Gang was pretty good, but recently they wiped out the Viper Gang and joined the black market. It's ridiculous."

"Yes, the current Monkey Head Gang leader's brain was eaten by a monkey? He made such a stupid decision. Once tainted with black, they can only be black. They can no longer be on the right path, and their ceiling has been locked."

"I don't think so. I think the new leader of the Monkey Head Gang is very smart. He took a gamble and got on well with someone powerful. You should know that the current black market leader is Ning Zhuo, a member of the Ning family, a disciple of the righteous path!"

"As for Ning Zhuo, I know that before the Jindan melee not long ago, there were rumors that he had a copy of the true scripture. It turned out to be just a rumor."

"In my opinion, he is also stupid. He didn't keep his good and upright identity, but got involved in the black market for a few small things. He is so short-sighted that he has ruined his future in the upright path. Even if he has talent, he will be tainted by this and be criticized by others for the rest of his life."

As he was speaking, the door opened.

The monk who was in charge of ushering in the distinguished guests stood at the door and shouted:

"Mr. Ning Zhuo of the Ning family has arrived!"

The lobby, which had been bustling with heated discussions just now, suddenly became quiet.

The monks all turned their heads and looked.

I saw a middle-aged man with his hands behind his back, stepping over the high threshold and walking into the building.

He has a square face, golden eyes, and is dressed in a bright red brocade robe with black sleeves and hands, exuding an air of uprightness and solemnity.

It was Zhu Xuanji.

The monks did not dare to be arrogant. They stood up one after another and saluted and asked questions to Zhu Xuanji.

Zhu Xuanji nodded lightly, expressionless.

Ning Zhuo, who was one step behind him, also walked into the lobby.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

He was still in a white shirt, his eyes were clear, black and white were distinct, his face had the immaturity of a sixteen-year-old boy, but his demeanor was already remarkable, neither humble nor arrogant, and his eyes were firm.

Judging from his appearance alone, it is hard to believe that such a beautiful boy is the one who controls the black market and massacred the entire Viper Gang overnight.

Ning Zhuo followed Zhu Xuanji and climbed up the tall building leisurely.

People of distinguished status were arranged to stay in the private rooms upstairs.

This time, Ning Zhuo also benefited from Zhu Xuanji's help.

After seeing the two of them go upstairs and disappear from their sight, the practitioners in the hall took their seats one after another.

On the surface, they all changed the subject, but in fact they were communicating secretly.

"Did you see it? Did you see it?" The monk who had just said that the Monkey Head Gang leader was sucking up to someone powerful was very excited and sent a message to many people.

"Do you think Ning Zhuo is a simple person?"

"How can a young Qi-refining boy like him sit on the throne of the black market lord?"

"It's because he was supported. The previous black market boss, Sun Lingtong, got into trouble. With the order to recruit talented people, there must be a stable black market. So the upper echelons of the Immortal City nominated Ning Zhuo."

"Ning Zhuo was able to bring down the young patriarch of the Ning family. He is also a ruthless person. He was born in a branch of the Ning family, but he has talent, so he was pushed forward by the upper echelons to control the black market and stabilize the situation first."

"Ning Zhuo also gained the favor and support of the four major forces in Huoshi Xiancheng. He usually stays close to the geniuses of the Zhou family and the Zheng family. Most of the criminals he caught in the black market were given to Lord Feisi as achievements."

"Look at him now, following Zhu Xuanji!"

"Zhu Xuanji didn't bring anyone else, why did you bring him?"

"It's obvious that Ning Zhuo is also valued by Master Zhu Xuanji! When he withdraws from the black market in the future, he will have such a bright future!"

"If you use your brains and think about it for a while, you will understand!"

Someone hesitated and replied, "But Ning Zhuo is in charge of the black market, and his resume is unclear."

The monk who supported the leader of the Monkey Head Gang sneered and said with great disdain: "You just saw it, Ning Zhuo, he is only sixteen years old!"

"How young."

"What's the saying? A prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold!"

"It's normal for someone so young to make some mistakes. When he returns to the right path in the future, his dark past will prove his growth. What's the big deal?"

After the monk finished speaking, he looked up with his nose in the air, suppressing everyone else and looking extremely proud.

There was a moment of silence.

They wanted to refute, but Zhu Xuanji had just appeared in public with Ning Zhuo, which was the most solid evidence.

They were convinced.

Many people looked up towards the third floor, and they all had the idea of ​​making friends with Ning Zhuo.

They were all upright people, and they used to think that they shouldn't get too close to Ning Zhuo who was in charge of the black market. But after what happened today, they all found that Ning Zhuo's future seemed very bright! Little did they know that Ning Zhuo had been deeply suspected by Zhu Xuanji. The reason why Zhu Xuanji kept him around was to take action against Ning Zhuo.

If Ning Zhuo fails to handle the situation properly, he may be caught and detained by Zhu Xuanji on the spot.

Once Ning Zhuo loses his freedom, he will definitely be eliminated and will completely lose the chance to compete with the Lord of Lava Fairy Palace!

Zhu Xuanji was the first important figure to arrive.

Following him is the Golden Elixir Master of Zixiao Pavilion.

During the Jindan chaos, this true disciple played the role of a black shadow demon cultivator and was chased all the way out of the city by Zhu Xuanji. In the end, he had to expose the main magic of Zixiao Pavilion to get rid of Zhu Xuanji.

This time when he entered, he first went upstairs, greeted Zhu Xuanji, and then returned to his private room.

The whole process was very natural, without a trace of embarrassment.

It can be said that it is a very righteous demeanor.

After the Golden Elixir of Zixiao Pavilion, there are only some people at the Foundation Establishment level.

For example, the weapon refining master in the weapon refining workshop, the pharmaceutical master in the medicine pavilion, or the chef in the golden dining hall, etc.

If it were normal, there would be more monks participating in this succession ceremony. For the sake of the Nandou royal family, there would be at least more than two Jindan monks.

But now, after all, it is a wartime when monsters are besieging the city, so everything can only be simplified. The vast majority of Jindan cultivators are staying in the Lava Immortal Palace, and it is difficult to escape.

(End of this chapter)