Chapter 142: Thus, the agreement was reached

Another morning arrived.

"Has Sun Ling not responded yet?" Ning Zhuo paced back and forth in his room, his expression gloomy.

"If he doesn't change his secret mark today, it will have been three days."

Sun Ling and Ning Zhuo had agreed upon many ways to communicate.

By all logic, as long as everything was normal, this secret mark should be changed once a day.

"Ever since that public interrogation of Sun Ling, Zhu Xuanji hasn't appeared again."

"Could he have secretly made a move against Sun Ling?"

Through collecting information extensively, Ning Zhuo had gathered much intelligence from the black market: for the past two days, Sun Ling had appeared as usual and even handled some minor disputes in the black market.

"Sun Ling is not in control of his own actions; he has fallen into some kind of danger. The surface normalcy is just a disguise."

"It might not even be him!"

Ning Zhuo guessed the truth.

Sun Ling was being impersonated by Han Ming, who was directing Sun's subordinates and rapidly infiltrating the entire black market organization to turn it to his own use.

There were also some rumors circulating about Yuan Er.

"Someone is seeking revenge; they are going to strike at the Monkey Head Gang!"

"The leader is named Bao Chou, whose entire family was slaughtered by Yuan Yi. After he luckily escaped, he changed his name but not his surname, diligently training while contacting those who held deep grudges against the Monkey Head Gang."

"After the Fire Persimmon Festival, the Monkey Head Gang hit rock bottom. Bao Chou has raised his arms in a call to action, intending to bring the strength he has accumulated over many years to the surface and exact his revenge!"

Regarding this situation, Ning Zhuo was not surprised at all.

He had anticipated such a thing happening a long time ago.

"If Bao Chou really makes a move, I can make use of him. Once they strike, I will direct Yuan Dasheng to protect Yuan Er."

"However, the rumors about Bao Chou are rampant—there are just too many of them."

Ning Zhuo felt a hint of something strange.

For many years, he had never stopped collecting intelligence.

Because of this, he had developed a keen sense. Sometimes, based solely on this feeling, he could judge which intelligence was fake and which was true.

The intelligence regarding Bao Chou didn't feel fake, but it gave him a subtly strange feeling.

Ning Zhuo thought carefully and considered a possibility.

"If I were Bao Chou, I would never make such a big fanfare when seeking revenge!"

"Therefore, this is very likely the work of the gang elders."

"Bao Chou has likely reached a contract with one, or even several, of the gang's elders to increase the probability of success and reduce risks and losses."

"But the gang elders have their own selfish motives."

"They need to spread the word first, letting the outside world know that Bao Chou is going to deal with the Monkey Head Gang and Yuan Er."

"And only after Yuan Er is assassinated can they more smoothly take over the entire Monkey Head Gang. Because before that, they will have already proven to the public that Bao Chou is the true culprit!"

Thinking of this, Ning Zhuo became even more certain that Bao Chou and his group would definitely take action.

And judging by the rumors, the action would likely take place in these next few days.

"It seems I need to keep a closer eye on Yuan Er."

Yuan Er could not die right now.

Ning Zhuo was still planning to rely on him to deepen his control over Yuan Dasheng and try his best to eliminate the hidden dangers of the Qi Refining stage.

"Sun Ling has run into a situation, but it's not the first time."

"At a time like this, patience and calmness are needed even more."

In Ning Zhuo's memory, the first time Sun Ling was captured was when he was eight years old.

If you walk by the river often, how can you not get your shoes wet?

Sun Ling always used theft to obtain resources for his daily cultivation; something was bound to go wrong sooner or later.

This time, he had been captured by a local gang and thrown into a private prison.

Sun Ling was beaten until his flesh was mangled, huddled in the corner of the cell, not moving.

Thump.

Suddenly, two guards fell to the ground together, motionless.

Sun Ling was startled by the sound, nervously went to the cell door, and then saw Ning Zhuo's figure slowly appear.

"Brother Sun, I've come to save you!" Ning Zhuo's face was full of nervousness; seeing Sun Ling, he was very agitated.

"Little Zhuo, why did you come alone?!" Sun Ling was shocked, his face cold. "Have you forgotten what I taught you? If I get caught, you go report it to the officials. Let the City Guard come to search and stir up trouble, creating an opportunity for me, and I can escape in the chaos."

"I did, I reported it to the officials," Ning Zhuo said hurriedly. "But they were too slow. I was worried about you; you've been missing for three days. I was worried, I was worried you..."

Sun Ling waved his hand: "Alright, alright, say no more, open the door for me quickly."

"The situation is very dangerous now, don't waste any more time."

"Let's talk about that once we're out."

"The key is on that big guard; be careful when you search him!"

"Don't worry!" Ning Zhuo ran to the big guard and, using the technique Sun Ling had taught him, successfully found the cell key.

The key was inserted into the keyhole.

Ning Zhuo channeled his magic power, twisting it with effort.

A burst of flowing light quickly spread from the keyhole to the surroundings, flowing over the lock, the chain, and most of the cell bars, revealing many array patterns.

Ning Zhuo opened the door and helped Sun Ling out.

There were still patrolling cultivators outside the prison.

The two of them, using talismans and magic tools, made full use of shadows and blind spots, spending quite a while before finally escaping the enemy gang's stronghold.

Not long after they escaped, the gang's stronghold exploded into chaos.

"Someone has run away!"

"That little thief is gone!!"

"Chase them! It hasn't been long since it happened; they won't have run far."

From the shouting, Sun Ling heard voices he was familiar with—it was the two guards who had been watching him.

He looked at Ning Zhuo, glaring at him fixedly: "You used the Twilight Cloud Incense I gave you; why didn't they die?"

Ning Zhuo didn't dare to look at Sun Ling, saying weakly: "I was just afraid of killing them, so I specifically added some medicinal paste to wrap the incense before lighting it."

Sun Ling's eyes immediately flashed with sharpness: "We won't talk about this now; I'll teach you a lesson when we get home!"

After a thrilling chase, Sun Ling added several more wounds, covered in blood, and paid a huge price before he finally managed to escape to a safe place with Ning Zhuo.

"How are you? Are you hurt? Check your whole body quickly!" Sun Ling was so weak that even his spiritual sense was difficult to project.

Ning Zhuo checked himself and found he only had some abrasions.

"That's good." Sun Ling breathed a sigh of relief, then glared and gave Ning Zhuo a flick on the forehead.

"You idiot!" he scolded.

"Brother Sun, I saved you, why are you still hitting me?!" Ning Zhuo covered his head, grimacing in pain, feeling very aggrieved.

"Why didn't you kill those two?"

"If you had killed them, we would have had more time to retreat calmly."

"Instead of being chased and almost hacked to death by them!"

Ning Zhuo was left speechless by the criticism.

"Yes, it was my fault!" Ning Zhuo took out elixirs and bandages from his storage bag. "Brother Sun, calm your anger; your wounds are still bleeding."

A moment later.

Sun Ling sat, and Ning Zhuo bent over, bandaging him until he was almost a white-bandage mummy.

"Brother Sun, just hide for a while and recover from your injuries."

"It was my fault."

"Actually, if we had followed our previous agreement and waited for the City Guard to stir up trouble, with your ability, Brother Sun, you would have definitely found an opportunity to escape on your own."

"My coming to save you only brought you trouble."

Sun Ling let out a breath of stale air, his anger subsiding slightly: "Your biggest mistake was being soft-hearted when you should have killed!"

"If you had to do it again, would you still make such a mistake?"

Ning Zhuo showed hesitation: "This..."

Sun Ling snorted in anger and stopped talking.

In the tunnel, the light of the torch cast the shadows of the two on the ground.

Sun Ling looked at the shadows on the ground, cold light flickering in his eyes.

He suddenly realized: "It is I who have protected Little Zhuo too well."

"Think about it, when I was six or seven, I was already being taken by my master to kill people."

"Actually, it was my mistake..."

"What does Little Zhuo know?"

"He is nine years old now. If it weren't for today's incident waking me up, I would have continued to be wrong."

Sun Ling asked himself, why was he so wrong?

He thought of his master.

When he was six or seven, his master touched his head, showing rare hesitation: "Sigh, Little Tong, Master doesn't want you to experience these things."

"But Master knows, you must experience these things."

"Perhaps for a time, you will feel pain and discomfort, but when you grow up in the future, you will understand."

Sun Ling collected his thoughts, his gaze fixed on Ning Zhuo's shadow, whispering to himself in his heart: "Master, I understand."

Sun Ling had used a scheme.

He lied, claiming he wanted to seek revenge, and acted together with Ning Zhuo to ambush members of the enemy gang.

In the process, he feigned injury, presenting the illusion that he was no match and was about to be killed.

Ning Zhuo fell for the trap.

In his desperation, he killed the strong enemy.

After a moment of confusion and dullness, Ning Zhuo looked at the enemy who had fallen to the ground and died, his face pale, and suddenly he bent over and vomited.

Sun Ling accompanied him on the side.

◆ttkдn◆Co

Watching Ning Zhuo vomit and vomit, until only the acid in his stomach remained.

Sun Ling teased on the side: "Little Zhuo, you are far worse than I was back then. Hahaha."

Ning Zhuo vomited until he was exhausted, sitting on the ground, staring blankly at his blood-stained hands.

Sun Ling finished cleaning up the battlefield and led him to the small river.

"Come, let me wash your hands."

Ning Zhuo was like a wooden puppet, obediently listening, letting him do as he pleased.

Halfway through washing, he realized: "Brother Sun, you were acting, right? Actually, at the last moment, I had a big opening, and that enemy could have easily dodged."

"But at that time, his movements were stiff, as if he were being controlled by a staff."

Sun Ling's movements paused, then he nodded and admitted frankly: "Yes, I was the one controlling him."

"I have to thank you for letting me see the Mechanism Canon your mother left you."

"You!" Ning Zhuo was angry.

Sun Ling giggled: "Are you going to scold me or hit me?"

Ning Zhuo couldn't speak; he gritted his teeth and pulled his hands back, saying sulkily: "I'll wash them myself!"

Sun Ling was rarely forceful, pulling his hands back and continuing to wash: "Don't move!"

"The first time, I will wash them for you."

"That's what my master did."

Hearing Sun Ling mention his master, Ning Zhuo was slightly stunned and stopped resisting.

Under the moonlight, the two youths washed their hands by the small river in the Immortal City.

Somewhat strangely, the younger one was taking care of the older one.

The bloody water flowed down the small river quickly, then was diluted, and by the time it passed the stone bridge forty steps away, almost nothing could be seen.

Sun Ling suddenly spoke: "We are cultivators, and cultivators must fight for their lives."

"Fighting between people, fighting between man and heaven... In this gamble, our basic stake is our lives!"

"He was killed by you, he just lost the bet; his soul will reappear in this world in another form of life."

"And we must continue to gamble... until the moment we lose our stake."

Sun Ling looked at Ning Zhuo's clean, white hands, his expression extremely serious and earnest.

Ning Zhuo took a deep breath: "Brother Sun, I know you are doing this for my own good; I have remembered it all."

Sun Ling shook his head: "Remembered it?"

"Not enough!"

"Every time I go out to steal, I tell myself before the action that I might not come back this time, that I might lose my life."

"If this is the result of my life's gamble, I accept it."

"I am always prepared to accept my own death, even in the next second."

"This is my realization!"

"What about your realization?"

Ning Zhuo's heart was shaken, and he was stunned and speechless.

Never had there been such a moment where he felt such greatness from Sun Ling's small body!

Sun Ling continued: "If one day I die, don't be sad for me, Little Zhuo."

"If one day I fall into a more desperate situation than before, and there is absolutely no saving me, don't try to save me, Little Zhuo!"

"It's not worth risking a second life, do you understand?"

Ning Zhuo opened his mouth, wanting to speak.

But the next moment, Sun Ling interrupted him: "If you fall into a desperate situation, I won't save you either."

"Because I want to keep my life and continue to gamble."

"Of course, if there is an opportunity, I will take revenge for you."

"Right now, regarding this matter, I have an agreement with you!"

Sun Ling held up his palm.

Under the pressure of his gaze, Ning Zhuo had no choice but to hold up his palm as well.

The silvery moonlight spilled onto the river, creating shimmering ripples, like countless tiny diamonds dancing on the water.

The leaves on both banks rose and fell slightly in the night wind.

Slap.

The two children standing by the small river gently clapped their palms together.

Ning Zhuo lowered his head, his lips pressed tightly together.

Sun Ling's upturned face reflected the clear radiance of the moonlit night.

Only then did he grin, revealing his white teeth and a smile.

His voice was very soft, but also very firm: "Thus, the agreement is reached."