Chapter 355: Unlike Ning Zhuo

As the Prefect of a region, the Prefect of Xuanmagnet City governed not only Xuanmagnet Xiancheng but also the surrounding villages, towns, and numerous sects and families.

Jade Steel Mountain naturally fell within his jurisdiction as well.

Although he was a Nascent Soul cultivator and, as a Prefect, held authority over a region—barely qualifying as a regional official—he found the Golden Core-level Meng Zizhong to be a massive headache.

In this world, one must pay attention to background and influence.

This point is even more pronounced in the righteous path than in the demonic path.

Taking down Meng Zizhong would be very easy; the Xuanmagnet Prefect could do it effortlessly. He wouldn't even need to act personally; a single order would be enough to make Meng Zizhong bow his head.

The difficulty lay in Meng Zizhong's background.

The Meng family!

This was a prominent aristocratic clan of the Nandou Kingdom, one of the founding contributors.

The Xuanmagnet Prefect came from a background of rogue cultivation. Although he had a family, their support was minimal; in reality, he relied on his own strength to provide for them.

He knew well that even the Zhu royal family had to be cautious and deliberate when dealing with high-ranking officials like the Meng family. How could he be any different?

"You want to report Meng Zizhong for harboring bandits to increase his own importance? This evidence alone is not enough," the Xuanmagnet Prefect said, shaking his head and revealing a clear intent to deflect.

Unlike Ning Zhuo smiled: "Prefect, I understand your difficulties. Rest assured, I did not come here to make things difficult for you."

"You only need to report it upward. I believe the Zhu royal family will surely react immediately. At that time, you only need to act according to orders."

"Of course, I could also transmit this directly to Lord Zhu Xuanji. However, I thought about it and felt that reporting over your head would be disrespectful to you as my superior. You must know that although I am young, I am also the patriarch of a branch of the Ning family. Naturally, I must lead by example and follow the regulations."

The Xuanmagnet Prefect's eye twitched, and he thought to himself: *You little brat, go ahead and report over my head! If I can't hear or see it, wouldn't I avoid this awkward situation? *

The Prefect was filled with helplessness.

From this simple exchange, he already knew that Unlike Ning Zhuo could not be trifled with! This younger generation was quite proficient in the rules of the righteous path; only by treating him as an equal opponent would it be safe.

"Wait here for a moment; I will go and report it." The Xuanmagnet Prefect left Unlike Ning Zhuo outside the door, turned back to his study, and used an emergency channel to report the case.

Unlike Ning Zhuo stood outside the study door, not wandering around, standing still with no signs of anxiety, calm and composed.

He had known from the beginning that the Xuanmagnet Prefect could not make the decision and could not be relied upon.

He came here only to use this Nascent Soul cultivator as a messenger.

The one Unlike Ning Zhuo truly needed to rely on was the Zhu royal family!

Of course, even if the Xuanmagnet Prefect was only a messenger, he was inevitably involved. He really did not want to wade into these muddy waters, but there was no other way; it was truly a case of disaster falling from the sky while sitting at home.

Over the years, the Nandou Zhu family, as the royal family, had found it increasingly difficult to control the Nandou Kingdom.

The monarch had carefully selected the Xuanmagnet Prefect, supporting him and letting him hold down Xuanmagnet Xiancheng, which had not been easy. It was only after frequent clashes with major officials in the court, pulling in some while suppressing others, and maneuvering through complex alliances that they had barely succeeded.

The Xuanmagnet Prefect was a capable official used by the Zhu family to control the region. At this moment, his sudden use of the emergency contact channel to convey a key case immediately gained the monarch's attention.

Meng Zizhong's matter seemed small, but it actually concerned the power struggle between the Meng family and the Zhu family.

"It's this Unlike Ning Zhuo again?" the monarch sighed. "He is worthy of being the Child of Tribulation; wherever he goes, waves are sure to rise."

The monarch frowned; she did not want to handle this matter and also felt it was quite thorny.

Because if handled improperly, the Zhu family would have to clash fiercely with the Meng family. As the royal family, the Zhu family's strength was certainly greater than the Meng family's, but the entire Nandou Kingdom did not just have the Meng family; there were also the Su family and other major officials and generals.

If the Zhu family consumed too much strength on the Meng family and revealed signs of weakness, there would be even greater risks.

As a monarch, one naturally had to assess the situation and could not ignore any risks.

"The Xuanmagnet Prefect cannot be used," the Nandou monarch determined first.

She wanted to protect this rare local official and could not easily let him get involved in the clash between the royal family and the Meng family.

Therefore, the Nandou monarch needed to find someone who could be trusted and could withstand the Meng family's potential backlash.

Soon, the Nandou monarch thought of a candidate.

Zhu Xuanji was speeding through the air.

He was like a golden rainbow, piercing through the vast sky.

"In half a day, I will arrive at Qimen Xiancheng. By transferring through it, I can greatly shorten the journey and return to the capital quickly."

Just as he was thinking this, Zhu Xuanji's expression changed slightly, and the token in his bosom trembled gently.

He was not far from Qimen Xiancheng, so he received the royal emergency order transmitted from the city.

"Asking me to go to Xuanmagnet Xiancheng to handle an urgent matter?"

He took a close look, and his face immediately turned dark.

It was all because he saw a name he did not want to see.

"Unlike Ning Zhuo?!"

"What is this brat doing in Xuanmagnet Xiancheng, stirring up trouble?"

"Black Wind Tiger Demon, Meng Zizhong..."

Zhu Xuanji's face revealed a look of realization; he understood the royal family's intention in having him change his route midway.

He sighed and continued forward—with the help of Qimen Xiancheng, he could teleport over a long distance and arrive directly at Xuanmagnet Xiancheng.

That evening, Zhu Xuanji met Unlike Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong again in the Xuanmagnet Prefect's office.

After reviewing the image, Zhu Xuanji said bluntly: "This bit of evidence cannot prove that Meng Zizhong had private contact with the Black Wind Tiger Demon. He can completely claim that he sensed murderous intent from the cultivator Shi Sui and therefore struck first."

"Besides this, there are all kinds of excuses, even if they are absurd, that he can use."

Sun Lingtong: "With the Divine Catcher acting, and with the ability to trace the source and the Golden Eyes, are we still worried about not finding his evidence and leverage?"

Zhu Xuanji frowned and remained silent.

The Xuanmagnet Prefect shook his head slightly: "The troublesome part of this matter is that we found the evidence!"

"Harboring bandits to increase one's own importance is a major crime. Especially since it involves the death of the previous mayor; this is murdering a court official, which completely touches the bottom line."

"Without making sufficient preparations to fully confront the Meng family, we cannot launch such an attack casually."

For such a serious crime, the Meng family could not directly plead guilty. Because the charge was too great, once admitted, the losses the Meng family would suffer would be extremely heavy.

And once the crime was publicized, the Zhu family would also be in a difficult position. If they did not bring the criminal to justice, it would completely expose the weakness of the Zhu royal family and make the rebellious hearts of the major aristocratic clans even stronger!

At that time, the situation would evolve into an all-out confrontation between the Zhu family and the Meng family. Even if the Zhu family won, they would likely be severely damaged. And the intense process of the struggle would allow other major aristocratic clans to profit from it.

Unlike Ning Zhuo smiled, having expected this: "My Ning family and the Zhu family are aligned; if the Zhu family and the Meng family clash, we will be the first to suffer."

"After all, Meng Kui is still the current Fire Persimmon City Lord."

oo￠o

"This time, dealing with Meng Zizhong, there is no need to involve his major crime of harboring bandits. Just getting him off his horse and letting our people control Jade Steel Mountain is enough."

"Meng Zizhong is still under the command of the Xuanmagnet Prefect, which is a hidden danger. Getting him off his horse is beneficial to you, Prefect, and to the Zhu royal family, isn't it?"

This spoke directly to the heart of the Xuanmagnet Prefect, making him look deeply at Unlike Ning Zhuo, his evaluation of him rising once again.

Zhu Xuanji snorted coldly, pointing at Unlike Ning Zhuo: "I knew you brat already had a scheme; just say it."

Unlike Ning Zhuo then explained the plan.

The three cultivators listened carefully; Sun Lingtong exclaimed at the good strategy, and Zhu Xuanji nodded slightly.

The Xuanmagnet Prefect looked at Unlike Ning Zhuo again. It had to be said that the young man before him had left a deep impression on him.

This plan seemed simple, but the understanding and manipulation of human nature had reached a subtle level.

According to common sense, the age of sixteen or seventeen is a time of innocence and romance, easily moved and impulsive, but the youth before him was like an old man who had experienced the depths of the world, gone through the ups and downs of officialdom, understood the treachery of the human heart, and had a heart as deep as the sea.

"He still has talent that hasn't been tested... His future is vast." Realizing this, the Xuanmagnet Prefect couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness to Unlike Ning Zhuo.

After the discussion was settled, the four began to act.

A few days later, Meng Zizhong saw the intelligence in his hand and couldn't help but be furious: "Investigate, investigate for me, who is spreading the rumors!"

A rumor had been rampant recently, pointing directly at Meng Zizhong, saying that he had secretly funded the Black Wind Tiger Demon and was the mastermind behind the death of the previous mayor. Meng Zizhong had the ambition of harboring bandits to increase his own importance and plotting rebellion!

However, strict prohibitions and investigations had no effect, and instead, the rumors spread even more fiercely, deriving many versions.

One rumor even revealed the hiding place of the Black Wind Tiger Demon, Mount Wuyin, making Meng Zizhong terrified.

He did not dare to be arrogant and sent a letter back to the Meng family, only stating the current situation of the rumors in Jade Steel Town.

The Meng family immediately became alert, knowing that someone must be stirring up trouble behind the scenes. In a situation where they couldn't investigate anything, to avoid long nights and many dreams, and to avoid being dug up for evidence, they decisively chose to abandon the car to save the commander!

Meng Zizhong moved into the barracks and began to mobilize the garrison, actively preparing for war.

Meng Zizhong stood on the platform, shouting loudly: "Since I was entrusted with this task, I have been stationed here, always working diligently, sharpening my weapons."

"I have continuously sent out scouts and finally made some gains recently, discovering the hiding place of the Black Wind Tiger Demon. However, the spies of the demons in the town are stirring up trouble, spreading rumors, trying to provoke internal chaos to delay the timing of our army's attack and buy time for the demons to transfer."

"Hmph! How could I easily fall for their trick? This time, I will lead the army myself, swear to take revenge for you all, fight bravely, wipe out the demons, and return Jade Steel Town to a clear sky!"

"Warriors, follow me to charge, kill all the demons, and create a prosperous and peaceful world together!"

The garrison responded in unison, and their morale was completely mobilized.

They set off immediately, lined up, and stepped into the teleportation array.

The teleportation array was activated frequently, teleporting the town's garrison directly to the vicinity of Mount Wuyin.

In this way, the movement could finally no longer be concealed and was discovered by the Black Wind Tiger Demon's group.

The Tiger Demon's eyes were blood-red, falling into a rage, roaring, and leading a group of demon cultivators to rush out of the valley, heading straight for the army formation! ===== CHAPTER 356 =====