Chapter 435: Mu Lan Plots Against Ning Zhuo

Mu Lan lifted the door curtain and walked into the tent.

Unlike usual, Uncle Zhang—Zhang Zhongyi—was not preparing medicinal herbs as she expected. Instead, he was holding a jade slip in his left hand, pouring his spiritual sense into it to examine it.

Hearing footsteps, Zhang Zhongyi retracted his spiritual sense and looked up to see the female general, Mu Lan.

Mu Lan was still wearing her red military robe, covered by brass armor, looking heroic and spirited. Only, at this moment, her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she were enduring pain.

"You're here. Sit." Zhang Zhongyi gestured for Mu Lan to sit beside him. He placed the jade slip on the desk, stood up, walked to the workbench, and began preparing the medicinal herbs for Mu Lan's treatment.

"Just a moment ago, Ning Zhuo came to see me to treat his close friend."

"It has already been successful."

"This jade slip contains the treatment method for this illness; we designed three sets."

"You can take a look," Zhang Zhongyi advised.

Mu Lan was immediately interested: "Ning Zhuo?"

"Is that the little brother who was sitting next to you, Uncle Zhang, in the outer hall last night?"

Zhang Zhongyi nodded: "Exactly."

Mu Lan picked up the jade slip while saying, "I've heard you mention, Uncle Zhang, that his friend practices the Boy's Art and suffered Dao injuries. Treating it is quite troublesome; it would at least require inviting a Grandmaster-level figure in Earth-element arts to specifically design a spell to comb through the Earth-element principles within."

Zhang Zhongyi lowered his head and began crushing the herbs: "Speaking of which, you might not believe it."

"Ning Zhuo himself possesses the Earth-element Grandmaster realm!"

Mu Lan's brows instantly shot up, revealing a look of astonishment: "Him? How old is he?"

Zhang Zhongyi sighed and exclaimed: "His age definitely does not exceed eighteen. Such natural talent..."

"Before this, I had treated Dao injuries three times. Not once was as relaxed as this collaboration!"

"Thinking back now, Ning Zhuo's own Earth-element realm might not just be at the Grandmaster level."

Mu Lan found it hard to believe and laughed: "For you to praise a young junior so highly, Uncle Zhang, it's clear this little brother Ning Zhuo really suits your fancy."

Zhang Zhongyi stopped the pestle, pinched a finger seal, checked the composition of the medicinal mud, and then discretionarily took a leaf and added it in.

He continued grinding the medicine while pouring in a certain type of spiritual liquid. He chuckled: "If I told you that Ning Zhuo also has Grandmaster-level realms in Wood and Fire elements, would you be even more skeptical?"

The look of astonishment on Mu Lan's face deepened: "Isn't that a bit exaggerated? Grandmaster realms in three elements?"

She changed the subject: "However, you have seen countless people, Uncle Zhang, and now there is the verification of the Dao injury cure, so this Ning Zhuo must indeed be a three-element Grandmaster."

After a pause, Mu Lan commented: "For him to have such achievements at such a young age, he is truly formidable!"

Zhang Zhongyi added: "More than just formidable. In the entire Liangzhu Kingdom, you wouldn't find a person like him. He is too young, yet his achievements are unimaginably high."

"Also, his friend is not simple either."

"This treatment could have been thorough, but it was interrupted halfway by his friend."

"The reason is that the other party actually found a certain marvelous method during the injury to use the condition to cultivate."

"In my view, the effect of this cultivation is extremely outstanding!"

"In this way, he can be considered to have turned a misfortune into a blessing; the foundation of his own physical body will skyrocket by at least three times."

Mu Lan nodded: "Wolves do not live with dogs, and eagles do not talk to chickens. For an excellent young person like Ning Zhuo, there naturally will be equally excellent cultivators by his side."

Zhang Zhongyi finished preparing the herbs and poured all the medicinal mud onto a white bandage.

His hands did not stop as he said: "You might not know yet, but this time the Imperial Envoy secretly tampered with things, delaying the distribution of our army's supplies..."

Before he could finish, Mu Lan nodded and interrupted: "Uncle Zhang, I already know about this matter you mentioned."

"It was Ning Zhuo who helped us resolve the siege."

As it turned out, ever since Mu Lan was made difficult, she had ordered her subordinates to secretly keep watch and start inquiring about this military situation.

One of her subordinates happened to witness the entire process of Ning Zhuo resolving the siege and immediately reported it to Mu Lan.

Mu Lan said: "This time, we owe him a favor. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will thank him properly."

Zhang Zhongyi picked up the bandage covered in medicinal mud and walked in front of Mu Lan: "No need to thank him. This time, I waived his consultation fee."

Mu Lan laughed: "Then I should thank you properly, Uncle Zhang."

Zhang Zhongyi immediately shook his head: "Don't, it is I who should thank your father!"

Mu Lan turned her wrist slightly, and the arm armor on her left arm automatically separated, turning into a beam of brass light that flew into her storage belt.

Mu Lan rolled up her sleeve, revealing her forearm.

On the forearm, many scars were distributed; some of them had turned the flesh inside out from the inside, and they were still oozing blood.

Zhang Zhongyi used the bandage to wrap Mu Lan's forearm.

Subsequently, he hovered his palms over Mu Lan's forearm, his palms facing the bandage from a distance, and then mobilized his magic power, pouring it into the herbs to activate the medicinal power and treat Mu Lan's injuries.

Waves of intense pain struck, but Mu Lan's expression remained calm throughout.

Soon, the thick medicinal mud was digested and absorbed, becoming a thin layer.

Zhang Zhongyi took out a set of golden needles and, following the acupoints, inserted more than a dozen needles into Mu Lan's forearm.

As time passed, the needle tips gradually began to flash with white light.

The sharp white light shattered the needle tips into powder.

Zhang Zhongyi's face was clouded with gloom, and he said in a deep voice: "Niece Mu Lan, your condition has worsened significantly recently."

"I have warned you, it is best not to frequently activate your family's ancestral cultivation technique, the Profound Gold Armor-Breaking Art."

"This technique is suitable for men to practice; it is too masculine and sharp. For a woman to practice this method, it very easily leads to an excess of masculinity, which harms the female yin body."

Mu Lan shook her head: "Uncle Zhang, a great battle is imminent. I must train the troops every day, so the use of the Profound Gold Armor-Breaking Art will naturally increase, and it will be even more so in the future."

"As for this internal injury, it can only be left for after the battle to be slowly treated."

Zhang Zhongyi sighed: "The condition is more serious than you imagine. If it continues to develop like this, it is very likely to erupt on the battlefield."

"You are taking it too lightly."

"In fact, there is a simplest way to solve your condition, and that is dual cultivation!"

"Find a male cultivator, one who possesses primordial yang, and engage in dual cultivation with him."

"As the saying goes, isolated yin does not grow, and isolated yang does not flourish. The coordination of yin and yang is the Great Dao of harmony between heaven and earth."

"In this way, the overly sharp yang energy can be transferred to the male cultivator. Although your cultivation base will weaken by several tenths in the short term, after the burden is reduced, the yin energy will no longer be suppressed and will naturally grow, giving you the opportunity for yin-yang coordination in the future."

"Otherwise, relying solely on your own efforts to coordinate yin and yang, there is simply no possibility of success."

"Your condition has already become too deep-seated to return; only by borrowing external force is there hope for a solution."

Mu Lan nodded: "Uncle Zhang, you mentioned this method last time, and I have thought about it for a long time after returning."

She was a tiger daughter of a military family and had no bashfulness.

"To tell the truth, I also really want to find a man for dual cultivation, but after thinking it over, there is no suitable candidate," Mu Lan sighed deeply.

Zhang Zhongyi nodded: "Indeed."

"It is indeed difficult to find someone suitable for you, niece."

"First, one must possess Primal Yang. However, outstanding people will attract many of the opposite sex. Dual cultivation methods are widely circulated and can quickly increase cultivation. Therefore, regardless of male or female cultivators, unless there are special circumstances, once their age goes up, they basically lose their Primal Yang or Primal Yin."

"Secondly, this person must be compatible with your Mu family. I heard that the current Emperor's third son intended to pursue you, niece, but you rejected him. This is very correct. The Third Prince lacks military power the most, and his reputation is terrible; what he coveted was the military prestige of your Mu Family's General's Mansion."

"Finally, this person must be outstanding enough; otherwise, some crooked melon or cracked date wouldn't be worthy of you, niece. In my opinion, only a figure at the level of the Twelve Young Masters would not let you suffer any grievances, niece."

There are many cultivation kingdoms today, and some busybodies have ranked the young talents, calling it the Young Master List.

There are only twelve people on the Young Master List, and they are the recognized talented elites of the current age.

Mu Lan shook her head and laughed: "Uncle Zhang, you are overestimating me too much."

"Although my family is the General's Mansion, it is only a powerful family in the Liangzhu Kingdom. The Liangzhu Kingdom is completely a small country in the whole world. Sandwiched between the North Wind Kingdom and the South Bean Kingdom, it is blocked at both ends and has little room for upward mobility."

"My father has been bedridden for years, and the family fortune has declined. Although I have natural talent, I cannot climb high enough to reach the Twelve Young Masters who are famous throughout the world."

Zhang Zhongyi stroked his beard: "Niece, do not underestimate yourself. Since I entered your military camp and watched you train troops, your attainments are almost close to Old General Mu. Your talent in the art of war is extremely outstanding."

"Think about it, the Twelve Young Masters are not fixed; people often fall off the list, and people climb onto the list. It can be seen that heroes do not ask where they come from, and there are many people who rise from different places."

"Even if we can't reach the Twelve Young Masters for now, seeds at the Young Master level are right before our eyes."

Mu Lan raised her brows, immediately realizing who Zhang Zhongyi was referring to.

She was suddenly between laughter and tears: "Uncle Zhang, after talking for so long, you want to recommend Ning Zhuo?"

"It's not that I am arrogant, but your matchmaking is simply outrageous. He is only at the Foundation Establishment stage."

Zhang Zhongyi, however, had a serious face: "What's wrong with the Foundation Establishment stage? Don't look down on his cultivation base."

"His cultivation base is indeed weaker, but you have to look at his age!"

"He is definitely not over eighteen. Think about it, a Foundation Establishment cultivator under eighteen; how does such cultivation talent compare to yours?"

Mu Lan's expression became slightly solemn: "He is much stronger than me. I was twenty-one when I promoted to the Foundation Establishment stage."

Zhang Zhongyi stroked his beard: "Niece, your family's ancestral technique, the Profound Gold Armor-Breaking Art, is not suitable for you. If you were a man, you could have promoted to Foundation Establishment before eighteen."

"Let's go back to Ning Zhuo."

"Although his natural talent hasn't been fully explored, it might just be that he hid his trump cards. Even if it's the truth, it must be excellent. Just in terms of talent, it is worthy of your superior talent, niece."

"His comprehension is extremely high. A Grandmaster-level in Fire, Earth, and Wood elements, tsk tsk, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never believe it."

"Also, this person comes from the Ning family of Fire Persimmon Xiancheng. Although I don't know about this family, seeing Ning Zhuo being so wealthy and repeatedly taking out Nascent Soul-level treasures... the Ning family of Fire Persimmon Xiancheng can't be that bad!"

"Finally, Ning Zhuo comes from the South Bean Kingdom, not a citizen of the Liangzhu Kingdom. If you dual cultivate with him, it won't let the Mu General's Mansion fall into the vortex of domestic political strife."

Mu Lan was silent for a moment before saying: "Uncle Zhang, what you say makes sense and makes me feel moved."

"However, Ning Zhuo comes from a wealthy family and might already have a marriage contract."

"This dual cultivation involves Primal Yang and Primal Yin, which is no small matter. Many marriage contracts have strict regulations in this regard."

"Uncle Zhang, I will trouble you to find an opportunity in the future to probe slightly and see if the other party has this intention."

"However..."

Mu Lan changed the subject slightly: "A great battle is imminent. If I dual cultivate and it leads to a drop in combat power, there are still many risks."

"And I need to rely on myself to perform meritorious deeds, revitalize the family, and if I rely too much on outsiders, I won't be able to pass my own heart's barrier, and the effect of revitalizing the Mu Mansion's prestige will be greatly reduced."

"Therefore, regardless of whether Young Master Ning Zhuo is interested, I plan to put the dual cultivation after this battle."

Zhang Zhongyi nodded: "Sigh, this is the best situation. I'm just afraid that the war will be frequent, your pressure will increase sharply, and it will lead to the eruption of your injury."

Ning Zhuo did not know about the conversation between Zhang Zhongyi and Mu Lan after he left.

The latter two were already plotting against his Primal Yang.

On the way back, he was thinking about Sun Lingtong's proposal—relying on Dao injuries to rapidly raise his physical cultivation base.

"I have the five-element Grandmaster realm. Cooperating with Senior Zhang Zhongyi this time can indeed turn a misfortune into a blessing."

"However, this method also has risks."

"At present, the Liangzhu Kingdom's army and the Thousand Peaks Forest are about to go to war; it is turbulent and uneasy."

"If Zhang Zhongyi has any mishaps, and I suffer a Dao injury and cannot find a medical expert to cooperate with me, that would be terrible."

After all, treating Dao injuries is always adapted to the time and circumstances; one must design spells and prepare herbs according to the specific situation.

The treatment method given to Sun Lingtong, after one night, would not be effective if used on Sun Lingtong again.

Not to mention, if it were applied to Ning Zhuo.

"Therefore, the safest method is for me to master advanced medical skills myself."

"As long as my medical skills reach the level of treating Dao injuries, I will be able to treat myself alone and increase my physical cultivation base through Dao injuries."

"Sigh!"

Thinking of this, Ning Zhuo sighed deeply: "I am still too weak, and the knowledge I have mastered is too little."

"One only regrets having too little knowledge when it comes time to use it."

"Learning has no end!"

"If I could have advanced medical skills, I could have cured Brother Sun long ago and allowed myself to increase my cultivation without worry."

Ning Zhuo made up his mind to study medical skills!

Not just for the present, he was considering his mother more.

In the future, if he wants to treat the Dao injuries of the Buddha Doctor, Meng Yaoyin, the safest and most reliable path is to become a medical expert like Zhang Zhongyi himself.

Ning Zhuo thought all the way back to the Three Generals Camp.

As soon as he entered, he received a report from a cultivator saying that the three generals, Liu, Guan, and Zhang, had just been looking for him everywhere.

Ning Zhuo then came to the center of the camp, lifted the main general's door curtain, and entered.

At a glance, he saw Liu Er's yellow face, Guan Hong's red face, and Zhang Hei's black face gathered together, all six eyes staring at the account book on the table. ===== CHAPTER 436 =====