Chapter 435: Mu Lan Plots Against Ning Zhuo

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

Unlike usual, Uncle Zhang—Zhang Zhongyi, as she knew him—was not preparing medicinal herbs. Instead, he held a jade slip in his left hand, projecting his spiritual sense into it to examine its contents.

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

Mu Lan was still dressed in her red military uniform, covered by brass armor, looking heroic and spirited. However, 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 table, stood up, and walked to his workbench to begin preparing the herbs for her treatment.

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

"It was a success."

"This jade slip contains the treatment method used. We designed three sets."

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

Mu Lan became interested. "Ning Zhuo?"

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

Zhang Zhongyi nodded. "That's him."

As Mu Lan picked up the jade slip, she said, "I've heard you mention, Uncle Zhang, that his friend practices the Boyhood Art and suffered Dao wounds. Treating it is quite troublesome; it would at least require inviting a Grandmaster-level figure in the Earth element to design specific spells to comb through the Earth-element principles within."

Zhang Zhongyi lowered his head and began crushing the herbs. "You might not believe it when I say this."

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

Mu Lan's brows shot up, and she revealed a look of astonishment. "Him? How old is he?"

Zhang Zhongyi sighed and exclaimed, "He cannot be over eighteen. Such natural talent..."

"Before this, I have treated Dao wounds three times. Never once was a collaboration as effortless as this one!"

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

Mu Lan found it hard to believe and chuckled. "For you to praise a young junior so highly, Uncle Zhang, it's clear this little brother Ning Zhuo has really caught your eye."

Zhang Zhongyi stopped his pestle, pinched a finger seal, and after checking the composition of the herb paste, he thoughtfully picked up a leaf and added it to the mix.

He continued grinding the medicine while pouring in a certain type of spiritual liquid. He laughed, "If I told you that Ning Zhuo also possesses Grandmaster-level realms in the 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 you have the verification of a cured Dao wound, 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 is truly impressive!"

Zhang Zhongyi added, "More than just impressive. You wouldn't find anyone like him in the entire Liangzhu Kingdom. 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 midway by his friend."

"The reason is that the other party actually discovered a marvelous method while injured, using the injury itself to cultivate."

"In my view, the results of this cultivation are outstanding!"

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

Mu Lan nodded. "Wolves do not live with dogs, and eagles do not talk to chickens. A young person as excellent as Ning Zhuo naturally has equally excellent cultivators by his side."

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

Without stopping his hands, 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."

"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 keep a secret watch and start investigating the military situation.

One of her subordinates happened to witness the entire process of Ning Zhuo resolving the situation 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 paste and walked in front of Mu Lan. "There is 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 guard on her left arm automatically detached, 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, there were many scars, some of which had turned the flesh inside out and were still oozing blood.

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

Afterward, he hovered his palms over Mu Lan's forearm, his palms facing the bandage from a distance, and then channeled his magic power, infusing it into the herbs to activate their medicinal properties and treat Mu Lan's wounds.

Waves of intense pain struck, but Mu Lan remained calm.

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

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

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

The sharp white light shattered the needle heads into powder.

Zhang Zhongyi's face clouded over, 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. As a woman practicing this method, it is extremely easy to lead to an excess of masculinity, which harms your feminine 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 until 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 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 levels in the short term, after the burden is reduced, the yin energy will no longer be suppressed and will naturally regenerate, giving you a chance 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 coyness.

"To tell the truth, I would also like 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, they must possess primordial yang. However, outstanding people will attract many of the opposite sex. The method of dual cultivation is widely spread 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 primordial yang or 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 values is the military prestige of your Mu family's Upper General's Mansion."

"Finally, this person must be excellent enough; otherwise, some crooked melon or cracked date would not be worthy of you, niece. In my opinion, only a figure at the level of the Twelve Young Masters would not make you feel wronged, niece."

There are many cultivation kingdoms today, and some busybodies have ranked the young talents on a list called the Young Master List.

There are only twelve people on the Young Master List, and they are recognized as the brilliant geniuses of the current age.

Mu Lan shook her head and laughed. "Uncle Zhang, you think too highly of me."

"Although my family is an Upper 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. It is sandwiched between the Beifeng Kingdom and the Nandou Kingdom, blocked at both ends, and it is difficult to have 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 up to 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 the troops, your attainments are almost close to those of the old General Mu. Your talent in the art of war is very outstanding."

"Think about it, the Twelve Young Masters are not fixed; people often fall off the list and people get on 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, a seed at the Young Master level is right before our eyes."

Mu Lan raised her brows, then realized 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 is not that I am arrogant, but it is outrageous for you to randomly matchmake. He is only at the Foundation Establishment stage."

Zhang Zhongyi, however, had a serious face. "So what if he is at 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 stage under eighteen; how does such cultivation talent compare to yours?"

Mu Lan's expression became slightly serious. "He is much stronger than me. I didn't advance to the Foundation Establishment stage until I was twenty-one."

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 advanced to Foundation Establishment before the age of eighteen."

"Let's go back to Ning Zhuo."

"Although his natural talent has not been clearly investigated, it may just be that he is hiding his trump cards. Even if it is true, 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; 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 the Fire Persimmon Immortal City. Although I don't know about this family, looking at Ning Zhuo being so wealthy and repeatedly taking out Nascent Soul-level treasures... the Ning family of Fire Persimmon Immortal City can't be that bad!"

"Finally, Ning Zhuo comes from the Nandou Kingdom and is not a citizen of the Liangzhu Kingdom. If you dual cultivate with him, it will not 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 tempted."

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

"This dual cultivation involves primordial yang and 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 build achievements, revitalize the family, and if I rely too much on outsiders, I cannot pass my own heart's barrier, and the effect of reviving 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 frequent battles will increase your pressure and lead to the eruption of your condition."

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

The latter two had already plotted against his primordial yang.

On the way back, he was thinking about Sun Lingtong's proposal—relying on Dao wounds 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 disaster 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, and it is turbulent."

"If Zhang Zhongyi has any mishaps and I suffer a Dao wound, I won't be able to find a medical expert to cooperate with me, and that would be terrible."

After all, treating Dao wounds is about adapting to the situation, designing spells according to specific facts, and preparing medicinal herbs.

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

Not to mention, if it were used on 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 wounds, I will be able to treat myself alone and increase my physical cultivation base through Dao wounds."

"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 is needed."

"Learning has no end!"

"If I could have advanced medical skills, I could have cured Boss 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 now, he considered his mother more.

In the future, when he wants to treat the Dao wounds for 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 came to the center of the camp, lifted the main general's 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.