Chapter 8: Ning Zhuo

Ning clan's territory.

Today is the big day for the Ning clan to post the results.

Ning Ze and his wife Wang Lan sat in the middle hall early in the morning, waiting for the big exam results of the two younger generations in the family.

Ning clan disciples began testing their bone structure from birth, testing once a year until they were twelve or thirteen.

Those with cultivation aptitude were sent to the family private school, supplied by the family, and engaged in learning without production, until they were sixteen or seventeen, when they took the graduation big exam.

The big exam once a year concerns the fate of the youth cultivators.

The youths in the top thirty of the big exam were qualified to join the Ning clan's own industries, and their future was undoubtedly broader.

Wang Lan was drinking tea on the surface, but her gaze glanced at the gate from time to time, hard to hide her nervousness and expectation.

Ning Ze, however, had a dull gaze, and his mood was very depressed.

He waited until dawn, but never saw the Three Ghosts of the Huang Family come to report back.

"They failed!"

"I didn't expect this Young Guest to be so fierce and sinister."

"It's okay, it's okay."

"When I contacted the Three Ghosts of the Huang Family, I didn't reveal my true face, so the Young Guest couldn't discover me."

"The Three Ghosts of the Huang Family are famous in name only; with the Suppression Spirit Talisman and the spirit pet Green Blade Mantis, they could still lose three against one! I really misjudged them."

"Sigh, Young Guest... what should I do next?"

Ning Ze was forced to have no other way, a move of taking a risk, but it was a painful failure. He had a splitting headache and didn't know how to explain it to the young leader.

"Father, Mother, I passed, I entered the top thirty!" Just then, a youth ran into the room, shouting excitedly.

"Really? Ji'er, did you really pass?!" Wang Lan immediately stood up, her face full of surprise.

The youth cultivator Ning Ji's voice was very loud: "Of course! Mother, you don't even believe your own son?"

"Oh?" Ning Ze looked up and saw his son Ning Ji's unrestrained and arrogant smiling face.

On weekdays, Ning Ji's grades were around the fortieth place; he didn't expect that in this big exam, he actually performed beyond expectations.

This unexpected good news slightly diluted Ning Ze's worries.

Ning Ji's voice was high: "Father, Mother, I have given you face this time. I said long ago that I have a count in my heart. Although the grades on weekdays were not good, it was just that I didn't want to exert my full strength."

"Unlike someone!"

"On weekdays, the grades were good, stable in the top thirty. In this big exam, however, the bottom was leaked, and only got thirty-first. Oh my, failed the exam!"

When saying this, Ning Ji turned his head and looked at the white-clothed youth walking in behind him, his face full of mockery.

The white-clothed youth was dressed plainly, his eyes clear, carrying a rich expression of guilt and loss.

"Uncle, Aunt." The white-clothed youth Ning Zhuo saluted.

Wang Lan looked at the youth and said sharply: "What? Little Zhuo, you failed the exam this time?!"

Ning Ze's face sank, and he reached out to ask for it: "Bring the grade sheet for me to see."

Ning Zhuo then took out the grade sheet and handed it to his own uncle Ning Ze.

Ning Ze lowered his head and scanned it, his face as heavy as water.

The next moment, he shook the paper in his hand and said with hatred for iron not becoming steel: "Little Zhuo, how could your mistake this time be so serious?"

"I remember, you had quite a few small achievements in mechanical art."

"Before, a mechanical parrot you made even received the praise of the clan elder."

"Mechanical art was clearly your strength, how could you get a lower grade this time?"

"Sigh, if there wasn't this lower grade, you would be in the top thirty!"

The aunt's gaze was sharp: "Little Zhuo, tell me, have you been taking some private jobs from mechanical workshops recently?"

Without waiting for Ning Zhuo to answer, the aunt sighed: "Sigh, I have told you how many times, don't covet money. At your age, you should be studying well."

"You put your energy into making money, simply picking up sesame seeds and losing the watermelon."

"Look at you now, that's great! Outside the thirtieth place!"

"You can't get into the family's industries!!"

Ning Zhuo heard this and finally gathered the courage: "Aunt, I heard from classmates, heard that one can pull strings..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by his aunt's high voice: "Pull strings? Do you know how many spirit stones it takes to pull strings? Do you know how many people we have to find to pull strings?"

"Oh, you failed the exam now, and with a light sentence, your uncle and I have to find people up and down, run until our legs break, and go through the back door for you everywhere?"

"You still have the face to open this mouth!"

"If I had known this, why did I do it in the first place."

"I told you long ago to focus on cultivation and not take private jobs to earn those few spirit stones."

"What's the use?!"

"If you entered the top thirty and entered the family's industries, you would earn much more. The key is that there is less work, more time, and it allows you to continue cultivating."

Ning Zhuo suddenly raised his head, his face full of the flush of being humiliated, and he gritted his teeth and said hard: "Uncle, Aunt, I, Ning Zhuo, do things and take responsibility myself!"

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"Since it is the thirty-first place, then forget it."

"Over the years, I have been grateful for the care of the two elders. Failing the exam like this is the evil fruit I cast, so I brought it upon myself!"

"I do things and take responsibility myself!"

"I don't believe that if I go out, I won't be able to find a way to support myself."

Saying that, Ning Zhuo saluted and left: "Uncle, Aunt, my classmates are waiting for me to have dinner. If there is nothing else, I will leave first."

The uncle stared at Ning Zhuo, silent.

The aunt raised her hand and said with disgust: "Go, go, go, you are also big-hearted, failing the exam so badly, yet you still have the mood to have dinner!"

Ning Zhuo couldn't stay for a moment, turned around and left in anger.

Cousin Ning Ji sat down comfortably.

The aunt looked at Ning Ji, her face changing as if she were happy: "My son is still the best!"

She pushed the tea snacks on the table: "Hurry and taste it, this is the Golden Silk Jade Dew Cake from the Golden Meal Hall. After eating it, it can increase the foundation of the sea of consciousness, strengthen divine sense, and be of great help to your cultivation, and even future Foundation Establishment!"

Ning Ji's eyes lit up, and he couldn't wait to pick one up and put it in his mouth.

The taste of the Golden Silk Jade Dew Cake was unique, the cake body was soft and glutinous, the golden silk was relatively crisp, and there was a flowing filling inside.

Ning Ji swallowed it in three bites, and felt a clear energy rise from his abdomen, rushing straight to the top of his head, making his spirit shake.

Ning Ji praised sincerely: "Delicious, delicious!"

"Then eat more, it's all for you to eat." His mother smiled.

Ning Ji ate the remaining three, licked his lips, and was still not satisfied: "As expected of the Golden Meal Hall's product, it's delicious! Why only four? Are there any more?"

His father snorted coldly: "Every piece of cake here is worth 20 spirit stones. What you just ate is nearly a hundred spirit stones, and you still want more?"

"Then you must work harder and not be lazy! In the future, perform well in the family and strive to earn enough spirit food for yourself with your own hands as soon as possible."

Ning Ji shouted: "Father, your son gave you face this time! Think about it, if it were my previous grades, you would have to run around pulling strings, sending gifts and going through the back door, and send me into the family's industries. My big exam was so excellent, but it saved you hundreds of spirit stones. What's wrong with eating a little Golden Meal Hall cake?"

"Besides, I eat these, isn't it also to increase my spirit, let me cultivate better, and work harder."

"If I had this level of resource supply earlier, my grades would have been at the top long ago."

Ning father saw his son talk back, stared, and was about to scold.

Ning mother hurriedly said: "Alright, alright, both of you say less."

She glared at her husband: "My son performed well, it should be praised. You can't say a few words before you want to criticize him again."

"Don't look at my son being a bit greedy for fun on weekdays, he is reliable at critical moments."

"Unlike Ning Zhuo, whose grades usually make people let down their guard, and in the end, the one who makes people worry the most is him!"

"Look, just criticized him for a sentence or two, and he turned around and left. So unteachable! Did I say anything wrong?"

"Humph, and ran out to eat. He actually has this mood!"

Ning Ji sneered: "His heart is too high, he thinks he is right, and he can't listen to the earnest teachings of Father and Mother at all."

"By the way, is our family really going to pull strings for him and waste human feelings?"

Ning father snorted coldly: "This is not something you should worry about."

Ning Ji saw his father get angry, subconsciously shrank his neck, and thought of the big exam results again, shouting: "Mother, Ning Zhuo can go out to eat, I also want to go out to eat at a restaurant and eat spirit food. Give me some money, you don't know how much I paid for this big exam!"

"Alright, alright, alright." Ning mother smiled and took out a bag of spirit stones and handed it to Ning Ji.

Ning Ji took the money bag and got up and left.

He left the Ning clan's mansion and walked on the street, but didn't rush to his favorite restaurant, but wandered on the street.

He wanted to see where Ning Zhuo was eating.

Usually, there was no such opportunity, and now that he finally caught it, Ning Ji wanted to ridicule the other party to take pleasure in it.

As a result, he looked left and right, but couldn't find him.

He asked several shop assistants, confirming that Ning Zhuo had never come at all.

Ning Ji patted his head and understood: "This kid is pretending, where is there any dinner party? I'm afraid at this time, he is waiting in the broken house where his mother died and crying!"

"Forget him, I'll have a meal first."

Spirit food is not only delicious, but also has the effect of increasing cultivation, which makes Ning Ji very much looking forward to it.

This guess of his was right about a part.

Ning Zhuo had already returned to his own home.

Compared to the residence of his uncle and aunt, Ning Zhuo's house was simple and dilapidated.

Ning Zhuo gently closed the courtyard gate, passed through the small courtyard, walked into the main room, and entered the inner room.

This was his bedroom, and also his study.

Although the furniture was old and simple, it was kept very clean.

Ning Zhuo touched the lion paperweight on the desk.

The surface of the lion paperweight flashed a faint light, indicating that during the time he left, no one had come.

Ning Zhuo turned around, came to the bed, and gently twisted the railing beside the bed, and suddenly a burst of mechanical sound came.

Immediately, the bed moved horizontally to the side, revealing an underground passage.

He stepped on the wooden ladder and entered the underground secret room step by step.

After stepping on the solid ground, he twisted the switch on the wall and moved the bed back to its original place.

There was no light shining from the top, but on the walls around the basement, runes lit up with light, making the small space even brighter.

Up to this point, the expressions of loss, grief, and suppression on Ning Zhuo's face disappeared, replaced by a calm face.

He came to the workbench he was most familiar with and sat down; on the workbench were various mechanical parts.

Ning Zhuo pulled open the drawer on the right hand, revealing a drawer full of pastries.

Each pastry was wrapped in paper.

On the paper, there was the logo of the Golden Meal Hall.

He grabbed a handful, five or six pieces, and with magic power, he burned the paper of the pastries in the next instant, but without any damage to the Golden Silk Jade Dew Cake.

Obviously, he had done this action many times and was already skilled to the extreme.

Ning Zhuo chewed the pastry, his gaze slightly scattered. He reviewed his performance today in his heart.

This good habit, he had maintained for more than ten years.

"There should be no problem."

"It's just that I didn't expect that the performance of others in this big exam was generally a mistake, and they didn't fully exert their level."

"Before looking at the list, I almost thought I failed the control score and entered the top thirty." ===== CHAPTER 9 =====