Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master-Chapter 289 - 267: Ning Zhuo Confesses

On the stage.

The play of Fang Qing’s exoneration officially ended.

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

"I truly didn’t expect this young man, Ning Zhuo’s, mastery of puppet manipulation to be so skillful and seasoned!" Many spectators were filled with admiration.

People looked at the stage where Ning Zhuo was descending the steps, all with newfound respect and astonishment.

"Ning Zhuo... indeed lives up to the recent rising star of the Righteous Path."

Some cultivators, their eyes reddened with emotion, said, "Watching this play of Fang Qing’s exoneration, it’s almost identical to how the old principal, Li Leifeng, used to do it."

"Seeing Ning Zhuo, I’ve started to develop a good impression of the Ning Family. Previously, I thought this family from North Wind Country was nothing special."

Ning Zhuo smiled and stood at the center of the stage.

At this moment, Zhu Hou walked onto the stage, approached Ning Zhuo, and took the puppet handed over by him.

Zhu Hou saw the clear tear stains on the young man’s face and couldn’t help but smile more warmly.

He softened his voice, surprisingly gentle, "Young Master Ning Zhuo, your performance was a great success. In you, I’ve seen the future, your future, the future of the Ning Family, and the future of Fire Persimmon Immortal City!"

"Come, say a few words to everyone."

Ning Zhuo cupped his hands and thanked Zhu Hou, then faced the audience. Discover exclusive tales on novelbuddy

The applause gradually died down until the venue became quiet again.

Ning Zhuo pondered his words while communicating with Sun Lingtong.

"Boss, what’s the situation?" Ning Zhuo’s inquiry reached Sun Lingtong’s ears through the Life Hanging Thread.

Sun Lingtong, coughing up blood, responded with excitement, "Hehe, don’t you trust me, your boss? The job’s done!"

"Ning Xiaohui has been eliminated, and I’ve extracted her spiritual nature, all stored in the Spirit Box you gave me."

"Later, I’ll enter the clinic and place this item in the Serious Injury Treatment Room ahead of time."

"We’ve taken out Ning Xiaohui, so Zhu Xuanji, Ning Family, and others will certainly be furious. The atmosphere will be tense for a while."

"I’ll lay low for some time to avoid the heat. You be careful!"

Ning Zhuo replied, "Indeed, the atmosphere will be tense because next, I’m going to expose all of you."

"Huh?" Sun Lingtong was stunned.

On the stage.

Ning Zhuo scanned the cultivators below, his face sincere, and spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen, the play has ended, but the gratitude in my heart flows endlessly like a long river."

"Although Fang Qing suffered injustice, fortunately, the ruler is wise, and justice prevails in the end."

"Despite the stormy weather, the Righteous Path shines like the midday sun, shining everywhere. Justice resides in people’s hearts."

"Here, I reflect on Principal Li Leifeng, whose benevolence and spirit of sacrifice have become a guiding light for us, never to fade!"

"Congratulations to Lord Zhu Hou for succeeding in Ciyou Garden, and thank you all for your support."

"May everyone here remain safe and joyful, and may righteousness prevail in the world."

After speaking, Ning Zhuo stepped down from the stage.

Applause thundered, and cheers rang out repeatedly.

After Ning Zhuo stepped down, someone shouted to donate spirit stones again.

Soon, many followed suit.

Voices of donation kept rallying!

Zhu Hou watched with a smile. Before Ning Zhuo’s puppet show, he hadn’t expected the performance to have such a great effect.

He mused, "Perhaps in the future, I can invite Ning Zhuo for charity shows? The customs and traditions left behind by Principal Li Leifeng are a treasure. Not preserving them would be a pity!"

Ning Zhuo stepped off the stage and bid farewell to Zhu Hou, then headed straight to the box upstairs.

On the other side, in the Magma Fairy Palace, Sun Lingtong had already reacted.

He said to Ning Zhuo, "So, are you retreating to the second line of defense?"

He was very clear about the line of defense Ning Zhuo had built.

Because these defenses were arranged in advance to compete for the Magma Fairy Palace. During the setup, Sun Lingtong had greatly cooperated and contributed.

The second line of defense set by Ning Zhuo was the Youthful Guest. Once Ning Zhuo’s identity as the Youthful Guest was exposed, he would place the blame on Sun Lingtong.

As for exposing the Bukong Sect and exposing Sun Lingtong, these were pre-agreed countermeasures between the two of them.

Climbing the stairs, Ning Zhuo responded to Sun Lingtong, "I don’t know what clues Zhu Xuanji has grasped, but he has bypassed the second line of defense and reached the third line."

"I don’t know what the key clue is, and it’s difficult to probe."

"I suspect it has something to do with Ciyou Garden and Li Leifeng, but I cannot be certain. For now, we can only go along with it."

"Perhaps Zhu Xuanji doesn’t have conclusive evidence and is just bluffing."

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"But the safest response is to ’surrender’ to him!"

Sun Lingtong nodded repeatedly in agreement with Ning Zhuo’s decision, "I have a feeling it should be a problem with Li Leifeng. Do you remember he wanted to take you as his disciple? When you were two or three years old, you hadn’t experienced enough, so there were flaws."

Ning Zhuo nodded once, "To cover up one lie, you often have to tell more lies."

"The truth can’t be faked, and the fake can’t become real."

"Even with our meticulous preparations over the years and full disguise, there will always be flaws."

"We can’t withstand scrutiny. The various defenses are just to buy the most critical time."

"As long as we seize the Magma Fairy Palace before being fully exposed, we will succeed!"

Ning Zhuo reached the second floor and continued up to the third floor.

He inquired about more information from Sun Lingtong, including the state of Yang Chanyu.

"This time, we’ve exposed a lot. There will surely be reactions from Yang Chanyu’s side that need to be properly handled!"

Sun Lingtong chuckled, "Don’t worry, she’s in some trouble now. She’s been marked by a spell and is being chased by five Golden Core Cultivators."

"Oh?" Ning Zhuo inquired further and then said, "Elder Sun, since you’re heading to the Serious Injury Treatment Room to deposit the Spirit Box."

"By the way, you should take the Highest Good is Like Water and give it to Yang Chanyu to dissolve the tracking spell."

Sun Lingtong exclaimed, unwilling, "If she uses the Highest Good is Like Water, what about the monitoring on you, Little Zhuo? No way!"

Ning Zhuo said, "I understand my situation clearly."

"Three drops of the Highest Good is Like Water are more than enough. Two drops would be just less secure."

"Yang Chanyu must not come to harm!"

"She already knows many things and has many suspicions in her mind; we can’t let her fall into the enemy’s hands."

"Next, we will face Zhu Xuanji’s fury. We can’t predict how strong the full-power Golden Eyes will be."

"And Meng Kui won’t stand by idly. It’s likely that Zhu Xuanji and Meng Kui will join forces to target the third party, which is the Bukong Sect!"

Sun Lingtong’s expression grew solemn.

Ning Zhuo was not wrong. The thought of facing the combined power of Zhu Xuanji and Meng Kui made him feel immense pressure.

He chuckled, "The Magma Fairy Palace, Meng Kui cannot enter. Even Zhu Xuanji has many places he cannot reach. It’s an excellent hiding place."

Ning Zhuo sighed, "The Historical Records Pavilion has already been destroyed. Don’t harbor such a fluke mentality. Otherwise, we’ll suffer greatly."

Sun Lingtong immediately felt chills, putting away his smile.

Indeed, such actions taken by Ning Zhuo and the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit could likely be imitated by Zhu Xuanji and Meng Kui.

Sun Lingtong’s eyes twinkled, "Maybe... we should release the information about the imperial examination?"

As they say, great minds think alike.

Ning Zhuo chuckled softly, "I’ve been considering this too."

He reached the third floor and arrived at the box.

Taking a deep breath, Ning Zhuo gently pushed the door open and walked in.

Zhu Xuanji was sipping tea. When he saw Ning Zhuo enter, he slightly raised his head, his face expressionless, his gaze deep.

Ning Zhuo also remained expressionless.

He quietly closed the door, walked a few steps forward, then knelt down on one knee, speaking in a deep voice, "Lord Zhu Xuanji, your subordinate Ning Zhuo, is guilty!"

Zhu Xuanji’s gaze softened, his voice still calm with a hint of coldness, "Oh? What are your crimes?"

Ning Zhuo’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he stared at the bricks on the ground, opened his mouth, and finally spoke, "I secretly communicated with the Evil Sect Cultivators and had secretly helped them."

Zhu Xuanji: "Oh? You’re young, it’s common to make mistakes like misjudging people. Which Evil Sect Cultivators are they? How did you assist them?"

Ning Zhuo took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision, and said through gritted teeth, "It’s Sun Lingtong, it’s the Bukong Sect!"

"I developed the Explosive Flame Monkey as part of their scheme. I only realized it later."

"I suspect they have been plotting to seize the Magma Fairy Palace all along."

"I..."

Ning Zhuo couldn’t continue and his voice turned hoarse.

Zhu Xuanji sighed deeply, his heart filled with joy, and slowly stood up.

This time, he only had clues and made some guesses in his heart. By leveraging Ciyou Garden and the play of Fang Qing’s exoneration, he tricked Ning Zhuo into confessing and won Ning Zhuo over, which naturally made him happy.

However, outwardly, he maintained a grave expression.

He walked to Ning Zhuo, bent down, and helped him up, "Young man, you seized the opportunity I gave you, turned from darkness to light, voluntarily admitted guilt, and submitted to the law, well done."

"I didn’t misjudge you, and you didn’t disappoint me!"

"To err is human, to forgive, divine."

"Moreover, I understand your situation since childhood."

"I allow you to atone for your crimes with meritorious deeds!"

"Come, tell me everything you know in detail."

Zhu Xuanji turned, walking back to his seat while saying, "We still have enough time."

"Is it really enough?" Ning Zhuo followed Zhu Xuanji, looking at his back, and couldn’t help but ponder in his heart.

As Zhu Xuanji sat down, Ning Zhuo stood beside him, speaking bitterly, "This matter is long and complicated. It starts from my childhood."

"At that time, my mother had just passed away, and I accidentally saved someone."

"This person appeared to be a child like me, but in reality, he was an Evil Sect Cultivator..."

As Ning Zhuo spoke, Zhu Xuanji’s mind immediately popped up a name—Sun Lingtong!

"So, you’ve been in contact since over a decade ago?" Zhu Xuanji was astonished, not expecting Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong to have known each other for so long.

Ning Zhuo spoke slowly, and Zhu Xuanji’s thoughts followed the reasoning, deducing how Sun Lingtong discovered Ning Zhuo and nurtured him naturally.

"So, my earlier suspicion was correct."

"There really is a third-party force, the Bukong Sect. They are the masterminds behind all of this!"