"Junior Ning Zhuo," Chen Cha greeted with a cupped fist, managing a forced smile.
"Master Chen, there's no need for such formality, please come in."
Ning Zhuo led Chen Cha inside, invited him to sit down, and brewed some tea for him.
Ning Zhuo got straight to the point: "Master Chen, what brings you here today?"
Chen Cha's lips moved slightly, but he couldn't muster enough courage, managing only to say, "There's some good news."
He briefly explained: Chi Dun was pursuing a shadow demon cultivator who fled into Huoshi Forest. The forest's complex array formations had been fully activated, temporarily sealing the cultivator inside. To minimize losses, the city lord planned to mass-produce mechanical Exclusive Monkeys to replace manual labor in harvesting the Fire Crystal Grass.
"This is a tremendous stroke of luck, Junior Ning Zhuo, you are indeed fortunate!" Chen Cha remarked emotionally.
"But…" Chen Cha felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his tongue, making it difficult to utter a word.
Ning Zhuo, observing his discomfort, took the initiative, "Master Chen, is there something else troubling you? Just speak freely, my mechanical monkeys are highly effective because of your recommendation. I will help you in any way I can, without hesitation!"
Hearing Ning Zhuo's understanding and consideration, Chen Cha felt even more ashamed and guilty, overwhelmed by his sense of wrongdoing.
"I am utterly ashamed," he confessed, looking up with a deep sigh before bowing his head and revealing the full story, hoping Ning Zhuo would secretly transfer the development rights of the mechanical Exclusive Monkeys to him.
A subtle gleam flickered in Ning Zhuo's eyes.
"Fei Si… this Golden Core cultivator, always eager to claim credit and show off. It's typical of him to pull something like this."
Ning Zhuo was well-acquainted with Fei Si. Since the age of two, he had been plotting for control over the Lava Immortal Palace. Fei Si was naturally among the four major powers he was on guard against.
In Chen Cha's view: A young man like Ning Zhuo, hungry for wealth and eager to make a name for himself, would have put immense effort and faced tremendous hardships in designing the mechanical Exclusive Monkeys. To have the fruits of his labor picked by someone else would undoubtedly leave him feeling resentful and immensely angry.
Chen Cha had overestimated the difficulty of the matter.
He couldn't have predicted how complicated and dangerous the underlying issues were, even involving the previous bombing of the immortal palace.
Ning Zhuo's meeting with Chen Cha was not solely about designing mechanical monkeys but also about deliberately revealing the mechanical Exclusive Monkeys.
He thought several steps ahead.
The bombing of the immortal palace was just the first step. What about the investigation following the bombing? This was something Ning Zhuo had been considering for a long time.
"Before, I had already engaged Chen Cha to use the Flying Disk Workshop to produce many mechanical monkeys, which were then sold externally."
"Now, with Fei Si intervening, asking me to transfer the mechanical monkeys, isn't this just covering for me?"
"This is good, another layer of cover."
With these thoughts, Ning Zhuo decided to agree.
Of course, he wouldn't just nod in agreement. Instead, upon hearing Chen Cha's words, his expression dramatically changed.
Disbelief, anger, hatred, resentment, awe… a complex array of emotions played across Ning Zhuo's face.
Chen Cha could clearly feel that several times, Ning Zhuo was on the verge of slamming the table and berating him in anger!
Chen Cha was prepared, ready to bow his head and take the scolding he deserved.
But ultimately, Ning Zhuo did not do so.
His face a mix of flush and pale, he glared at Chen Cha, his lips moved slightly, emitting only a few indistinct syllables, as if cursing under his breath.
Chen Cha felt an immense guilt, the weight of his wrongdoing nearly suffocating him.
He took the initiative to pick up the teapot and pour some more hot tea for Ning Zhuo: "Junior Ning Zhuo, it's my fault, all my fault. You can scold or beat me as you see fit!"
Ning Zhuo gritted his teeth and finally stood up furiously. As a young man faced with such a situation, how could he possibly hold back? He glared fiercely at Chen Cha, but ultimately, he didn't curse out loud.
Instead, he paced back and forth in front of Chen Cha in the small room.
His face was crimson, his fists clenched, and his strides large, as if trying to vent all the pent-up frustration and anger in his movements.
Seeing this, Chen Cha felt helpless and wanted to offer words of comfort but found none that seemed right. He felt so guilty he wished he could burrow into the ground.
Ning Zhuo paced several times back and forth, then suddenly slammed his fist against the wall.
He bowed his head, leaving a stubborn, lonely figure for Chen Cha to behold. His lean shoulders, and the fist embedded in the wall, gradually bleeding, left Chen Cha speechless, a heavy weight on his heart.
Ning Zhuo stood like a statue, maintaining this pose, unmoving.
Time seemed to stand still, and the atmosphere in the room was oppressively heavy. Chen Cha could only hear Ning Zhuo's angry breathing.
It was unclear how much time had passed before Ning Zhuo finally withdrew his fist and slowly turned around. He seemed as if he had lost his skeleton, his previous vigor and spirit collapsed, his face full of sorrow and helplessness.
His once clear eyes were now filled with despair.
His voice became hoarse, struggling to speak, "So, Elder Chen, this matter cannot be salvaged, right?"
Elder Chen's Adam's apple moved as he tried to console Ning Zhuo, but he found himself unable to speak.
Suddenly, he pulled out his palm and harshly slapped his own face several times.
Slap, slap, slap.
He used all his strength, each hit causing his face to distort significantly.
After he finished, he stood up, bowed deeply to Ning Zhuo, and did not rise again.
Ning Zhuo took several deep breaths, gritting his teeth, making a few indistinct moaning sounds. It was as if he was crying, yet also like a scream.
The sound was heartbreakingly painful for Chen Cha to hear!
Then, Ning Zhuo loosened the fist he had been clenching tightly and took extremely heavy steps. Slowly, he lifted his hand and supported Chen Cha's forearm, helping him to stand.
Only then did Chen Cha straighten up. In such a short time, his cheeks were visibly swollen.
But when Chen Cha saw Ning Zhuo, his pupils shrank.
He saw the young man's reddened eyes and the two clear tear tracks on his cheeks.
"I truly deserve to die!" Chen Cha cursed himself internally.
Ning Zhuo spoke up, "Elder Chen, there's no need to blame yourself. Although I have known you for only a short time, I trust that you are certainly not such a villain!"
"It has come to this…"
"It has come to this, and I can only accept it, can't I?" Ning Zhuo looked up with a long sigh, took a step back, and almost stumbled and fell.
Chen Cha hurriedly stepped forward to support him.
Chen Cha helped Ning Zhuo all the way to his seat.
For a long time afterward, the two sat in silence, facing each other without speaking.
Ning Zhuo, timing silently, felt the moment was right and broke the dead silence in the room with his hoarse voice.
"I have agreed."
Elder Chen's heart twitched violently.
"I have agreed," Ning Zhuo repeated.
Elder Chen clenched his teeth in agony.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked up at Ning Zhuo and then took out a jade slip from his bosom.
He placed the jade slip on the desk, quickly followed by a small cloth bag.
He placed the cloth bag next to the jade slip.
Finally, he took out a bag of spirit stones and also placed it on the table.
Having done all this, he bowed deeply to Ning Zhuo. Then, with no face left to stay, he turned around and left without a word, exiting Ning Zhuo's residence.
Ning Zhuo, left alone, also took a long time to recover.
He had been too immersed just now, and the strong emotions still lingered.