The next moment, Fei Si pushed the door open and entered.
Zhu Xuanji stared at Fei Si with a deep gaze, "You arrived quite quickly."
Fei Si smiled, but the smile was filled with bitterness.
Zhu Xuanji's position was special, and every move he made was under Fei Si's watchful eye. Although the City Lord had not given specific instructions, Fei Si knew exactly what to do.
So, when Zhu Xuanji and his party of three left the volcano and headed straight for the Flying Disc Workshop, Fei Si received the first-hand news.
The Flying Disc Workshop and Chen Cha had close ties with Fei Si, especially regarding the Fire Persimmon Festival. Fei Si urgently needed Mechanism Explosive Flame Monkeys, and the more, the better.
This matter was crucial to the Fire Persimmon Festival he was responsible for, so Fei Si dared not be careless.
Now, with Zhu Xuanji and the others going to the Flying Disc Workshop, he could no longer sit still and rushed over immediately.
"First, I have nothing to do with the appearance of the Immortal Palace," Fei Si began. "Second, this stemmed from a small mistake on my part."
Then, he detailed how, out of concern for the people's livelihood and the protection of the Southern Bean Dynasty's property, he was eager to present treasures to the City Lord and recommended the Mechanism Monkeys, mistakenly assuming Chen Cha was the inventor.
When he discovered this mistake, Chen Cha suggested that they could cover it up.
Fei Si hesitated at first, but Chen Cha's persistent persuasion finally made him agree.
Chen Cha then secretly approached Ning Zhuo, asking him to transfer the identity of the inventor for a hefty reward.
Ning Zhuo agreed.
The two signed a contract to keep the secret together. (In fact, it was Fei Si who actively ordered Chen Cha to take such actions, and this detail was added later.)
"You say it so nicely!" Chi Dun sneered, staring at Fei Si, "But I know you're lying."
Zhu Xuanji's frown deepened. Utilizing his cultivation technique, he could determine that much of what Fei Si said was false, but the gist was true.
Considering Fei Si was a Golden Core Cultivator and held a high and powerful position, responsible for the daily affairs of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, Zhu Xuanji was not in a position to expose him.
Zheng Shuanggou then looked at Ning Zhuo, reassessing him, "So, you are the inventor of the Mechanism Monkey."
Ning Zhuo hurriedly bowed, once again expressing his gratitude for Zheng Shuanggou's life-saving grace.
Zheng Shuanggou, being a Golden Core Cultivator, had once saved the remaining members of the Ning Family at the volcano's peak, including Ning Yong, Ning Chen, and Ning Zhuo.
Zheng Shuanggou smiled, "Since you remember my life-saving grace, how do you intend to repay it?" He revealed some intention to recruit, now that he knew about Ning Zhuo's talent in mechanism crafting.
Ning Zhuo smiled wryly, "As a cultivator of the Ning Family, it may be difficult for me to fully repay you, but I will do my utmost."
Zheng Shuanggou waved his hand, "Forget it, I won't trouble a junior like you."
Ning Zhuo, being a cultivator of the Ning Family, meant that a forced recruitment by Zheng Shuanggou would inevitably cause friction with the Ning Family.
Previously, the three families had already been discussing a joint resistance against the City Lord's Mansion. Since Ning Zhuo had already changed his allegiance, it did not matter much whether he joined the Zheng Family.
After hearing this, Zhu Xuanji once again looked at Ning Zhuo, "Were you present when the Immortal Palace appeared?"
Ning Zhuo responded, "Yes, I was lucky to escape with my life."
"Haha. I know that." Chi Dun laughed, feeling pleased since he had leverage over Fei Si. He said boldly, "After the incident, I interrogated many people. The cultivators of the Ning Family were among the first batch."
"At that time, I not only used the Questioning Heart Formation but also carried the Alert Heart Bell personally bestowed by the City Lord."
"It was the Alert Heart Bell's warning that led me to discover the lurking Black Shadow Demon Cultivator! After that, it was a relentless chase, and he escaped into the Fire Persimmon Forest."
Zhu Xuanji nodded, posing a critical question, "When did you start producing the Mechanism Explosive Flame Monkeys? Did your design get leaked before? Are there any other insiders?"
Upon inquiry, Zhu Xuanji found out that the Explosive Flame Monkeys had been sold outside long before the Immortal Palace's appearance.
On the day Ning Zhuo sought advice from Chen Cha, they had reached an agreement and began making and selling the Mechanism Explosive Flame Monkeys.
According to Chen Cha, he needed to release them to the market, gather feedback, and then decide on the investment and production scale.
Although Ning Zhuo claimed his design had not been leaked, as a mere Qi Refinement Realm disciple, it would be difficult for him to notice if someone was spying.
In conclusion, this lead was a dead end.
Tracking each buyer of the Mechanism Explosive Flame Monkeys would be a colossal task. Just thinking about it made Zhu Xuanji's scalp tingle.
This didn't even cover resales.
In reality, a single Mechanism Monkey might pass through multiple hands.
At this point in the investigation, Zhu Xuanji lost interest in the Flying Disc Workshop, Chen Cha, and Ning Zhuo.
As he departed, Fei Si saw him off, "Actually, Lord Zhu, you need not go to such lengths to investigate all this."
"The Fire Persimmon Festival is just around the corner, and by then, we will surround that Black Shadow Demon Cultivator."
"If we can capture and interrogate him alive, with the Divine Hunter Office's methods, the mastermind behind the scenes will surely surface, won't they?"
This was Fei Si's thought process.
As the person handling most of the affairs, he meticulously calculated his time each day, always pursuing efficiency.
Zhu Xuanji's widespread investigation seemed highly inefficient to him.
The culprit was hiding in the Fire Persimmon Forest; wouldn't capturing the real criminal solve the problem in one fell swoop?
Zhu Xuanji snorted coldly, looking at Fei Si, "I understand what you mean. Don't worry, I'll personally oversee things on the day of the Fire Persimmon Festival."
"I very much wish to meet that Black Shadow Demon Cultivator!"
Fei Si smiled. He had spoken like this to draw reinforcements.
As a member of the Divine Hunter Office, Zhu Xuanji's combat power was extraordinary. Moreover, being a royal member, he surely carried numerous treasures.
This considerably increased the chances of hunting down the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator.
Zhu Xuanji departed from the Flying Disc Workshop.
Halfway, Zheng Shuanggou took his leave from Zhu Xuanji.
Only Chi Dun remained, who had thoughts similar to Fei Si's, wanting to catch the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator during the Fire Persimmon Festival and solve the core issue directly.
Laughing coldly, Zhu Xuanji asked, "Do you truly believe the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator is the real culprit behind the Immortal Palace explosion?"
Chi Dun froze, "Isn't he?"
Zhu Xuanji shook his head, "Don't let your internal assumptions cloud your vision."
"Judging by the clues, the Immortal Palace was bombed, causing further damage before it reappeared."
"The explosion was caused by a Mechanism Monkey. From this, it's evident that others could also command such mechanism artifacts."
Chi Dun stood in place, stamping his foot. Zhu Xuanji's words made a lot of sense.
"But if it's not the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator, then who could it be?" He racked his brain and suddenly shuddered, a look of disbelief on his face, "Could it be... Zheng Shuanggou?!"
Zhu Xuanji shook his head again, "Anything is possible."
"Imagine if the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator is not the real culprit, and we mistake him for one, thus wasting precious investigation time. What then?"
Chi Dun nodded, "Lord Zhu's words are very wise. But hasn't the Mechanism Monkey's lead gone cold?"
Zhu Xuanji smiled faintly, looking up at the sky, "Chi Dun, you've forgotten an even more critical lead."
"The actual explosion at the Immortal Palace was caused not by the Mechanism Monkey but by the Thousand Catty Fire Essence."
"To purchase such a significant amount of Fire Essence would certainly draw attention. The seller would have a deep impression!"
Chi Dun clapped his hands in excitement, "Yes, yes. This indeed is a good lead."
Turning to Chi Dun, Zhu Xuanji said, "So next, lead me to investigate the markets throughout the Immortal City."
"Understood, my Lord!" Chi Dun, seeing the investigation looking promising, responded with renewed vigor.