Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master
Chapter 278: Mourning

Hearing the increasingly inappropriate comments from the revision team members, Zheng Hua shouted coldly, "Enough!"

"These baseless speculations, swallow them down!"

"I understand that at this moment, your hearts are filled with grief and anger, but do not let these emotions cloud your judgment. Remember! You carry the name Zheng, and the honor of the Zheng family is on your shoulders."

"Don't let outsiders laugh at us. Bring Ning Zhuo inside."

Ning Zhuo walked into the hall.

As far as his eyes could see, the hall was draped in mourning white.

The Zheng family cultivators stood in rows on both sides. Some raised their heads, tightly closing their eyes, silently shedding tears. Others knelt with faces covered, burning paper money. Most turned to glare at Ning Zhuo with furious eyes.

Zheng Jian's prestige in life was very high, and his death had united the Zheng family's revision team in shared anger, creating a strong air of mournful soldiers.

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but recall that earlier, these same people had dared to fight and charge against the Golden Core-level Yang Chanyu.

At that time, Ning Zhuo had been full of admiration—Zheng Jian had earned such loyalty! The blood courage of the Zheng family was clearly evident!

The atmosphere was filled with hostility from the Zheng family members toward Ning Zhuo.

With a sorrowful expression, Ning Zhuo walked to the coffin.

First, he bowed to Zheng Hua, then stood silently before Zheng Jian's body.

His face was solemn, his eyes lowered, as if quietly feeling the lingering warmth of the fallen hero.

A soft breeze stirred the hem of his robe, and Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes wide.

At this moment, his eyes were red, filled with endless sorrow.

"Brother Zheng Jian!" Ning Zhuo cried out in grief, breaking the deathly silence in the hall.

"Though I still live, brother, you have gone!"

"From now on, the sun and moon can only be gazed upon from separate worlds, forever separated between heaven and earth."

"My heart is like being cut with a knife, the pain is unbearable!"

Ning Zhuo wailed, dropping to his knees, and began to sob bitterly.

"Oh, Brother Zheng! I recall the days when we worked together on crafting the Mechanical Ape. Your wisdom was unparalleled, and my craftsmanship complemented it perfectly. Together, we created a masterpiece. Your extraordinary talent filled me with admiration, and to have you as a friend was truly a blessing of three lifetimes."

"Oh, the sorrow, Brother Zheng! I also remember the trials we faced, fighting side by side, overcoming challenges together. Though the enemy was fierce, we were of one mind, and nothing could stand in our way. Although things went awry because of Ning Xiaohui, your comforting words and heroic spirit eased my heart, reminding me that honor, not victory, mattered most."

"Alas, Brother Zheng! Though we each had our own family duties, our hearts were connected. We had already made an agreement: I would step back from the medical office, and you would repay me generously. Now, you are gone, and that promise is empty. My heart burns with sorrow."

"It burns!"

Ning Zhuo tore at the front of his robes, tears streaming down his face, his voice hoarse, his pain piercing his soul.

Seeing Ning Zhuo's heartfelt grief, everyone in the hall was deeply moved.

Many of them began to cry, their hostility greatly reduced. Even the few who still harbored suspicions about Ning Zhuo were overwhelmed by the immense sorrow and pain in the air, shedding silent tears.

The weeping grew louder and louder.

Suddenly, Ning Zhuo's voice rose again, "Brother, your death will not be in vain! I swear to avenge you!"

"All the brothers of the Zheng family here in this hall will avenge you!"

The crowd, engulfed in grief, was stirred by these words, their hatred and fury ignited.

They shouted in unison.

"Revenge, revenge!"

"We will kill Yang Chanyu in our lifetime!"

"I swear to slaughter the entire No-Void Sect!"

Zheng Hua's eyelid twitched.

The Zheng family's disciples were becoming increasingly excessive, their emotions completely roused by Ning Zhuo.

The reason Zheng Hua had been urgently dispatched here was not only to protect the revision team but also to stabilize the situation and calm the people's hearts.

Ning Zhuo's shout had whipped the hall into a frenzy, and the situation seemed to be spiraling out of control.

This forced Zheng Hua to speak up, his voice stern, "Revenge is necessary! But look at yourselves now, each of you still in the Qi Refining stage, not even at Foundation Establishment. How can you possibly kill a Golden Core cultivator?!"

"Do you seek revenge now, or do you seek death? Hmm?!"

Zheng Hua had great authority, and his words silenced the young cultivators in the hall.

In the ensuing quiet, Ning Zhuo's body swayed as he stood up.

He bowed to Zheng Hua and said, "Senior Zheng Hua."

"Previously, Brother Zheng Jian and I had nearly reached an agreement. My side would mostly withdraw from competing for positions in the medical office, retaining only a few spots, while your side would offer significant compensation in return."

"Brother Zheng Jian was someone I greatly respected. Though he is gone, I am still willing to do what I can."

"How will we exact revenge?"

At this point, Ning Zhuo stood tall, letting his arms fall to his sides, sweeping his gaze around the hall.

He then said, "Though we are only in the Qi Refining stage, we still have our own methods of seeking revenge!"

He raised his fist and declared with conviction, "The enemy doesn't want us to take positions in the Immortal Palace, so we must succeed, thwarting their schemes!"

"I am willing to help the Zheng family. I will personally assist each member of the Zheng family's revision team with the repair tasks, helping you to quickly accumulate merits, so you can enter the medical office and obtain medical officer positions."

"And, I promise all of you here: From now on, the Ning family's focus in acquiring positions will no longer be the medical office!"

"Although the Ning family has gained some positions in the medical office, I swear on the honor of the Ning family, there will be no further advancements in the medical office for us!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room was moved!

Even Zheng Hua looked at Ning Zhuo in a new light.

After Ning Zhuo left, the Zheng family cultivators exchanged words, and their impression of him had greatly improved.

"I didn't expect Ning Zhuo to have such responsibility!"

"Such noble character, I had misjudged him."

"Hmph, even if he didn't do this, could we Zheng family not defeat the Ning family and take the medical office?"

"Don't underestimate Ning Zhuo. Among us, only Brother Zheng Jian could suppress him!"

"I feel like I was wrong about Ning Zhuo before. He didn't have to do this, but he did."

"He just mourned our leader, crying bitterly. It seems that even though they came from different families, heroes appreciate each other, and they had become close friends."

Ning Zhuo returned to his temporary residence to meet with Ning Jiufan.

Before acting, he had already reported to Ning Jiufan.

Ning Jiufan asked, "Judging by your expression, it seems you succeeded. Do you really intend to help the Zheng family?"

Ning Zhuo responded solemnly, "Ancestor, this is what I think."

"First, Zheng Jian indeed diverted attention from me. If Yang Chanyu had attacked me first, how long could the treasure talisman have lasted under her blades? I survived by luck, and he contributed to that!"

"Second, the conflict between our Ning family and the Zheng family over the medical office remains unresolved."

"Third, by doing this, I can gain a lot of righteous reputation. If I don't do it, given the Zheng family's strength and their spirit as mournful soldiers, they would still push our Ning family out."

"Fourth, allowing the Zheng family cultivators to take positions in the medical office first is not a bad thing. Don't forget, both the Taiqing Palace and the No-Void Sect are enemies of the Zheng family. There might be a turning point in the future."

Hearing this analysis, Ning Jiufan finally showed a pleased expression, stroking his beard, and said, "Good, good, good. For someone so young, your thinking is quite thorough."

"The No-Void Sect wants to completely block your actions. The reason Yang Chanyu killed Zheng Jian first is probably because she sensed the treasure talisman on you."

"After all, she comes from the No-Void Sect and is highly skilled in sensing treasures. And since that talisman wasn't refined by you, you couldn't store it in your body, so its aura leaked out, making it easy to be discovered."

"Therefore, you don't need to be too grateful to Zheng Jian. Blame it on his two Golden Core ancestors for not caring enough about their genius disciple. They gave him too few protective items, or they weren't good enough."

Ning Zhuo suddenly understood, showing a look of enlightenment, "So that's how it is!"

With this, he resolved matters with both the Zheng family and Ning Jiufan, paving the way to openly helping the Zheng family.

Ning Jiufan then said, "Give me that slippery oil talisman, and I'll replenish its mana for you."

"I'll also bestow upon you another talisman called the 'Fish in Water Talisman.' Although it has no spirituality, after being refined with blood essence, it can still be used."

"In the future, if you're in a situation like today where the

slippery oil talisman is activated, you can use the Fish in Water Talisman to pair with the slippery oil mist, greatly increasing your speed and agility, allowing for sharp turns—just right."

Without needing Ning Zhuo to ask, Ning Jiufan had already proactively provided him with more life-saving methods.

After all, the fall of a genius cultivator like Zheng Jian had just happened right before their eyes.

In the following days, Ning Zhuo kept his promise, actively helping the Zheng family revision team, raising their merits, and quickly getting them into the medical office to obtain the positions of medical officers.

During this time, Ning Zhuo went to the critical care area to collect a new spirit box.

Yang Chanyu had taken control of Zheng Jian's soul. After it fell into Sun Lingtong's hands, it was refined by the *Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra*, extracting a trace of spirituality.

Since only the soul was usable, the spirituality was only about thirty percent.

Ning Zhuo successfully crafted a mechanical ring, storing Zheng Jian's spirituality within it, and wore it on the index finger of his left hand.

Ning Zhuo continued to seek Ning Xiaohui and Zheng Jian's belongings while taking care of the Ning family, arranging for them to be stationed in the Five Elements Cannon Towers.

He also reached an agreement with Zhou Zhenshen, helping them quickly secure positions at the Commanding Platform, earning a good amount of compensation.

Atop Mount Huoshi, deep within the clouds and mist.

Meng Kui's eyes shone with brilliance as he once again performed a divine technique—*Watching the Wind and Clouds from the Mountain*!

*Great Wind Talisman!*

*Cloud-Raising Talisman!*

The great wind rose, and the clouds flew, while Meng Kui sat on the mountain, listening to the sound of pines.

Suddenly, Meng Kui's vision changed drastically.

Roaring flames, a Dragon Turtle as large as a mountain, carrying an immortal city on its back, shattered stone slabs beneath its feet, and it raised its head to howl at the sky.

The night sky was pitch black, and a massive mysterious bird crackling with lightning circled above, poised to strike.

A gigantic tree, towering over the heavens and earth, extended its branches and roots, digging deep into the Dragon Turtle's body, even deeper than before!

The Dragon Turtle, weakened, bled molten lava-like blood from the wounds where the roots were embedded.

It was in a perilous situation, with the stone slabs breaking, causing its lower body to sink into the scorching lava below, with a violent tendency to submerge completely.

Meng Kui strained to see, his eyes bleeding tears.

"How is this possible?"

"Why? Why can't I see the No-Void Sect's fortune? Where has the fortune of Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu gone?!"

This was the second time Meng Kui had used this divine technique.

The first time had been after the Golden Core battle.

But both times, he had seen nothing of the No-Void Sect's fortune!

He couldn't comprehend it.

Suddenly.

The lava erupted violently, forming a massive wave.

The scorching lava spiraled into a vortex, forcefully sucking and dragging the Dragon Turtle down.

The Dragon Turtle let out a mournful cry, desperately trying to climb out, but only sinking deeper!

Seeing this, Meng Kui momentarily forgot his previous questions, his face filled with gravity.

"The terror of the Red Flame Monster Beast Tide is beginning to show!"

At the same time, in the real Mount Huoshi, a Nascent Soul-level Fire Serpent let out a long hiss, revealing itself, its flaming body crashing straight into the Lava Immortal Palace!

(End of chapter)