< Chapter 9: Ordinary People Trapped in Schemes >
Ning Chen and Ning Yong sat by the window on the second floor of the restaurant, constantly watching the street.
"Look, Ning Zhuo has appeared."
The two of them moved swiftly, reaching the intersection ahead of time and pretending to bump into Ning Zhuo by coincidence.
"Ning Zhuo?" Ning Yong called out.
Ning Zhuo looked at them, paused for a moment, and then smiled faintly, "Ah, it's you guys, Ning Yong, Ning Chen."
These two were Ning Zhuo's classmates.
Ning Chen pretended to sigh, "Since the major exam, we haven't seen each other. It feels like it's been a long time."
Ning Zhuo felt a stir in his heart, "Although the time was short, if many things have happened, it naturally feels like a long time has passed."
Ning Yong said, "I heard about your situation. After the major exam, you fell out with your uncle and aunt and refused their help."
"Are you living alone now? Is it difficult?"
"What do you do to earn spirit stones to maintain your cultivation?"
Ning Zhuo hesitated for a moment, "I'm currently doing odd jobs at a mechanical workshop. How about you guys?"
Ning Yong chuckled lightly, somewhat proudly, "We've already joined the Demon Hunter Association!"
"We're buying supplies to leave the city. Tonight, we will join the seniors from the association to enter the demon caves and hunt demonic beasts."
"How about that, exciting, isn't it?"
Ning Zhuo opened his mouth slightly in surprise, "You guys are going into the Crimson Flame Demon Molten Cave? Isn't that too dangerous?"
"Why fear? What can you achieve if you're afraid of dying?" Ning Yong puffed up his chest, his face showing disdain, "At a young age, we should explore everywhere. Without taking risks, where would the extraordinary gains come from? Without money to speed up cultivation, when will I ever reach the Foundation Establishment stage?"
Ning Chen interjected, "Don't listen to his exaggerations. There are cultivators from our Ning family in the Demon Hunter Association. Have you heard of Lord Ning Zhanji?"
"We will enter the cave under his leadership, and tonight is a period of low geo-thermal activity, very safe."
Ning Chen tried his best to dispel Ning Zhuo's concerns.
Ning Zhuo showed a look of envy.
Seeing this, Ning Yong promptly invited, "Listen, Ning Zhuo, stop working those workshop jobs. Why not join us in the cave?"
"There are countless treasures hidden in the demon molten cave."
"How much do you earn in a week? Maybe, just one spirit plant from the Crimson Flame Demon Molten Cave could equal your weekly salary!"
Ning Zhuo shook his head and waved his hands, refusing, "My swordsmanship grades have always been mediocre, hovering around the middle and lower tiers. Fighting with demonic beasts is too dangerous for me."
"Coward!" Ning Yong glared, about to speak.
Ning Chen stopped him with a look and smiled at Ning Zhuo, "If I were you, Ning Zhuo, I'd go back and apologize to my uncle and aunt, let them use their connections to get me into the family business. The treatment there is definitely much better than any outside job!"
Ning Zhuo immediately shook his head, displaying a youthful stubbornness, and said firmly, "Since it has come to this, there's absolutely no way I would just bow down like that."
Ning Chen chuckled lightly, "What if I were your uncle or aunt, seeing you in such a downfall, making a living in an inconspicuous little workshop, what would they think?"
"Perhaps thinking: Look, this Ning Zhuo, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth, without our help, can only live a life of hardship, gradually sinking to the bottom of cultivators!"
Ning Zhuo immediately furrowed his brows, his expression darkening as if his defenses had been broken.
Ning Chen smirked to himself, pressing on…
Watching Ning Zhuo's departing figure, Ning Yong said, "Ning Zhuo’s achievements are better than both of ours, but what use is that? He still fell easily for our provocation and agreed to act with us tonight."
Ning Chen sighed, "Ning Zhuo is just like us, ordinary people."
"Putting oneself in his place, if I were him, targeted deliberately, I too would have fallen for it."
Seeing his companion's low spirits, Ning Yong consoled, "Although Ning Zhuo is our classmate, we are now affiliated with Lord Ning Zhanji. This command was directly given to us by Lord Ning Zhanji. What does this classmate sentiment count compared to our future prospects? We are not even close to him on ordinary days!"
Ning Chen shook his head slightly, "Forget it. This way, we can at least account to Lord Ning Zhanji."
In the evening, Ning Zhuo arrived alone at the meeting point.
Ning Yong smiled and led him inside.
Ning Chen accompanied him to face Ning Zhanji.
Ning Zhanji, a burly middle-aged man with slender eyebrows, sized up Ning Zhuo expressionlessly and stated, "Since we're all from the Ning family, I'll take care of you this time by letting you join the team."
"But remember, you must follow my commands and arrangements."
"I understand, senior!" Ning Zhuo responded promptly.
In Ning Zhuo's mind, information about Ning Zhanji quickly flashed through. Years ago, the Ning family had consciously started to send cultivators to various organizations inside and outside Puppet Immortal City, and Ning Zhanji was one of them.
He was known for his strong combat abilities and decisive actions, making him a standout military-type figure who could seize fleeting opportunities on the battlefield. This time, Ning Zhanji had been persuaded by Ning Ze to take action, accepting the latter’s money to provoke Ning Zhuo by sending Ning Chen and Ning Yong to challenge him.
After giving Ning Zhuo a quick once-over, Ning Zhanji withdrew his gaze, internally noting, "Third level of Qi refining, quite ordinary."
Soon, the group was assembled, consisting of over fifty individuals, most of whom bore the Ning surname. The few outsiders present also had strong connections with the Ning family.
Leading the group, Ning Zhanji set out toward the Red Flame Demon Molten Cave.
Huoshi City is a typical mountain city. Most of its buildings are concentrated midway up the mountain. The terrain rises toward the city center at the peak, which is the volcano's crater, while it lowers toward the periphery, stretching out at the mountain’s base.
Ning Zhuo and his companions climbed upwards from the mid-mountain, passing through several checkpoints along the way. The inspections were lax, and eventually, they reached the summit.
At the top, the spiritual energy was noticeably denser and hotter.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur.
Despite it being night, the volcano's crater continuously emitted bright light. Utilizing the light, Ning Zhuo saw clouds of white smoke drifting above the crater.
Within this smoke, numerous smoke cloud sparrows fluttered about, darting in and out.
Ning Zhuo and the others arrived at the edge of the volcano.
Looking down, they saw a broad, flat area of rock within the crater.
The red rocks constantly emitted intense heat. Some of the red rocks were closely connected, while others had gaps between them, revealing bright orange-red magma flowing beneath. There were also openings in the rocks.
Some openings periodically spewed flames, others flowed with magma, and some were bottomless pits leading to deeper underground paths.
The mountain walls and rocky ground were almost vertical, forming a circular wall that appeared glassy and exceptionally smooth. This was clearly the result of artificial modification; the entire crater resembled a huge open cup.
As they moved towards the center, Ning Zhuo noticed that the number of holes on the red rock surface increased, as did their size.
Finally, his gaze settled on the very center of the rocky ground.
There, he found a lake of magma.