Discussion

Chapter 36 Discussion

Inside the small cottage, Ning Ye paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

The inkstone on the table suddenly rose up, transforming into a tiny stone figure, its two little legs dangling off the edge of the table as it swung them: "Are you worried about something?"

Ning Ye replied casually: "Just thinking about a few things."

Tianji sighed: "You still don't fully trust me."

Hearing this, Ning Ye found it somewhat amusing.

Just half a month ago, it was a question of whether Tianji trusted Ning Ye, but now the roles had reversed.

Ning Ye asked with a smile: "Do you know what I'm thinking about?"

Tianji replied: "The matter at Ningxin Cottage must be very important to you, right? But you have reservations, which is why you're hesitating. You want to do something, but you're worried about something else. Does it have to do with your true identity?"

Ning Ye was stunned: "True identity?"

Tianji pouted: "Although you haven't told me, everything you've done looks like the actions of a sect disciple acting out of personal greed. But you forget, I've been following you for half a month, and I've already learned some things about the Black and White Divine Palace. For example, ordinary disciples of the Black and White Divine Palace can only learn one basic spell before officially entering the middle stage, and your master is Zhang Liekuang, who only taught you one blade technique. That means you should only know the Yang Talisman Scripture and the Killing Heart Blade. But the methods you displayed in Ancient Spring Town, and the Earth Escape Technique you passed on to me, are not things you should know at your current level."

Hearing this, Ning Ye was amused.

It wasn't that Ning Ye hadn't considered that this might reveal clues, but firstly, he hadn't expected Tianji to be so sharp, and secondly, Tianji was his servant anyway; by releasing information sparingly, he was also testing it.

Now it seemed that Tianji had not disappointed him—it was better to have it said to his face than to someone else.

Ning Ye asked: "Then what kind of person do you think I am?"

"Need you ask?" Tianji curled its little lip: "A spy from an outer sect, obviously."

Ning Ye thought for a moment and nodded: "That could be said, though that outer sect no longer exists."

"Ah?" Tianji was stunned.

Ning Ye replied: "I was originally a disciple of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, which was destroyed by the Black and White Divine Palace over a year ago."

Tianji was greatly shocked: "No wonder you named me Tianji."

"Yes, I hope you can grow and become the cornerstone of the future Heavenly Mechanism Sect." Ning Ye nodded.

Tianji was overjoyed: "So you trust me now? To actually tell me such an important matter."

Ning Ye sighed: "I have no choice but to trust you; after all, I can't manage what comes next without your help."

Tianji complained: "Can't you say something nice to coax me?"

Tianji's intelligence was sufficient, but its temperament was still somewhat like a child's.

Ning Ye laughed, patted Tianji on the head, and told it roughly about the Thousand Mechanism Hall Fragment.

Tianji finally realized: "So you were worried just now because stealing the fragment requires my help, and you were debating whether to tell me?"

"Not just that." Ning Ye replied: "The matter of the Thousand Mechanism Hall Fragment is of great importance. Most importantly, it is useless to others; it is only useful to me, as I possess the Thousand Mechanism Hall. No matter how much trouble I stir up in the Black and White Divine Palace, they would never suspect a disciple of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, as they have too many enemies. But if the fragment is stolen, they will definitely realize that someone from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect has come."

"So what if they know it's someone from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect? As long as they can't find you, it's fine, right?" Tianji was puzzled.

It had intelligence but lacked experience; there were many things it didn't yet understand, especially the disadvantages of exposing the Heavenly Mechanism Sect to Ning Ye.

Ning Ye instructed it: "The difference is huge. The Heavenly Mechanism Sect was destroyed a year ago, so once they know the perpetrator might be from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, they can deduce that the culprit must be a new disciple who joined within the last year. This narrows the search range significantly. And since it's a newcomer, it would be very difficult to infiltrate the Green Wood Hall on their own strength, so they would likely need an identity to enter openly. Well, the people at Ningxin Cottage that day would be the primary suspects. If they investigate further using this clue, they will find that I, a disfigured person, am the most suspicious target. Finally, if they cross-reference this with the events at Huaiyin Mountain and Ancient Spring Town, they will find that I appeared there too..."

Once all the clues were connected, it would be very easy to find him.

Understanding Ning Ye's meaning, Tianji said: "In that case, let's not take it for now."

"That won't do." Ning Ye shook his head: "There is too much to do. The Thousand Mechanism Hall Fragment is only the first step, and I require myself to complete this step while still in the Cang Xiang Realm."

"Why the rush?" Tianji didn't understand.

"Because after I reach the Hualun Realm, I must leave the Black and White Divine Palace and head to the Haotian Sect and the Taiyin Sect."

Ning Ye had always been concerned about the plight of Qing Lin and Xin Xiaoye; he didn't know where they were or how they were doing now. Within the immortal sects, there was much competition and even more infighting. If he had to be careful at every step despite his own intelligence and strength, it would likely be even harder for Qing Lin and Xin Xiaoye to get ahead.

Therefore, Ning Ye not only had to solve his own problems but also had to get out as soon as possible to help Qing Lin and Xin Xiaoye. Only by growing together could the three of them overthrow the three great immortal sects.

In addition, he had to go to other immortal sects to find more fragments and incite infighting among the various factions.

With so much to do, he could not afford to drag his feet.

"In that case, why not make a fake one?" Tianji continued to offer ideas.

Ning Ye shook his head: "I haven't even seen what the fragment looks like, so how could I forge one? Besides, a fake would be discovered sooner or later."

"Then investigate first, then strike, and come back next time."

Ning Ye still shook his head: "There won't be a next time. You must know that the fragment is definitely not with Chi Wanning; there is no lingering aura of the fragment on her. And even if I were invited to Ningxin Cottage, I couldn't just wander around the Green Wood Hall. So, to get to where the fragment is, I must create a disturbance. And such an event is too risky to do even once. Furthermore, Ancestor Qingmu is currently not in the Black and White Divine Palace. If I miss this opportunity and wait for him to return, even with heaven-defying abilities, I would never succeed. So, either I don't act, or if I do, I must resolve it all at once."

"This won't work, that won't work, so what are we supposed to do?" Tianji was also feeling a headache.

Ning Ye replied: "There is a way, which is to clean the place out entirely, framing it as a theft, with the fragment being just an incidental item."

"Clean it out? Great, great, that way we'll have more treasures!" Tianji was overjoyed; this little guy was also afraid of a world that wasn't in chaos.

Ning Ye snorted: "You're dreaming. Items from the major immortal sects all have imprints on them; once you use your spiritual power, they can be traced. Except for the Thousand Mechanism Hall Fragment, which can be cleared of its imprint by the hall itself once retrieved, not a single other item can be kept."

"I see." Tianji's little face drooped.

That was truly a pity.

"But that is not the most critical point," Ning Ye said. "Not to mention the difficulty of wiping them all out in one go, even if it were achieved, there would still be layers of suspicion. These doubts might be enough to deceive Fu Dongliu, but they certainly wouldn't deceive another person."

The shadow of Luo Qiuzhen already appeared in Ning Ye's mind.

"Then just kill him," Tianji said indifferently.

Kill him?

Hmm, although it doesn't sound like it requires much technical skill, it might indeed be the best method.