Chapter 441: Communication
Ji Wuchen was dismissive of the vines Ning Xuan controlled. In his eyes, they were only good for assisting her during Alchemy and served no other real purpose.
After all, compared to a Legendary Level Companion Spirit like the Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird, those vines were only good for tying things up.
“That’s a very narrow-minded way of thinking. While Plant-type Companion Spirits generally aren’t strong in combat, many of them possess unique, miraculous functions. This vine’s growth rate is incredibly fast, which is highly unusual in itself. Besides, given her background, she shouldn’t have been able to acquire such a rare demon plant,” Ren Pingsheng said, snorting coldly at Ji Wuchen.
Ji Wuchen’s already lowered head dropped even lower. He came from the Ji Family and had been highly regarded by the Star Lord ever since he was selected to enter the Myriad Phenomena Star River. Because of this, he had a better understanding of the Star Lord. He knew the Star Lord was already very displeased with him for failing his mission to get close to Ning Xuan.
“Star Lord, our investigation suggests she likely obtained her demon plant from the B-level Illusion Barrier Land on C45 Planet. That area later underwent a strange transformation and has since been reclassified as an S-Class Illusion Barrier Land. It’s not impossible for an S-Class Illusion Barrier Land to produce a demon plant. Please, take a look at this footage,” Xie Liuyun said, handing a recording he had found to Ren Pingsheng.
It was a video of the mother-daughter pair, Ning Zhiqing and Ning Fei. Behind them was a run-down shantytown on D618 Star. Their clothes were no longer as glamorous as they once were, and they looked utterly destitute.
“Ning Xuan is an ungrateful wretch! My mother is her biological aunt. Her parents died long ago, and it was my mother who raised her! I spent a fortune from my savings to send her to C45 Planet, and that’s the only reason she suddenly got so strong. Otherwise, she’d still be a normal person, unable to even awaken her spiritual power. But the moment she hit it big, she turned her back on us and now she wants to destroy us! We’re the only family she has left in this world! I suspect she’s not my cousin at all. She’s an evil spirit possessing my cousin’s body!” Ning Fei sobbed, making her accusations in the video.
Many people knew that Ning Xuan came from a Low-class Star, but very few were aware of what Ning Fei had just revealed in the video. When Lin Mo first brought Ning Xuan out of the B-level Illusion Barrier Land, she had undergone genetic matching immediately after her spiritual power assessment. That was when Lin Mo learned that the Mainframe had matched him with Ning Xuan.
Although he hadn’t yet decided whether to form a Contract with her, that didn’t stop him from tying up loose ends for Ning Xuan, erasing any trace of her having ever entered the Illusion Barrier Land.
However, Lin Mo never would have imagined that someone would actually manage to find Ning Fei and her mother.
“Where are those two now? And what they said…” Ren Pingsheng wanted to know if their story held any truth.
“I already have them in custody; no one else will find them. According to my investigation, the mother and daughter wanted to seize the property Ning Xuan’s parents left for her, which is why they spent a fortune to send her to C45 Planet, hoping she would die in the Illusion Barrier Land. Their familial relationship, however, is genuine. If a scandal involving Ning Xuan were to break out, parading this pair out to put on a performance would certainly damage her reputation. Whether it would be enough to get her expelled from the Central Star would depend on the incident’s impact.” Expelling Ning Xuan from the Central Star was a long-standing part of their plan, as the numerous restrictions on the Central Star made capturing her there extremely difficult.
“Contact them,” Ren Pingsheng said calmly. “See if they’ve made any progress.”
With a light wave of his hand, the Astrologers in their Astrology Robes quickly filed out of the great hall, leaving only Ren Pingsheng, Xie Liuyun, and Ji Wuchen behind.
“Yes, Star Lord,” Xie Liuyun acknowledged. He tapped a few times in mid-air, and a holographic screen quickly materialized before them.
“Brother Ren, I heard you deployed the Undead Warriors. Should we be expecting good news soon?” Mo Changsheng, the Chairman of the Starry Sky Council, asked Ren Pingsheng casually.
“There will be no good news. Liuyun has already returned, empty-handed. Brother Mo, I hear your boy, Mo Yan, has been by Ning Xuan’s side for some time. I wonder, do you have any useful information to share?” Ren Pingsheng said.
“Don’t even mention it,” Mo Changsheng said, his expression turning sour. “The boy sent back some reports, but nothing of value. He was never able to get close to Ning Xuan, so his ‘following’ her was in name only.”
“Gentlemen, let’s set aside the useless intel for a moment,” said Gu Qingkong, the Dean of the Starry Sky Academy. “I’ve just received word that Yun Han has reached the New Star Body and won’t be returning anytime soon. Lan Xin is busy battling in the skies beyond the Ten Thousand Meteor Star Domain. And Ying Taihe is attempting a Breakthrough in the Chaotic Divine Domain; we should see the result within a few days. If Ying Taihe succeeds, we’ll have another powerful ally on our side.”
“Ying Yaoshi and Ning Xuan have already had a major falling out. Given Ying Taihe’s temperament, he won’t necessarily agree to work with us,” said Ji Wuque of the Abyss Ancient Domain, his voice cool.
“Even if Ying Taihe does achieve his Breakthrough, he’s still no match for Ying Yaoshi. But that’s beside the point. No matter what, Ning Xuan is still the Contractor the Mainframe matched with Ying Yaoshi. Despite the conflict between them, there’s no guarantee they won’t reconcile one day. Ying Taihe will be interested in our offer,” Gu Qingkong said with a smile.
“Are you saying our families can’t handle this ourselves? Ying Taihe’s reputation is terrible; I have no desire to work with him. Besides, one more person just means our shares of the prize will be smaller. I see no need for it.” Ji Wuque clearly disdained Ying Taihe.
“We’ll discuss that later. Gentlemen, we all agreed before: whoever captures Ning Xuan first gets her hidden treasures. That agreement still stands, does it not?” Ji Wuque asked, his eyes scanning the others on the screen.
“It seems Brother Ji is quite confident he can capture Ning Xuan. Perhaps we should all just wait for your good news, then?”