"Behave yourself later. Be careful, or I’ll smack you again!" The more Wang Lan spoke, the more severe her expression became.
Ning Ji felt a deep bitterness in his heart.
He couldn't help but recall the past.
During his childhood, Ning Zhuo often lost track of time while playing and missed meals, returning home late to find only leftovers on the table.
"Who told you to come back so late? Hehe, you're in trouble now." Ning Ji, having eaten his fill, sat at the table and teased him.
Ning Zhuo stuck out his tongue and sat down, just about to pick up some food with his chopsticks.
Wang Lan struck Ning Zhuo's chopsticks with her own, causing them to fall to the ground.
"There's dirt under your fingernails. Have you forgotten the rules I taught you? Go wash your hands."
Ning Zhuo's face paled as he hurriedly nodded, left the round stool, and covered the back of his hand, rushing out of the house to wash up.
But just as he was delayed, the bell rang.
"It's time. Clean up the dining room. Oh, poor Zhuo, nothing left for you to eat," Ning Ji clapped his hands in glee, reveling in his misfortune.
Wang Lan hesitated, glancing at Ning Ze.
Ning Ze's expression was indifferent as he slowly stood up and left his seat. "Rules are rules, no exceptions!"
"Yes, Master!" Wang Lan lowered her head in acknowledgment.
Ning Zhuo stepped back into the dining room.
The once small child who had covered the red back of his hand and rushed off to wash up had now, in what seemed like a fleeting moment, grown into a sixteen-year-old youth.
He was dressed in white, with a calm gaze, and slowly walked in.
Both Ning Ji and Wang Lan felt a sense of time passing quickly, like a fleeting moment.
Wang Lan quickly collected herself, stood up, and flashed a wide smile at Ning Zhuo, waving him over, "Little Zhuo, you're here! We were just waiting for you to start the meal."
Ning Zhuo bowed and greeted, "Aunt."
He then looked at Ning Ji and smiled slightly, "Cousin."
Ning Ji nodded, his expression complicated.
Wang Lan said, "Ah, you’re still so polite, child. No need for all that. We don't stand on so many formalities in our family. Come, sit, sit!"
Wang Lan led Ning Zhuo to sit beside her.
However, she didn't sit at the head of the table.
The head seat at the round table was empty; it was reserved for Ning Ze.
Seeing this, Ning Zhuo understood the purpose of Wang Lan's warm reception.
Sure enough, not long after they began eating, Wang Lan brought up Ning Ze: "Little Zhuo, what your uncle did was wrong. He took things that rightfully belonged to you."
"You're such a kind-hearted child; otherwise, you wouldn’t have forgiven your uncle so easily.
"Your father's brother is your uncle. We are truly family."
As she spoke, Wang Lan felt stifled and secretly resentful.
She knew well that this was all baseless.
But since Ning Xiaoren had already made arrangements, Ning Ze could only go along with it.
Wang Lan had no choice but to support her husband in this.
Ning Zhuo said, "Aunt, you’re right. In this world, the people closest to me are still you all."
"Honestly, when I first heard about it, I was very angry."
"But as time went on, I let it go. After all, he is my uncle, and you are my closest relatives."
"As long as you return the embezzled money and resources, that’s all I ask."
"We never embezzled anything! That Ning Xiaoren is a complete scoundrel. You believe whatever he says?" Wang Lan roared internally, her anger twisting her smile into something grotesque.
She forced herself to suppress her fury. "Yes, we will return it, but it will take time. The amount is substantial, and we can’t gather it all at once."
"I completely understand, that’s perfectly fine." Ning Zhuo nodded.
As he spoke, he quietly observed Ning Ji and Wang Lan.
The embryonic form of his divine ability had already been activated in secret.
Unlike before, the lotus seed of the "Life Hanging by a Thread" divine ability had now grown into a section of lotus root.
This embryonic divine ability allowed him to control his fluctuations and quietly activate his powers.
As long as the target wasn’t too powerful, he could fully conceal his aura, moving undetected.
Ning Zhuo had chosen to stay temporarily at his uncle’s house, not only because of the constant surveillance in Ning Xiaoren's mansion but also to test his divine ability.
The "Life Hanging by a Thread" divine ability became stronger with more understanding, and its control grew tighter.
In this world, Ning Ze's family was the one Ning Zhuo knew best.
After all, they had lived together for over a decade, which was no small matter.
In Ning Zhuo's vision, a "Life Hanging by a Thread" thread gradually formed above Ning Ji's head.
Unlike the thread he had used in the Lava Immortal Palace to extract souls, the thread Ning Zhuo controlled now was extremely thin and semi-transparent.
Soon, a "Life Hanging by a Thread" thread also appeared above Wang Lan's head.
The mother and son were completely unaware.
Ning Zhuo tried to manipulate them.
Ning Ji suddenly grabbed his throat, making a choking sound.
"What’s wrong?" Wang Lan, about to persuade Ning Zhuo, was interrupted by Ning Ji's sudden outburst.
Ning Ji's face flushed as he said, "I swallowed a fishbone!"
Wang Lan snorted and ignored him.
She continued, "Little Zhuo, you know your uncle has been in the private prison for days now. You know what the conditions are like there; it's no place for anyone to stay."
"I’ve tried to see the young clan leader, but he refuses to meet us.
"Little Zhuo, I just want you to—cough, cough!"
Wang Lan suddenly started coughing.
Ning Zhuo quickly handed her a cup. "Aunt, please, take your time. Don’t get too worked up!"
Wang Lan thanked him, took the cup, and drank a sip of water.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
This time, she coughed even more violently, having choked on the water.
"I'm so sorry you had to see that, Little Zhuo!"
It took Wang Lan quite a while to recover, and all the emotions she had been building up vanished.
Of course, Ning Zhuo wouldn’t tell her that all of this was the result of his experimenting with his divine ability.
Wang Lan hesitated for a moment and then started to speak again, but after only a few words, Ning Ji suddenly grabbed his throat and opened his mouth wide, making strange noises.
"What’s wrong with you now?" Wang Lan frowned.
Ning Ji, feeling wronged, said, "I, I got another fishbone stuck."
"You're such a big boy, and you can’t even eat a fish properly. You’re hopeless."
Wang Lan glared at Ning Ji.
Ning Ji quickly lowered his head, assuming a meek posture as he braced for a scolding.
Wang Lan reprimanded him for a few more moments, and Ning Ji's face turned redder, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"What’s wrong with you now?"
"Mother, I need to use the restroom!" Ning Ji said. The intense urge to relieve himself made him desperate.
Wang Lan couldn't stand to look at Ning Ji anymore.
Ning Ji immediately got up and hurried out of the dining room.
His movements were awkward, and as he crossed the threshold, he accidentally let out a fart.
Ning Zhuo manipulated the "Life Hanging by a Thread" thread, causing Ning Ji to trip over his own feet just a few steps past the threshold, making him fall flat on the ground.
Wang Lan glared at him, about to scold him, but choked on her own saliva, leading to a long coughing fit.
Ning Zhuo smiled slightly and stopped Wang Lan from continuing. "Aunt, I think I understand what you want to say."
"Don’t worry. I’ll plead with the young clan leader on my uncle's behalf."
"I’ll try to get him released as soon as possible."
Hearing these words, Wang Lan was so excited that she slapped her thigh. "Oh, Little Zhuo, you're such a good child! You’re the best!"
"Aunt is so grateful to you, so grateful!"
Ning Zhuo said, "Let’s eat first."
Wang Lan eagerly used the communal chopsticks to pick up some food for Ning Zhuo.
But halfway through, the food fell onto the table.
Wang Lan felt embarrassed.
"Aunt, there's no need for that. I’ll help myself." Ning Zhuo picked up a fish eye with his chopsticks and placed it in his mouth.
He only took a small bite, but Ning Zhuo was already deeply enamored with the sensation.
The "Life Hanging by a Thread" divine ability, once used, caused a portion of the cultivator's power and actions to be controlled if they were caught in its thread.
Just like Ning Zhuo's recent experiment, both Wang Lan and Ning Ji made small movements and mistakes several times.
"This feeling… this feeling is truly indescribable!"
everything could be easily influenced by him, as if everything was within his control.
Ning Zhuo was deeply intoxicated by this.
Wang Lan asked with concern, "I made this fish myself."
As Ning Zhuo chewed on the fish eye, his eyes flickered with a cold light. He sincerely replied, "The taste… it's really amazing."