Chapter 10: Enemies on a Narrow Path
These thirty Spirit Stones might not seem like much, but the black-shirted old man was, after all, just a Mortal.
Even as a Mortal steward in their branch, he wouldn't usually earn many Spirit Stones; these thirty Spirit Stones were probably accumulated over many years.
Seeing that Ning Fa didn't accept the Spirit Stones, Uncle Xilin deliberately smiled and said, "Does Xiao Fa think my thirty Spirit Stones are too few? It's not just my thirty Spirit Stones here; there are also fifty Spirit Stones that your Grand Uncle Zhengqian entrusted me to give you."
Ning Fa was slightly surprised, not expecting his Grand Uncle to also give him fifty Spirit Stones.
Ning Fa no longer stood on ceremony, accepted the Spirit Stones, and likewise said earnestly, "Uncle Xilin, I will repay you."
The black-shirted old man waved his hand, stroked his beard, and smiled, then he and Ning Fa's maternal uncle rose to take their leave.
Ning Fa saw them off at the door, holding two bags containing one hundred eighty Spirit Stones, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
In a short time, he had witnessed both the shameless greed of blood relatives and the warmth between Family members.
Ning Fa's heart then filled with excitement; with these one hundred eighty Spirit Stones, he could buy more than ten portions of Materials for Zengyuan Pill.
He was almost certain he could refine a waste pill of Zengyuan Pill, which should allow him to use the mysterious scroll to restore it again.
Without further ado, Ning Fa immediately got up, intending to go to Golden Prosperity Island Market now to purchase the Materials for Zengyuan Pill.
Although Golden Prosperity Island Market was only an internal market of the Ning Family, as the Ning Family's strength increased, the market's scale also grew larger and larger.
Basic Low Grade cultivation resources and Materials were very abundant, and prices were generally a bit cheaper than external markets; this was also a benefit the Family provided to its disciples.
Jinchang Island was several hundred miles away from Pingchang Island, and a Low Grade Cultivator like Ning Fa, even with a flying Magical Artifact, wouldn't have enough magical power to reach it.
Moreover, flying Magical Artifacts were generally extremely expensive, and Ning Fa couldn't afford one at the moment.
Fortunately, the Ning Family had Spiritual Boats stationed on various islands, traveling back and forth between the Ning Family's major islands, and they were free.
Because of the internal market on Jinchang Island, Pingchang Island also had one Spiritual Boat departing for Jinchang Island every day.
When Ning Fa arrived at the dock, he just caught the Spiritual Boat departing for Jinchang Island, Ning Fa secretly called himself lucky and quickly boarded the boat.
If he missed this Spiritual Boat, he would have to wait until tomorrow, and his time was precious now; he had no time to waste.
This Spiritual Boat was not very large, only about ten zhang long, with more than twenty seats inside, sparsely occupied by a dozen people.
At the bow of the Spiritual Boat was a towering flying fish-shaped wood carving, and on each side of the Spiritual Boat were two white wing-like objects several zhang long, faintly shimmering with light.
After the old man steering the boat cast a spell at the flying fish wood carving, the wings on both sides of the Spiritual Boat immediately shone brightly.
With a slight flap, they generated a huge gust of wind, propelling the Spiritual Boat forward at an extremely fast speed, leaving Ning Fa marveling.
Less than two hours later, the Spiritual Boat finally arrived at the dock of Jinchang Island.
Ning Fa disembarked with the crowd, looking at the scene ahead with a fresh face.
Jinchang Island was not small, spanning several tens of miles; viewed from high above, the island resembled a gourd, which is why Ning Family disciples also liked to call it Gourd Island.
The island not only had a second-tier Low Grade Spiritual Vein, but its location was also in the center of the Ning Family's many islands, which is why the Ning Family established an internal market here.
It also served as the Family's logistics hub; goods traded externally by the Family, as well as large quantities of goods purchased from outside, were mostly exchanged here.
Therefore, this island was exceptionally prosperous and very important to the Ning Family, with a Ning Family Foundation Establishment Elder stationed here year-round.
The dock was bustling with activity, with not only a large number of Cultivators passing through but also many Mortals unloading and loading goods, a scene of bustling energy.
Dozens of Spiritual Boats had already docked, varying in size; most were a hundred zhang long, and Ning Fa even saw a giant boat nearly a thousand zhang long, which left him marveling.
This also demonstrated the Ning Family's current flourishing momentum.
The current Ning Family could be said to be at its most prosperous in six hundred years, with a record-breaking four Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Family.
The Ning Family had also decisively defeated the old Foundation Establishment Family, the Qian Family, in a major Family war a few years ago, gaining a large amount of benefits, and now the Family's strength was firmly ranked second among the many forces in Qianbo Lake, only behind the Xue Family.
Of course, the Ning Family's victory over the Qian Family also came at a considerable cost, with many elite disciples like Ning Fa's parents dying in battle.
Even the Ning Family's Grand Elder, Ning Zhongyuan, a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator, seemed to have suffered serious injuries in that battle and had not appeared much in the Family in recent years.
However, compared to the huge benefits gained, these losses were entirely acceptable.
Moreover, there were many talented individuals among the younger generation of the Ning Family, the most prominent being Fifth Elder Ning Huarong, who was now greatly hoped for by the entire Family.
She was recognized by the Family as someone who, once she reached Foundation Establishment, would possess combat power equivalent to a normal Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, with boundless prospects in the future.
Ning Fa walked around with great interest, unknowingly arriving inside the market.
Along a main road, various types of pavilions and buildings were constructed, with many Cultivators entering and exiting these buildings, including not only disciples wearing Ning Family attire but also some external Cultivators.
In some specific areas, many Cultivators also set up stalls directly on the ground.
It was even more lively here, with all sorts of Low Grade spiritual items available at the stalls, radiating various colorful glows, making Ning Fa, who was visiting for the first time, feel a bit overwhelmed.
But he immediately remembered the urgency of time, forced himself to avert his gaze, and walked straight towards the depths of the market.
Not long after, Ning Fa arrived at a pavilion located on a high slope, towering over ten zhang high; this was considered the largest spiritual Materials shop in Golden Prosperity Island Market, where Ning Fa had previously purchased Alchemy spiritual Materials.
After Ning Fa entered, a quick glance revealed two unexpected people, causing his excited expression to freeze.
Although there were many people in the hall, anyone who entered would inevitably cast their gaze upon a certain woman.
This young woman wore a cloud-white gauze dress, with a graceful and captivating figure, picturesque features, and skin like congealed fat, a rare beauty.
Many men in the hall pretended to look at spiritual Materials while glancing at this woman.
"Qinghui, it seems there are no Moon Orchid Flowers here, but it doesn't matter; I, your brother, will accompany you to Tianshui Market. They definitely have this spiritual item there, and I will surely buy it for you."
At this moment, a fair-faced young man in white, standing beside the beauty, said gently.
This person looked to be not much older than Ning Fa, and he had surprisingly already reached the seventh level of Refining Qi, which was the Refining Qi (Late stage) Realm.