Chapter 9: Help in Time of Need
Ning Fa returned home.
Although he had a verbal spat with Ning Muchun and the others, he still felt very unhappy inside.
It was not an exaggeration to call them ungrateful. When his previous self’s father, Ning Zhiyuan, was in charge, he treated them quite well.
Ning Fa shook his head, no longer dwelling on these thoughts.
Anyway, he would remember these debts and slowly settle them in the future.
Exhausted, he simply collapsed onto the stone table in the courtyard and fell asleep.
After an unknown period of sleep, Ning Fa was awakened by a knocking sound.
Ning Fa’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be the Fifth Elder’s fierce maidservant again?
He got up and went to the main gate, peering through the crack. He was surprised, then opened the door.
Four people stood at the entrance.
Among them, one old man and one young woman were the black-robed elder he had seen at his uncle’s house earlier, and the pretty young woman in a yellow skirt beside him.
The other two were a thin, dark-faced middle-aged man with a strong fishy smell about him.
Beside him was a tall young man, only a few years older than Ning Fa, with a tanned face and a cheerful smile, looking very much like the middle-aged man.
“Great Uncle, Brother Ting!”
Ning Fa exclaimed in surprise. These two were none other than his Great Uncle Xu Changtai and his cousin Xu Guanting.
The tall young man affectionately patted Ning Fa’s shoulder.
“Xiao Fa.”
When the middle-aged man saw Ning Fa, a smile appeared on his usually serious face.
Ning Fa turned to look at the black-robed elder. At this moment, he finally remembered who this person was. The elder’s name was Ning Xilin, and he was also a member of their branch of the Family.
Although he was a Mortal, he was the steward of the Mortal Bloodline of their branch and often met with the Cultivators of their branch to discuss matters.
So, his appearance at that occasion was not unusual; it was just that Ning Fa’s previous self had not seen him many times, so his impression was not deep.
“Uncle Xilin.”
Ning Fa greeted the black-robed elder, then apologized, “I didn’t get a chance to greet you earlier. Please forgive me.”
The black-robed elder was somewhat flattered and hurriedly said, “Xiao Fa, you truly humble this old man.”
After speaking, the elder turned to the young woman beside him and said, “Xiao Yu, come and greet your paternal cousin.”
The pretty young woman first glanced at Ning Fa, her eyes full of curiosity, then sweetly called out “paternal cousin.”
The black-robed elder said with a beaming smile, “Xiao Yu is my granddaughter. She has been living elsewhere and only returned to the Family a few days ago. Half a month ago, she was found to have a Spiritual Root. Our lineage finally has another Cultivator.”
Ning Fa suddenly understood. No wonder he had seen this Family uncle with an uncontainable smile at his uncle’s house earlier. It turned out that a Cultivator had appeared in his Family.
It should be known that the Ning Family’s Mortal Bloodline numbered in the millions, but there were only a few hundred Cultivators in total, truly one in ten thousand.
Once a Family produced a Cultivator, that Family’s treatment would naturally increase significantly.
The direct Family members of a Cultivator could even move to an island with a Spiritual Vein. Therefore, the most eagerly awaited event for many Mortals in the Ning Family was to have a descendant with a Spiritual Root.
Ning Fa looked at the black-robed elder and couldn’t help but say, “Uncle Xilin, you’re not here to persuade me to agree, are you? If so, please leave.”
The black-robed elder quickly waved his hand, saying, “Of course not. Actually… ahem, I also think Muchun’s actions are a bit inappropriate.”
Seeing that he didn’t seem to be speaking against his will, Ning Fa couldn’t help but wonder about the intentions of this Family uncle and his great uncle, but he still invited everyone into the house first.
After everyone was seated, seeing Ning Fa about to pour tea, Great Uncle Xu Changtai stopped him. He said in a deep voice, “Xiao Fa, I heard from Brother Xilin about your visit to your great aunt’s house earlier.”
Ning Fa couldn’t help but give an awkward smile upon hearing this.
Xu Changtai said no more, but instead took out a cloth bag from his bosom and handed it to Ning Fa.
Ning Fa hesitantly took the bag and opened it. Inside was a small pile of thumb-sized emerald green stones.
A pure Spiritual Qi emanated from them; they were all Spirit Stones.
Xu Changtai sighed slightly, “Xiao Fa, your Great Uncle doesn’t have much ability and can’t help you with this matter, but I still have some Spirit Stones. Please accept these hundred Spirit Stones.”
Ning Fa was surprised. Faced with these long-desired Spirit Stones, he hesitated.
Because in his memory, his Great Uncle’s Family was not well-off.
The Xu Family, where his Great Uncle came from, was just a small Cultivation Family, dependent on the Ning Family, and did not have many properties. They mainly made a living by raising spiritual fish.
When Ning Fa’s father was still alive, he could look after them, but after Ning Fa’s parents passed away and Ning Fa lost the Family’s favor, his Great Uncle’s Family inevitably suffered.
The impact was even more severe than on Ning Fa’s own lineage, after all, the Xu Family was just a small Family dependent on the Ning Family. Without a backer, any collateral branch of the Ning Family could bully them.
Ning Fa felt speechless internally.
The Ning Family’s Demonic Path Sect style was truly ubiquitous, and he and his uncle’s Family were precisely the victims.
This even gave him an idea: if he could manage the Ning Family in the future, he would thoroughly reform it.
He didn’t believe that without this Demonic Path Sect style, the Family couldn’t become strong.
And according to Ning Fa’s knowledge, the Xu Family’s long-standing fish farming waters had been forcibly given up, and they could only raise spiritual fish in a barren water area.
They couldn’t earn many Spirit Stones throughout the year, and these hundred Spirit Stones probably took a long time to save up.
In addition, his aunt had always been sickly and spent a lot of Spirit Stones, so even though Ning Fa’s previous self was very short of Spirit Stones, he had never approached his uncle’s Family.
In fact, on the way back from his great aunt Ning Muchun’s house, Ning Fa had thought of his uncle, but it was for this reason that he had not made up his mind to ask his uncle for Spirit Stones.
Seeing Ning Fa’s hesitant look, his cousin Xu Guanting walked over and directly put the cloth bag into his arms, saying in a deep voice, “Xiao Fa, don’t be a stranger. In the past, our paternal uncle helped us a lot. Now that you are in trouble, we naturally have to do our best to help you.”
Ning Fa felt a warm current surge through his heart. He was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, “Thank you, Great Uncle. I will repay you in the future.”
Xu Changtai waved his hand at him. At this moment, the black-robed elder also took out a black bag from his bosom and handed it to Ning Fa, smiling, “Thanks to Zhiyuan’s support in the past, this old man was able to take on the position of steward. These thirty Spirit Stones are a small token of my appreciation. Xiao Fa, please accept them.”
Ning Fa was stunned. Only then did he realize that this Family uncle had seen his predicament at his great uncle’s house and sought out his great uncle to come and deliver Spirit Stones together.