Chilling Killing Intent

Ning Fa's face instantly darkened, killing intent flickering in his eyes.

"Uncle Xilin died protecting me."

Ning Zhengqian sighed softly. "Xiao Fa, mourn in peace. The situation was chaotic that day. Ning Zhen'an may not necessarily have done it deliberately."

Ning Fa remained expressionless. Whether Ning Zhen'an had acted by mistake or not, the truth was that he had been struck by two of his attacks. If Uncle Xilin had not blocked the second one for him, he might have been the one to die.

Even if he did not avenge himself, he would never let Ning Zhen'an go for the sake of Ning Xilin, who had died saving him.

Besides, whether Ning Zhen'an had acted deliberately was truly hard to say. In such chaos, with Ning Fa positioned behind everyone else, how could he have coincidentally been attacked twice in succession? He clearly remembered running in the opposite direction from where the spell spheres were flying.

At that moment, Ning Zifeng furrowed his brows, his gaze flickering. Then he said in a deep voice, "Ning Zhen'an may really have been targeting Xiao Fa."

Ning Fa abruptly raised his head to look at him. His father frowned. "Zifeng, do you have any evidence?"

Ning Zifeng replied, "After Uncle Xilin risked his life to block an attack for Xiao Fa, another spell sphere flew at Xiao Fa. If I had not arrived in time, Xiao Fa would have been hit. Thinking about it now, it really was suspicious. Three attacks in a row all targeted Xiao Fa. That seems far too much of a coincidence."

Ning Zhengqian tugged at his beard, unable to contain his fury. "So Ning Zhen'an really might have done it deliberately. That man is actually so utterly deranged!"

Ning Zifeng continued gravely, "And if we think about it carefully, Ning Zhen'an and the others clearly seemed to be picking a fight that day. They deliberately provoked our maternal aunt into striking first, and then Ning Zhen'an, acting completely out of character, disregarded the family rules and started fighting. Perhaps their true target was Xiao Fa from the beginning."

"After all, Ning Guichuan and the others have always wanted to drive us off Pingchang Island. But now that Xiao Fa has become a family alchemist, their hopes have clearly come to nothing. So they wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of Xiao Fa and clear away an obstacle. Perhaps they did not necessarily need to kill Xiao Fa; crippling him would have been enough. One could tell from the fact that his Dantian was injured."

After Ning Zifeng finished speaking, the air suddenly fell silent.

Ning Fa's face remained expressionless, but the icy chill in his eyes seemed almost tangible.

When Ning Zifeng mentioned blocking the third attack for him, Ning Fa realized that this had been a conspiracy aimed at him.

Ning Guichuan and the others had deliberately stirred up trouble in order to lure him over, then incite a brawl and attack him amid the chaos. That way, they would also have an excuse to deal with the family's investigation.

Ning Zifeng's reasoning was correct, but Ning Fa had also thought of something deeper.

As for the reason, he felt it was not as simple as Ning Zifeng had said.

Ning Fa immediately recalled what Wei Chengzong had said when he went to report to the Alchemy Hall: the other residences in the Alchemy Hall had issues with their restrictions, so he had been told to wait on Pingchang Island for a while. Soon afterward, this incident had occurred.

It all appeared to be mere coincidence, but Ning Fa had gone through countless brutal business wars, open and covert alike, in his previous life. With his extensive experience, he could almost certainly say that there had to be a connection.

He could now even conclude that Ning Ruiming was the one orchestrating everything behind the scenes.

That man had deliberately instructed Wei Chengzong to delay his entry into the Alchemy Hall, then found Ning Zhen'an and used the conflict between their branch and Ning Fa's branch as cover to launch this conspiracy against him.

He might not have wanted to kill him. Perhaps, just as Ning Zifeng had said, he merely wanted to cripple him and ensure he was no longer any threat.

Though Ning Fa had no evidence, his intuition told him that this was likely the truth.

He looked calm on the surface, but his heart was already filled with bone-deep hatred and chilling killing intent toward Ning Ruiming.

He had not expected that man to be so ruthless and vicious.

Perhaps seeing that Ning Fa's expression was off, Ning Zhengqian consoled him, "Xiao Fa, even if Ning Zhen'an acted deliberately, we have no evidence after all. That man is a Late Qi Condensation expert. Even your maternal aunt's husband is far from being his match. You must not act rashly."

Ning Zifeng nodded as well. "Father is right. What we said just now was only speculation. We cannot do anything to Ning Zhen'an based on that. You have just joined the Alchemy Hall and have a boundless future ahead of you. There is no need to rush into seeking revenge on him over this."

Ning Fa looked at Ning Zifeng, his regard for this cousin rising even further.

Not only was this cousin steady and dependable, with strong principles in how he handled matters, but he was also intelligent. He had immediately connected this incident to a conspiracy by Ning Zhen'an and the others against him.

Moreover, he had blocked the third attack for him. Calling him his lifesaving benefactor would not be an exaggeration.

Ning Fa could not help thinking that if he wished to establish himself in the family in the future, he could not neglect cultivating the strength of his own branch as a solid backing.

He obviously would not consider his Maternal Aunt's Family, and since Fourth Uncle's family and his maternal aunt were full siblings, he would not consider them either.

His eldest uncle's family had treated him kindly and helped him when he was in difficulty. This cousin also seemed to possess the bearing of a great commander. Perhaps he could cultivate him and make him into a reliable helper.

Ning Fa's thoughts raced far ahead. Noticing the worried looks in their eyes, his expression returned to calm. "Don't worry, I won't act rashly. By the way, how was this conflict settled afterward?"

Ning Zhengqian replied, "The Family Enforcement Team arrived in time and took several of the key people away for questioning. In the end, they punished both sides equally, and several of our branches were each fined dozens of spirit stones."

Ning Fa raised his brows, his tone strange. "What about Ning Zhen'an?"

Ning Zhengqian replied, "The final punishment has not been decided yet. I heard they originally intended to deal with him leniently and merely dock several years of his stipend, but Ninth Elder insisted on a thorough investigation and clashed fiercely with Tenth Elder."

A cold gleam flashed in Ning Fa's sunken eyes. Tenth Elder was Ning Ruiming's father, making him believe even more firmly that Ning Ruiming had ordered all of this.

But he did not intend to tell his eldest uncle and the others, because they could not help and would only be burdened with more worry.

At the same time, he was deeply grateful to Ning Shaohong. Though she had said she would only help Ning Fa once, that was clearly not the case.

Ning Fa suddenly asked, "Has Uncle Xilin's funeral been held?"

Seeing Ning Zhengqian nod, Ning Fa said in a muffled voice, "Eldest Uncle, tell me where Uncle Xilin is buried. Once I recover, I'll go pay my respects."

After saying that, he seemed to recall something. "Did Uncle Xilin have any immediate family? I remember it seems he only had Xiao Yu, that granddaughter."

Ning Zhengqian sighed. "That's right. Xilin originally had a son who worked for the family in Tianshui Market, but unfortunately, he died young in an accident, leaving behind only this one descendant."