Timely Help in the Snow

Ning Fa returned home.

Although he had given Ning Muchun and the others a thorough scolding and vented his anger, he still felt deeply displeased.

It was no exaggeration to call them ungrateful wolves. Back when Ning Zhiyuan had been in charge, he had treated them quite well.

Ning Fa shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.

He would keep these debts in mind for now. There would be plenty of time to settle the score with them later.

Exhausted, he lay directly atop the stone table in the courtyard and fell asleep.

He did not know how long he had slept when a knock at the door woke him.

Ning Fa's heart jolted. Could it be that vicious maid from the Fifth Elder's household again?

He got up and went to the front gate. Peering through the crack, his face filled with surprise, and he promptly opened it.

Four people stood outside.

One old and one young were the black-robed elder and the pretty girl in the yellow dress whom he had seen earlier at Paternal Uncle's home.

The other two were a lean, dark-faced middle-aged man with a strong smell of fish about him.

Beside him stood a tall young man, only a few years older than Ning Fa. A hearty smile hung on his bronze-colored face, and he looked strikingly similar to the middle-aged man.

"Maternal Uncle, Brother Guanting!"

Ning Fa exclaimed in surprise. These two were actually his maternal uncle, Xu Changtai, and his Maternal Cousin, Xu Guanting.

The tall young man affectionately patted Ning Fa on the shoulder.

"Xiao Fa."

When the middle-aged man saw Ning Fa, a smile appeared on his formerly stern face.

Ning Fa turned to the black-robed elder. Only then did he finally recall who the man was. The elder was named Ning Xilin, and he too was a clansman from their branch.

Though he was a mortal, he managed the mortal bloodline of their branch and often met with the cultivators of their branch to discuss matters.

That was why he had appeared on that occasion earlier. Ning Fa's former self had only met him a few times, so his impression of him had not been deep.

"Uncle Xilin."

Ning Fa greeted the black-robed elder, then said apologetically, "I didn't get the chance to greet you earlier. Please forgive me."

The black-robed elder seemed somewhat flattered and quickly said, "Xiao Fa, you honor this old man too greatly."

After saying that, the elder turned to the girl beside him. "Xiao Yu, hurry and greet your uncle."

The pretty girl first glanced at Ning Fa, her eyes full of curiosity, then sweetly called out, "Uncle."

Beaming, the black-robed elder said, "Xiao Yu is my granddaughter. She lived away from the clan all this time and only returned recently. Half a month ago, she was found to possess a spiritual root. Our branch has finally gained another cultivator."

Understanding dawned on Ning Fa. No wonder this clan uncle had worn such an irrepressible smile when he saw him earlier at Paternal Uncle's home. A cultivator had emerged from his family.

The Ning Clan's mortal bloodline numbered several million, yet there were only a few hundred cultivators in total. It could be called one chosen from ten thousand.

Once a family produced a cultivator, their treatment naturally rose dramatically.

A cultivator's direct family could even move onto an island with a spiritual vein. Thus, the thing most coveted by the Ning Clan's countless mortals was for one of their descendants to possess a spiritual root.

Ning Fa looked at the black-robed elder and could not help saying, "Uncle Xilin, you're not here to persuade me to agree too, are you? If so, please go back."

The black-robed elder hurriedly waved his hands. "Of course not. Actually... cough, cough, I also think Muchun's actions were somewhat inappropriate."

Seeing that he did not seem to be speaking against his heart, Ning Fa grew curious about the intentions of this clan uncle and his maternal uncle. Still, he first welcomed everyone inside.

After everyone had taken their seats, Ning Fa was about to pour tea when his maternal uncle, Xu Changtai, stopped him. In a deep voice, he said, "Xiao Fa, I heard from Brother Xilin about what happened when you went to your Maternal Aunt's home."

Ning Fa gave an embarrassed smile at that.

Xu Changtai said no more. Instead, he took a cloth pouch from his robes and handed it to Ning Fa.

Ning Fa accepted the pouch hesitantly. When he opened it, he found a small pile of thumb-sized emerald stones inside.

Pure spiritual qi wafted from them. They were all spirit stones.

Xu Changtai sighed softly. "Xiao Fa, your maternal uncle does not have much ability either and cannot help you much in this matter. But I still have some spirit stones. Take these one hundred spirit stones."

Ning Fa's expression changed in shock. Facing the spirit stones he had long dreamed of, hesitation rose in his heart instead.

In his memories, his maternal uncle's family was not well-off at all.

The Xu Family that his maternal uncle came from was merely a small cultivation family dependent on the Ning Clan. They had few industries and mainly made their living by raising spiritual fish.

While Ning Fa's father had still been alive, he could look after them to some extent. But after Ning Fa's parents had perished and Ning Fa lost the clan's favor, his maternal uncle's family was inevitably affected.

They had suffered even more severely than Ning Fa's branch. After all, the Xu Family was only a small clan dependent on the Ning Clan. Without anyone to rely on, even any random collateral member of the Ning Clan could bully them.

Ning Fa was secretly speechless.

The Devil Dao Sect style of the Ning Clan truly permeated every corner, yet he and his maternal uncle's family were its victims.

It even gave him an idea: if he could take charge of the Ning Clan in the future, he would properly set things in order.

He did not believe that the family could not grow strong without relying on this Devil Dao Sect style.

As far as Ning Fa knew, the Xu Family had been forced to surrender the waters where they had always raised fish. They could only raise spiritual fish in a barren stretch of water now.

They earned few spirit stones over an entire year, and these hundred spirit stones had likely taken a long time to save up.

On top of that, his aunt by marriage had always been frail and sickly, consuming quite a few spirit stones as well. Thus, even when Ning Fa's former self had been severely lacking in spirit stones, he had never sought help from his maternal uncle's family.

In truth, Ning Fa had thought of his maternal uncle while returning from Ning Muchun's home, but it was for that very reason that he had not made up his mind to borrow spirit stones from him.

Seeing Ning Fa hesitate, Xu Guanting stepped forward and directly stuffed the cloth pouch into his arms. In a grave voice, he said, "Xiao Fa, don't stand on ceremony. Uncle helped us so much in the past. Now that you're in trouble, we naturally have to do everything we can to help."

A warm current surged through Ning Fa's heart. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Thank you, Maternal Uncle. I'll repay you in the future."

Xu Changtai waved him off. At that moment, the black-robed elder beside them also took out a black pouch and handed it to Ning Fa. Smiling, he said, "Back then, it was thanks to Zhiyuan's support that this old man could take up the post of steward. These thirty spirit stones are a small token from this old man. Xiao Fa, accept them as well."

Ning Fa froze. Only then did he understand. It had been this clan uncle who, after seeing his predicament at Paternal Uncle's home, had sought out his maternal uncle and come with him to deliver spirit stones.