Ning Fa understood why Ning Xilin had come to find him; he wanted Ning Fa to step in and lend his support.
After all, Ning Fa was now the person with the highest family status in their lineage.
"Alright, Uncle Xilin, take me over to see."
Following Ning Xilin, Ning Fa headed east.
After walking about three li, Ning Fa could see from afar two groups of people confronting each other in front of a small slope.
Ning Fa was very familiar with one group; it was his Maternal Aunt Ning Muchun's family, along with his Paternal Uncle's and Fourth Uncle's families, and several elder clan members from their branch.
The other group appeared much larger, with nearly twenty people. Their presence clearly dominated Ning Muchun's group. Ning Fa recognized the two people standing at the front.
One was Ning Guichuan, who looked honest and had a face full of wrinkles. The other was a hunched old man with a triangular topknot and a face covered in wrinkles, Ning Donghui, the leader of another branch family on Pingchang Island.
Beside the two was Ning Zhen'an, a burly man with a fierce expression who looked difficult to provoke. His white robe with gold trim, the specialized attire for late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators, stood out among the other cultivators.
At this moment, Ning Guichuan was pointing at a spirit field nearby and shouting angrily, "This entire mu of Qinghe Spirit Rice has been destroyed. It's clearly deliberate. If your lineage didn't do it, then who else could have?"
In the direction he pointed, the spirit field, which should have been filled with lush green spirit plants, was now like a place ravaged by wild beasts. The plants, clearly not yet mature, had mostly lost their vitality.
On the other side, Ning Muchun retorted without yielding, "Just because you say so? Don't make baseless accusations if you can't provide any evidence!"
Ning Donghui, his face full of wrinkles, sneered, "Everyone knows your lineage doesn't get along with Brother Guichuan's family. If it wasn't you, who else could it be?"
Ning Muchun's eyes widened, "It's entirely possible! As I said, don't go around biting people without proof. If you dare to make a move, we won't back down."
Ning Fa, who was getting closer, couldn't help but marvel. While his Maternal Aunt wasn't exactly a good person, she didn't seem like someone who only bullied those weaker than her.
At this moment, Ning Zhen'an, who had been squinting, noticed Ning Fa's arrival. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he then gave a slight cough.
Ning Guichuan's ears twitched. His restraint gone, he intensified his attack, spewing all sorts of vulgarities.
Ning Muchun, being a woman, had never endured such insults. Her face turned pale with anger, and she pointed at Ning Guichuan, unable to speak.
Overcome with rage, she waved her right hand, and a small, jade-colored feather fan appeared.
The feather fan enlarged against the wind, growing to several feet in size. With a powerful swing, a green gust of wind shot out from it, heading straight for Ning Guichuan's face.
Caught off guard, Ning Guichuan was sent flying.
With a cry of pain, Ning Guichuan landed heavily, his mouth bleeding profusely. His left cheek was severely swollen.
Although Ning Muchun had acted in anger, she still had some sense and didn't dare to channel too much spiritual power, or it wouldn't have been just superficial injuries.
The crowd, which had been arguing fiercely, suddenly fell silent.
Ning Muchun, after her impulsive act, finally calmed down, her face turning pale.
Meng Jinliang, Ning Fa's Paternal Uncle, Fourth Uncle, and the others nearby all changed their expressions.
It was one thing to argue, but resorting to violence was another. Crucially, their side was clearly outnumbered, and they would be at a disadvantage if a fight broke out.
Ning Zhen'an, who had been half-closing his eyes, suddenly opened them. He stepped forward abruptly, staring coldly at Ning Muchun. A fierce aura emanated from him, causing Ning Muchun to retreat repeatedly.
Meng Jinliang, who had been quiet until now, his expression changed drastically. He steadied Ning Muchun and hurriedly said, "Brother Zhen'an, this is a misunderstanding! Don't be rash!"
Ning Zhen'an, with his fierce expression, grinned and sneered, "You injured my father right in front of me, and you're calling it a misunderstanding? Are you treating me like a three-year-old child? If you don't give me an explanation today, none of you will leave here unscathed!"
Facing the imposing Ning Zhen'an, Meng Jinliang, also at the late stage of Qi Condensation, was clearly at a disadvantage. He gritted his teeth and said, "We are willing to apologize."
At this moment, Ning Fa had reached the back of the crowd. Watching the scene unfold, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
His Maternal Aunt's husband, who was at the same seventh layer of Qi Condensation as the opponent, was so afraid of him. It made Ning Fa feel somewhat pathetic.
Ning Zhen'an suddenly burst into laughter, "If you can withstand ten of my moves, I will accept your apology!"
With that, he pointed his right hand upwards. As a black light flickered in the sky above, a black mace about three feet long instantly appeared. It shimmered with dark energy, emitting a powerful spiritual pressure.
Judging by the spiritual pressure, it had clearly reached the level of a high-grade magical artifact.
Ning Zhen'an quickly formed a hand seal. The black mace then grew a size larger, its might increasing further. With a piercing howl, it smashed towards Meng Jinliang.
Meng Jinliang's expression changed, but he was, after all, a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, and his reaction was equally swift.
He flicked his sleeve, and a white paper fan flew out.
The paper fan opened, its spiritual light shining. The ink characters on it seemed to come alive, moving continuously on the fan. The spiritual light flickered, giving it a vibrant, spiritual appearance.
Then, over a dozen large black ink characters flew from the paper fan, meeting the incoming black mace.
With a series of crisp shattering sounds, amid flying sparks, these ink characters were shattered by the black mace with a single blow.
However, after shattering ten ink characters in rapid succession, the black mace lost its momentum and was locked in a stalemate with the remaining ink characters in the air.
Meng Jinliang let out a sigh of relief. At this moment, he noticed Ning Muchun also preparing to use her magical artifact to help him. He quickly urged, "Muchun, don't intervene!"
He wanted to control the situation. If the two sides truly started fighting, their lineage would undoubtedly suffer a great loss.
Ning Muchun's lips were pale, and she lowered her raised hand.
The cultivators on the opposing side, who were itching to help, also reluctantly stopped.
But at this moment, Ning Zhen'an let out a cold laugh. As the hand seals in his hand changed, the light emanating from the black mace in the air suddenly intensified. With a mere flash, it shattered the remaining ink characters surrounding it.
Dark light exploded in the air, and the black mace, like a spirit snake, moved with incredible speed towards Meng Jinliang.
Meng Jinliang's brow furrowed, and anger appeared on his face. He forcefully channeled the spiritual power within his body.
The white paper fan in front of him suddenly erupted with a brilliant light, and large ink characters one after another flew out, circling and dancing in front of him, barely fending off the fierce assault of the black long mace.
But from his faintly pale face, it was clear he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
Although both of them were at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, Ning Zhen'an was clearly much stronger than him.
At this moment, Ning Fa no longer felt the urge to speak. After all, this was the first time he had witnessed other cultivators fighting since arriving in this world, and he found it quite fascinating.
Just then, Ning Zhen'an let out a contemptuous smile, quickly formed hand seals with both hands, and then pointed at the black long mace in the air with one hand. The black long mace flickered and instantly transformed into two identical black long maces.
One, flashing with intense black light and like a spirit snake, continued to ferociously attack Meng Jinliang, while the other black long mace moved towards Ning Muchun.
This person was actually so arrogant as to fight two opponents at once.
Ning Muchun's expression changed, and she immediately summoned a magical artifact resembling a white silk scarf to meet the black long mace.