Ning Fa's expression turned incredibly grim, killing intent flashing in his eyes.
"Uncle Xilin died protecting me."
Ning Zhengqian sighed, "Little Fa, please accept my condolences. The situation was chaotic that day; Ning Zhen'an might not have acted intentionally."
Ning Fa remained expressionless. Whether Ning Zhen'an's actions were accidental or not, he had been hit by two of Ning Zhen'an's attacks. If Uncle Xilin hadn't blocked the second one for him, he might have been the one to die.
Even if he didn't seek revenge for himself, he would definitely not let Ning Zhen'an go for killing Uncle Xilin while saving him.
Furthermore, it was hard to say if Ning Zhen'an's actions were truly accidental. Otherwise, in such chaos, with him positioned behind everyone else, how could he have been hit twice so coincidentally? Ning Fa clearly remembered running in the opposite direction of the incoming magic orbs.
At this moment, Ning Zifeng frowned, his eyes flickering. He then said in a deep voice, "Perhaps Ning Zhen'an was indeed targeting Little Fa."
Hearing this, Ning Fa's head snapped up to look at him. His father furrowed his brow, "Zifeng, do you have any proof?"
Ning Zifeng replied, "After Uncle Xilin desperately blocked an attack for Little Fa, another magic orb was sent towards Little Fa. If I hadn't arrived in time, Little Fa would have been hit. Thinking back now, it's indeed very strange. Three consecutive attacks aimed at Little Fa; it seems a bit too coincidental."
Ning Zhengqian tugged at his beard, filled with anger. "If that's the case, Ning Zhen'an might really have acted intentionally. How could this person be so depraved!"
Ning Zifeng continued gravely, "And if you think about it carefully, on that day, Ning Zhen'an and his group clearly seemed to be instigating trouble, deliberately provoking Maternal Aunt into making the first move. Then Ning Zhen'an also acted out of character, disregarding family rules to fight fiercely. Perhaps the ultimate goal was Little Fa."
"After all, Ning Guichuan and his faction have always wanted to drive us out of Pingchang Island. But now that Little Fa has become a family Pill Master, their hopes have clearly been dashed. So they wanted to use this opportunity to eliminate Little Fa and clear the obstacles. Perhaps they didn't necessarily want to kill Little Fa, just cripple him. Judging by the fact that his dantian was the site of the injury, we can infer this."
After Ning Zifeng finished speaking, the air suddenly fell silent.
Ning Fa's expression was unreadable, but the icy coldness in his eyes felt tangible.
When Ning Zifeng mentioned him blocking the third strike for him, Ning Fa realized it was a conspiracy targeting him.
Ning Guichuan and his faction deliberately stirred up trouble to lure him over, then cause a melee, and attack him amidst the chaos. This would also provide an excuse to deal with family investigations.
The reason Ning Zifeng stated was very accurate, and Ning Fa had also thought of a deeper layer.
As for the reason, he felt it wasn't as simple as Ning Zifeng suggested.
Ning Fa immediately recalled that when he reported to the Pill Hall, Wei Chengzong had said that other residences in the Pill Hall had issues with their restrictions, and he should wait on Pingchang Island for a while. Then this incident happened.
It all seemed like a coincidence, but Ning Fa, having experienced countless overt and covert brutal business wars in his past life, was experienced enough to be almost certain that there was a connection.
He could even conclude at this moment that Ning Ruiming was the one orchestrating everything behind the scenes.
This person had deliberately instructed Wei Chengzong to delay his entry into the Pill Hall, then found Ning Zhen'an, and used the existing conflict between their factions as a cover to launch this conspiracy against him.
It wasn't necessarily to kill him; perhaps, as Ning Zifeng suggested, it was just to cripple him, to completely remove him as a threat.
Although Ning Fa had no evidence, his intuition told him that this was the truth of the matter.
Despite appearing calm, his heart was filled with bone-chilling hatred and chilling killing intent towards Ning Ruiming.
Seemingly noticing Ning Fa's change in expression, Ning Zhengqian advised, "Little Fa, even if Ning Zhen'an acted intentionally, we don't have any evidence. That person is a late-stage Qi Condensation expert; even your Maternal Uncle's Husband is no match for him. You absolutely must not act impulsively."
Ning Zifeng also nodded, "Father is right. What we said earlier was just speculation, and we can't do anything to Ning Zhen'an. You've just joined the Pill Hall, and your future is bright. You don't need to rush to seek revenge on him for this."
Ning Fa looked at Ning Zifeng, his regard for this cousin deepening.
This cousin was not only steady and reliable, principled in his actions, but also very wise, having immediately connected this incident to Ning Zhen'an's scheme against him.
Furthermore, he had blocked the third strike for him, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him his savior.
Ning Fa couldn't help but think that if he was to develop within the family in the future, he couldn't neglect cultivating his own branch forces to serve as his solid backing.
He would obviously not consider his Maternal Aunt's family. He also wouldn't consider his Fourth Uncle's family, as they were siblings with his Maternal Aunt.
His Paternal Uncle's family was friendly towards him and had helped him during his difficult times. This cousin also appeared to have the demeanor of a great general. Ning Fa might be able to cultivate him and make him a reliable helper.
Ning Fa's thoughts drifted far ahead. Noticing their worried gazes, he regained his composure and said, "Don't worry, I won't act impulsively. By the way, how was this conflict resolved in the end?"
Ning Zhengqian replied, "The Family Enforcement Team arrived in time and took us key figures away for questioning. Afterward, they imposed equal punishment on everyone; our respective branches were fined dozens of Spirit Stones."
Ning Fa's brows rose, and his tone was unusual, "What about Ning Zhen'an?"
Ning Zhengqian replied, "The disciplinary outcome hasn't been finalized yet. I heard they were going to give him a light punishment, just a few years' forfeiture of salary, but the Ninth Elder insisted on a thorough investigation, and there was a major disagreement with the Tenth Elder."
Ning Fa's eyes deepened, and cold light flickered within them. The Tenth Elder was Ning Ruiming's father, which further solidified his belief that Ning Ruiming had orchestrated everything.
However, he didn't plan to tell his Paternal Uncle and the others about this, as they couldn't help and would only increase their worries.
At the same time, he was also very grateful to Ning Shaohong. Although she had said she would only help Ning Fa once, it 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 low voice, "Uncle, tell me where Uncle Xilin is buried. I'll go pay my respects after I've recovered."
After speaking, he seemed to recall something, "Does Uncle Xilin have any other direct relatives? I remember he only had a granddaughter named Xiao Yu."
Ning Zhengqian sighed, "That's right. Xilin originally had a son who was working for the family in Tianshui Market. Unfortunately, he died young in an accident, leaving only this descendant."