Chapter 176: Dismissing the Deacons

Ning Family War Hall.

Branch member Ning Xiangqian had an angry look on his face, "Two Clan Elders, I do not accept this!"

"To revoke my position as War Hall Deacon for no reason at all, this does not conform to the family rules!"

The two Clan Elders smiled slightly, and one of them said, "Ning Xiangqian, stay calm. How could the family arbitrarily deprive you of your position as Deacon?"

"According to family rules, War Hall Deacons must be chosen based on combat strength. To ensure the personnel are elite, Deacon positions have always been limited, adopting a policy of elimination. If a newcomer wants to serve, they must challenge the predecessor and seize the Deacon position with solid combat strength."

Ning Xiangqian nodded, "I am, of course, aware of this point."

"But no one has challenged me."

"I haven't even had a single exchange, yet I've been stripped of my Deacon position. It seems the main branch is holding a grudge against me for helping that Ning Zhuo yesterday."

The Clan Elder smiled faintly, "Ning Xiangqian, you have misunderstood us. We are actually thinking of you, worried that you might be defeated and injured. Recovering from injuries is too much of a delay."

Ning Xiangqian laughed, "I haven't even fought yet, and you've already determined I've been defeated; this is simply unreasonable. Who exactly has set their sights on my Deacon position?"

"I must fight before I will be satisfied."

"Otherwise, I will absolutely not yield, and I will definitely make a scene at the ancestral hall!"

Upon hearing the ancestral hall, the expressions of the two Clan Elders sank.

One of them snorted coldly, "To make a scene at the ancestral hall over a sesame-sized matter; as a descendant, to disregard the peace of the ancestors is truly unfilial!"

"Ning Xiangqian, you are judging a gentleman's heart with a villain's measure. Very well, I will let you know who your opponent is."

Saying this, the Clan Elder signaled to a subordinate at his side with his eyes.

The subordinate stepped back and soon brought back a person.

This person was quite thin, with handsome features, a head of flowing white hair, a pair of white eyebrows, and the appearance of a youth.

But when Ning Xiangqian saw this person, his expression changed instantly, and he blurted out, "Ning Qingqiao?"

Ning Qingqiao raised his eyebrows and sneered at Ning Xiangqian, "You should thank the two Clan Elders; all of this is for your own good. Resign obediently and save everyone some time."

Ning Xiangqian clenched his fists, his face showing anger.

Ning Qingqiao possessed Foundation Establishment cultivation and the talent 'Frostfall Without Sound'. If Ning Xiaohui was the only signature among the Ning family's Qi Condensation cultivators, then Ning Qingqiao was one of the geniuses among the Ning family's Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Ning Xiangqian gritted his teeth, "Fine, fine, fine. The main branch uses a genius to squeeze me out and make me lose my Deacon position. Truly a grand gesture!"

Ning Qingqiao sneered, "Naive! You helped Ning Zhuo yesterday and shouted the loudest; you should have had this realization. Do you think this is child's play?"

"Be quick about it, get out of here!"

Ning Xiangqian looked up and laughed, his anger clouding his mind, leading him to make an irrational decision, "Get out? How is that possible!"

"Come, come, I want to fight you."

"I want to see what qualifications a genius who has been famous for so long has to be so arrogant!"

The battle lost all suspense from the very beginning.

Ning Qingqiao occupied an absolute advantage, suppressing Ning Xiangqian and beating him throughout the entire fight.

"Don't beat him to death." The Clan Elder watched the battle from the side, and seeing Ning Xiangqian covered in blood, he couldn't help but remind him.

"Tch, boring." Ning Qingqiao stopped in time, knocking Ning Xiangqian to the ground.

Ning Qingqiao walked over to Ning Xiangqian and stepped on the latter's head with his foot, "How do you feel now?"

"This really was for your own good, but unfortunately, you don't know what's good for you; you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

"Pah!" Ning Xiangqian struggled to no avail and spat a mouthful of blood at Ning Qingqiao.

A flash of cold light crossed Ning Qingqiao's eyes, and he applied slight pressure with his foot, knocking Ning Xiangqian unconscious.

"Someone, carry this branch trash away for me!"

Almost at the same time, in the Talisman Hall.

The Clan Elder pointed his finger at the inferior talismans and said to Ning Xianguo, "You are responsible for this. You had better have a perfect explanation, otherwise..."

Ning Xianguo smiled slightly, "Explanation? I don't need an explanation."

He took a letter from his bosom and handed it to the Clan Elder, "I won't do this Deacon job in the Talisman Hall anymore."

The Clan Elder was stunned, then his expression softened, and he sighed deeply, "Xianguo, who told you to be a member of the branch? And you spoke up yesterday to help that Ning Zhuo."

"Sigh, I feel it's not worth it for you."

"That Ning Zhuo obtained an extremely bountiful reward, but what about you? You threw away the Deacon position you fought for nearly ten years to obtain."

Ning Xianguo shook his head, "If I could do it all over again, even if I knew this would be the result, I would still do it."

"Farewell."

After saying this, he turned and left without any hesitation.

Watching Ning Xianguo's departing back, the Clan Elder's expression became extremely poor.

Ning Xiangqian, Ning Xianguo... it wasn't just the two of them; a great many Deacons were approached by the main branch and dismissed by the high command for various reasons.

The news spread throughout the entire clan.

The branch clansmen, who were still feeling invigorated by yesterday's victory at the ancestral hall, were like people struck by a sudden blow; the morale they had just mustered dissipated once again.

Once the hearts of the people scattered, all sorts of things were said.

"I told you not to go, not to go, and now look! The Deacon position is lost."

"The main branch is bullying people too much! The Deacons dismissed and driven away today are all from our branch; it's clearly retaliation for yesterday's events."

"The key is that they have reasons and evidence, acting according to family rules, so we cannot refute them."

"Just as Elder Ning Houjun often says, our branch lacks a Clan Elder. If we only had one Clan Elder, such things wouldn't happen!"

The squeezed-out and dismissed Deacons could completely attach themselves to the side of a branch Clan Elder, unlike now, where they are beaten back to their original form and become ordinary clansmen.

Some branch clansmen who lost their Deacon positions wanted to find Ning Youfu and Ning Houjun to make the decision for them.

Ning Youfu closed his doors to guests, while Ning Houjun received them.

Ning Houjun said, "The Young Clan Leader was pulled off his horse; such retaliation from the main branch is not entirely unexpected."

"Can we imitate Ning Zhuo and gather a crowd to go to the ancestral hall?" a clansman asked.

Ning Houjun snorted coldly, "What do you think the ancestral hall is? Do you want to be locked in a dungeon? That bunch of bastards in the main branch are just hoping you'll go and make a scene."

Someone asked, "Then why could Ning Zhuo do it, and succeed?"

"He holds solid evidence in his hands, with both human and material evidence, so even the main branch couldn't refute it. Do you have any?" Ning Houjun glared, "You have nothing!"

He pointed his hand at the clansmen seeking help, "The main branch dismissed you all by finding suitable reasons."

"Who told you to have dirty hands and feet on weekdays? Now that you've been caught, lost your Deacon positions, you still have the nerve to come and find me!"

The branch clansmen looked at each other.

Someone complained, "Elder, you don't know. We branch members live our lives, and we still have to cultivate; it's difficult. We have a whole family to support; if we don't use our power for personal gain, how can we have enough resources?"

"Like the main branch, even the idle people, lying down all year round, never lack resources for cultivation."

Ning Houjun sighed, "That is why I stepped forward to personally help that Ning Zhuo."

"He has talent; once he grows up, he will inevitably be a Clan Elder."

"Only when our branch has a Clan Elder can we have a slight ability to contend with the main branch."

Someone sneered disdainfully, "Elder, yesterday you persuaded me like this, which is why I got involved in the ancestral hall matter. But now, in my opinion, we helped the wrong person."

Ning Houjun, "What do you mean by this?"

Another person said, "That Ning Zhuo obtained an extremely bountiful reward, far exceeding the previous standard. However, he is extremely stingy. Even when his own cousins asked to borrow things, they were directly rejected on the spot."

"People like this are easy to share adversity with, but difficult to share wealth with. Is it really right for us to pin our hopes on him?"

Ning Houjun snorted coldly, "If we don't pin our hopes on him, should we pin them on you lot?"

"Do you have talent?"

The crowd was speechless.

A clansman proactively explained for Ning Zhuo, "He is, after all, only sixteen."

Upon hearing these words, Ning Houjun frowned instead.

Because he recalled the banquet yesterday; at the banquet, Ning Zhuo's performance left a deep impression on him, and on the way back to the residence, he was very happy, believing that Ning Zhuo had talent and a mature temperament, which was a blessing for the branch.

But today, Ning Zhuo's performance made Ning Houjun secretly very disappointed, "So stingy, how can he gather people's hearts, how can he accomplish things?"

Ning Houjun felt uneasy, pondered for a while, and decided to give Ning Zhuo a hint.

"Someone." He summoned a servant, "Go and bring my message to Ning Zhuo; I want those two taels of Ice Jade Wine as a thank you for his help yesterday. Go quickly and return quickly."

Hearing Ning Houjun's instructions, the branch clansmen all expressed that they wanted to stay and see what Ning Zhuo's reaction would be.

Ning Zhuo was checking the family's rewards.

The bountifulness of this reward made him feel slightly surprised.

"The Long Juanfeng Carriage needs to be attached closely to the lower dantian; after activation, it can create waves in the Qi Sea, producing a mana tornado, which can increase the speed of mana refinement and has a certain effect of purifying mana."

"The Five Elements Ruler, held in the hand, can quickly divide spiritual power, mana, etc., into the five elements. It was originally a manufacturing tool, but since I am now cultivating the Five Elements Qi Law, using it to decompose five-element mana can greatly facilitate spellcasting practice."

"Every time the Meditation Bell is struck, it can allow a person to quickly enter meditation. Striking it continuously can allow a cultivator to deepen their meditation."

"The Profound Ice Waist Token is an identity token, but wearing it on the body can gather spiritual energy at all times, helping Ning family members refine mana."

Ning Zhuo carefully tested these four magic treasures and found no problems.

To be safe, he still had to take these four magic treasures to Sun Lingtong to see. The latter had a Spirit Eye, was a disciple of a great sect, and had managed the black market for a period of time, so his vision was very broad.

Not just the magic treasures, the pills, talismans, etc., also had to be tested.

Ning Zhuo had pulled Ning Xiaoren down; the conflict between him and the main branch was irreconcilable. He dared not be the least bit careless about things given by the main branch.

At this time, Ning Houjun's servant arrived, bringing Ning Houjun's request.

Ning Zhuo heard it and sighed lightly, "The Elder is reminding me to distribute wealth to keep people. The family main branch's discriminatory treatment is meant to disintegrate my popularity."

"Greet Elder Ning Houjun for me and convey my gratitude."

"I know the Elder wants to use the Ice Jade Wine to show everyone—everyone didn't help the wrong person, and I am not a stingy person."

"But I have my own ideas."

"There is no need to give the Ice Jade Wine; take this letter back and hand it to the Elder."

The servant then took the letter back.

Ning Houjun frowned as he opened the letter.

After reading it, his frown disappeared, and he laughed out loud, "Ning Zhuo, Ning Zhuo, clumsy on the outside but talented on the inside! I was worried for nothing. You all take a good look at this letter."

Many former Deacons quickly passed it around; some had their brows unfurrowed, while others remained hesitant, "This... can it work?" ===== CHAPTER 177 =====