Chapter 7: Internal Strife (Part 1)

Guo Shier and Nan You exchanged a glance and asked, “Who is the Ancestor arguing with?” Nan You’s expression turned grim as he whispered, “It’s Ancestor Nan Qin… Good heavens, if Ancestor Nan Qin is here, something serious must have happened.”
Then Ancestor Nan Qiang spoke up, “What on earth are these idiots in the family thinking? Why give up the Wind and Rain Secret Realm? Don’t they understand its importance? Nan Qin, you’re also an ancestor of the family—why didn’t you stop them?”
A pleasant female voice replied, “Brother Nan Qiang, it wasn’t my decision. You know how things are in the family— the clan leader supported the retreat. What could I do alone to stop it?”
Nan Qiang sighed deeply and said, “These short-sighted fools!”
Suddenly, Nan Qin asked, “Who’s outside?”
Guo Shier and Nan You stepped inside. When Ancestor Nan Qiang saw Guo Shier, he said, “Just back? Come, meet Ancestor Nan Qin of our Gu Nan family.”
Nan Qin was a beautiful woman wearing a pink dress, with white hair falling to her waist. Guo Shier realized that her white hair wasn’t natural but due to her age. Though her face resembled that of a young girl, her tone of voice and weary eyes revealed that she wasn’t truly young.
Guo Shier said, “I’ve met Ancestor Nan Qin. I’m Guo Shier.”
Nan Qin nodded and said, “You’re a guest elder hired by the family—no need to be too formal.”
Ancestor Nan Qiang asked, “What did you discover on this trip?”
Guo Shier replied, “Well, on the Donghuan Grasslands, I met Jin Longqing and Jin Daya from the Gu Jin family…” Before he could finish, Ancestor Nan Qin interjected, “Jin Longqing? Jin Daya? Those are famous ancestors of the Gu Jin family. What happened to them?”
Guo Shier replied calmly, “They had a fight.”
Nan Qin was stunned and incredulous. “You… fought them? You alone against two of them?”
“Hmph, you probably don’t know how powerful Jin Longqing is. Bluffing isn’t a good habit… Who hired this guest elder? Spouting nonsense without fear of choking on your own words.”
A thin middle-aged man walked in from outside.
Ancestor Nan Qiang said coldly, “Nan Zhiren, what brings you here?”

Nan Zhiren sneered and said, “The family sent me here to urge a retreat.” He glanced around indifferently and cast a slightly contemptuous look at Guo Shier, saying, “So you’re that guest clan elder? Who introduced you? Your words are so exaggerated. Jin Longqing is a master of the fourth-tier altar and a renowned ancestor of the Gujin family. You claim to be able to fight two at once… It’s complete nonsense!”
Nan You looked extremely embarrassed. It was he who had introduced Guo Shier to the family. In fact, he also had doubts—knowing that Guo Shier was only a master of the second-tier altar, how could he possibly fight against a master like Jin Da Ya Jin Longqing?
Guo Shier sneered inwardly. He hadn’t expected such strife even within an ancient family. He had joined out of friendship and could leave at any time; altar-level masters were all quite free. He said, “Nonsense? Heh, fine. Even if I’m talking nonsense, who are you then?”
Nan You panicked and quickly said, “He’s the ancestor of the family, the esteemed clan elder. Please don’t get angry…”
Nan Zhiren nodded and said, “You’re just a guest clan elder. Hmph. I’m the ancestor of the family. How dare you look down on me?”
Ancestor Nan Qiang shouted angrily, “Nan Zhiren, what do you want? A guest clan elder is a distinguished guest of the family, not a subordinate. You’ve gone too far!”
Nan Zhiren said, “I’ve gone too far? This guy is the one who’s gone too far. We all know who Jin Longqing is. Even I can’t defeat him. And he’s just a guest clan elder… Haha, how ridiculous!”
Guo Shier didn’t bother arguing. He took off his identity token and threw it at Nan You, saying with a smile, “Don’t drag me into your family’s internal struggles. Here’s your guest… position back. Is that… enough to satisfy you? Haha.” He didn’t care about being a guest clan elder at all.
Ancestor Nan Qiang smashed the low table with a slap, shouting angrily, “Nan Zhiren, you bastard!”
Nan Zhiren’s status was similar to that of Ancestor Nan Qiang. He was the ancestor of another branch of the family. With a sneer, he said, “A guy who talks big—doesn’t he deserve your anger? We hired a master, not a worthless talker!” He kept targeting Guo Shier.
Guo Shier wasn’t some inexperienced youth. Having lived three lifetimes, he understood that this was a power struggle between family factions. Nan Zhiren was targeting him to weaken Ancestor Nan Qiang’s faction. Thinking he had found Guo Shier’s weakness, he certainly wouldn’t let go easily.
Nan You gently tried to calm Guo Shier, “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Hehe.” His face showed a smile, but his heart was filled with bitterness.

Guo Shier waved his hand and smiled, saying, “Just because you can’t defeat Jin Longqing doesn’t mean others can’t either. If you’re not convinced, we can have a fight.” He had already decided not to stay in the Gunan family; he liked freedom anyway, and this was a good chance to get rid of constraints.

Nan Zhiren said in disbelief, “You want to fight me? Haha, you want to fight me… I have to admire your courage!”

Ancestor Nan Qiang turned pale with anger and shouted, “Nan Zhiren!”

Nan Qin stepped in and said, “Wait a moment.” She turned to Guo Shier and asked, “How can you prove that you fought against Jin Longqing and the others?”

Guo Shier grew impatient and retorted, “Do I need to prove it?”

Nan Zhiren looked pleased as he said, “See… he can’t prove it at all. Hehe, you probably don’t know Jin Longqing’s strength yet…”

Guo Shier said, “Alright, then you definitely need proof. I can provide it. Nan Ming and Nan Zhi Chun from your family are here, and I also captured over seventy disciples from the Gujin family. Ancestor Nan Qiang, you can ask them to come over.”

Nan Zhiren was stunned. Of course he knew Nan Ming and Nan Zhi Chun—they were both experts in the Virtual Form Altar and held positions as senior elders in their family. Yet he still didn’t believe Guo Shier had the ability to fight Jin Longqing.

Ancestor Nan Qiang ordered, “Someone, go and invite Nan Ming and Nan Zhi Chun here!”

Guo Shier crossed his arms and stayed silent. Nan You wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start, standing awkwardly to the side. He hated Nan Zhiren deeply, but Nan Zhiren was an ancestor-level figure—he didn’t dare and didn’t have the ability to resist.

After a while, Nan Ming and Nan Zhi Chun arrived. As soon as they entered, they saw Guo Shier and immediately stepped forward to pay their respects, saying, “We see the elder too. Greetings, elder.” Only then did they realize there were three ancestors in the room, so they hurriedly stepped forward and said, “Greetings, ancestors.”

Ancestor Nan Qin asked, “Did you return with the elder?”

Guo Shier replied, “Sorry, I’m no longer an elder. My name is Guo Shier. You can call me by my name.”

Nan Ming and Nan Zhi Chun felt a chill in their hearts—they knew how powerful Guo Shier was. Ancestor Nan Qin said, “Tell us what happened on the Donghuan Grassland.”

Nan Ming stepped forward and recounted in detail everything that had happened on the Donghuan Grassland.

Nan Zhiren’s expression changed instantly. He could no longer believe it was true—Guo Shier not only fought but also defeated Jin Daya and Jin Longqing, and even captured over seventy disciples of the Gu Jin family right in front of them.

Elder Nan Qiang stared at Nan Zhiren, his anger evident in his eyes. Elder Nan Qin’s expression also changed. How absurd—someone with the strength of an elder being forced to leave the family by Nan Zhiren’s insults! No one could bear such a loss.

A cold smirk appeared on Guo Shier’s lips.

Nan Ming said, “The captives are at the camp. They witnessed the whole thing. If you still have doubts, you can interrogate them.”

Elder Nan Qiang stepped forward and said, “Elder, please accept our apologies from the Gu Nan family.”

Guo Shier smiled and replied, “No need to apologize. I was planning to leave anyway. It was nice meeting you, Elder. He nodded at Elder Nan Qin before turning to leave without hesitation. He had no interest in getting involved in their family disputes.

Elder Nan Qiang took a step forward but didn’t know what to say. He understood that if he were subjected to such doubts, he would also leave. How could a skilled altar master tolerate such humiliation? Guo Shier had already shown him respect. With his strength, he could have retorted to Nan Zhiren on the spot.

Nan You rushed after him.

Elder Nan Qiang gritted his teeth and said, “Nan Zhiren, are you satisfied now? You actually drove away an elder-level master! Haha! This… I won’t let it go! You bastard! I’ll raise this at the elders’ meeting! You must compensate!” He was furious and heartbroken. A powerful altar master being driven away by that bastard—how could he accept that?

Elder Nan Qin said, “Nan Zhiren, you really went too far this time!”

Nan Zhiren retorted resentfully, “Who knew it was true… I’ve never seen such a freak. Two-layer solid form altars could defeat masters with three or four layers… Damn it, I…” He knew he had seriously offended Elder Nan Qiang, as Guo Shier was a guest master hired by Elder Nan Qiang’s faction.

Nan Ming and Nan Zhi Chun stood awkwardly aside. Both were high-ranking members of the family. Though not as powerful as the elders, they still understood the family’s affairs. They never expected Nan Zhiren to drive away Guo Shier. This could be a big deal. If Elder Nan Qiang persisted, even Nan Zhiren, being an elder himself, would likely have to pay a heavy price.

Nan Zhiren was completely defeated. Driving away an elder-level master had serious consequences, and he felt he couldn’t bear it anymore.

Soon, Ancestor Nan Qiang calmed down. He said, “I’ll go and try to persuade him! Nan Zhiren, I’ll offer very high terms to keep him. Remember, all the terms I propose… you’ll have to pay for them!”
Nan Qin said, “I’ll be a witness. Nan Zhiren, will you agree?”
Nan Zhiren’s eyes turned red. He certainly understood what Ancestor Nan Qiang meant. It seemed he would have to suffer heavy losses this time, but he had no choice but to agree; otherwise, he would truly become Ancestor Nan Qiang’s archenemy. He shouted, “Enough, damn it… I agree! Can’t I just agree? Damn it! I agree! Bastard!” He cursed bitterly, filled with extreme regret.
Ancestor Nan Qiang said, “Good. Nan Qin, be a witness. I’ll go and try to persuade him.” He walked out, leaning on his crutch.
…
Guo Shieru headed straight to the courtyard where he lived. Nan You kept chasing after him. When he reached the courtyard gate, he called out, “Elder…” Guo Shieru said, “Don’t call me elder. I’ve resigned. Just call me Shieru.” With that, he entered the courtyard.
Luo Zhan came forward to greet him. He asked in surprise, “What are you doing? Nan You, what’s wrong? You look so gloomy… like you’ve had bad luck.”
Guo Shieru replied indifferently, “I’m quitting. That’s all there is to it. Hehe.”
Luo Zhan asked, “Why are you quitting?”