Chapter 7: The Ancestor of Nan Qiang (Part 1)

The man wore a dark green robe, with a green vest on top—clearly high-grade armor. He had an extremely long face covered in large freckles, small eyes, a flat nose, and a huge mouth revealing a mess of teeth. If Nan You appeared ordinary, this guy was utterly ugly.
Nan You frowned and said, “Nan Gua, if you have nothing to do, stay put.”
Guo Shier laughed. Well, either a porn star or a pumpkin—both names are pretty impressive. After probing slightly, he found that the other party was a master of a first-layer solid altar, with three people by his side. One of them also possessed the strength of a virtual altar, while the other two were high-ranking Grand Sage Masters.
Nan Gua’s expression darkened immediately. Guo Shier noticed that everyone from the Gu Nan family had horse-like faces, as if it were a family trait. He thought, “Could their ancestor also have a horse face? The inheritance is too strong—every descendant has a horse face. It’s fine for men, but what about women?”
Nan Gua said coldly, “Who are you anyway? How dare you mock someone from the Gu Nan family?”
Guo Shier replied nonchalantly, “So what if I mock you?”
Nan Gua flew into a rage. Suddenly, he had an idea and probed slightly. He was lucky—fighting head-on would be disastrous. When he realized what he was up against, his heart turned to ice. No way, a master of a second-layer solid altar! If he offended a top professional who wanted to join the family, even as an elder, he would be punished.
“You! You…”
For a moment, Nan Gua didn’t know what to do—neither fighting nor scolding would work. Just then, an old man came in from outside and asked, “What’s going on? Why are you all so tense? This is family territory, not a place for fights. If you want to fight, get out!”
Both Nan You and Nan Gua were stunned. They bowed together and said, “We’re sorry, Ancestor. We were reckless.”
Only someone extremely powerful could make Nan You and Nan Gua bow as disciples. Guo Shier couldn’t help but observe the old man. He was thin and hunched, looking frail and aged, with a prominent horse-like face, raised eyebrow arches, deep eye sockets, and sunken cheeks—like skin covering a skeleton. He was leaning on a black cane.
The old man didn’t seem threatening at all, but the Soul of the Handsome Old Man vibrated, saying, “Kid, this old man is dangerous. Be careful. He seems to have the strength of a fifth-layer altar. I can’t see through him…”

Guo Shier was shocked—even the old commander couldn’t see through this man. How powerful could he be? An ancestor? This man might well be the most elite figure in the Gunan family.
Eagle Demon couldn’t discern this old man’s strength, but he also knew that someone who could make Nan You and Nan Gua bow in respect must be extraordinary. He asked softly, “Who is he?”
Nan You didn’t answer, but the old man said, “Gunan family, Nan Qiang.”
Guo Shier was completely speechless. People from the Gunan family always had distinctive names. It seemed this man was the type who wouldn’t back down until forced. He said, “I’ve seen you, sir.” Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan also bowed and said, “I’ve seen you, sir.”
This time, Nan Qiang wasn’t aloof; instead, he asked kindly, “Was it Xiao You who brought you here?”
Nan You stepped forward hurriedly and said, “Ancestor, it was just a temporary invitation. They can leave at any time.”
Nan Qiang nodded and said, “It doesn’t matter. Our Gunan family won’t force a top expert—that wouldn’t be wise, haha.” He turned to the other man and asked, “Xiao Gua, is this the guest you invited?”
Nan Gua replied, “Yes, this is…” Before he could finish, the man stepped forward and said, “Yeli family, Void Form Altar, Li Jia.”
Nan Qiang nodded with a gentle smile and said, “Good work, Xiao Gua, Xiao You. You may go claim your family’s rewards. Well done.”
This old man was good at handling people—just a few words and Nan You and Nan Gua already showed gratitude and excitement.
Guo Shier muttered quietly, “Won’t back down… won’t back down…”
Nan Qiang asked, “What?” He remembered he hadn’t yet asked Guo Shier’s name. “Ah, as one gets older, one becomes a bit confused. May I ask which family you’re from?”
Guo Shier replied, “Gumu Luo family, Two-Layer Solid Form Altar, Guo Shier.”
Nan Qiang touched his wrinkled horse-like face and asked doubtfully, “Gumu… Luo family?” He was puzzled because, in his memory, he had never heard of the Gumu Luo family. After all, if a family bore the prefix “Gumu,” it meant it had a lineage of over ten thousand years. So why had he never heard of it?
However, there were many ancient families in the world. Some of these ancient families rarely appeared in public; their disciples usually joined other families as guests to gain experience, which wasn’t strange. So Nan Qiang just murmured a few words and left it at that. He said, “Welcome to the Gunan family.”

Next was obtaining identity tokens. Guo Shier already had a bunch of them, as he stayed in one place for only short periods and would leave as soon as he got the tokens, so he never paid much attention to them.
Guo Shier received the identity token for a guest clan elder—a position considered high-ranking in the Gunan family. Although it didn’t carry actual command power, it offered substantial rewards. Li Jia from the Yeli family got the title of guest grand elder, while Ying Mo and Luo Zhan received the title of guest elders.
A little girl walked in. The moment she saw Nan Qiang, she rushed over with a beaming smile and said in a coquettish voice, “Grandpa, Jiaojiao misses you so much…”
Guo Shier felt goosebumps cover his entire body. Then three more people came in from outside—the middle-aged woman was accompanied by a young girl who seemed to be a maid, and the third was actually an expert in the Illusory Altar technique. He said, “Elder.”
Nan Qiang held the little girl and said, “You little monkey, how did you end up here?” He gave a slight nod to the Illusory Altar expert; it seemed the two were quite familiar.
The little girl was pretty and cute, with an innocent look, but Guo Shier realized things weren’t that simple. She was actually a professional at the Mad Master level. In his judgment, she appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old, maybe even younger.
Cuddled in the elder’s arms, the little girl acted especially obedient, speaking in a sweet voice and flattering Nan Qiang so much that his horse-like face lit up with a smile. Guo Shier silently labeled her as a scheming little trickster.
Jiaojiao’s name was Nan Jiao—no one knew who had given it to her. Guo Shier thought that none of the names in the Gunan family were pleasant to hear, whether it was Nan You or Nan Qiang. They weren’t only unattractive but also ambiguous. In the end, he concluded that perhaps the surname made it difficult to come up with good names, which explained the situation.
The tense atmosphere in the room had dissipated since the little girl arrived, and everyone’s nerves gradually relaxed.
Nan Qiang said, “Come with me. Hehe, it’s rare to have guests, so let the old man treat you.” He took Nan Jiao’s hand and walked outside.
Nan You whispered, “Let’s go, hurry up!” It was unprecedented for the elder to treat guests. His tone sounded a bit excited.
Guo Shier couldn’t help but mutter, “Hmm, strange. Why doesn’t the little girl have a horse-like face?”
Nan You asked, “What horse-like face?”
Guo Shier broke into a sweat and quickly said, “Hurry up!” With that interruption, Nan You forgot to ask further.

The room of Ancestor Nan Qiang was very large, especially the outer hall for guests. The floor was covered with thick furs from mutated magical beasts, and in the center was a fire pit made of stones, filled with fragrant wood charcoal that emitted a gentle scent as it burned. Above the fire pit stood an exquisite silver barbecue rack. Both the fire pit and the rack were clearly blessed with spells.

Nan Qiang sat cross-legged by the fire pit, sighed, and said, “As one gets older, one fears the chill. I always prefer to sit by the fire pit; it makes me feel better. Alright, everyone, sit around the fire pit.”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Let’s all sit down.” As a guest elder of the clan, he indeed had the right to say so.

Ying Mo and Luo Zhan sat behind Guo Shier, Nan You on the left, and Nan Gua and Li Jia on the right.

Guo Shier glanced at Nan Gua. The guy was ugly—extremely ugly, with pockmarks the size of soybeans covering his face. He stared intently at Nan You, clearly indicating some kind of grudge between them.

Nan Jiao nestled in Nan Qiang’s arms, murmuring something. Nan Qiang’s face was filled with smiles, showing how much he loved the little girl. He nodded from time to time and sometimes chuckled.

Ancestor Nan Qiang said, “Jiaojiao, this time stay here honestly for a few days before going back, okay?”

Nan Jiao pouted and said, “Grandpa, no! Jiaojiao wants to play here.” Suddenly remembering something, she added, “By the way, Grandpa, I heard we’re going to explore new territories. Jiaojiao wants to go too…”

Ancestor Nan Qiang replied, “That’s not a place for children. Be obedient, Jiaojiao. Stay by Grandpa’s side these few days.”

The little girl made a sad face, grabbed Nan Qiang’s beard, and pleaded, “Jiaojiao wants to go!”

Ancestor Nan Qiang had no choice but to say, “Oh, my beard… it might fall out. Alright, alright, I’ll take you there!”

Nan Jiao giggled, wrapped her arms around Nan Qiang’s neck, gave him a kiss, and said, “I knew Grandpa loves Jiaojiao the most.”

Ancestor Nan Qiang said helplessly, “You little rascal.” Then he added, “Jiaojiao, meet your grandfathers.”

Nan Jiao slipped out of his arms and said cheerfully, “Hello, Grandpa Guo. Hello, Grandpa Li. Hehe.” Then she added, “Hello, Grandpa You. Hello, Grandpa Gua.”

Guo Shier’s mind went blank. Grandfathers? It seemed he had only been in his twenties in this life yet had already reached the status of a grandfather? He didn’t dare provoke the little girl. Even without considering the experience from three lifetimes, he knew such spoiled girls could be troublesome. So, he nodded solemnly.

Nan You and Nan Jiao both brought small gifts. Guo Shier was a bit embarrassed; not only in this life but even in his past life, he didn’t have much to play with, so he had to ask the handsome old man for things—after all, this guy was the spirit priest, and he had control over everything. In the blink of an eye, he produced a beast talisman containing a low-level spirit beast, the Snow Wolf King.

With just one beast talisman, a giant wolf over three meters long appeared, emitting a faint chill. Guo Shier said, “Although this Snow Wolf King isn’t very powerful, it’s fun and smart.”

Nan Jiao was overjoyed and clapped her hands, saying, “Ah, what a beautiful wolf! I like it! Thank you, Grandpa Guo!”

Nan Qiang, the ancient ancestor, glanced at Guo Shier curiously and said, “This ability to seal spirits is quite rare. I never expected to see one here. Is this a beast talisman you crafted?”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “It’s a low-level beast talisman. Its power isn’t great, but it’s good for kids to play with.”

Obviously, Nan Jiao’s favorite gift was this beast talisman. Although the Snow Wolf King was quite large, its fur was excellent, especially since it was formed from condensed spirit energy—extremely clean with no parasites. Nan Jiao mounted the Snow Wolf King’s back and, giggling, urged it to run around.

She said, “Grandpa, I’ll ride the Snow Wolf King and go for a run outside. Hehe, it’s so much fun!” Then she sent the Snow Wolf King running outside.

Nan Qiang hurriedly said, “You three should follow them. Don’t let JiaoJiao get hurt.” The three who followed Nan Jiao rushed outside immediately.

Eagle Demon asked softly, “Is this the Snow Wolf King obtained from the Wild Beast Secret Realm?”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Mm, it’s been a long time. I haven’t used it yet. Its strength is too weak, but it’s perfect as a toy for others.”

Nan Qiang said, “Brother Guo, thank you.” It was clear that he doted greatly on Nan Jiao. A seemingly ordinary Snow Wolf King could make her so happy, which also made him very pleased.

Brother? Guo Shier was speechless. From “Grandpa Guo” to “Brother Guo,” the titles were quite confusing. He said, “It’s nothing. Just a small trinket.”

Nan You asked, “Ancestor, are you planning to join this exploration mission?”

Nan Qiang replied, “All the ancient families have sent their top experts. Even I can’t stay put, so I have to come and help. Sigh, I’m already too old to move around much, yet I still have to run around.” After complaining a bit, he added, “Since I’ve met you two, you should follow me on this mission.”