A public notice was posted seeking a wife, and a female saint from the Immortal Sect was found.

Ning Zhenlu and Zhang An have already left. When they first arrived, Zhang An was still very polite, but when they left, he no longer concealed it and adopted a condescending and arrogant attitude.

"Ten bottles of Foundation Condensation Pills and five hundred bottles of Spirit Condensation Pills. This was calculated before we came here, based on the actual value of the Chen family."

All the valuable possessions of the Chen family are probably worth this much, yet the Ning and Zhang families are asking for this much. On the surface, it's called an alliance, but in reality, they want to drain the Chen family dry to reduce the pressure on the two families.

Understanding the intentions of both families, Chen Yi was not angry. When one's strength is weak, it is inevitable to be schemed against. The Ning and Zhang families thought that he only had one path: to accept the alliance. However, he had other options.

"Master of the family." Liu Shen suddenly entered the hall and bowed to Chen Yi.

Liu Shen's face had lost its former radiance, replaced only by an unconcealable weariness and anxiety.

He already knew that people from the Ning and Zhang families had just arrived. At this time, the Ning and Zhang families were either trying to take advantage of the situation or they wanted to completely destroy the Chen family.

In just one day, the Chen family had fallen into a precarious situation, and he didn't know who could change their fate.

Chen Yi waved his hand, indicating that Liu Shen didn't need to bow, and then asked, "How are the family members doing now?"

Liu Shen felt a deep sense of powerlessness. He could only muster his spirits and reply, "Patriarch, the family now... has only nine people left: one guard, five master craftsmen, and three servants."

"The shop managers of Qingyang Market fled as soon as they heard the news, so there are only nine people left."

After saying this, Liu Shen felt somewhat ashamed. He had previously chosen the person in charge of Qingyang Market, and he had also selected many of the master craftsmen and handymen in the medicine garden.

Even some of the guards were recruited into the Chen family by him. Since the old patriarch passed away, he has done too many things, but now it seems that he has failed miserably.

Chen Yi suddenly looked surprised and said, "Under such circumstances, nine people are still willing to stay? Steward Liu, it seems you have done a very good job managing the Chen family this past year. If it weren't for you, there might not even be a single person who would have stayed."

Liu Shen, who was originally in a dejected mood, was shaken by Chen Yi's words. He then smiled bitterly and said, "Patriarch, please don't try to comfort me. Only nine people from the entire family are left. In the end, it's because I've been an incompetent steward."

The family originally had more than a hundred people, but in an instant, only nine remained. It would be completely unreasonable to say that he, as the steward, bore no responsibility whatsoever.

Chen Yi shook his head seriously and said, "I'm not trying to comfort you. Anyone with eyes can see that the Chen family is facing a life-or-death situation. Those who stay don't even know how long they'll live. In this situation, it wouldn't be surprising if everyone left."

These words weren't meant to comfort Liu Shen; on the contrary, they truly reflected his own thoughts.

Moreover, so many people left, but Liu Shen didn't. Instead, he blamed himself, feeling that he hadn't done a good job as the housekeeper.

Chen Yi didn't feel he had any reason to criticize Liu Shen; Liu Shen had done enough and was good enough.

"Patriarch..." Liu Shen remained silent for a long time, unsure of how to begin.

Chen Yi suddenly laughed twice and said, "Steward Liu, our Chen family will not perish. Don't be discouraged and abandon the current situation."

Liu Shen suddenly raised his head, staring straight at Chen Yi, his lips moving. Chen Yi nodded at him and smiled, "You heard me right, the Chen family will be alright."

Then, Chen Yi waved his hand and said, "Where are the nine people who stayed behind? Take me to see them."

Given the situation, he had to meet with those who were still willing to stay, no matter what. They were willing to go through thick and thin with the Chen family, and it would be wrong of him, as the head of the family, to let them down.

"Master, they're all outside the hall. I've brought them here," Liu Shen said.

Chen Yi was somewhat surprised. The next moment, he walked out of the hall and immediately saw that there were already nine figures standing in the open space outside the hall.

A guard holding an iron spear, standing ramrod straight; five hunched-over, white-haired old herbalists; and three young handymen.

"Master of the family."

Upon seeing Chen Yi, the nine people immediately bowed in greeting.

Chen Yi bowed and raised his hand to return the greeting to the nine people in front of him, saying, "No need for formalities. At this moment, since you are all willing to stay, I should be the one to greet you."

The guard who stood the straightest suddenly said, "Master, since we have stayed, we have decided to live and die with the family. If you have any orders, I, Tan, will go to my death now."

Chen Yi looked at the guard in front of him. He knew the guard's name: Tan Zheng, over fifty years old, at the second level of Qi Refining.

The Chen family didn't have many guards to begin with, so remembering the name of each guard was a very simple matter.

"Uncle Tan, the Chen family hasn't reached the point where we all have to die. I thank you in advance for your willingness to stay," Chen Yi said.

Tan Zheng quickly returned the greeting and said, "Patriarch, please don't flatter this rough man. Twenty years ago, when I was at the first level of Qi Refining, I was seriously injured and on the verge of death in a fight. It was the old patriarch who saved me and made me a family guard. Such kindness deserves my life. If the family encounters an enemy, I should die before everyone else."

At this moment, an old master craftsman who had been hunched over straightened up a bit and said to Chen Yi, "That makes sense, Patriarch. We old men are no match for the guards; we are just ordinary people. However, we have lived in the Chen family our whole lives, and no matter what storms the family encounters, we have no intention of leaving."

"Our family has given us a peaceful life, and the medicinal herbs in the herb garden have sustained us throughout our lives. If we can die in the herb garden at the end, and our old and frail bodies can turn into soil to nourish some of the herbs, that would be the best ending for us."

There are countless cultivators in the world, while ordinary people like them are just lowly beings who can be wiped out at will. They have no reason not to be satisfied with a peaceful life.

Chen Yi was silent for a moment. He realized that the nine people who stayed behind were actually prepared to die in the Chen family.

Their reluctance to leave wasn't necessarily due to a lack of fear of death; it was simply because this place was the safest and most reassuring place they had ever been in their lives.

The Chen family, the Chen family, has never been just his Chen family, but also the Chen family of the nine people in front of him.

…………

It was evening when Li Changqing returned to the courtyard. Upon seeing Chen Yi, Li Changqing immediately asked, "Are the Ning and Zhang families planning to force us to join forces, and then, under the guise of an alliance, to completely devour the Chen family?"

Chen Yi laughed and said, "We're on the same wavelength! You hit the nail on the head right away."

Ignoring the idea of ​​telepathy, Li Changqing continued, "You must know that there are only nine people left in the family."

"I understand. To be honest, it's already quite good that nine people stayed. No one should have faced such a life-or-death crisis with the Chen family, but I'm happy that some people are willing to stay," Chen Yi said.

After asking those two questions, Li Changqing nodded and said, "I have one more question. The Chen family suddenly faced a major upheaval, but you didn't seem nervous at all. Why is that?"

This was the most puzzling thing in her mind. When the Ning family patriarch came in person before, Chen Yi was unusually calm. Now that the situation was even more dangerous, she didn't see Chen Yi show any panic.

Is it really possible for a 22-year-old to remain calm and composed even when faced with a collapsing mountain?

Chen Yi glanced at Li Changqing, thinking that this woman was quite perceptive. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How could I not be nervous? I just feel that things have come to this point, and the most important thing is to find a way to deal with it. I'm not afraid to tell you, if you hadn't produced a pill formula, I would have been prepared to run away with the people who wanted to stay in the family."

Li Changqing squinted. She couldn't tell whether Chen Yi's words were true or false, but she was certain that Chen Yi must have some secrets that she couldn't understand.

Without asking any further questions, Li Changqing said, "You need to go to the Zidan Sect first thing tomorrow morning. Be careful when you get there. Since the Zidan Sect refused to accept our medicinal herbs because of the Zhao family, it means that there are people in the Zidan Sect who are on good terms with the Zhao family. Don't be careless. Your own safety is the most important thing."

These words surprised Chen Yi, giving him the feeling of a wife instructing her husband who was about to go on a long trip.

Of course, he only thought this in his heart and didn't dare to say it out loud.

"Understood. Also, regarding the origin of the pill formula, I'll say it was something the Chen family ancestor obtained by chance. What do you think?" Chen Yi said.

After pondering for a moment, Li Changqing said, "Alright, since the Purple Pill Sect will definitely investigate the origin of the pill formula anyway, let's just say whatever we want and let them investigate."

The two then discussed the matter for a long time before Li Changqing finally returned to his room late at night.

…………

Before dawn, a spirited steed had already left the Chen family and headed towards the Purple Pill Sect.

Chen Yi sat on the spirit horse, somewhat surprised.

The steed beneath him was not only extremely fast, but also remarkably stable, running without any noticeable bumps.

This allowed him to focus on his journey to the Purple Pill Sect. He had discussed many things with Li Changqing last night, but there were some things he hadn't told Li Changqing.

The Grand Steward of the Purple Pill Sect's Affairs Hall has a connection with the Chen family. However, the Purple Pill Sect has decided to stop purchasing medicinal herbs from the Chen family without prior notice from the Grand Steward. So, whether this connection is still stable is questionable.

If this Grand Elder no longer cares about past relationships, then his trip to the Purple Pill Sect may not go smoothly.

Since the Zhao family is targeting the Chen family and intends to destroy the Chen family's foundation in one fell swoop, they must be aware of the relationship between that Grand Steward and the Chen family. With the Zhao family's current capabilities, it is possible for them to bribe this Grand Steward.

Of course, this was just his guess; the truth would only be known upon meeting the Grand Deacon.

After thinking a lot along the way, when the spirit horse stopped, Chen Yi looked up and saw a mountain nearly a thousand meters high, covered with magnificent buildings.

At the summit, a nine-story tower was built, piercing the clouds and adding to the mountain's imposing presence.

Besides, within a radius of five miles at the foot of the mountain, there are still large areas of buildings. The entire mountain, including these buildings, is the Purple Pill Sect.

Chen Yi was somewhat shocked. He had little experience and thought that the Purple Pill Sect was at most a small sect occupying a small hill. Now it seemed that the Purple Pill Sect was showing great potential, far exceeding his expectations.

"The Purple Pill Sect is the strongest sect within a radius of three thousand miles, but in the end, it's still just a small sect. If a small sect can already have such an aura, what kind of magnificent aura must the Eastern Divine Sect, where Li Changqing once belonged, have? And the world's number one Tai Xuan Sect..."

Thinking about this, Chen Yi felt more and more that he knew too little about this world, so little that he couldn't even guess how terrifying those powerful sects could be.

"Could it be Chen Yi, the head of the Chen family?"

A voice suddenly rang out, instantly bringing Chen Yi back to his senses. Looking up, Chen Yi saw a disciple dressed in the robes of the Purple Pill Sect standing not far away.

Chen Yi tried hard to suppress the shock in his heart. He didn't understand why, as soon as he arrived near the Purple Pill Sect, disciples of the sect appeared and recognized his identity.

"It seems it really is Patriarch Chen. I was sent by the Grand Steward of the Sect Affairs Hall. The Grand Steward instructed me that Patriarch Chen should arrive in the next two days and to keep an eye out. If Patriarch Chen arrives, just come with me to see the Grand Steward." Seeing Chen Yi's expression, the disciple of the Purple Pill Sect immediately understood that he had finally met the person he was waiting for.

Chen Yi's heart stirred, and he said, "Thank you for waiting here, Brother Dao. But what is the purpose of the Grand Elder's actions?"

The disciple immediately explained, "Patriarch Chen, just call me Song Cheng. I am the disciple of the Grand Steward. Patriarch Chen will know why Master sent me here to wait for you when he sees Master."

Chen Yi frowned slightly. The current situation was beyond his expectations. He couldn't even be sure if Song Cheng was a disciple of the Grand Steward.

He really wanted to try out the system's identification function, but since this function could only be used once a day, Chen Yi immediately held back.

Then Chen Yi said directly, "Then I'll trouble Brother Song to lead the way."

He had just considered whether Song Cheng's appearance was part of a scheme orchestrated by the Zhao family against him, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

The Zhao family didn't need to use such schemes to target him, because the Zhao family was powerful. If they really wanted to target him, they could have just attacked the Chen family directly.

Therefore, the person in front of him, Song Cheng, is most likely indeed someone sent by the Grand Steward to wait for him. As for why, the only possibility is that he is a person within the Purple Pill Sect who is related to the Zhao family and has an extremely high status, so high that even the Grand Steward has to be careful.

If that's the case, it makes sense that the Grand Steward didn't inform the Chen family beforehand when the Purple Pill Sect refused to accept the Chen family's medicinal materials.

Some of the higher-ups in the Purple Pill Sect are cooperating with the Zhao family. The Grand Steward is just a Grand Steward of the Sect Affairs Hall, how could he dare to make any rash moves?

Making someone wait for you here is clearly a way to avoid attracting attention.

After much thought, Chen Yi realized that resolving the Chen family's crisis this time would not be easy.

With Song Cheng leading the way, the journey was smooth and unimpeded. About ten minutes later, in a not-so-small mansion, Chen Yi met an old man with white hair and beard.

Song Wen, the chief steward of the Zongwu Hall.

Upon seeing Chen Yi, Song Wen almost immediately sighed, "You little rascal, since I didn't warn the Chen family beforehand, you should understand that even I, the Grand Steward, can't help the Chen family. Coming here will only put you in danger."

"What you should have done was to take the entire Chen family and flee far away as soon as possible. Instead, you came here. It's no use coming here. The Zhao family is powerful, and the presence of high-ranking members of the sect has become their reliance."

"Even if I, as the Grand Steward, intervene, I can't change anything. The Chen family is destined to perish; there's no chance to defy fate."