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

Li Changqing admitted that she couldn't understand Chen Yi's actions and some of his decisions, which was a fact she couldn't deny.

For example, right now, Chen Yi is smiling like a little fox, and she doesn't know what he's thinking. But after a moment's thought, she stops thinking about it.

She has now obtained the Spirit Condensation Pill and has begun to manage the Chen family according to her own wishes; these are the reasons she joined the Chen family.

Since that's the case, there's no need to overthink it. It's impossible for a person to understand everything. As long as it doesn't bother you, you can completely ignore it.

These thoughts flashed through his mind, and Li Changqing finally spoke: "I do."

She then looked at Liu Shen and said, "Steward Liu, then I'll trouble you to find someone to calculate an auspicious time."

Over the past few days, Liu Shen had become accustomed to obeying Li Changqing's orders, and upon hearing this, he immediately said, "Okay, okay, I'll do it right away."

After saying that, Liu Shen, with a look of delight on his face, turned and quickly left.

Chen Yi looked at Li Changqing's decisive and efficient style of doing things and couldn't help but laugh again. After laughing, he suddenly became a little lost in thought.

His dream used to be to save some money, get married, and have a son and a daughter. That would make his life complete. But now, he felt a little wistful.

Life can be filled with countless experiences, but at this moment, this is an experience he never expected.

How could anyone imagine that he, a mere Qi Refining Stage 2... oh, now Stage 3, is actually preparing to marry a former Tribulation Transcending Stage peak cultivator?

It was indeed exciting, but Chen Yi was also a little confused. Li Changqing still seemed willing, but what would this woman's plans be once they were actually married?

Then another thought came to his mind, and he immediately looked at Li Changqing and said, "Since things have come to this point, it would be inappropriate for you to call me Patriarch Chen and for me to call you Miss Li. From now on, I will call you Changqing, and you can just call me Chen Yi."

He originally wanted to say that you can just call me Chen Lang from now on, but after thinking about it, he didn't dare to do anything reckless.

This was nothing of great importance, and Li Changqing nodded without hesitation, saying, "You're right, from now on I'll call you Chen Yi."

Chen Yi laughed and immediately called out, "Changqing."

Li Changqing pursed her lips, feeling a sudden sense of helplessness. Sometimes even she couldn't see through Chen Yi's thoughts, but sometimes she realized that Chen Yi was actually quite childish.

"If there's nothing else, I'll get back to my work," Li Changqing said.

Before Chen Yi could even speak, Liu Shen, who had left earlier, suddenly rushed back, his face filled with anxiety and fear.

"Have people from the Ning family arrived?" Chen Yi asked immediately.

Liu Shen is usually mature and prudent, so his current anxiety indicates that something has happened that is far beyond his control, and right now, it can only be because of the Ning family.

Sure enough, Liu Shen nodded immediately, his tone revealing deep unease: "Yes, the Ning family patriarch came in person, bringing two Qi Refining Stage 6 experts with him. Moreover, he even brought the already deceased Ning Zhong. It's clear they're here to interrogate us..."

The presence of the Ning family patriarch, with his menacing and vengeful demeanor, could not help but fill him with dread.

"Don't be nervous, Changqing and I will be right there. Just invite them to the hall," Chen Yi said calmly.

Liu Shen was stunned for a moment, not understanding why the patriarch could remain so calm, but now was not the time to say more. Having received his orders, he immediately hurried off again.

"You said before that I could handle it, why have you changed your mind now?"

Chen Yi and Li Changqing also left the courtyard and headed towards the main hall of the house. On the way, Li Changqing suddenly asked a question.

Without a second thought, Chen Yi said, "Naturally, you should handle this. However, the Ning family came with great force, so it's inevitable that there will be some arguments at the beginning. To put it bluntly, before revealing their true intentions, the two families will inevitably exchange a few words. You, as a woman, are not suitable for this kind of thing. So, you should handle the important matters, and I'll take care of the verbal sparring."

Li Changqing nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions. However, after Liu Shen reported that the Ning family head had arrived in person, she was already observing Chen Yi.

Chen Yi remained calm throughout, showing no signs of anxiety or fear, which confirmed her earlier suspicions.

The little guy genuinely believed she could handle the situation, which is why he remained so calm even at this point, something she couldn't understand.

Upon arriving in the hall, Chen Yi sat down, and Li Changqing sat to his left. Just as they sat down, a cold snort rang out.

Several figures also stepped into the hall at this moment. The one in the lead was a middle-aged man with a cold face and narrow, indifferent eyes.

The middle-aged man was followed by two people and several servants, who carried a wooden board on which Ning Zhong's body was placed.

Several servants carried the wooden planks and placed them directly in the Chen family's main hall before retreating behind the middle-aged man.

"Ning Zhenshan, the head of the Ning family, has come to visit the Chen family. Why is the head of the Chen family not here to greet him? Does the head of the Chen family look down on me?" The middle-aged man's eyes were already fixed on Chen Yi. His tone was cold, and his attitude was obviously extremely domineering.

Chen Yi glanced at Li Changqing, his meaning clear—you see, this is where a few words of insults have to start.

Then, Chen Yi ignored Ning Zhenshan, the head of the Ning family, and stood up, walked to the wooden board, bent down and carefully looked at Ning Zhong on the board.

After watching for a while, Chen Yi got up and sighed repeatedly, "Butler Ning died a really tragic death. What's even more tragic is that he has been dead for two days but cannot be laid to rest."

At this point, Chen Yi turned to Ning Zhenshan and asked curiously, "Does Patriarch Ning lack the money for Steward Ning's funeral? Otherwise, why would he treat Steward Ning so disrespectfully? This doesn't make sense."

Ning Zhenshan's imposing aura at this moment actually put immense pressure on Chen Yi. The aura of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator was as imposing as a mountain to him.

In addition, the two people behind Ning Zhenshan are both at the sixth level of Qi Refining. The strength of these three alone far surpasses that of the Chen family.

Faced with such an aura and the three menacing gazes, Chen Yi remained unusually calm, but he knew exactly what was going on.

A few words made Ning Zhenshan's face turn dark. Not only did his face turn dark, but Chen Yi's reaction also surprised Ning Zhenshan. He had taken Ning Zhong's death as an opportunity to come to the door in a fierce manner, and originally thought that the young Chen Yi would immediately bow down and be subservient upon meeting him.

However, it is highly unreasonable that Chen Yi first ignored his words and then dared to mock him like this.

After pondering for a moment, Ning Zhenshan finally sneered and said, "You're right. Ning Zhong has been dead for two days and still hasn't been buried. The reason he hasn't been buried is because the person who killed him hasn't paid the price yet. Chen Yi, I haven't taken action because I thought of the friendship I once had with your father. But if the Chen family doesn't give me a satisfactory explanation for Ning Zhong's death, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

The sudden killing of Ning Zhong was unexpected for the entire Ning family. However, with Ning Zhong's death, the Ning family might be able to swallow up the Chen family more quickly and naturally.

That's why Ning Zhenshan personally brought two Qi Refining Stage 6 cultivators from his family today.

Chen Yi frowned, his tone displeased: "Patriarch Ning's words are unreasonable."

Ning Zhenshan scoffed. What does "reasonable" even mean? Does it matter whether something is reasonable or not?

He wasn't going to listen to Chen Yi's nonsense, but Chen Yi had already spoken up: "According to you, if Ning Zhong is killed within my Chen family's territory, my Chen family has to give you an explanation. But if I go to your Ning family's territory and stab myself twice, does your Ning family have to commit suicide to apologize to me?"

"If someone dies, go find the murderer. Why come to the Chen family demanding an explanation? I think you're just trying to stir up trouble and plot against my Chen family."

Ning Zhenshan's eyes twitched a few times. Who said Chen Yi was irritable, easily angered, and ruthless? He was clearly sharp-tongued and his words were like swords.

He glanced at Chen Yi, finally losing his patience, and said coldly, "It seems I was too polite. If the Chen family doesn't want to give the Ning family an explanation, then the Ning family can't ask for one themselves."

Hearing this, Chen Yi smiled, turned around and sat back down in his chair. Ning Zhenshan was already planning to reveal his true intentions, so what to do next was up to Li Changqing.

He knew that Master Fang had left the Chen family, and he figured that the key to Li Changqing's handling of this matter lay with Master Fang. He was too lazy to guess the specifics; since Li Changqing had already made preparations, he would just watch.

Li Changqing glanced at Chen Yi. Chen Yi's unreasonable and argumentative manner had forced Ning Zhenshan to lose his patience with just a few words, which was quite remarkable.

Then, she looked at Ning Zhenshan and said slowly, "The Ning family wants to swallow up the Chen family without paying any price. They are underestimating the Chen family. The death of one steward is not necessarily enough."

Such direct words caused Ning Zhenshan and the two Qi Refining Stage 6 cultivators behind him to suddenly feel a chill.

"Is this the female cultivator you recruited by posting the notice to find a wife? Ning Zhong came to the Chen family with two pieces of information, one of which is that this woman is very likely a spy sent by other families to plant in the Chen family. Now, are you sure you want her to say this?"

Ning Zhenshan guessed Li Changqing's identity almost immediately, but he didn't look at Li Changqing; instead, he looked at Chen Yi.

"From now on, she'll be in charge of the Chen family," Chen Yi replied, without saying another word.

Li Changqing interjected, "Ning Zhong came here to slander me and sow discord between the Chen family and me, so I killed him."

As soon as he finished speaking, not only the Ning family members, but even Chen Yi felt a chill run down his spine.

No, killing is one thing, but why say it out loud in front of them?

That's a bit too arrogant; it's making him a little uneasy.

Li Changqing remained remarkably calm. She admitted that the reason she killed Ning Zhong was simply to make Ning Zhenshan understand that although the Chen family was weak, it did not mean they dared not kill members of the Ning family.

Making Ning Zhenshan understand this point is crucial for what he will say next.

"Good, good, good..." Ning Zhenshan was also surprised, his eyes turned cold, and a murderous intent suddenly appeared.

Li Changqing ignored it, severely injured and only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and his injuries had not yet healed.

However, if she chose to take action, she could kill everyone in the Ning family in front of her, but the price would inevitably be a complete drop in her cultivation level, with no possibility of recovery.

Of course, she had no intention of making a move.

The Ning family members had already revealed their killing intent, but she didn't care at all. Instead, she continued to speak calmly: "The Chen family had a Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge decades ago. Although he is no longer here, he left behind several treasures. Zhou Fang is the strongest person in the Chen family now."

"I have ordered Zhou Fang to leave the family with the Foundation Establishment treasure and hide in the shadows. If the Chen family is destroyed, Zhou Fang will kill any Ning family member who goes out afterward."

"If things continue as they are now, with Patriarch Ning leading his clan's experts to the Chen family, Patriarch Ning, have you considered that Zhou Fang may also be near the Ning family?"

"Would the Ning family head be willing to exchange the Chen family for the Ning family?"

Her arrangement wasn't particularly clever; it was simply using Zhou Fang as a hidden weapon. If the Chen family perished, the Ning family would never have a peaceful day again.

Ning Zhenshan is indeed at the ninth level of Qi Refining. He himself is not afraid of Zhou Fang, but the other members of the Ning family do not have this ability.

Ultimately, the methods don't need to be sophisticated; as long as they pose a sufficient threat, that's enough.

Sure enough, after hearing Li Changqing's words, Ning Zhenshan and the others' aura suddenly faltered.

"You had already made such preparations?" Ning Zhenshan felt a chill run down his spine.

Originally, it was thought that with the Ning family's meticulous preparations, it would be no surprise that they would be able to swallow up the Chen family after some time.

Now it seems that all the preparations the Ning family made were no match for the few words spoken by the woman before them.

Ning Zhenshan had no doubt that Zhou Fang might actually be hiding near the Ning family at this moment. If Zhou Fang were to make a move, no one in the Ning family would be a match for him.

Furthermore, there's the Foundation Establishment treasure mentioned by Li Changqing. The Chen family did indeed have a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the past, so the treasure left behind might not be fake.

Therefore, considering the current situation, Ning Zhenshan understood that while he could slaughter the Chen family today, his own family would inevitably suffer the same fate.

"Such ruthless methods," he couldn't help but say again.

Li Changqing said calmly, "The Ning family intends to plot against the Chen family, and their strength is superior to that of the Chen family. The Chen family's actions are merely for self-preservation."

At this point, Li Changqing suddenly waved his hand and said, "Patriarch Ning, if you don't intend to take action, then please leave and quickly carry Ning Zhong back."

Ning Zhenshan took a few deep breaths, but he still couldn't calm down. However, his inability to calm down didn't mean he still had the intention to slaughter the Chen family.

He would never choose to exchange the Chen family for the Ning family. The Ning family is stronger than the Chen family, and it would be a lose-lose situation, not worth it.

Moreover, there is another Zhang family within thirty miles. If the Ning family and the Chen family really fight to the death, the only one who will benefit is naturally the Zhang family.

Thinking of this, Ning Zhenshan subconsciously stared at Li Changqing. What he had just thought of, Li Changqing must have thought of as well. With the Zhang family around, the decline of the Ning family would also become a target for the Zhang family.

Therefore, he dared not and could not fight the Chen family to the point of mutual destruction.

He suddenly realized that he had made a mistake. He had prepared for everything, but he hadn't done the most important thing first.

Since he had decided to take action, he should have killed Zhou Fang before the Chen family could react.

Without Zhou Fang, Li Changqing's current scheme is no longer a threat.

Unfortunately, things have come to this point, and there is no chance to start over. It is impossible to swallow up the Chen family today.

"The Chen family has impressed me. Ning Zhong's death was not unjust. However, this feud has been formed. I want to see how long Zhou Fang can live. Can someone at the eighth level of Qi Refining really hide everything? Without Zhou Fang, let's see how long the Chen family can hold out." Ning Zhenshan had calmed down, and his tone was also calm.

Finding Zhou Fang will not be easy, but the Ning family doesn't need to search for him themselves; they will have someone specifically tasked with investigating his whereabouts.

The Ning family lost today, but they can afford to lose. The Chen family, apart from Zhou Fang, has no other means. Ning Zhenshan doesn't think he will lose again if they make a move next time.