"Hold on."

Chen Ye had just sent Qing Jun and Zhiwei off for a bath when his keen Divine Sense detected several aggressive and formidable auras closing in on Lisong Valley from outside the valley.

He hadn't expected the leader to be none other than Xu Qingsong, who had been missing for half a year!

Back then, after Chen Ye visited Mao Qingzhu, he didn't know what means his sworn sister employed, but it caused the Xu Family to lay low for the next six months, refraining from bothering Chen Ye.

However...

The sudden visit today leaves its intentions unspoken,

At the mouth of the valley.

Duan Ling had already been frightened into a cold sweat by the overwhelming Spiritual Pressure. Looking at the Blue Luan flying boat before him and the young men and women aboard, he felt his throat dry up, and even breathing became extraordinarily difficult.

It wasn't that his will was weak, but he was forcibly intimidated by someone's cultivation.

Only when Chen Ye's figure descended quietly, with the invisible power of the Mountain Protection Array subtly alleviating most of the pressure for him,

did Duan Ling feel as if granted amnesty, and he whispered:

"Steward Chen, be careful. This group is from the Xu Family of Moon Rhinoceros Lake. The leading man is Xu Qingsong! And behind their group, that elder... his aura is unfathomable! The terrifying pressure just now was secretly released by him, likely at the Foundation Establishment stage!"

Duan Ling's voice carried a hint of fear. The oppressive feeling from a Foundation Establishment cultivator was no less than a mountain weighing down, for him who was a Qi Cultivation disciple.

Chen Ye slightly nodded, his gaze passing over the proud figure of Xu Qingsong standing at the forefront, landing on the elder at the back of the crowd.

The elder, with white hair and beard, leaned on a wooden cane, sitting comfortably on the back of the Blue Luan like a charioteer.

His attire was humble, his aura restrained.

As Chen Ye's gaze shot over like lightning, the elder slowly raised his eyelids and gave a faint smile. Though the smile was extremely calm, it sparked a sense of foreboding in Chen Ye's heart.

Although he had already reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation,

the difference between the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation and a Foundation Establishment cultivator was a chasm!

Fortunately... remembering that Sister Qingzhu was currently cultivating quietly in Lisong Valley, Chen Ye's tense heartstrings relaxed somewhat.

Ha, he had support too!

Chen Ye immediately sneered coldly, "What a grand air, senior! Since we are all cultivators under the rule of the Lingyin Sect, why do you intimidate a sect disciple without a word? Could it be that the Xu Family intends to rebel?"

The elder's face turned cold, "What a sharp-tongued boy, thinking that just because you can withstand seventy percent of my spiritual pressure with the grand array, you have some skill?"

Chen Ye shook his head, "Not as skilled as you, senior. For a senior who is already aged, to still bully young disciples, I am truly in awe."

His words not only angered the elder but also left Duan Ling dumbfounded.

Everyone thought that even if Chen Ye was unhappy, he would surely bow his head in front of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet he not only didn't bow but retorted with cold irony.

"Steward Chen, this is a Foundation Establishment cultivator..."

Duan Ling was urgently trying to persuade him in a low voice, his face anxious, though inwardly he was deeply moved.

How fortunate I am, Duan Ling, to have Chen Ye standing up for me in front of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

"So what if it's a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Taoist Friend Duan, I know what I'm doing. If they belittle you, it's as if they belittle me, Chen Ye!" Chen Ye said with resolute conviction.

These words moved Duan Ling to tears.

Chen Ye was not being reckless.

It's a simple truth.

Previously, Xu Qingsong had already schemed against him over the Qing Jun incident, and now their visit clearly harbors no good intentions, hence their enmity with the Xu Family.

Since they were going to be trouble no matter what, did he really think being deferential would make Xu Qingsong go easy on him?

No...

If he knelt and begged for forgiveness, handing over Qing Jun to the Xu Family, perhaps only then would the Xu Family be too lazy to "settle scores" with him!

"Very well, very well!"

The elder was extremely angry, raising his arm slightly, but hesitated when he saw the spiritual light flowing behind Chen Ye in Lisong Valley.

Chen Ye was, after all, the steward of Lisong Valley.

Moreover, although his words were disrespectful, they were grounded in reason.

He might have gotten away with using pressure covertly, but if he openly attacked the steward of the valley with Foundation Establishment cultivation... the Lingyin Sect wouldn't care whether he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator or a Qi Cultivation practitioner.

"Taoist Friend Chen, we haven't met for half a year, and your tongue has become much sharper. Tsk, tsk, tsk, this is not like the Steward Chen who used to sigh and lament in front of Xu back then."

Xu Qingsong's gaze darkened slightly as he stepped forward, smiling faintly as he spoke,

"Come to think of it. After all, a little Spirit Plant Cultivator who just joined the sect suddenly turned into the manager of Medicine Valley—well done, well done. It seems that Taoist Friend Chen is indeed good at dabbling with plants and flowers. Even in mundane society, such talent would make an excellent old farmer."

As soon as he finished speaking, several Xu family members behind him burst into laughter in response.

The blue-robed cultivator chuckled lightly, looking elegant:

"Perhaps, at Xu's house, we once enjoyed the Spirit Plants painstakingly grown by Steward Chen. In saying this, we owe Steward Chen a big thank you."

The crowd erupted in laughter again, full of mockery.

The visitors came with ill intentions.

Chen Ye's thoughts raced, unsure of the Xu Family's purpose in visiting.

In a few days, it would be Mao Qingzhu and Qing Jun's time to return to the Xu Family, so why were they causing him trouble today?

They must have known that Mao Qingzhu was in Lisong Valley.

Was it merely a show of strength? Or did they have other motives?

"A thank you, indeed."

Chen Ye showed no sign of anger, looking around at the Xu Family members, speaking unhurriedly,

"My sect is not good at pills, lacks skill in Artifact Refining, does not have the Puppetry Skill as a legacy, and does not engage in the Demon Path practices of plundering Loose Cultivators. May I ask, fellow Taoists, where do the Spirit Stones that keep the sect running come from? From where do our disciples' monthly stipends arise? And why, then, is the path of Spirit Plants being mocked now?"

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