Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 167 The Feng Family Issue

The Jiang family members behind him also bowed to Chen Anran, their faces showing lingering fear and gratitude.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Chen!"

"Fellow Daoist Chen is truly righteous!"

Chen Anran quickly stepped aside and returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Elder Jiang, you flatter me. Fellow Daoists, you are too kind. The situation was critical just now, and we were simply helping each other out. I dare not take credit for anything."

"Oh, don't be modest! Just be yourself!" Jiang Yan straightened up, waved his hand, and a genuine smile appeared on his chubby face. "So young, yet your cultivation is so profound, and you have so many tricks up your sleeve. You stand up in crucial moments, that's impressive! Absolutely impressive! If our Yunwa was half as reliable as you, I'd be laughing in my sleep!"

Hearing this, Jiang Yun shrank back and muttered softly, "Uncle, my magical artifacts are still somewhat useful... it's just that I'm unlucky..."

"Shut the hell up!" Jiang Yan turned around and glared at him. "You still have the nerve to say that! I'll deal with you when we get back! What kind of crap did you concoct? A router? A humidifier? You've made me lose face at the Feng family's place!"

Jiang Yun lowered his head dejectedly.

Chen Anran found it amusing, but maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

After reprimanding his grand-nephew, Jiang Yan turned to Chen Anran, rubbed his hands together, and smiled even more warmly: "Fellow Daoist Chen, look... our two families have become friends through a fight, and since we fought side by side today, we're practically bound by life-or-death bonds! You must come visit Sichuan sometime! Our hotpot is absolutely delicious! I guarantee you and Miss Xiaolu will want to come back again and again!"

His words immediately eased the tension considerably. Feng Wenzheng also stepped forward at the opportune moment and solemnly said to Chen Anran, "Young friend Chen, the Feng family will never forget your kindness today."

His gaze swept over Chen Anran, then glanced at Feng Xiaolu behind him, who was still shaken but had bright eyes. He understood immediately that the marriage alliance with the Jiang family had been completely ruined after the earth-shattering events that had just transpired. Chen Anran's demonstrated strength and sense of responsibility forced him to re-evaluate this young man from the Yunyin Sect and his relationship with Feng Xiaolu.

"You flatter me, Patriarch." Chen Anran bowed slightly. "I have come here only to bring back my senior sister."

Feng Wenzheng looked into Chen Anran's calm yet resolute eyes, then at Feng Xiaolu's hand tightly gripping Chen Anran's sleeve, and sighed inwardly, knowing that the matter was beyond saving. He nodded, his tone softening considerably: "This matter... will be discussed later. The most urgent tasks are to treat the wounded, appease the clansmen, and assess the losses."

He turned his gaze to Feng Yue, whose expression was shifting rapidly, and his tone turned serious: "Fourth brother, you have witnessed what happened today. If it weren't for young friend Chen's intervention, our Feng family would have been in danger of annihilation. The marriage proposal is hereby cancelled, and should not be mentioned again!"

Feng Yue opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but when he met Feng Wenzheng's unquestionable gaze, and the lingering fear and resentment in the eyes of the surrounding clansmen, he swallowed his words and lowered his head with a pale face.

"Alright, everyone disperse." Feng Wenzheng waved his hand, his voice weary. "Wenyuan, you're badly injured. Go back and heal. Changyuan, lead the men to thoroughly patrol the clan's territory, reinforce the barrier, and be careful that demon doesn't return."

The crowd dispersed as instructed, leaving only the disciples cleaning up the scene on the training ground.

Jiang Yan and his family took their leave. Before leaving, he held Chen Anran's hand and warmly invited him to visit Sichuan. He patted his chest and assured him, "Fellow Daoist Chen, rest assured! Our Jiang family will absolutely not force Miss Xiaolu to do anything she doesn't want to do! As for Yunwa'er, I'll give her a good talking to when I get back! From now on, your Yunyin Sect will be our Jiang family's closest friend!"

During the conversation, Jiang Yan, the fat fox, enthusiastically exchanged contact information with Chen Anran.

The storm seems to have subsided for the time being.

As Chen Anran watched Jiang Yan and the others leave, listening to their increasingly distant Sichuan and Chongqing accents, he was not completely at ease.

The purpose of the black-clad woman impersonating the Crimson Spirit Cult remains a mystery, and her final whisper about the "revival of spiritual energy" lingers in his mind.

Although the Feng family's territory was not fundamentally damaged by this calamity, the people were filled with anxiety. The tense atmosphere that had been created by the marriage alliance and Chen Anran's arrival was replaced by a sense of bewilderment and exhaustion after surviving a disaster.

As the head of the family, Feng Wenzheng needed to handle the aftermath, appease the clansmen, and reinforce the protective barrier, so he had no time to discuss Feng Xiaolu's future with Chen Anran. Chen Anran and the other two were also invited back to the guest courtyard of "Tingzhu Garden" to rest.

The courtyard gate was closed, isolating it from the disturbances of the outside world.

Qi Lan casually sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard, took off her hat and fanned herself, her amber eyes gleaming with excitement: "Tsk, this trip was definitely worthwhile! First, I saw a cyberpunk artifact show, then I encountered a fake demon lord, and finally, two real... well, 'interesting' guys showed up." She looked at Chen Anran and teased, "Fellow Daoist Chen, you're quite the hot commodity now. The Feng family owes you a huge favor, and the Jiang family also wants to curry favor with you."

Chen Anran rubbed his temples, not relaxing despite the apparent improvement. He looked at Huiming, who had remained silent, and asked, "Huiming, your injury?"

"Amitabha, thank you for your concern, Master. It's just that my qi and blood were shaken. I'll be fine after a short while." Huiming put his hands together, his face was still a little pale, but his eyes were calm.

"That's good." Chen Anran nodded, his expression becoming serious. "There are too many suspicious points about today's events. That woman in black is far stronger than a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet she disguised herself as a demon of the Crimson Spirit Sect, and what she said at the end was even more bizarre."

"She said, 'No matter what, we must not let the revival of spiritual energy truly descend.'" As a demon, Qi Lan naturally heard these words as well. She frowned. "What does that mean? She sounds like... a hero who stopped the disaster? But her methods are clearly those of an evil cultivator."

"And then there's the bell and the stone that appeared later," Huiming pondered. "They claimed to be disciples of the Crimson Spirit Sect, yet they easily exposed the woman as an imposter. The Crimson Spirit Sect disappeared for hundreds of years; what is their purpose in suddenly reappearing? And what does the bell girl's final words to Master Chen, 'We'll meet again soon,' foreshadow?"

Chen Anran sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

Who knows?

…………

Outside the sealed family's barrier lies the Lost Forest.

The bell and the stone were nowhere near as relaxed and carefree as they had been in the training ground. The giant stone silently strode forward, each step causing the ancient trees around him to rustle, his speed creating a gust of wind through the forest.

The bell perched on his shoulder had long lost its innocent, confident smile, replaced by fear and anxiety. Readers are discussing: What exactly happened? Join the discussion. She gripped the clothes around Stone's neck tightly, her small body leaning slightly forward, her large, dark eyes constantly scanning the dense fog and twisted trees around her warily, as if something terrifying might leap out at any moment.

"Hurry! Stone, faster!" Bell's voice trembled slightly as she patted Stone's broad shoulder forcefully. "That old hag is powerful! Her aura is incredibly strange; we can't fathom her depths at all! We have to leave this place quickly, or if we run into her again, who knows what kind of mess she'll turn us into!"

Stone let out a muffled sound from its throat, its speed increasing once again. Its massive body displayed an agility disproportionate to its size, forcefully carving a path through the labyrinthine forest.

"I was so scared, so really scared..." Bell patted her flat chest, muttering with lingering fear, "I thought she was just a fake with some skills, but I didn't expect her to be such a tough nut to crack! That aura she exudes... tsk, unless all the Demon Lords in our sect awaken, there's no way we can fight her... really... where did this monster come from?"

"And the way she looked at that kid at the end, did you notice? It wasn't the way she looked at an ant at all, it was more like... looking at her 'family'?" Lingdang analyzed to herself, her little face scrunched up.

Stone listened silently, but his running speed did not decrease at all.

"What a loss! What a huge loss this time!" The more Lingdang thought about it, the angrier she became. She forcefully tugged at the bell on her bag, making a crisp but irritating sound. "That old Taoist Zhang said our opportunity lay with this kid, otherwise I wouldn't have come along. But looking at the situation now, this isn't an opportunity at all, it's more like a death sentence!"

Stone:"……"

He silently endured his master's complaints, his steps as steady as a mountain.

"Forget it, forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore!" Lingdang shook her head, as if trying to shake off the shock and jumbled thoughts from just now. "Let's get out of this trouble first! Stone, target Cloud Hidden Sect, avoid all areas where old monsters might be! My heart is still pounding!"

The giant stone gave another muffled "hmm," turned slightly, and, with the demonic cult's saintess Bell on his shoulder patting her chest with a "baby's been frightened" expression, disappeared into the depths of the labyrinthine forest at an even faster speed, leaving only the branches that had been knocked aside still swaying slightly, and the faint sound of the silver bell gradually fading away.

…………

The atmosphere in the Feng family council hall was completely different from yesterday.

Feng Wenzheng sat in the main seat, while the number of clan elders on both sides was much smaller.

Feng Wenyuan's face was still pale, but his breathing had become much more stable, indicating that he had taken healing pills.

Just after they finished discussing the many matters to be dealt with afterward, and how to guard against the Crimson Spirit Sect and that "old monster," Feng Wenyuan's gaze first swept over the clan elders before finally settling on Feng Wenzheng, who was sitting in the main seat.

"Patriarch, I believe we need to re-evaluate both the Cloud Hidden Sect and Chen Anran."

Feng Wenyuan's words echoed in the council hall, breaking the brief silence.

An elderly clan elder, whose hair and beard had remained silent until now, slowly spoke up, "What Wen Yuan said is not without reason. This young man, Chen Anran, is not yet twenty years old, yet he possesses the strengths of both Buddhism and Taoism, and is protected by a heroic spirit. In times of crisis, he was able to unleash a power comparable to the late Foundation Establishment stage, and even faintly touched the threshold of Core Formation. The mystery of his lineage and the magnitude of his potential are far beyond what ordinary small sects can cultivate."

His cloudy gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on Feng Wenzheng: "Patriarch, our Feng family has stood strong for a thousand years, relying not only on its rich heritage but also on its keen judgment of the times. In today's situation, a marriage alliance with the Jiang family is no longer feasible. Moreover, after this calamity, our Feng family's strength has been weakened and its prestige has been damaged. It would be unwise to further antagonize Chen Anran and even the Yunyin Sect behind him."

Another elder chimed in, his voice tinged with lingering fear: "Furthermore, if this young man hadn't stepped forward today and delayed that imposter posing as the Crimson Spirit Sect's demoness, we might not even be sitting here safely. This is a life-saving grace. If our Feng family were to betray us and repay kindness with enmity, and such behavior were to spread, our thousand-year reputation would be ruined in an instant. How could we possibly have the face to stand in the cultivation world afterward?"

Hearing these remarks, Feng Yue's expression grew increasingly grim, and he couldn't help but retort, "Uncles and elders! This boy has indeed made contributions, but our Wuji Ancestor said..."

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Wenzheng interrupted him, "What Ancestor Wuji said is true. To arrange a good marriage for Xiaolu, we must not only consider the other party's family background, but also their potential and aptitude. After that, we must do our utmost to cultivate their offspring."

Having said that, Feng Wenzheng smiled slightly and continued, "And now it seems that Xiaolu's junior brother's potential and aptitude far surpass any of the young talents we've encountered before, including Jiang Yun." Feng Wenzheng's gaze swept over Feng Yue, whose face was ashen, and finally landed on Chen Anran. His tone was calm but carried the weight of a family head, "What Ancestor Wuji seeks is nothing more than the prosperity of the family's bloodline and inheritance. If Xiaolu can become a Daoist partner with young friend Chen, the aptitude of their descendants will surely be even more promising. I believe the Ancestor will not object to this outcome."

An elder, who had mostly remained silent and focused on cultivation, stroked his beard and pondered, "The patriarch's words hit the nail on the head. Our ancestor was farsighted; what he sought was the long-term prosperity of our Feng family's bloodline and lineage. That Chen Anran, at such a young age, already possessed the strength of several families and unleashed such power in dire circumstances. His potential and fortune are truly terrifying. If Xiaolu could marry him, the offspring they would have would likely possess... immeasurable talent and aptitude. This is indeed more in line with our ancestor's expectations than a marriage alliance with the Jiang family."

Another, younger elder, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness, added, "Not only that. After this battle, the Jiang family is deeply grateful to Chen Anran and is making every effort to befriend him. If we can establish a closer connection with Chen Anran and the Yunyin Sect, we will not only avoid losing the Jiang family as an ally, but we might even form a more stable triangular relationship through Chen Anran. After all, we have shared life and death with the Jiang family today."

"Hmph, you only see the benefits, have you ever considered the risks?" Although Feng Yue knew the situation was hopeless, he was still unwilling to give up and said coldly, "This boy's origins are mysterious, and the Yunyin Sect is virtually unknown, yet it has produced such a figure. Is there something else hidden behind him? His cultivation methods are diverse, combining Buddhism and Taoism, and he even has a heroic spirit accompanying him. Whether such a lineage is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen! Isn't it too risky to rashly entrust the future of our family to him?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Wenyuan coughed lightly. Though his face was pale, his tone was firm: "Fourth Brother, risk and opportunity always go hand in hand. I observe this young man's character; he values ​​loyalty and righteousness. He risked his life to save Xiaolu and dared to stand up against powerful enemies. He is not a cold-hearted or cunning person. Such character is far more valuable than those who are wealthy but whose minds are unpredictable. As for his lineage, perhaps that is where his opportunity lies. If we treat him with sincerity, we might be able to share in his good fortune."