Steward Chen was extremely frustrated right now.
After attending the celebratory banquet yesterday, he had been called in for another talk with several of the family's clan elders.
The gist of their conversation was that they wanted him to resign from his position as steward of the Second Division and return to the family to study Alchemy, all to counter the increasingly fierce competition from the Jiang Family.
The Chen Family was known for its Pill and Artifact Dual Proficiency, but ever since the Jiang Family's rise, a large portion of the elixir market had been seized by the Jiang Clan, and their profits had plummeted by more than half.
A key factor in this was the time required for alchemy.
In the past, the Chen Family supplied many of the Tier Two Elixirs. Other Foundation Establishment Cultivators not only had to provide money and Spirit Medicine but also had to wait in line.
But now they had another option, and many would naturally choose the one that took less time.
As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, if Steward Chen could successfully switch to practicing alchemy, he could naturally win back a lot of that business.
However, he had never been interested in alchemy, not even as a child. Instead, he was obsessed with learning different kinds of magic.
In the past, thanks to his status in the Direct Lineage, it wasn't a big deal even if he didn't contribute. A family this large wouldn't miss the efforts of one person.
But to make matters worse, with the trade routes cut off, the Chen Family's Artifact Refining business had also been hit hard.
Li State was poor. In the past, they had relied on mining local Spirit Ore, refining it into Magical Artifacts, and reselling them to wealthier regions for a profit.
But now that the Divine Fire Sect had established a firm foothold, it was likely the trade routes wouldn't be restored for the next three to five years. They had to control the quantity of Magical Artifacts being produced.
Otherwise, the overall price of Magical Artifacts would inevitably crash.
In fact, two months ago, the Chen Family had already reached an agreement with the Artifact Refining families of the other two sects to jointly reduce the production of Magical Artifacts.
Naturally, the income from Artifact Refining plummeted as a result.
So the clan elders did the math and realized, 'Wait, Steward Chen is a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, yet he hasn't learned a single trade? How can this be?'
And so, they began frequently summoning him for talks, trying to persuade him to contribute more to the family.
Especially after seeing the new generation of the Song Family yesterday. By comparison, many in the clan began to voice their opinions, putting considerable pressure on Steward Chen.
"I can hand over thirty percent more of my Spirit Stones to the family, but I genuinely dislike Alchemy."
Steward Chen tried to get out of it using his old methods, but this time, it didn't work.
"We're all one family here. Are we trying to force you to cough up your Spirit Stones to support the family? We need to be earning money from outsiders."
"What good would taking your Spirit Stones do? We all share the same name. It's just moving money from one pocket to another; the total amount doesn't change."
"In the coming years, the local elixir shops in Li State will be the family's main source of income. Zhi'an, your grand-uncle is getting old. It's time for you to lend me a hand."
Steward Chen looked up at the sky, his head throbbing. All these frustrations felt like a ball of fire burning right before his eyes.
'Huh? Why does this fire look so real?'
Ten breaths later, a pale white Sword Light descended.
Steward Chen waved his hand, instantly freezing the entire roof. He then scanned his surroundings and saw Xiao Chen not far away, casting the Water Therapy Skill on a barely breathing Li Sibao beside him.
He strode forward. "What happened?"
As he asked, he reached out, grabbing Li Sibao's wrist to check his condition.
Seeing this, Xiao Chen breathed a sigh of relief. The poison was more potent than he had imagined. He estimated it would have reached Li Sibao's heart and killed him within the hour.
Fortunately, Steward Chen had arrived just in time. Things would be much easier now.
"Steward, I was resting this morning when Li Sibao suddenly burst in and attacked me. I injured him during the fight, and he ended up afflicted with some unknown poison."
"I just asked him, and he said someone put him up to it."
Li Sibao's breath was now just a faint whisper, but he managed to raise his voice. "Steward, save me! The Poisoned Wine is buried in the right-hand corner of the wall. I still have half a bottle left."
All he wanted now was to live, so he voluntarily revealed the bottle's location, hoping they could identify the poison from its contents.
Steward Chen's expression remained calm as he spoke in a soft, gentle voice, "It's alright. You don't have to be afraid now that I'm here. First, tell me, who gave you the wine?"
Li Sibao struggled to speak. "I don't know, but I'd recognize his face. Once I'm better, I can take you to him."
Steward Chen turned to Xiao Chen. "Do you have any idea who it might be? Have you offended anyone recently?"
Before Xiao Chen could answer, Li Sibao grew frantic. "Cough... save me first... cough, save me..."
Because Steward Chen had arrived, Xiao Chen had stopped casting his Water Therapy Skill.
Now that it was no longer being suppressed, the poison was spreading rapidly.
However, Steward Chen didn't cast any magic. Instead, he took an elixir from his Storage Bag.
At first glance, the elixir was the same size and shape as a common Qi Nourishing Pill, but it emitted a peculiar, refreshing fragrance.
Xiao Chen merely caught a whiff of it and felt as if a spring breeze were caressing his face, a refreshing sensation spreading through his entire body.
Li Sibao also seemed to regain a bit of his strength, and a flicker of hope appeared in his eyes.
Steward Chen looked into Li Sibao's eyes, his tone perfectly steady. "The poison in your body is very aggressive. I don't have many options, but this Secret Medicine, a family heirloom, is the only thing that can save you."
"But it is very expensive. More expensive than your life. Now, you have a choice to make..."
"Ah!"
Li Sibao cried out and, with a sudden burst of strength from nowhere, lunged for the elixir.
"SMACK!"
Steward Chen slapped Li Sibao's outstretched hand away. "Prove your life is worth saving, or I'll take you to an Elder for help."
"If you can't, I will still do my best to find someone to save you. But if it takes too long, I can't guarantee you'll survive."
Li Sibao hesitated for a moment.
Through his few encounters with the mysterious man, he had already developed a faint suspicion that the person was from the Azure Flame Sect, one of Li State's three Major Sects.
On the surface, the three Major Sects appeared to be in harmony, but in reality, there were countless dirty dealings between them.
The resources in Li State were too scarce. There were only four large Spirit Veins, enough to support the three Major Sects and the Qianzhu Market, and that was it.
And yet, the state was also home to a great number of smaller Spirit Veins, which had given rise to thousands of Cultivation Clans of all sizes, as well as tens of thousands of Loose Cultivators, leading to severe internal strife.
To make matters worse, the founders of both the Azure Flame Sect and the Li Huo Sect had established their sects based on Fire Attribute Cultivation Techniques.
As a result, for over a thousand years, each sect had wished for nothing more than to see the other reduced to ash overnight.
This would allow the surviving sect to unify Li State and gleefully monopolize the entire state's resource output.
So, the reality was that the Azure Flame Sect and the Li Huo Sect were covert enemies.
Li Sibao was worried that if he told the truth, he would be branded a traitor. Even if he were saved now, he would not escape death later.
Fortunately, he wouldn't have to worry for much longer.
First, a mouthful of black blood sprayed out without warning, splattering on the ground and instantly sizzling into several small, dark pits that gave off wisps of black smoke.
Then, Li Sibao's head lolled to one side, and he fell silent forever.
His hesitation at the critical moment had cost him his last chance at survival.
"Li Sibao!" Steward Chen immediately bent down to check his pulse, then shook his head.
He stood up and put away the elixir, a look of shock and uncertainty on his face. "What a potent Exotic Poison. To think it has a secondary mutation."
"You wait here. I'm going to get the Elders."
Xiao Chen cupped his hands and agreed, waiting where he was.
After Steward Chen left, Li Sibao's body rapidly dissolved into a puddle of black, bloody liquid.
In just a Quarter Hour, everything was gone—not even his clothes or bones remained. Only the low-grade Flying Sword still shimmered with Spiritual Light, stubbornly resisting the corrosion.
The ground beneath was corroded into a large pit. The sight would make anyone's hair stand on end and send a chill down their spine.
A full two Quarter Hours passed before Steward Chen returned, accompanied by Elder Chen, another unfamiliar Elder, and several senior brothers dressed in the Magic Robes of the Law Enforcement Hall.