Chapter 347: Visiting the Treasury
Chapter 347: Visiting the Treasury
"Greetings, Patriarch." Yi Chen greeted with a smile on his face and answered, "My visit to the Zhou Clan went well. I also heard from Patriarch Zhou Tian that he had contacted you this morning."
"Good. That’s good." Feng Haoran nodded, hearing the first half of Yi Chen’s answer before saying, "Yes, Patriarch Zhou had indeed contacted me this morning."
As he said those words, he gestured at the two guards who had followed after him and were now standing right next to him.
"Since it’s a matter concerning your safety, I naturally agreed without a second thought. These two are the men sent by Patriarch Zhou. From today onwards, they are going to be responsible for your safety."
Hearing those words, Yi Chen’s eyes went towards the two men who were clad in dark robes.
"Greetings, Young Master Chen."
The two of them subtly bowed at him as one of them briefed Yi Chen, "As per the directions of Patriarch Zhou, the two of us will be ensuring your safety until the day of the entrance test.
You can refer to us as Shadow Guards, and we’ll always be keeping an eye on you from afar. At times, when there are any specific requests you have for us, then you may convey them to us at that moment by calling us out directly."
"I understand..." Yi Chen nodded after hearing his words and answered politely, "I’ll be in your care then, Shadow Guards. Thank you."
By now, he had already checked their status panels. Both of them were at the Ninth Qi Absorption Stage, so he naturally treated them with respect.
Hearing this, the two of them nodded at him before glancing towards Feng Haoran and doing the same.
The next second, their figures merged with the shadows, with both Feng Haoran and Yi Chen having no clue as to where they were hidden.
’To send two Ninth Qi Absorption Stage cultivators to protect me. Patriarch Tian really isn’t taking this lightly, it seems...’ Yi Chen thought to himself.
Meanwhile, a couple of seconds later, Yi Chen suddenly felt a wave of spiritual energy passing through his body, making him turn towards Feng Haoran that very moment.
"T-This..." an expression of disbelief immediately formed on Feng Haoran’s face the moment he saw through Yi Chen’s cultivation.
"Y-You’re already at the Ninth Meridian Refinement Stage?!" he asked while using his spirit sense again to once again to confirm Yi Chen’s cultivation.
"Y-Yes..." already used to this reaction by now, Yi Chen answered with a pleased smile, "I experienced a fortuitous encounter while exploring the tomb with Madam Gao. That’s how it happened."
"Hahhaha, no wonder! No wonder!" Feng Haoran patted Yi Chen’s back jovially when he heard those words.
’Argh...’
Yi Chen internally groaned from pain because of how intense the pats were, as a forced smile formed on his face.
Not bothering to notice these intricacies, Feng Haoran asked the next second, "Looks like you were able to clear the tomb in the end ...that’s good. Madam Gao must be quite pleased, Isn’t she?"
"Well...most probably she is." Yi Chen answered a second later, thinking back on the letter she had left for him as a bitter smile formed on his face.
Noticing this change, Feng Haoran couldn’t help but frown, as a trace of worry became evident on his face.
"What happened...? Did your relationship with Madam Gao turn sour? You didn’t make her angry, now did you?"
His expression slowly turned grim as he asked those questions.
Meanwhile, hearing those questions, Yi Chen immediately shook his head and answered so as to prevent any misunderstandings, "No, Patriarch Feng...that’s not the case at all.
It’s just that Madam Gao had left for the Silver Cloud Kingdom the moment we got out of the tomb because of some urgent work.
During that period, I was unconscious from exhaustion, so I can’t really say whether Madam Gao was satisfied or not."
"Ah, so she went to the Silver Cloud Kingdom? I see..."
Feng Haoran responded to his words while shaking his head inwardly, ’What a pity...’
"Anyways," Feng Haoran shook those thoughts away and said, "Seeing that you’re already at the Ninth Meridian Refinement Stage, I can rest assured that you will easily be able to clear the Heavenly Azure Dragon Sect’s entrance test.
That’s one load off my chest, hahaha. However, don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I doubted your abilities earlier, but just that thanks to this additional information I feel more relaxed now."
He explained in a jovial mood.
"I’m thankful for Patriarch’s deep trust in me. I’ll live up to your words by putting in as much work as possible to make it all a reality." Yi Chen answered with a humble smile.
Seeing his attitude, Feng Haoran smiled widely, feeling more than just pleased. Suddenly remembering something, he took a few things out of his storage ring the very next second.
"This..."
Seeing the tens of wooden casings lying neatly on the ground, Yi Chen couldn’t help but frown as Feng Haoran’s explanation reached his ears the next second, "These are a few necessary pills which I felt would prove useful to you in the following days of preparation and also during your time at the sect."
Pointing at the nearest wooden casing, he continued, "This casing contains a hundred bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills. I gave these to you the last time as well, before you were leaving for the tomb, you remember?
I hope they have proved useful to you during your time in the tomb."
Hearing those words, Yi Chen immediately nodded and answered, "Yes, those pills were of great help to me in the tomb."
"I’m glad to know that." Feng Haoran nodded with a pleased smile and continued pointing towards the other wooden cases.
"This one contains Healing Pills to help you with minor to moderate injuries. The one next to it is filled with Fatigue Releasing Pills. They are used to relieve one’s physical exhaustion, though they should be taken in a controlled manner lest you injure yourself.
And the last one is Mind Cleansing Pills, which help one attain a focused state of mind. It’s pretty useful when you’re trying to comprehend martial or fighting techniques to enhance efficiency.
Apart from these, if you need any other specific pills, then you can always reach out to me. I’ll ensure that the necessary pills are all sent here at the manor."
Feng Haoran said in a selfless manner, making even Yi Chen doubt whether the person standing in front of him was the same one whose system remark was clearly visible in front of his eyes.
"Patriarch... isn’t this a little too much? Can I really accept these?" Yi Chen asked doubtfully while thinking to himself, ’Is he for real...’
"Of course you can! You’re the star of our Feng Clan and carry the dreams of thousands of disciples on your shoulders.
Therefore, continue to train hard and inspire all the people that have started to look up to you," Feng Haoran stated as if it was only natural.
Meanwhile, an entirely different set of thoughts were going through Feng Haoran’s mind as he said those words, ’Of course I’ll be generous with you. You’re my golden crane! The more I spend on you, the more I get back.’
"Yes, I’ll keep Patriarch’s words in my mind!" Yi Chen firmly nodded and placed all the wooden crates inside his storage ring.
However, unlike Feng Haoran’s expectations, Yi Chen didn’t feel an ounce of gratitude or a feeling of indebtedness towards him as he did so.
It was all thanks to the huge amount of spirit stones he currently held in his storage ring.
’When I meet her again, I must thank her for it...’ he inwardly muttered to himself.
He was expecting Feng Haoran to leave, as he thought that he was almost done with his business here, only to realise that was not the case the next moment.
Cough. Cough.
Feng Haoran coughed a couple of times to signal Yi Chen that he wasn’t finished yet and continued, "Apart from welcoming you back to the clan and personally handing you these pills, there was another reason as to why I personally came to see you today."
’Another reason?’ Yi Chen subtly furrowed his forehead when he heard those words, as if trying to figure out what the real reason could be.
Thankfully, it didn’t take him long to figure out as to what exactly he might be referring to, as his eyes slowly widened in realisation.
’Could it be...’
Seeing Yi Chen’s changing expressions, Feng Haoran nodded with a knowing smile, and before Yi Chen could word out his guess, he said, "It seems that you’ve realised it by now.
Taking a brief pause, he continued, "It’s regarding your previous request of visiting the Clan’s treasury. The two gatekeeping elders had long agreed to your request, so I can take you there anytime."
"Really? That’s great!" Yi Chen answered with excitement evident on his face.
Feng Haoran chuckled lightly, seeing his energetic response, and said, "Since it’s already evening, I was thinking of suggesting that we should go tomorrow morning, but it seems that even if I take you there now, you won’t mind it... So how about it? Would you like to go now?"