I Was Forced To Marry The Phoenix Empress-Chapter 178: Being Visited by the Patriarch

However, soon, remembering the difference in their standings, an accommodating expression formed on Yi Chen’s face the next second.

"Greetings, Patriarch," he greeted with a courteous expression and, gesturing towards the courtyard, said, "Please come inside."

"Haha, it’s alright." Feng Haoran chuckled and waved his hand the next second while saying, "You must be busy with all the preparation for tomorrow, so I won’t be taking much of your time."

’It seems Madam Gao had already informed him...’ Yi Chen thought in relief while denying Feng Haoran’s claim.

"Patriarch jests. How can I be busier than you? If you’ve taken the time to visit me, then naturally, I have all the time to give you."

A fawning smile formed on Yi Chen’s face as he said that.

Hearing these words, a pleased expression formed on Feng Haoran’s face as he coughed a couple of times.

Cough. Cough.

"That’s enough. Although I appreciate your enthusiasm to host me, I’ll still be sticking to what I’ve said earlier."

Feng Haoran stated, and the next second, he took something out from his storage ring.

It was a blue pendant with white triangular patterns drawn over it.

’This...’ A frown naturally formed on Yi Chen’s face when he saw this.

The next second, placing the pendant in Yi Chen’s hands, he stated, "The reason I came here was to specially pass you this protective artefact.

Once you’ve infused your Qi inside it, it will act as a shield which holds the capability to withstand three full-powered strikes of a Fifth Qi Absorption Stage cultivator."

"Three strikes..." Yi Chen repeated with widened eyes as he glanced down at the pendant, which was resting in his hand.

A protective artefact like this was truly a godsend, especially when it was complemented with a movement technique like Bursting Fire Steps.

"Indeed," Feng Haoran nodded in a pleased fashion, seeing Yi Chen’s reaction and continued, "Since you’re going along with Manager Gao, the chances of anything untoward happening are negligible.

However, as the clan’s patriarch, I can’t just let our greatest talent venture out in such a dangerous place empty-handed, right? Moreover, along with this, I’ve also prepared something else for you."

A grin formed on Feng Haoran’s face, and the next moment, fifty bottles containing Qi Nourishing pills appeared next to them on the floor.

"Qi Nourishing Pills are a lifesaver during intense battles, so they are almost never enough. Knowing that Junior Chen already has a Storage Ring, I brought a little more than I had previously planned...you don’t mind, right?"

"N-No...Patriarch, I don’t." Yi Chen bowed the next moment with gratitude apparent in his voice.

He was completely taken aback by this extreme display of generosity by Feng Haoran, but still welcomed it.

’With this much, I can practice without any restraint today!’ Yi Chen exclaimed in his mind.

"Haha, it’s good that you like it," Feng Haoran chuckled, seeing this response and said the next moment, "Regarding your request to visit the Clan’s treasury. I’ve already sent the written request to the two elders. It will most likely be approved by tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning..." A frown appeared on Yi Chen’s face when he heard this.

The time would clash with his promised time with Gao Zhen.

Seeing his difficult expression, Feng Haoran nodded in understanding and stated, "Once approved, you can visit anytime, so there’s no need for you to hurry."

’Ah...’ Yi Chen nodded in understanding when he heard this.

The smile on Feng Haoran’s face widened the next instant as he continued, "Helping Madam Gao and forming a good relationship with her is much more important for you as it will help you a lot in the long run."

As he finished those words, he patted Yi Chen on the shoulder with an encouraging smile.

"Then I’ll keep Patriarch’s words in mind," Yi Chen said and bowed the next second. By now, how could he not realise what Feng Haoran was after? He clearly was aiming to reap the fruits of his relationship with Gao Zhen.

’But with how much he’s been helping me, I don’t mind playing along with him for a while,’ Yi Chen thought while feeling the pendant in his hand.

"Good." Feng Haoran smiled in a satisfied manner, hearing his words, and said the next second, "Then I won’t be taking any more of your time. Remember to always wear that pendant, alright?"

"Yes, Patriarch, I’ll always be wearing it," Yi Chen promised and was about to see him out when he saw his figure vanishing into thin air.

’Yeah, it won’t make sense if he chose to walk back...’ Yi Chen chuckled to himself and the next second turned towards the fifty bottles which contained Qi Nourishing Pills.

An enthusiastic smile formed on his face, and with a swipe of his sleeves, all the pill bottles had entered his storage ring.

"It’s time to give my all then!"

Yi Chen declared with a wide grin and rushed back to the courtyard to completely immerse himself in Bursting Fire Steps.

With no regard for his Qi pool, he kept executing it again and again as bottle after bottle kept getting emptied after every few minutes.

’This might be the last time I get to freely practice like this and improve my comprehension...’

This thought further pushed him to give his hundred and one percent during this period.

"Brother Chen, the lunch is-" Qin Yao had come out to call him in for lunch, but seeing how engrossed he was in his practice, he paused.

’Brother Chen’s already the strongest in his cultivation level, but he’s still pushing himself so much...’

Qin Yao thought while glancing at the stoned tiles below, which had several dark spots all over them. Yi Chen’s sweat had yet to evaporate from them.

Seeing this scene, the little hunger Qin Yao was feeling died down and with a determined expression, he soon went to his room for another intense cultivation session.

Time passed, and soon it was evening.

By now, both Yi Chen and Qin Yao had started to feel hungry despite how focused they were in their training.

After freshening up, the two made dinner together and soon sat at the dinner table.

"You didn’t have your lunch as well?" Yi Chen asked curiously.

"Yes, seeing Brother Chen so motivated, how could I go and eat? Instead, I used that period to further push my cultivation and while at it, managed to make enormous progress in the refinement process."

There was an obvious hint of admiration and pride in Qin Yao’s voice as he stated those words.

Hearing this, Yi Chen couldn’t help but feel flattered and said with a chuckle, "That’s a great accomplishment. However, it was just a one-off incident for me because of urgency, so you better not start skipping your lunch starting now, you understand?"

He warned just in case.

"I’ll keep Brother Chen’s words in mind," Qin Yao nodded with a sincere expression.

"That’s good. Here, try this now," Yi Chen said with a pleased expression and, using his chopsticks, placed one of the side dishes on Qin Yao’s plate.

The conversation on the dinner table soon shifted to small miscellaneous topics as their sumptuous dinner came to an end.

"Good night, Brother Chen. Make sure to wake me up tomorrow before leaving." Qin Yao said while leaving for his room.

"Yeah, I will." Yi Chen nodded.

The next moment, he left for the courtyard to start the next session of Bursting Fire Steps.

Night continued to deepen as the sharp burst sounds completely replaced the quietness of the night in the surrounding area, and this remained the case until the sun was up.

Needless to say, Yi Chen practised the Bursting Fire Steps throughout the night.

Glancing at the rising sun, his exhaustion was reduced by several folds. The next second, he exhaled deeply and went to freshen up.

His journey to the Sky Devouring Tomb was to begin today.