Chapter 106: Night before departure

Liu Nanxi took out an exquisite looking box from her clothes and gave it to Zhan Chen. "Take it. I have managed to acquire a soul nourishing fruit from the provincial capital".

Zhan Chen took the wooden box from Liu Nanxi's hand and opened up the cover of the box.

"Hundred blossom fruit!", Zhan Chen exclaimed after seeing the golden coloured fruit lying inside the exquisite looking box.

Liu Nanxi nodded her head after seeing the proficiency of Zhan Chen in identifying the soul nourishing fruit.

"Thank you aunt Liu. With it, grandmother can be healed completely and break through to Martial ascension realm", Zhan Chen spoke to Liu Nanxi with a sincere expression on his face.

"Aunt Liu, please state the price you have to pay for acquiring this soul nourishing fruit", Zhan Chen looked towards Liu Nanxi with a polite look on his face.

"No need to think about it. You just need to remember your promise. Don't disappoint me in future", Liu Nanxi replied and stepped back. Her figure faded into thin air after a moment.

Zhan could only look helplessly as Liu Nanxi left the Zhan family estate without demanding anything in exchange of the Hundred blossom fruit.

"Forget it, I can help her out later", Zhan Chen thought to himself. He turned back and moved towards his parents living complex.

Li Qingzhao was still preparing food when Zhan Chen came to his mother's place. He waited patiently and Li Qingzhao came back after preparing the food.

"Chen-er, it is your favourite roasted duck", Li Qingzhao spoke. Zhan Chen smiled towards his mother and went with her to the dining table.

"Chen-er, have you seen your father?", Li Qingzhao asked Zhan Chen. Zhan Chen shook his head as Zhan Long was not inside the Zhan family estate at this moment.

"Chen-er, are you really leaving tomorrow?", Li Qingzhao looked towards Zhan Chen with a reluctant look on her eyes.

"Yes mother, I will leave with Ruyan. You don't have to worry though. I will visit you once I have time", Zhan Chen replied to his mother. Li Qingzhao nodded her head and accompanied Zhan Chen in his dinner.

Zhan Chen sat with his mother after finishing up his dinner. They talked about different matters as Li Qingzhao tried to spend time with his son as much as she could.

"Greetings madam, greetings young master", a maid interrupted the conversation of mother and son duo.

"What is the matter?", Li Qingzhao frowned as she disliked to be disturbed now.

"Madam, sorry for the interruption but it is urgent. The personal maid of the eldest princess has come to visit young master", the maid replied.

"Zi Nuan's maid!", Li Qingzhao muttered and threw a look at his son. Zhan Chen smiled at his mother with an slightly embarassed look on his face.

"Tell the maid of the princess to wait a bit. I willl meet her after finishing my conversation with mother", Zhan Chen spoke to the maid.

Li Qingzhao felt speechless but what could she do. Her son was turning into such a womanizer at such a tender age. She talked with Zhan Chen for another few minutes. Zhan Chen left after bading his mother farewell.

A pretty looking maid was waiting for Zhan Chen in the guest hall. "Greetings young master Chen", the pretty looking maid greeted Zhan Chen.

"Hello beauty, how may I address you?", Zhan Chen smiled at the personal maid of Zi Nuan. The pretty looking maid blushed lightly after hearing the words of Zhan Chen.

"Young master, I am Liu Yu. You can call me by my name", the pretty looking maid of Zi Nuan replied to Zhan Chen.

"Ok then, beauty Yu. Tell me why have you come to visit me at such a late hour", Zhan Chen asked Liu Yu with a smile.

"Young master, I have come to deliver a letter. Please read it and write your response", Liu Yu spoke. She took out a scroll from her clothes and handed it to Zhan Chen.

Zhan Chen chuckled after reading the content of the scroll. "She is rather cautious but I like her idea", Zhan Chen thought to himself after taking a look at the content of the scroll. The handwriting on the scroll was elegant and a noble lady's grace was visible in the words of the letter. It was a letter from eldest princess, Zi Nuan to him.

"Young master, do you need a scroll to write?", Liu Yu asked.

"There is no need. Tell her that her propasal is interesting. I am completely agree with her idea", Zhan Chen spoke.

"Young master, allow me to leave then. I will relay your words to princess", Liu Yu spoke. Zhan Chen nodded his head and Liu Yu left the guest hall of Zhan family.

"Let's concoct a pill for grand mother first. Then I can go and see princess Nuan", Zhan Chen thought to himself.

He walked towards the living complex of his parents and met with the Zhan family guards posted outside.

"Have you brought the things I have ordered from the Firecloud treasure pavilion?", Zhan Chen asked to a guard he had previously met.

"Yes, young master. I have personally visited the Firecloud treasure pavilion and brought over the things you have ordered. Manager of the Firecloud treasure pavilion also gave me a pill furnace after seeing the list that you have written", the guard replied.

"Well then, bring those things to my place", Zhan Chen spoke. The guard nodded and went over to fetch the products that he has brought from Firecloud treasure pavilion.

After meeting with Liu Nanxi, Zhan Chen had immediately ordered for some alchemy ingredients and his pill furnace from the Firecloud treasure pavilion. Concocting a soul nourishing pill for his grandmother was necessary. So, Zhan Chen arranged everything properly before concocting a soul nourishing pill for his grandmother.

Zhan Chen went back to his living complex after giving his order to the Zhan family guard. Little Tao was waiting for him infront of his room. A happy look appeared on her face after she saw Zhan Chen.

Zhan Chen's pinched the nose of little Tao after seeing her happy face.

"Little Tao, a guard will bring over some things I have ordered. Show him an empty room and place the things there. I will come out from my room after cultivating for a while", Zhan Chen spoke to little Tao.

Zhan Chen sat crosslegged after entering inside his room. He operated the Celestial Yin Yang sutra and he felt fully energized after a while.

"Young master, the alchemy ingredients and the pill furnace are in this room", little Tao pointed towards a nearby room.

Zhan Chen nodded his head and went to the room where the alchemy ingredients were placed.

"Little Tao, I am concocting a pill for grandmother. Do not allow anyone to enter inside this room", Zhan Chen spoke.

Little Tao nodded her head and went outside. Zhan Chen took a look at the alchemy ingredients first. He nodded his head after checking out all the alchemy ingredients.

"Violet smoked leaf"

"Spirit Bamboo shoot"

"Red star grass"

"Green Lotus root"

"Hundred Blossom fruit", Zhan Chen sorted out the ingredients one by one. Then he took out his soul fire and placed it on top of the pill furnace.

The pill furnace became fully heated after a while. Zhan Chen opened up the lid of the pill furnace and threw in the ingredients one by one.

The more difficult ones were the Red star grass and the Hundred Blossom fruit. Zhan Chen took almost an hour to extract the medicinal liquid from the spirit ingredients.

"The ingredients are enough for concocting two pills. Granny Mumu is also injured. Although her injury is not that bad compared to grandmother, I should give one of the pill to her", Zhan Chen decided inside his mind.

Without further delay, Zhan Chen opened up the lid of the pill furnace. He poured in the medicinal essence of Red star grass and applied heat to it first. After few minutes, he added the medicinal essence of Green Lotus root with it.

Zhan Chen kept pouring his spiritual energy to his soul fire. The soul fire supplied an constant heat to pill furnace and after ten minutes, the Red star grass and the green Lotus root started to mix up.

Zhan Chen poured in the medicinal essence of Hundred blossom fruit after it and closed off the lid. It took almost thirty minutes for the medicinal essence of the Hundred Blossom fruit to mix up with medical essence of Red star grass and Green Lotus root.

Zhan Chen added up the medicinal essence of Spirit Bamboo shoot and Violet smoked leaf after it and closed off the lid. Zhan Chen waited for another half an hour as drops of sweat fell off from his forehead.

He was currently at True essence realm. So, concocting a grade five pill was still too draining for him. Despite the tiresome process, Zhan Chen persisted.

When the five alchemy ingredients started to show the sign of mixing up with eachother, Zhan Chen intervened. He inserted a thread of his spiritual energy and divided the medicinal essence mix into two equal parts with his soul thread.

Such kind of techniques required intricate skill of spiritual energy manipulating. Zhan Chen could done so only because of his past life experience and the support of his pseudo soul.

Zhan Chen poured in his spiritual energy as the two part started to shape up into two pills. Zhan Chen controlled the intensity of his soul fire and maintained a constant temperature.

After few minutes, Zhan Chen stopped and opened up the lid of the furnace. Two transparent pills with a tinge of golden colour were lying inside the pill furnace.

(To be continued...)