Chapter 105 - 104: Your master must be proud of you.

Chapter 105: Chapter 104: Your master must be proud of you.

Chen Yuan watched Lin Qingyue standing beside the bed, her hands held stiffly before her as she waited for him to speak.

He soon withdrew his attention from her and turned to his own concerns.

Although his body had remained unconscious for seven days, his divine sense had continued functioning, albeit much weaker than before.

He had been vaguely aware of the woman treating his injuries, but there had been little he could do besides wait for his body to recover.

His thoughts soon turned to Chen Yueran.

She had also been in the Imperial City when the incident occurred, and he still didn’t know whether she had managed to leave safely.

Given her strength, he wasn’t particularly worried about her losing a fight, but her tendency to act on a whim was another matter.

’I hope that girl hasn’t done anything stupid.’

His expression grew serious as he recalled the Zhao family’s hidden Ancestor.

’That old monster was concealed remarkably well. I doubt anyone besides Zhao Tianqiong and Zhao Wuchen even knew he existed. Those two old foxes certainly kept their cards close to their chests.’

The unexpected intervention had nearly cost him his life.

Worse, it raised the possibility that the Zhao Ancestor might take an interest in the Chen Family and the upcoming tomb.

If the old monster decided to investigate before the tomb opened, the situation could become troublesome.

Then Chen Yuan remembered Chen Feng’s face, and a faint smile returned to his face.

’Well, there’s still that old man.’

Chen Feng might appear gentle and carefree, but his strength was on an entirely different level.

He was the Swordsman of the Leaf, the same cultivator who had once contended against a Half-Step Golden Core demonic serpent according to the story he fabricated.

In terms of raw strength, Chen Feng could probably kill Chen Yuan dozens of times over.

With someone like that protecting the family, the Chen Family still had the means to handle whatever the Zhao royal family might attempt.

For now, Chen Yuan could only recover and trust that the others would follow the plan.

"Senior?"

Lin Qingyue’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. She had been standing beside the bed for some time, apparently unsure whether to speak.

"Is there anything else you need? Should I prepare some medicine for you?"

Chen Yuan looked at her and nodded slightly. "Thank you for treating my injuries. Without your help, it would have taken me considerably longer to recover."

Lin Qingyue’s eyes brightened. "You’re welcome, Senior! I only did what a spiritual herbalist ought to do."

She nodded enthusiastically, clearly pleased by his acknowledgment.

Chen Yuan studied her for a moment before asking, "There’s something I’m curious about. Since you knew who I was, why didn’t you report me to the imperial authorities?"

"You could’ve easily done so without returning here. And at last, you still came back."

Her smile faltered.

"One million top-grade spiritual stones is quite a sum," he continued. "It could support someone at your cultivation level for a hundred years, perhaps longer. With the right resources, you might even improve your chances of reaching Foundation Establishment. Why turn down such an opportunity?"

Lin Qingyue’s cheeks reddened. She had indeed been tempted by the bounty, and pretending otherwise would only make her look foolish.

After a moment’s hesitation, she clenched her teeth and raised her head.

"To be honest, Senior, I did consider turning you in. One million top-grade spiritual stones is hardly a small amount. But when I found you lying in the snow, you were so badly injured that you could barely move."

"I couldn’t bring myself to hand you over for the sake of a reward, especially after I’d already begun treating you."

"I do not want to live a life that is dictated by greed. That’s not the life that I want... "

For a moment, Chen Yuan said nothing. Then his eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

Lin Qingyue flinched, wondering whether she had said something wrong. When Chen Yuan finally calmed down, a smile still lingered on his face.

"You are one interesting little girl..."

After his laughter subsided, Chen Yuan leaned back against the bedding and glanced at Lin Qingyue.

"Since you’ve already gone to the trouble of saving my life, I suppose I’ll have to trouble you with something else."

Lin Qingyue straightened immediately. "What does Senior need? I’ll do my best!"

"I need Qi Replenishing Pills. Second grade. Purchase several dozen from the nearest city and bring them back for me."

Her expression froze.

"Several... dozen?"

She stared at him, wondering whether she had misheard.

When Chen Yuan gave her an unhurried nod, her face gradually turned awkward.

"Senior, I..." She rubbed her fingers together, struggling to find a polite way to explain her predicament. "I’m afraid I can’t afford that many."

A single second-grade Qi Replenishing Pill was expensive enough to consume almost her entire monthly reserve of spiritual stones.

She might occasionally purchase one when her work had gone particularly well, but buying several dozen at once was an entirely different matter.

Even if she sold every herb she had gathered over the past month, she doubted she could cover the cost for another one.

Seeing her embarrassed expression, Chen Yuan couldn’t help smiling.

"Did you think I expected you to pay for them yourself?"

Before Lin Qingyue could respond, he raised his right hand slightly.

The storage ring resting on one of his fingers trembled, then floated into the air under the control of his divine sense.

It crossed the short distance between them before stopping above the empty space beside the bed.

A moment later, the ring flashed.

Spiritual stones poured out in a glittering cascade, striking the wooden floor with a series of clattering sounds.

They accumulated rapidly, forming a small hill beside the table, their concentrated spiritual energy filling the room.

Lin Qingyue’s eyes widened.

She stared at the pile, then at the ring floating in the air, before looking back at the pile again as though she expected it to disappear if she blinked.

She couldn’t utter a single word.

Chen Yuan glanced at the mountain of spiritual stones and seemed satisfied with the amount.

"These should be enough."

"Enough?!" Lin Qingyue finally found her voice, though it came out considerably louder than she intended.

She hurriedly covered her mouth. "Senior, do you realize how many there are? I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many spiritual stones in one place in my entire life!"

Her reaction amused him.

"Then you’ll have the opportunity to become accustomed to the sight."

Lin Qingyue looked at him as if he had just said something utterly incomprehensible.

Become accustomed to it?

"Go to the nearest city and buy as many second-grade Qi Replenishing Pills as you can find," Chen Yuan instructed. "Make sure they’re of good quality. I don’t want you returning with a collection of inferior pills simply because they’re cheaper."

"Y-Yes, Senior!"

"And you can use some of the money to buy yourself a few things while you’re there. Consider it payment for your trouble."

Lin Qingyue’s mouth fell open again.

"F-For myself?"

"Naturally. You can’t expect to spend your time running errands for an injured man without receiving anything in return."

She looked down at the spiritual stones, then at Chen Yuan, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and excitement.

Her fingers twitched as she imagined the medicinal ingredients she could purchase.

But then she caught herself and hurriedly straightened her posture.

"Senior, I promise I’ll spend the money carefully! I’ll find the best pills available and negotiate the lowest possible price. I won’t waste your spiritual stones!"

Chen Yuan regarded her earnest expression with growing amusement.

"Do as you see fit. Just remember that your primary task is to obtain the pills."

"Understood!"

Lin Qingyue nodded so vigorously that the silver snowflake hairpin in her hair nearly slipped out of place.

She quickly adjusted it, then glanced once more at the spiritual stones piled beside the table.

Chen Yuan found the sight rather amusing and spoke again, "Your master must be very proud of you."

The words caught her completely off guard.

Her excited expression softened, and for a moment, she simply stood there, looking at him in silence.

Then... she lowered her gaze, a small, somewhat bashful smile appearing on her face.

"...I hope so, Senior."