Chapter 348: Going Down

"Of course! I mean yes! I would love to go now." Yi Chen answered the very next second with excitement brimming in his eyes.

Seeing the reaction he had anticipated, Feng Haoran let out a soft chuckle. "Haha, that’s what I expected. Let’s go then."

As he said those words, Feng Haoran gestured to Yi Chen and started walking.

Yi Chen immediately turned towards Qin Yao the next second and said with a wave, "Qin Yao, I’ll be back in a while. Alright?"

"Understood, Brother Chen." Qin Yao nodded in an understanding manner and said, "Take your time."

He was in quite a good mood, as seeing Yi Chen getting so much attention from not only the Patriarch but also the Zhou clan made his heart swell up with pride.

Yi Chen nodded back at him with a smile before following after Feng Haoran the next instant.

"Wait for a minute. The carriage will be here soon." Feng Haoran informed him, seeing that he had caught up.

"Yes, Patriarch." Yi Chen answered as he stood patiently next to him.

"So have you thought about what item you are going to pick up from the treasury?" Feng Haoran asked with a curious expression on his face.

"Uhm...I have no idea. I’ll have to go through them all to decide which one would be the most useful to me at this moment in time." Yi Chen answered thoughtfully.

"Hahah, that’s to be expected since you’ve never been to the treasury before," Feng Haoran nodded in understanding and continued.

"However, don’t worry. I’ll personally brief you about all the treasures we’ll be encountering so that you’ll be able to make a better decision."

"I’ll be depending on the Patriarch’s guidance then," Yi Chen replied with a short bow, making Feng Haoran grin in a pleased manner.

A few moments later, the carriage finally arrived and the two of them left towards the Clan’s Treasure Hall.

As it did so, two dark figures followed after the carriage from the shadows to ensure Yi Chen’s safety throughout the journey.

Meanwhile, under the constant clattering of the carriage wheels, Yi Chen’s thoughts began to drift.

With his eyes plastered outside the window, a wide grin slowly started taking shape on his face.

Unlike before when he had made this request, he now had the ability to check the status panel of everything!

’If I use my ability smartly, I’m bound to choose a treasure that best suits my needs!’ he muttered inwardly with elation while pulling out his status panel.

He wanted to have a glimpse at the total experience points he possessed at the moment.

[EXP: 487,000]

’I got quite a handful of experience points to squander in my hands...’ he thought with exhilaration evident in his eyes, but that glimmer soon changed to one of concern the moment he decided to do the math.

’Since checking all three remarks for one item takes me twenty-five thousand experience points, then doing that for four artefacts would cost a hundred and then...’

Soon realising that he would barely be able to thoroughly check the remarks of a little more than sixteen items, the grin on his face was immediately replaced with a bitter one.

’...And here I thought that four hundred thousand were a lot of experience points,’ he sighed inwardly at this realisation before focusing his attention back on the changing view outside the window to clear his mind.

Meanwhile, Feng Haoran was busy interacting with a few elders using the Sound Transmission stone, so Yi Chen didn’t have to worry about carrying on a conversation with him for a while.

A few moments later, the carriage finally came to a stop in front of the clan hall.

The old, mouldy construction was all taken care of. And seeing the newly polished marble figurines, pillars and walls that were complementing the entire building, one couldn’t help but feel a revitalising energy exuding from the entire place.

"This all has been made possible because of the funds we received after achieving the first rank in the Inter Clan Tournament. So how does it feel seeing these changes which have all been possible because of your contribution to the clan?" Feng Haoran asked with a playful expression.

"With the talent our Feng Clan possesses, something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. I just feel glad that I was fortunate enough to contribute directly towards this change alongside my fellow clansmen." Yi Chen answered after a brief pause, trying to be as diplomatic as possible.

"Good answer! Good Answer! Hahaha," Feng Haoran laughed while patting Yi Chen on the back a couple of times, "It seems fighting isn’t the only thing you’re good at, hahaha."

Quite pleased by the way he answered, Feng Haoran took a few more seconds to rein in his laughter as he finally gestured to Yi Chen with his hands, "Let’s go then. The Treasure Hall is just behind the Clan Hall."

Yi Chen nodded at those words and followed after Feng Haoran.

A few moments later, a one-storied building which didn’t catch as much attention as the Clan Hall appeared in front of their eyes.

From a close look, it became evident that repair work had been done on the building as well, but despite that, it had been done in such a manner as not to make it stand out.

On a plaque outside the building’s entrance, the words ’Treasure Hall’ were written in bold.

While Yi Chen was observing the plaque, his gaze was soon attracted by a figure that had appeared just outside the Treasure Hall’s gate.

’Who...’ Yi Chen couldn’t help but furrow his brows, sensing that the face looked familiar, and immediately checked the other party’s status panel.

’Ah, it’s the second elder. Yes, he’s the one in charge of the Treasure Hall. I almost forgot his face.’ Yi Chen thought in realisation as he saw the second elder waiting respectfully for their arrival outside the Treasure Hall’s gates.

"Greetings, Patriarch."

The second elder greeted Feng Haoran with a warm smile when they were only a few inches from the entrance.

Seeing this exchange, Yi Chen also took the initiative as a junior to greet the man, "Greetings, Second Elder."

"Mhm." The second elder nodded at his greeting and continued with a subtle smile on his face, "It’s good to see you again, Yi Chen.

After I’ve informed the two gatekeeping elders about your deeds back then, they’ve been very eager to meet you in person. Therefore, make sure to leave a good impression on them when you meet them, you understand?"

As he said those words, the smile on his face widened.

"Yes, Second Elder. I’ll keep your words in mind." Yi Chen nodded with a humble smile.

"Have you informed them about our arrival?" Feng Haoran asked the next second.

"Yes, Patriarch. I’ve already informed the two elders like you had directed." The second elder answered.

"Good. You may leave then." Feng Haoran nodded while gesturing to the second elder to leave.

Turning towards Yi Chen the next second, he gestured with his head and a few moments later, Yi Chen followed Feng Haoran inside the Treasure Hall.

Inside, there were plenty of tables, and behind each of them, several staff members were standing and addressing the concerned clan members.

This was the general area where all clan members’ allowances and grievances were taken care of.

Feng Haoran nodded at the respectful gestures that were directed towards him, and while this was going on, Yi Chen also felt a lot of piercing gazes that were being directed in his direction.

"Hey, isn’t that Yi Chen?!"

"Yes, it’s him! He’s finally returned!"

.

.

.

Hearing their whispers, Yi Chen couldn’t help but make an awkward expression while trying his best not to make eye contact with any of them. Rather than making him pleased, the whole ordeal felt way more embarrassing to him.

Thankfully for him, the situation didn’t last long as Feng Haoran led him deeper into the hall.

Walking through an empty hallway, his gaze soon fell on a golden temple that was erected at the end of it. Since it was built inside the Treasure Hall, its size was naturally very limited, but still the structure looked striking to one’s eyes.

Outside its gates, two guards at the Eight Qi Absorption Stage were standing guard.

Upon sighting the Patriarch, they greeted him respectfully and, without wasting a single second, pulled open the doors for them.

’Hm? Is the treasury inside this?’ Yi Chen thought with a frown, seeing that the temple’s size was just big enough to hold around ten people inside.

However, that question was soon answered as his eyes fell on a flight of stairs.

"Ah..." Yi Chen nodded in understanding, seeing the dozens of stairs that stretched several meters below.

"Let’s go then." Feng Haoran smiled, seeing Yi Chen’s changing expression as he led him downstairs.

’So this is where the Clan’s treasury is...’ Yi Chen thought in anticipation as the pace of his heart rose with every step downwards.

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