“But what is the problem with this Ming family? Why are they targeting my Zhan family?”, Zhan Chen asked with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

“Have you forgotten about the identity of your grand father? He is the supreme general of this kingdom”, Shen Ruyan replied.

Zhan Chen nodded his head as he grasped the underlying meaning of Shen Ruyan’s words. “So, the meaning of your words is grandfather has some problems with this Ming family?”, Zhan Chen’s eyes lit up as he spoke about a possibility. He looked towards Shen Ruyan to validate his conjecture.

“You are right. The Ming family has enmity with your grandfather and it is not a small one”, Shen Ruyan nodded her head.

“What happened exactly?”, Zhan Chen furrowed his brows and looked at Shen Ruyan. He could understand the earlier meaning of Shen Ruyan’s words. As a family of generals, it was inevitable for the Zhan family to have some enemies. But he still wanted to find out the exact reason for Ming family’s action.

Twelve years ago, Golden sun kingdom has attacked the Redcloud kingdom. The leader of the Golden sun kingdom was a member of the Ming family. Your grandfather has managed to fend off the attack of the Golden sun kingdom at that time. He had achieved it by heavily injuring the leader of the opposition army who was a Ming family member.

“That person was an important member of the Ming family. The current patriarch of the Ming family is his son”, Shen Ruyan spoke.

Zhan Chen nodded his head and thought for a moment. “Ok, now I know what to do”, he spoke in an indifferent tone but there was an icy coldness hidden in his eyes.

“What are you planning to do?”, Shen Ruyan asked in a worried tone. Zhan Chen didn’t say anything. He took a look at the distant sky from the window. “A mere Ming family dare to attack my family. Looks like I have to take action earlier than I have thought”, Zhan Chen thought inside his mind as a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

“Please don’t think of revenge for now. Endure for a while. Ming family is many times stronger than your Zhan family”, Shen Ruyan spoke after seeing the cold look of Zhan Chen.

Zhan Chen retracted his gaze and glanced at the worried look of Shen Ruyan. A never before felt warmth spread to his heart.

He stretched his hand towards the face of Shen Ruyan. He caressed her silky black hair and combed them a little. “Ruyan, don’t worry. I will not be reckless. Moreover, I have no planning to take action on the Ming family immediately”, he spoke with a gentle tone.

The worried heart of Shen Ruyan calmed down she heard the voice of Zhan Chen. She looked at the gentle gaze of Zhan Chen and a strange calmness appeared in her heart.

She saw the tender gaze of Zhan Chen and her worries disappeared gradually. A blush appeared on her face as she avoided the eyes of Zhan Chen.

“Ruyan, is their any soul nourishing herbs available in the Firecloud treasure pavilion?”, Zhan Chen looked at Shen Ruyan.

“There should be some but why are you asking?”, Shen Ruyan asked in a confused manner. Soul nourishing herbs were very rare and generally the powerful warriors above the True essence realm required them. Zhan Chen was only a Meridian opening realm cultivator. So, Shen Ruyan felt confused after hearing the question of Zhan Chen.

“Great, I really need them. Please send someone to fetch them after we eat our launch”, Zhan Chen spoke. Shen Ruyan nodded her head but a hint curiousity appeared in her eyes.

Zhan Chen kept talking with Shen Ruyan for some time. Half an hour later, the two pretty maids Ling’er and Su’er returned with some good looking dishes.

Zhan Chen and Shen Ruyan started eating and both of the maids waited in a corner without making any noise. Zhan Chen could feel their sneaky gazes on him but he didn’t react to them because his mind was preoccupied with the matter of Zhan family.

“Ling’er, call over big sis Yao. Tell her that I am looking for her”, Shen Ruyan spoke.

Ling’er nodded her head and left after bowing her head towards Shen Ruyan. “Zhan Chen, shall we visit your family after finishing up our meals?”, Shen Ruyan asked.

“No, not now. Moreover, you shouldn’t visit the Zhan family at this moment. We can’t expose our relationship with Firecloud treasure pavilion at this moment”, Zhan Chen replied.

He ate the spirit beast meat slowly and kept pondering about his future actions. The situation of Zhan family was not looking good. So, he thought about the methods to keep the Zhan family safe.

His thought process was interrupted by the sudden sound of footsteps. He glanced to his side and saw the middle-aged manager of the Firecloud treasure pavilion.

“Big sis Yao”, Shen Ruyan called out after seeing the middle-aged woman.

“Young miss”, the middle aged manager greeted Shen Ruyan after coming to the main hall. There was a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes after she noticed Zhan Chen eating with Shen Ruyan. He managed to hide her surprise quickly as she greeted Zhan Chen.

“Young miss, are you looking for me?”, she looked at Shen Ruyan.

Shen Ruyan nodded her head. “Big sis, there must be some soul nourishing herbs stored in our branch, right?”, she asked to middle aged woman.

“Yes, we have four stalks of white lily and two stalks of Soul warming grass”, the middle aged manager replied.

“Bring all of them to me. I need those soul nourishing herbs”, Shen Ruyan ordered.

“Young miss, the royal family has already booked all the available white lilies. What should I do about it?”, the middle aged woman asked.

“Tell them to keep waiting. My matter is more important than their order”, Shen Ruyan Spoke.

“Ok then. We will do as you say”, the middle aged woman replied. She left after throwing another glance at Zhan Chen who was eating the spirit beast meat calmly.

After sometime, the middle aged manager returned with White lilies and Soul warming grasses. Zhan Chen’s eyes lit up after seeing the soul nourishing herbs with her. He threw a grateful glance at Shen Ruyan. There was a complicated look appeared in his eyes as he saw Shen Ruyan keep helping him without thinking much. “I will never let you face any grievances. I will not allow anyone to snatch your happiness”, he promised inside his mind.

After finishing their meals, Zhan Chen asked for a secluded room in the second floor. He sat down cross-legged and took a deep breath to calm down. Then he closed his eyes.

He visualised the appearance of his soul with his soul conciousness. A family glowing ethereal mass appeared inside his mind. His soul was faintly resembling the shape of a human fetus.

He calmly watched his soul for few minutes. Then he controlled his soul conciousness and pulled a small part of the glowing ethereal mass. A hint of sharp pain wracked his body but he still greeted his teeth and proceeded further. A ball of glowing mass was separated soon after and Zhan Chen’s nerves relaxed. Cold sweat was already pouring out from his head.

“Separating a part of the soul is indeed painful. Now, it is time to form the pseudo soul according to the methods written in the Dark soul codex”, Zhan Chen thought inside his mind.