I Was Forced To Marry The Phoenix Empress-Chapter 179: Leaving for the Pavilion

After freshening up, he returned to his room. It was finally time to pack items for his journey.

’If not for the storage ring, I would be stressing so much about what items to pack...’ Yi Chen thought with a grin as he remembered the time when he was leaving Murut Town.

Deciding on what items to pack in that small bag of his had been mentally exhausting.

Sliding open his wardrobe, Yi Chen first picked the robe he was going to wear today, and the next moment, with a sweep of his hand, all the rest of the robes and other miscellaneous items inside the wardrobe were transferred to his storage ring.

"Finished the moment I started," He muttered with a grin.

The next second, he went to Qin Yao’s room only to find him still sleeping.

Usually, Qin Yao would have been awake by now, so Yi Chen found it a little odd to see him still asleep.

"Oi, wake up!" Yi Chen gently slapped his cheeks and stirred him awake. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"B-Brother Chen..." Qin Yao muttered in a drowsy state while struggling to look at him with sleep-deprived eyes.

"Yes, it’s me." Yi Chen nodded and said, "I’ll be going now. Take care, alright?"

"Yeah...I will." Qin Yao nodded with subtle annoyance in his voice and turned to the other side the next second. Not even a second later, his breathing turned rhythmic, and he fell asleep.

"..."

’Did I wake him up on the wrong side?’ Yi Chen couldn’t help but think after seeing this reaction.

Knowing Qin Yao, he was at least expecting him to personally see him out of the residence.

However, what Yi Chen didn’t know was the fact that while he was training the whole night, Qin Yao was struggling to sleep thanks to the sharp burst sounds produced by his Bursting Fire Steps.

Therefore, it was only after the sun rose and Yi Chen had gone to freshen up that he finally got the sleep he had been craving for.

"You...you’re fine, right?" Yi Chen asked for confirmation a second later.

"Mhmmm..." only a drowsy hum came as a reply, and seeing this, Yi Chen finally decided not to disturb him.

’Well, it is what it is...’ Yi Chen sighed internally and soon left the residence.

Luckily, he didn’t need to walk for long as he was soon able to get a carriage to the Red Velvet Pavilion.

"Greetings, Young Master Chen,"

The receptionist greeted Yi Chen with a bright expression on her face. She had already been informed about his visit, so she was mentally prepared to see him again.

"Ah, Receptionist Ru, we meet again," Yi Chen greeted back with a smile.

Butterflies began to flutter in Yue Ru’s stomach the next second.

She was already overjoyed knowing that Yi Chen still remembered her appearance the other day.

However, she had never expected him to go even further, to the point of even remembering her name. Thanks to this, she couldn’t help but feel flattered.

"Yes...Young Master Chen. It’s good to see you again." Yue Ru nodded back with a warm smile on her face.

"How come you have a shift this morning as well? I thought you had an afternoon shift," Yi Chen asked curiously while linking it with the last time he met her.

"Oh, that..."

Hearing how casually Yi Chen spoke to her despite his status, the natural wall which she had subconsciously erected around him fell the very next instant.

This allowed her to freely state what was on her mind.

"...I’m handling both the morning and the afternoon shifts these days as my coworker got injured," Yue Ru answered with a bitter smile on her face.

"Injured? Why? What happened?" Yi Chen asked in a concerned tone while a hint of curiosity welled up in his eyes.

"It’s all because of that Demonic Beast Subjugation Young Master Chen." Yue Ru said with a sigh and continued.

"Lured by the great rewards our sect was offering this time, he had decided to participate in the subjugation even though he’s only at the Ninth Meridian Refinement Stage...

I tried to warn him back then, but he didn’t listen and ended up hurt. Thankfully, it’s nothing serious, and he’ll recover in a few more weeks."

When Yue Ru finished those words, her deflated expression changed to one of relief.

"Compared to taking such dangerous sect missions to earn rewards, I’ll always prefer to take simpler missions like being a receptionist at the Red Velvet Pavilion.

Although the rewards are low and it gets a little stressful and overwhelming at times, it’s still far better than doing those risky missi-"

It was only now that Yue Ru realised that she had blabbered on more than necessary and quickly brought herself back in check.

Glancing towards Yi Chen, whose lips were curved in amusement while a contemplative light was evident in his eyes, she immediately apologised.

"I-I apologise, Young Master Chen, I lost myself for a little while there. Let me immediately guide you to the guest room first,"

"Yes, please," Yi Chen answered with a smile and just nodded, not wanting to embarrass her anymore.

A second later, he was following after her to the guest room.

Thinking back on what Yue Ru had mentioned previously, he asked curiously, "Receptionist Ru and her colleague are from which sect?"

"We are from the Golden Lion Sect, Young Master Chen." Yue Ru answered with a subtle hint of pride in her voice.

She might not have achieved much in her life till now, but she still considered joining the Golden Lion Sect as one of her greatest achievements.

"The fourth-ranked sect? Receptionist Ru is indeed talented," Yi Chen praised when he heard this.

From what he knew, being part of any of the top five sects in the kingdom was a respectable feat.

"Thank you for your kind words, Young Master Chen. Being able to join the Golden Lion Sect is indeed my greatest fortune," she answered with clear gratitude towards her sect in her voice.

A few seconds later, they soon arrived at the guest room.

"I’ll go and inform Manager Gao about your arrival. Please wait here and enjoy the snacks and beverages until then," Yue Ru said with a genuine smile and soon left for the sixth floor.

By yesterday evening, she had become well aware of the feats Yi Chen had achieved at the Inter Clan Tournament, and it was because of this reason that she had initially thought that talking with him would be very stressful now.

However, to her surprise, after their little exchange just now, her heart felt lighter instead.

’If only I could talk with him a little longer...’

Yue Ru thought with a regretful smile on her face while going upstairs.

Meanwhile, Yi Chen was enjoying a cup of freshly brewed tea and was patiently waiting for Gao Zhen’s arrival