The prelude to a dinner like no other

Covering Yang Shen with his Qi and pulling him by using it, Chen Hai upon spotting the sun completely disappearing and traces of the moon appearing in the sky increased his speed since he wasn't willing to let the past few years of his efforts turn into waste.

The Scarlet Moon Flower was a Level 10 Spirit Herb which after remaining in the form of a bud for many years would finally blossom under the moonlight.

And the day the particular Scarlet Moon Flower Chen Hai had been growing would blossom was today. This was one of the reasons he sent his wife to invite Yang Shen to dinner tonight.

"Thankfully we made it in time."

Sighing in relief upon seeing the beautiful red bud which was yet to start blooming, Chen Hai once again looked towards the sky where the moon was turning clearer and the first moonlight was illuminating the night sky.

"Wow… It's so beautiful…"

Exclaiming in amazement at how spectacular the scene of the petals opening was, Yang Shen despite having learnt about it through the Beginners Guide to Alchemy had to admit that seeing it with his own eyes was a completely different thing.

Unfortunately, he couldn't continue looking at the flower in its complete glory for a long time.

"Very beautiful indeed. It's a pity that its beauty doesn't last for too long."

Stretching his hand and harvesting the flower the very moment it reached the peak of its maturity, Chen Hai himself felt it was a pity how the beautiful flower turned all withered and dry the moment he plucked it.

But, he had no other choice. If he left the flower unharvested, it would turn into dust and crumble within seconds causing all of his efforts over the years to go down the drain.

Sighing a little at how the flower which looked like it was the most beautiful one in the world turned shrivelled and ugly within seconds, Yang Shen didn't say anything else and went back towards the house along with Chen Hai in silence.

"My wife is most likely still busy with cooking, so why not accompany me while I finish my work?"

Nodding his head, Yang Shen walked along with Chen Hai as he harvested all the herbs which had completely matured. At the same time, the two of them continuously discussed about various things related to alchemy.

Luckily, Chen Hai limited the topics to the level that Alchemy Disciples could understand and talk about due to which Yang Shen wasn't limited to simply nodding his head the entire time.

Talking to Chen Hai, Yang Shen realized that even though he was following the strayed path of alchemy just like the others, he was so proficient in it that he could actually turn the strayed path into a completely different and proper path with a little bit of guidance.

Unfortunately, Yang Shen didn't possess enough knowledge about alchemy to make such a thing possible due to which he could only help Chen Hai by discretely changing his views regarding the most basic aspects of alchemy and leave the rest to him.

"Believe it or not, my daughter is quite eager to meet you. So go on ahead and get to know her, I'll come inside after I'm done."

Sending Yang Shen inside his house as he was almost finished with his work, Chen Hai proved that despite his love for alchemy he was still a father at the end of the day.

Instead of fixing a marriage that her daughter might or might not like without her permission, Chen Hai wanted to see if the two of them were interested in each other before going any further and turning his dream of having alchemy genius grandchildren into a reality.

…

"You little girl, not showing interest in your mother whom you're seeing after a few months and rather some boy who you didn't know a month back, you've really grown naughtier than before."

"Don't be like that, mother. You should know that the only reason I don't come visit you is due to that controlling asshole!"

"That controlling asshole is my husband, brat!"

Rolling her eyes and brushing off her mother's chiding remark, Nulang showed an intoxicated look in her eye as she said, "Yang Shen is… Yang Shen, mother!"

Feeling her lips twitching as she heard the same line for the umpteenth time since the morning her daughter came home after hearing that Yang Shen was coming here for dinner, Fan Jia turned around and glared at her daughter.

"If you have anything else to say about him, then say it. But if you dare say the same thing again, I'll make sure that you won't be a part of tonight's dinner!"

"Humph! Fine! But just so you know, Yang Shen is…. Yan… Here!"

Quickly turning around and disappearing as she heard the sound of the door being opened and sensing a familiar presence entering the house, Nulang made Fan Jia even more curious about this boy whom she was unable to see through.

Becoming a Core Disciple in less than a month after he joined the sect, that too at a young age of eighteen, was already enough to make Fan Jia curious about the young genius.

But as if that wasn't enough, her husband constantly talked about him and repeatedly said that he was a genius unlike anyone before him, and now even her daughter if once started couldn't stop talking about him.

Due to all of this, Fan Jia found herself even more interested in the one known as Yang Shen.

'If he and Nulang marry, my future grandchildren and their children are all going to be very good looking!'

Turning even more interested in Yang Shen as she thought about this, Fan Jia who finished arranging dinner on the table went to see what her daughter was doing without bringing him here to meet her already.