7 The Plan and the Arrival

Marcius was woken up by a loud knocking from his bedroom door.

"What is it?" He asked as he sleepily got up from his chair. He fell asleep while working late last night.

"It is me. Leon." He heard an answer from the other side of the door.

"Come in." Marcius noted that it was already into late morning.

Leon walked in and saw Marcius collecting the papers and objects on his desk into neat groups.

"Damn… you were working late last night? You look like you just woke up."

"I just woke up." Marcius responded while stacking some documents and putting them aside. "I was messing around with some ideas. It got pretty late, I guess. Sorry I missed the morning practice."

"It's fine." Leon shrugged as he looked around. "There are always other days. You practice alchemy?"

Leon was looking at the numerous bottles and medicinal ingredients in front of Marcius.

"I know a little bit. You come directly from training yard, right?"

"Yes. I also got some practice in. But it was kind of boring without you. No one can keep up with me." Leon grinned.

"You could always ask your old man to practice with you." Marcius countered and chuckled at the look of pure horror on Leon's face.

"Here, try this." He threw a small glass bottle towards Leon. "It can cure fatigue and restore spirit energy."

Leon caught the bottle midair. After opening the lid and sniffing at the terrible smell, he drank it in one single gulp.

"You know, it could have been poison." Marcius remarked with a shake of his head.

"It could have." Leon answered. "And then you will have to try and make my uncle believes it was an accident."

"Fair." He replied. "How was it?"

"I can feel my spirit energy refilling at a noticeable rate. I also feel well rested. The effects are so fast." Leon responded with a hint of wonder.

"It works like intended. Great." Marcius said with a visible satisfaction. And he handed out two more bottles to Leon.

"Here, two more. Keep it as a gift for being my test subject."

Leon took the bottles with gratitude.

"Cool! Are you like, a master alchemist right now?"

"Not really. I'm still on the basic."

"But the potion works so well."

"I guess, I got lucky." Marcius commented as he walked toward his bedside desk to pour himself some water.

"Oh right. Your mother told me to remind you that clan head will be arriving back this afternoon."

"I know. And I will need to get ready for the welcoming ceremony." It was going to be afternoon very soon.

"I'll be out of your hair then. Thanks for the potions by the way." Leon said as he swiftly moved to leave.

"You're welcome."

*** *** ***

Marcius nervously waited together with his family, just outside the gates of clan compound.

He had thought long and hard how to justify his refusal to use the soul medium his grandfather would inevitably bring back.

After a lengthy internal debate, he settled on 'I met a mysterious master who is secretly helping me with my cultivation problem' scenario. It would not only let him refuse the soul medium saying his master had a better method already arranged for him, he could also pin all of his future actions on this imaginary master, while in reality, he would be getting lucky because of his future knowledge.

It was not a very brilliant idea, he knew. But in a cultivation world such as this, his formulated story was not a very outrageous one. There was evidence that there were situations like that in the past.

And that possibility was all he needed to fool others.

But first, he would need to prove the existence of his made-up master.

He prepared in advance, two things as evidence. The first one was the skill book he got as a reward from Bounty Hunter System, 'The Five Arts of Chaos: Part one.'

He asked Kio if the book would act the same way with people other than him. And the answer he got was, no; for the individuals other than user, the book would just function as a normal cultivation manual. People could read it, but they couldn't understand it immediately like Marcius could.

So, Marcius could easily present it as a cultivation guide his master had gifted to him.

And the other evidence that would prove the credibility of his story was the potion bottle currently occupying the inner pocket of his coat.

There were two reasons for his success in creating the portion.

Firstly, it was a formula he learnt from Joseph's memories.

In the book, the protagonist, Logan Drakkon, used his future knowledge in the field of alchemy to recreate this very potion.

Secondly, the original Marcius had a solid foundation in alchemy. Because he couldn't cultivate, Marcius figured he had to rely on potions and medicines at some point. So, he studied and practiced in private.

Also, the formula and ingredients were fairly simple. It was one of the very few simple formulas from the book Joseph could remember clearly.

Because of that, after trying countless times and working very late into the night, Marcius was finally succeeded in his endeavor of producing the perfect mixture.

And now, he just had to perfectly carry out his master plan.

As a precaution, he even planned to say that his miraculous recovery from Styx's Tear was because of his master. He wanted his story to be foolproof.

As he waited, Marcius could finally see a small group of individuals on horseback inching closer and closer towards the welcoming party.

And there, at the front, Marcius saw his grandfather.

The clan head of Aemilia clan was known to be the strongest cultivator in city of Mediolan. His name was Titus Aemilia.

He had a very imposing aura despite his lean and frail looking appearance. He was also an old man with white hair and white beard.

To sum it all up, Titus Aemilia was your typical old man, if you didn't consider that fact that he could kill armies with a casual wave of his hand.

As the incoming calvary stopped right outside the gates, Marcius's grandfather quickly got off the horseback and beelined toward his immediate family members who were at the very front of the welcoming party.

"Welcome home, father." Both Helen and Marcus greeted him respectfully.

"It is good to see you both are healthy and well." Titus replied while giving his daughter a warm hug. "Especially you, Helen. Last few weeks must have been hell for you."

"I'm fine now, father." Helen replied.

Titus then moved to picked up the little girl standing beside Helen.

"Hello there, my favorite granddaughter. Have you been a good little girl who listen to her father and mother?"

"Yes grandpa. I have been very obedient." Livia squealed happily was Titus's beard tickled her nose. "Do you bring back presents for me?"

"I did. I brought back presents for both you and your brother." He replied.

After letting Livia showered him with childish affection, Titus gently put the child back onto the ground and turned toward the last family member.

"I heard you got poisoned in a dual." He asked in an unreadable tone, with his eyes judging Marcius's whole person.

"Because of my pride and hubris, I let my enemy got the better of me. It will not happen again." Marcius humbly replied, acknowledging his mistake.

"It is good that you realize your flaws. However, I'm glad that you escaped death and fully recovered."

Titus put his hand on Marcius's shoulder.

"You are the hardest working kid I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my long life. Now that I have brought back the solution to your greatest obstacle in the path of cultivation, you can assume the worst days are over." His grandfather reassured him with a faint smile.

"Come! Let's get inside. Today is a joyous day for our clan. Let's celebrate!" Titus shouted and waved everyone through the gate.

"We have prepared for a feast in the clan great hall, father." Helen replied as she led them towards their destination.

*** *** ***

The entire clan of Aemilia celebrated happily the whole day.

Many wouldn't dare say it. But Marcius was the sole male heir of Aemilia clan, and him being unable to cultivate reflected badly upon clan's image and prestige.

Now that the clan head had bought back a soul medium, the clan members could finally be carefree and relax as if a great burden had been lifted from their mind.

But there was one person who couldn't be as happy as others.

One of the main reasons of celebration, the heir of the clan; schemed and plotted his master plan, and silently hoped that his grandfather wouldn't beat him to death after hearing his story.

*** *** ***

Author Notes

MidnightMK here!

Let us see how Marcius enacts his plan in the next chapter!

I hope you enjoy this chapter! See you next time!