After smelling it all, a cunning smile appeared on his face.
This disciple was truly worth taking in.
A disciple who possessed fine wine and was so generous was truly hard to find.
At the same time, the befuddled old man felt some regret, wishing he had offered a better见面礼 (meeting gift) earlier.
If he had, perhaps he would have received more than just eight pots of wine at this moment.
Even now, knowing that his little disciple had a stash, it wasn't too late.
Since his little disciple was so generous, he could slowly coax her to reveal her stash in the future.
Of course, he was not one to take things by force.
He would exchange with his little disciple.
After all, his little disciple was a young girl, and it was better for her to drink less wine.
The more the old man thought about it, the happier he became, and the smile on his face grew wider.
His face, which was still somewhat smooth, was contorted into a blooming chrysanthemum by his laughter.
"Master, where do you live? How will you take this wine away? Do you need us to send you off?" Shen Xiaoyan asked.
Hearing this, the old man quickly shook his head, "No, no, this old man prefers to be by myself. I'm free and unfettered, and I don't like living with others. So, you don't need to attend to me, my disciple."
Shen Xiaoyan touched her forehead. When did she say she was going to attend to him?
"If that's the case, how will you take these things away, Master?" Shen Xiaoyan said, pointing to the wine pots on the table.
The old man smiled gently and, with a wave of his hand, all the wine pots disappeared.
"What do you think? I've told you everything. Master is very powerful. By taking me as your master, you will definitely not lose out."
The old man's tone was very proud.
However, Shen Xiaoyan and the others were no longer paying attention to his words.
Upon seeing the wine pots vanish with a wave of the befuddled old man's sleeve, Shen Xiaoyan and the others' pupils contracted sharply.
Could it be that this person before them also hailed from the Holy Spirit Continent?
Although Yizhixie and Namuzhong were already 800 years old, they still looked youthful.
This old man, on the other hand, appeared to be in his prime, yet his voice was that of an elder. How old could he be?
For someone whose age was impossible to guess, what level of cultivation must he possess?
For a moment, Shen Xiaoyan didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
"What's wrong? Are you scared by this old man's skill? Haha... good disciple, don't be afraid. Master will teach you well from now on... as long as you..."
"It's you again, old man! Who told you to come up? Is this a place you can come to?"
The old man's words were suddenly interrupted. He didn't seem angry at all, and continued to smile.
Shen Xiaoyan and the others, hearing this, looked towards the door.
Because the befuddled old man had entered directly and had not closed the door, and everyone, caught up in the subsequent events, hadn't thought to close it, it was very easy for people outside to see the situation inside the room.
Standing at the doorway at this moment were Zheng Xiang and a few others.
And the one who had just spoken was Zheng Fan.
Shen Xiaoyan recalled that Zheng Fan had previously possessed the demeanor of a young nobleman. What had happened to him now?
Why was he suddenly speaking so harshly to an old man?
Could it be that he had been reprimanded by Zheng Xiang for leaving earlier?
Shen Xiaoyan looked towards Zheng Xiang as she pondered, and indeed, she saw Zheng Xiang looking at her with a dark expression.
Shen Xiaoyan felt indifferent to Zheng Xiang's sinister gaze.
From the very beginning, it was destined that they would be at odds with Zheng Xiang.
"Disciple, this was a disciple candidate I fancied before, but unfortunately, she didn't fancy this old man and was unwilling to take me as her master," the befuddled old man suddenly said.
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan looked at Zheng Fan with great interest.
She hadn't expected such a turn of events.
"As the saying goes, even if business fails, friendship can remain. Since he was unwilling, then so be it. Why is he treating you like this now?" Shen Xiaoyan asked curiously.
"You listen to this old man's nonsense. He clearly took a liking to my wine and pestered me relentlessly to take him as a disciple, saying I should give him the wine as a meeting gift," Zheng Fan retorted.
"Oh~"
Shen Xiaoyan nodded with understanding.
She had indeed wondered why this old man would insist on taking someone as a disciple if he had no other intentions.
"Then, how did you give in later?" Shen Xiaoyan continued to ask.
"This... this..." The befuddled old man became a little flustered, unable to articulate what happened next.
Zheng Fan sneered, "Now you're too embarrassed to say?"
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan's expression turned cold. Although this was just a nominal master, she wouldn't allow anyone to slander her master in front of her.
"What do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean? He stole my wine and drank it all. Are you still asking me what I mean?" Zheng Fan scowled, his tone extremely hostile.
Shen Xiaoyan was somewhat surprised to hear this and didn't know what to say.
This old man, unable to coax it out, resorted to outright theft?
"Then you also beat me up..."
The old man mumbled softly, his expression still somewhat embarrassed.
"Beat you up? How were you beaten?" Shen Xiaoyan quickly asked.
The old man scratched his head and said sheepishly, "I was beaten by the servants with wooden sticks. It's nothing. It was just that I was too greedy and stole their wine..."
"Stop talking," Shen Xiaoyan coldly interrupted the befuddled old man.
The old man looked at Shen Xiaoyan in surprise. Could it be that she thought he was embarrassing himself and regretted it?
But it was understandable; after all, she was a young girl who cared about her reputation.
The old man lowered his eyelids, hiding the hint of loss in his eyes.
Just then, Shen Xiaoyan said, "How much of your wine did he eat, and how many times did you beat him?"
Zheng Fan didn't understand why Shen Xiaoyan was asking this, but he instinctively replied, "He ate two pots of my wine. As for how many times I beat him, how would I know? But two household servants beat me for a quarter of an hour, so it must have been several hundred blows."
By the end, Zheng Fan let out a light laugh, looking at the befuddled old man with disdain.
"What is this old man doing here? He must have smelled the wine and come running, right? He wouldn't have stolen and eaten your wine too, would he?"
Although Zheng Fan asked in a questioning tone, his expression was quite certain.
"Since that's the case, why don't you beat him up too? I guarantee he'll avoid you when he sees you in the future and won't dare to engage in petty theft again."
"If you are too soft-hearted to do it, I can help you out."
Zheng Fan chattered on by himself for a long time, completely unaware that Shen Xiaoyan and the others' faces were growing sterner and their gazes colder due to his words.
"I want to know, what was the value of the wine he stole from you? Was it comparable to the aroma of the wine in this room?" Shen Xiaoyan raised her eyebrows.
Zheng Fan was taken aback, wondering why she was asking.
However, he instinctively replied, "Of course, it's not comparable to the wine in this room. Let alone two pots, even adding them all up wouldn't be as good as this cup."
Zheng Fan wasn't flattering. He was also a wine lover, and he was speaking the truth.
"Since that's the case, then drink this cup of wine. Consider it compensation from me on his behalf."
As Shen Xiaoyan said this, she picked up a new wine cup, poured a cup of wine, and handed it to Zheng Fan.
Zheng Fan looked at the wine cup in Shen Xiaoyan's hand, somewhat surprised.
Why was she compensating this old man?
Although the wine smelled wonderful and had piqued his desire for wine.
"Since that's the case, then I shouldn't refuse."
Zheng Fan reached out and took the wine cup from Shen Xiaoyan's hand, brought it to his nose, and sniffed gently. A look of intoxicated joy immediately appeared on his face.
Seeing this, the old man's face showed a look of heartache.
Such fine wine, how could it be given to others so casually?
Besides, he had been beaten earlier, why should he still have to pay compensation?
However, he said nothing, as it was Shen Xiaoyan's wine and Shen Xiaoyan's decision.
In any case, this was his little disciple.
He couldn't bring himself to refuse anything his little disciple did for him.
Zheng Fan, after smelling it, did not drink it immediately.
Instead, he turned and handed it to Zheng Xiang, "Wang Fu..."
Zheng Xiang sneered, "Since it's compensation for you, then drink it."