Zheng Wei immediately stood up and walked to Shen Xiaoyan's side, looking at her with concern, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with Mǐmi suddenly?"
Shen Xiaoyan withdrew her envious gaze and shook her head at Zheng Wei.
She couldn't possibly say that she felt old, could she?
If she said that, people would probably either laugh themselves to death or try hard not to.
"Mǐmi, why are you so cute? I really like your little temperaments."
As Zheng Wei spoke, he reached out and pinched Shen Xiaoyan's cheek.
Shen Xiaoyan's face hurt, and she slapped Zheng Wei's hand away, "What are you doing? It hurts so much..."
"Mǐmi!"
Before Shen Xiaoyan could finish speaking, Zheng Wei interrupted her quickly.
Looking up at Zheng Wei's face, the expression there was a little dangerous, yet so cool that it made Shen Xiaoyan almost blush.
However, admiring a handsome man was one thing, and what needed to be said still had to be said.
So Shen Xiaoyan put on a stern face and demanded, "Why are you scolding me?"
Zheng Wei gave a wry smile, spread his hands, and said helplessly, "How dare I?"
Shen Xiaoyan let out a sarcastic snort and stopped babbling with Zheng Wei.
The timing wasn't right, and with so many people present, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't do anything.
However, daring to pinch her face in front of so many people meant he didn't want to live.
"You were clearly yelling at me just now, and now you won't admit it?"
Hearing this, Zheng Wei reached out and pinched Shen Xiaoyan's face again, saying with a laugh, "I just think your face feels really good to pinch."
As Zheng Wei spoke, he kept rubbing Shen Xiaoyan's face with both hands.
Fortunately, Shen Xiaoyan didn't wear makeup, otherwise, after all that rubbing and pinching, would her face still be presentable?
Shen Xiaoyan was speechless at the moment.
The longer she spent with these people, the more she felt a sense of bewilderment.
Why were they so different from the ancient people she had imagined?
What about etiquette and teachings?
What about the outdated ideas of the ancients?
What about the "three obediences and four virtues" for women?
Well, none of that was present. This was not the ancient times she had imagined.
Sima Han rubbed his forehead helplessly, wondering why everything they said now could be dragged off-topic.
"Cough, cough..."
Sima Han cleared his throat, hoping to attract everyone's attention and get back to business.
But to his surprise, after he coughed a few times, no one paid him any attention.
Finally, Yue Qingxin looked at him with concern, "Ahan, is your throat uncomfortable? Do you want me to boil you some herbal soup later?"
Sima Han quickly waved his hand. He wasn't sick, so why would he need medicine?
"I said, what do you guys think of my suggestion just now?"
There was no point in beating around the bush, so Zheng Wei said it directly.
Only then did Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei shift their gaze to him and examine him for a long time.
It wasn't until he was almost bursting with impatience that Shen Xiaoyan smiled.
"It would have been easier if you just said it directly. Coughing your lungs out, who knows what you're trying to do?"
"Yes, yes, you're right."
Shen Xiaoyan looked at Sima Han's face as he spoke, feeling that what he really wanted to say was: Whatever you say is right.
However, Shen Xiaoyan didn't plan to tease him further. After a few years of getting along, Shen Xiaoyan had come to understand Sima Han a little.
He was a reserved person, a "mèn sāo" (闷骚 - outwardly cold but inwardly passionate).
In front of them, he always adhered to the principle of "silence is golden."
But in front of Yue Qingxin, he could probably change into any demeanor he wished.
"You suggest using the rings to transport things. While it would be much more convenient, how should we explain it to everyone? Instead of disaster relief, we might be mistaken for demons on the spot, which would be bad."
After Shen Xiaoyan finished speaking, she looked at Zheng Wei and asked, "Am I right to be worried?"
Although she already knew about cultivation worlds and that spatial rings were common,
this was, after all, still a mortal world.
Let alone cultivators, even those with excellent martial arts skills were not necessarily numerous.
Therefore, if they rashly revealed spatial rings, would that really be a good idea?
Yi Zhixie rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment before saying, "Actually, it's not impossible."
What Shen Xiaoyan had said was exactly what Sima Han was worried about, so when he heard Yi Zhixie say it was not impossible, he immediately became excited.
"Oh? How so?"
Yi Zhixie organized his thoughts slightly and then said, "When I was Grand Tutor..."
"Pfft..."
As Yi Zhixie was about to speak, he was interrupted by Shen Xiaoyan's sudden burst of laughter, leaving him looking confused and embarrassed.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at everyone in the room, who were all looking at her strangely.
Feeling a little sheepish, she said, "Um, Yi Zhixie, please continue."
Yi Zhixie was truly speechless. Did his previous sentence have any problems?
But everyone else was fine, so why did Shen Xiaoyan inexplicably burst into laughter?
Seeing Yi Zhixie's puzzled look, Shen Xiaoyan knew she couldn't explain clearly, so she could only wave her hand and say, "I just remembered a joke. It's nothing, please continue, I won't laugh anymore."
After speaking, Shen Xiaoyan looked at Yi Zhixie with a blank expression, as if to show her resolve.
Yi Zhixie opened his mouth but finally said nothing.
He couldn't possibly stop Shen Xiaoyan from laughing, could he?
However, her sudden laughter always made him feel as if he had said something wrong somewhere.
"Well, um..."
Yi Zhixie put on a serious face and wanted to continue, but suddenly forgot where he had left off.
"Where was I?" Yi Zhixie asked, dejected.
"You were talking about when you were Grand Tutor," Sima Han said lightly.
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan almost burst into laughter again.
Yi Zhixie seemed to have anticipated Shen Xiaoyan's reaction and looked at her for a long time. Only after he was sure Shen Xiaoyan wouldn't burst into laughter did he continue.
"When I was Grand Tutor, I often used some of the abilities of cultivators to deceive the Grand Emperor. Cough cough..."
Saying this, Yi Zhixie first glanced at Sima Han.
Seeing that Sima Han's expression was still impassive, he continued, "It's not entirely my fault. Mainly, as Grand Tutor, in my understanding, this should be considered being a charlatan, right?"
Shen Xiaoyan immediately nodded upon hearing this and said, "What you said is right. I also think Grand Tutors are in the category of charlatans. Tell me, how did you deceive the Grand Emperor back then?"
Yi Zhixie had originally wanted to gain everyone's agreement, but he hadn't expected to talk about how he had deceived the old Emperor, because Shen Xiaoyan's question had stumped him.
After a long pause, Yi Zhixie said, "That's not the point. The point is, I can reveal my identity, and then..."
Sima Han's eyes lit up upon hearing this and he continued, "Exactly. As long as you say you are Grand Tutor, no one will dare to question us using spatial rings."
Yi Zhixie and Sima Han looked at each other and smiled, both feeling a sense of having found a kindred spirit.
Zheng Wei glanced at the two of them and said flatly, "Looking at Yi Zhixie's face, if he goes out and claims to be Grand Tutor, how many people do you think will believe him?"
"Hey, what's wrong with my face? Have you ever seen such a young and handsome Grand Tutor?"
As soon as Yi Zhixie heard Zheng Wei questioning his appearance, he immediately became agitated.
Even though he was hundreds of years old now, that didn't affect his aesthetic sense, did it?
"It's precisely because you're too young that no one believes you. If you say you're fifteen or sixteen, people might actually believe you," Shen Xiaoyan said seriously.
Hearing this, Yi Zhixie's eyes sparkled, and he said excitedly, "Shen Xiaoyan, I just suddenly realized that I really misjudged you before. You're the one with the sharpest insight! 'A discerning eye recognizing a gem' describes you perfectly."