Shen Xiaoyan had no idea her mother was being so proud and tsundere.
If she had known, she would have been unsure whether to cry or laugh.
Before she had even fully accepted becoming a mature woman, Zhen Lingrong’s heart had already welcomed a tsundere goddess.
The change in demeanor was too rapid.
With matters settled, Zhen Lingrong took Shen Xiaoyan and the others downstairs to prevent Lin Xin and Mi Le Fo from worrying.
Mi Le Fo and Lin Xin had indeed been very anxious. Seeing Zhen Lingrong and the others finally descend, with normal expressions on their faces, they breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed there were no problems.
Xi He, however, looked at Zhen Lingrong and the others as if she had seen a ghost.
They had gone upstairs with grim faces, but after staying there for a while and coming back down, they were all acting as if nothing had happened.
Could it be that Shen Xiaoyan and the others hadn't told Zhen Lingrong the truth?
Yes, that must be it.
Xi He kept telling herself.
Because apart from this reason, she couldn't think of any other possibility that would allow Zhen Lingrong to remain so calm after learning about the matter.
Thinking that Shen Xiaoyan might have lied, Xi He couldn't help but feel excited.
If Shen Xiaoyan could be disliked by Zhen Lingrong because of this, it would be a wonderful thing.
Lin Xin eagerly stepped forward and asked Zhen Lingrong with concern, "Hall Master, is something wrong?"
Zhen Lingrong smiled faintly and shook her head, "Nothing is wrong. I just suddenly thought of a small matter. They haven't seen much of the world, so I took them upstairs to give them some pointers, to prevent them from making fools of themselves later."
Hearing Zhen Lingrong speak so confidently, Lin Xin and Mi Le Fo immediately believed her.
In fact, the two of them never imagined there could be anything in the world that would require Zhen Lingrong to lie.
Moreover, Zhen Lingrong's reason was indeed convincing.
Xi Jin and Xi Yin, upon hearing Zhen Lingrong's words, glared enviously at Shen Xiaoyan and the other two.
Tomorrow, they would all be in the same boat, all considered people who hadn't seen much of the world.
But Zhen Lingrong had only taken the three of them upstairs, excluding her and Xi Yin.
How could this feeling not make Xi Jin resentful?
Her eyes were almost red, showing how agitated she was at that moment.
Zhen Lingrong and the others noticed her reaction but merely glanced at her before ignoring her.
Mi Le Fo chuckled and said to Zhen Lingrong, "Hall Master is truly worrying unnecessarily. Young girl Yan, young master Yan, and young master Zheng, aren't they all outstanding individuals? This small auction is nothing, why would you need to specifically instruct them?"
Lin Xin, upon hearing this, heartily agreed, "I second that. The three of them are not from obscure backgrounds. Their vision, strength, demeanor, and interpersonal skills are all top-notch. Hall Master, you can rest your heart."
The two elders shared the same opinion, and their gazes towards each other softened considerably.
The compliments they showered upon them seemed to pour out endlessly, as if they were free.
Their words made Zhen Lingrong beam with joy and pride.
However, Shen Xiaoyan and the other two felt goosebumps all over their bodies.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at the two elders with a chill, wondering if they had been possessed.
Their words sounded so awkward.
Before Shen Xiaoyan could stop them, Mi Le Fo changed the subject and started talking about food.
"Now that everything is prepared, let's have a good meal. This will help us recharge our spirits and prepare for the tough battle tonight."
Shen Xiaoyan clutched her forehead, feeling like crying!
She knew it. That's why the two of them had changed their tune so quickly. They had been waiting for her.
She knew that something might happen tonight and that she might need the help of these two elders.
Furthermore, she felt a twinge of guilt for not telling them about Shen Xiaoming's situation.
And now, they just wanted her to get them some good food. It was a simple request, how could she refuse?
Thinking this, Shen Xiaoyan wandered around the main building and found the kitchen.
The kitchen was fully equipped with all sorts of cookware, including pots, pans, bowls, chopsticks, and spoons.
Only ingredients and seasonings were missing.
But this was no challenge for Shen Xiaoyan. She directly retrieved various ingredients and seasonings from her spatial storage and began to chop and wash vegetables with swift movements.
Mi Le Fo stood by the kitchen door, his eyes shining as he watched the ingredients under Shen Xiaoyan's knife, his mouth watering.
After they had eaten, night had fallen.
As Shen Xiaoyan was tidying up, she heard a noise outside.
Judging by the sound, it was likely the attendant who had brought them here in the afternoon.
Zhen Lingrong showed no reaction to the attendant's voice.
It was Lin Xin, however, who said to Xi He, sitting in a corner, "Girl, aren't you observant? You heard someone knocking at the door, why don't you go and see who it is?"
Xi He felt a surge of blood rush to her neck, enraging her to the point of spitting fire.
It was obvious from the sound that the person outside was the one who had invited them to the auction.
Why didn't they just go out themselves?
But they all sat there as still as mountains, telling her to go and open the door.
If this wasn't a deliberate attempt to torment her, she would rather have her head cut off and use it as a ball to kick.
Despite her resentment, Xi He obediently stood up and walked towards the door.
One had to bow their head when under someone else's roof. She currently had neither strength nor status, so she could only obey orders.
By the time Xi He reached the door, she had composed herself.
She opened the door and gave the attendant standing there a faint smile, "Our Hall Master asked me to see who it was. I didn't expect it to be the attendant. What, is the auction about to begin?"
Xi He had found a plausible excuse for coming to the door, so she wouldn't appear too foolish.
The attendant smiled outwardly but inwardly sneered.
Having worked at the Holy Language Auction House for so many years, he had seen all kinds of people, and those like her were common.
Did she think that by saying this, she could save face?
But she didn't realize that she was merely a joke, someone to be amused by.
She was still unaware, thinking her acting was superb.
This made her even more like a clown, jumping around incessantly.
While all sorts of thoughts flashed through the attendant's mind, he respectfully said, "Yes, the auction is about to begin. I have come specifically to invite Hall Master Ning to enter."
Xi He nodded at the attendant, "Then please wait here for a moment. I will go and inform the Hall Master and see if she can depart now."
The attendant naturally had no objections and watched as Xi He entered the room.
Xi He walked directly to Zhen Lingrong. However, before she could speak, Zhen Lingrong stood up, "Let's go. We shouldn't keep them waiting."
With that, she walked past Xi He without even looking at her.
Xi He's face instantly turned crimson. All the pre-prepared speeches in her mind were now stuck in her throat, with nowhere to go.
The distance from the door to the room was only a few meters, so any commotion from inside or outside could be clearly heard if not deliberately concealed.
The attendant at the door clearly understood that Zhen Lingrong had embarrassed Xi He.
Therefore, when Xi He, Xi Yin, and Xi Jin walked out, the attendant cast a probing glance at her.
Xi He tried her best to ignore the gaze, but she still felt uncomfortable.
Naturally, her hatred for Zhen Lingrong grew.
If Zhen Lingrong hadn't embarrassed her, would she have lost so much face?
However, she never considered that if she hadn't shamelessly insisted on tagging along, she wouldn't have lost face at all.
After following the attendant for about fifteen minutes, they finally arrived at the venue for today's auction.
From the outside, it looked like a four-story building.
It was beautifully constructed and made with exquisite materials, making it evident at first glance that this was a building only the wealthy could afford.
After entering with the attendant, they saw a large circular stage in the center of the first floor, which appeared to be the auction platform.
Apart from this stage, there was nothing else on the first floor.
The attendant led Zhen Lingrong and the others up a staircase from a corner. They didn't stop and went directly to the fourth floor, then entered a private room.
The interior of the private room was also elegantly decorated, making one feel good as soon as they entered.
It seemed that this auction house catered to a high-end clientele. There were no public seating areas, and from the second floor onwards, there were only private rooms.
Judging by the density of the private rooms, the ones on the fourth floor were likely the best, as there were only twenty rooms in total.
The private room they were currently in was spacious and fully equipped with tables, chairs, cabinets, and display shelves.
Shen Xiaoyan looked around and thought that if a bed were added, it would be a small apartment.
Looking out of the window, they had a clear view of the auction stage on the first floor, with excellent visibility.
When they came up earlier, Shen Xiaoyan had noticed that the third floor had about sixty rooms, while the second floor had the most, with rooms practically adjoining each other, numbering over a hundred.
With the same area, the difference in the number of rooms was so large that Shen Xiaoyan didn't need to think too hard to guess the nature of the rooms on the second floor.
It seemed they had arrived quite early, as shortly after they sat down, they could faintly see figures moving on the first floor.
Since the lights in the entire building were not yet on and it was already dark, they couldn't see who it was, only from the moving shadows could they infer that there were many people arriving.
It made sense, too. The Holy Language Auction House had prepared so many rooms; they must ensure they were all filled, otherwise, it would be quite embarrassing, wouldn't it?
From her understanding, in the entire Eastern Immortal Land, anyone who received an invitation to the auction from the headquarters of the Holy Language Auction House would gladly attend.
After all, even someone like Zhen Lingrong had come.
In the Eastern Immortal Land, who had a higher status than Zhen Lingrong?
After about half an hour, all the private rooms were filled.
How did Shen Xiaoyan know?
Naturally, it was because the lights in the private rooms would turn on once people entered.
Soon, the lights around the auction stage on the first floor also lit up, and in an instant, the entire building was as bright as day.
The sudden change made Shen Xiaoyan feel excited.
She wondered what would be auctioned later, and if she might encounter any good items that were meant for her!
Although in her heart, Shen Xiaoyan felt that they truly lacked nothing at the moment.
Looking at the auction stage on the first floor, Shen Xiaoyan suddenly asked a question, "Will the auctioneer just display things on the stage? What if it's too far to see clearly?"
Zhen Lingrong had never been here before, so she couldn't answer Shen Xiaoyan's question.
However, she remembered that Lin Xin and Mi Le Fo had been here, so she looked at them.
Lin Xin chuckled a few times upon seeing this, thinking to himself that the Hall Master was finally asking him for information, and felt a sense of pride.
"You wouldn't know this, but that stage can be raised and lowered. When the auctioneer appears, the stage will rise into the air, so you can see clearly, right?"
Upon hearing Lin Xin's words, Shen Xiaoyan instantly felt like burying her face in her hands.
She had indeed stayed in ancient times for too long. She had forgotten about things like a rising and falling stage.
It was fortunate that no one else knew about this besides her, otherwise, wouldn't she have lost face completely?
To hide her embarrassment, she immediately turned her head and stared intently out the window.
She had merely been spacing out, but unexpectedly, there was already someone on the auction stage, and the stage was slowly rising.
Only after the stage stopped moving did Shen Xiaoyan see clearly that the person standing on the stage was Xiang Fei.
Xiang Fei was wearing a light purple cheongsam today, her hair neatly tied up at the back of her head.
The tight-fitting cheongsam perfectly accentuated her figure, exuding a deadly allure.
Although it had only been a few months since they last met, Shen Xiaoyan clearly felt that Xiang Fei had changed significantly.
Not only were her appearance and figure more exquisite and alluring, but even her temperament was deeply captivating.
As a woman, looking at Xiang Fei, Shen Xiaoyan felt a sense of daze, let alone men.
Instinctively, Shen Xiaoyan turned to look at Shen Xiaoming and Zheng Wei. Seeing that they were merely looking at Xiang Fei with mild expressions and no unusual reaction, she breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Zhen Lingrong's voice, filled with displeasure, said, "This Holy Language Auction House is becoming increasingly decadent!"
Shen Xiaoyan looked at her curiously, "What do you mean?"
Why the sudden outburst? Wasn't she fine just now?
Had the Holy Language Auction House done something to offend Zhen Lingrong while she wasn't aware?
As Shen Xiaoyan was guessing wildly, she heard Zhen Lingrong say disdainfully, "They actually have the auctioneer practice this kind of seductive charm. If this isn't decadent, what is it? Have their auctions run out of things to sell, so they have to resort to such methods? No wonder we've been hearing Xiang Fei's name more and more in recent years. It turns out it's for this reason."
Although Zhen Lingrong didn't criticize Xiang Fei excessively, Shen Xiaoyan could easily detect her disdain for Xiang Fei in her tone.
While Zhen Lingrong's appearance and temperament leaned towards gentleness, her personality was like that of a strong woman.
No matter what she did, she either did it herself or would not use her own allure to get others to do things for her.