Just as Zheng Wei was about to express his gratitude and recount his experiences, he heard Yi Zhiye's voice again, "Before, you were worried about this and that, but now, it seems all your worries were for nothing. Look how well Hall Master Zhen treats Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaoming. Such a mother is truly rare in the world, so gentle, considerate, and obedient. If only my mother were like that!"
Zheng Wei stumbled, thinking, "What kind of person is this!"
He had just thought Yi Zhiye was genuinely concerned about him, only to realize he had been mistaken.
He cast a cool glance at Yi Zhiye and decided to ignore him for now. Talking to someone so clueless was too tiring.
With that thought, Zheng Wei slowed his pace and fell into step with Lu Taobao.
"How have things been since you left the Sun Hot Sect?" Zheng Wei asked, looking at Lu Taobao's weary face. Since it wasn't a private matter, he didn't use telepathy.
Even if Lu Taobao didn't answer, he could imagine that things hadn't been good, or he wouldn't look like this.
Lu Taobao gave a bitter smile. "How else could it be? We're afraid of being found by Yan Rulei's men, so we're not exactly hiding, but we've lived incognito. Brother Zheng, if you look at my face, you can imagine what kind of life I've been living."
Hearing this, Zheng Wei genuinely took a good look at his face and then said sincerely, "It's just that you haven't slept well!"
Lu Taobao:!
Where was the comfort he was promised?
Was this how a big brother should be?
Zheng Wei naturally saw Lu Taobao's indignant gaze and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Seeing this, Lu Taobao understood. It turned out Zheng Wei had been making fun of him.
He hadn't expected that in just a month, Brother Zheng would have such leisure. It seemed he was indeed living a good life.
If Zheng Wei knew that his brief moment of amusement at Lu Taobao's expense would lead Lu Taobao to believe he was living a life of ease, he would surely regret it.
Heaven knew how difficult his past month had been.
Of course, he could never say such things.
If Zhen Lingrong heard about it, she might say something behind his back to Mi Mi.
Before long, everyone returned to where Zhen Lingrong and the others were staying.
After they had all taken their seats, Shen Xiaoyan noticed that Xi He and her two children hadn't returned with them.
She looked at Lin Xin with concern, "Elder Lin, Xi He and the other two haven't returned. Is there something wrong?"
Lin Xin chuckled, "Rest assured, with just the three of them, they won't be able to stir up any trouble."
Hearing his confident words, Shen Xiaoyan felt much more at ease.
Putting Xi He and the other two out of her mind for the moment, Shen Xiaoyan turned to Yuan Heng and Yi Maodun.
"Valley Master Yuan, Uncle, where did you all go after leaving the Sun Hot Sect?"
Upon hearing her question, Yuan Heng's face instantly turned extremely unpleasant.
He said indignantly, "That despicable scoundrel Yan Rulei wanted to kill me when I refused to give him the Xu Ming Bai Cao. Fortunately, we were blessed with good fortune and managed to escape safely. After escaping, we intended to return to the Medicine Emperor Valley, but halfway there, we heard about the Holy Word Auction House. So, A Xie came up with that idea, and we came here."
Shen Xiaoyan nodded. This was indeed something Yi Zhiye would do.
Yuan Heng had a fiery temper, and if Maodun was also somewhat rigid, neither of them was the type to handle such matters.
After much thought, the only one who could come up with such an idea was Yi Zhiye!
If Yi Zhiye knew Shen Xiaoyan's thoughts, he would surely protest his innocence. Why didn't she suspect Lu Taobao? That guy was also full of mischief!
After understanding Yi Zhiye and the others' experiences, Zheng Wei suggested they rest, as it was safe here and there was nothing to worry about.
Everyone had the same idea, and they immediately went to rest.
As she watched them head upstairs, Shen Xiaoyan suddenly called out to Lu Taobao.
"Where is Bai Ying?"
She hadn't paid attention earlier, but now she realized that Bai Ying and Fujiwara Shifei were not among them. Yet, she had heard Long Xuan say that the two of them had come out together.
Lu Taobao's face fell when he heard Shen Xiaoyan's question. "She's gone again!"
Shen Xiaoyan was startled. What did "gone again" mean?
Just as Shen Xiaoyan was pondering this, Zheng Wei spoke up, "Did Elder Fujiwara take her away?"
Lu Taobao nodded dejectedly.
Shen Xiaoyan instantly understood. Back in Da Chu, Fujiwara Shifei had brought Bai Ying to the Holy Spirit Continent.
Lu Taobao had finally tracked her down to the Holy Spirit Continent, but before they could spend much time together, and before their relationship was even confirmed, Fujiwara Shifei had taken Bai Ying away again.
"Where did they go this time?" Shen Xiaoyan asked curiously.
She hoped it wasn't another continent, or she feared Lu Taobao would never catch up to Bai Ying's footsteps in his life.
Let alone being together, they would find it difficult to even meet.
Lu Taobao perhaps also thought of this problem, and his dejected expression became even more apparent, his words filled with bitterness. "She didn't say. She just said we'll meet if fate allows."
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan knew without a doubt that Fujiwara Shifei had said it.
She could even imagine Fujiwara Shifei's indifferent expression when she said those words.
If she didn't know that Fujiwara Shifei wasn't someone who prioritized status and family background, she would have thought Fujiwara Shifei was telling Lu Taobao to give up.
But she knew that Fujiwara Shifei's words had no hidden meaning, just a simple, literal meaning: we'll meet again if fate allows, meaning they still had a connection and would meet again, so whether she said it or not didn't matter.
However, looking at Lu Taobao's expression, it was clear he hadn't thought of this and only thought Fujiwara Shifei wanted him to stop obsessing.
As the three of them were talking, Zhen Lingrong suddenly leaned in and smiled gently at Lu Taobao, "Are you talking about Fujiwara Shifei?"
Hearing her ask, Shen Xiaoyan felt she had discovered something. "Do you know her?"
Zhen Lingrong raised her eyebrows proudly. "Of course. In this Eastern Immortal Land, is there anyone of note that I don't know?"
Looking at her smug little expression, Shen Xiaoyan felt both amused and exasperated.
Honestly, with others present, couldn't she at least maintain some of her dignity as a Hall Master in front of the younger generation?
She glanced at Lu Taobao again and indeed saw him staring at Zhen Lingrong, dumbfounded.
Lu Taobao's mind was reeling.
Was this truly the Hall Master of Changqiu Hall?
Why was she speaking so approachable?
Even Yan Rulei, the Sect Master of the Sun Hot Sect, always put on a lofty demeanor. Compared to him, Zhen Lingrong was like a girl just stepping out into the world.
Just as he thought this, Lu Taobao suddenly remembered what Shen Xiaoyan had said before.
One should not judge a person based on their appearance or way of speaking, but rather feel it with their heart.
Otherwise, being deceived by outward appearances would only lead to one's own hurt.
Lu Taobao instantly closed his eyes and silently admonished himself.
When he opened his eyes again, the previous dispirited, distressed, or shocked emotions had vanished.
Seeing this, Shen Xiaoyan immediately understood that Lu Taobao had made progress again.
Indeed, Lu Taobao looked at Zhen Lingrong with a serious expression, bowed respectfully, and said, "Thank you, Hall Master Zhen, for your guidance."
Zhen Lingrong accepted with a faint smile and said, "Is the person you just mentioned Fujiwara Shifei?"
Lu Taobao was a little confused by Zhen Lingrong's reaction, but he still replied respectfully, "To Hall Master, it is indeed Elder Fujiwara."
Although Fujiwara Shifei had left the Sun Hot Sect, Lu Taobao didn't know how to address her, so he simply continued to call her Elder Fujiwara as before.
"Elder?"
Zhen Lingrong repeated the word and finally laughed, "Has she really admitted to being old? Calling others Elder now."
However, she wasn't speaking to Lu Taobao, so without waiting for his reply, she spoke again.
"When I'm in a good mood, I'll tell you where Fujiwara Shifei took your little sweetheart, hahahaha."
With that, she turned and left with a laugh. Even Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaoming had resigned themselves to this.
Lu Taobao stared blankly at Zhen Lingrong's receding figure for a long time before saying, "Sister-in-law, your mother..."
"Cough, cough, aren't you sleepy? Go rest quickly. We'll talk about anything after you wake up," Shen Xiaoyan interrupted Lu Taobao and urged him.
Lu Taobao raised his hand to his forehead, thinking he must be too tired and hallucinating, otherwise, how could the dignified Hall Master of Changqiu Hall have such a demeanor?
But the feeling of this demeanor was so real, what should he do?
Seeing Lu Taobao's bewildered look, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but feel helpless.
As expected, her own mother would cause her trouble.
It seemed she really needed to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Zhen Lingrong. When others were present, she should at least maintain some composure and not reveal her true nature to everyone.
Didn't she know how much trouble this would cause Bil?
Looking at Lu Taobao's dazed expression, one could tell that Zhen Lingrong's abrupt words, rambling statements, and that indescribable laugh at the end had indeed caused him great confusion.
After finally sending Lu Taobao away, Shen Xiaoyan let out a long sigh and nestled into Zheng Wei's arms. "So tired!"
Actually, it was more of a mental exhaustion. Why was it so difficult to have a peaceful life?
As she was thinking this, Shen Xiaoyan suddenly heard a soft voice.
"Mommy, Mommy, we want to come out."
Shen Xiaoyan rubbed her temples. She was so exhausted that she was hallucinating.
She said to Zheng Wei helplessly, "I'm hallucinating. I actually heard Ruanruan telling me they want to come out."
Zheng Wei's expression instantly changed. "Mi Mi, are you sure that was a hallucination?"
Ruanruan and the others were in Shen Xiaoyan's space, and they could communicate directly with her, but he couldn't hear them.
Now, hearing Shen Xiaoyan say it was a hallucination, he didn't think it was likely.
Even when she was more tired, Shen Xiaoyan had never mentioned having hallucinations before.
Hearing Zheng Wei's question, Shen Xiaoyan also felt something was amiss.
Could it be that she wasn't hallucinating just now?
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan's expression turn serious, Zheng Wei also became solemn.
"What's wrong? Is something happening in the space?"
Shen Xiaoyan shook her head. She didn't know, but Luoluo hadn't told her anything!
Besides, she had a special connection with the space, but she hadn't sensed any problems with it at all!
"I don't know what's going on. Ruanruan suddenly told me they want to come out."
"Come out?" Zheng Wei repeated the word.
Hadn't they agreed to wait until they were five years old? Why were they insisting on coming out now?
Shen Xiaoyan was also completely bewildered.
"Forget it, I'll go in and take a look. Let's ask properly."
As soon as Shen Xiaoyan said this, she heard Ruanruan's voice in her mind again, "Mommy, no need to come in, no need to come in. Just let us out. We know you've found Grandma, and we all want to come out and see Grandma!"
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan became even more confused.
What was going on?
Why weren't they telling her anything if they had something to say? Why didn't they ask her to come into the space?
They even specifically said not to let her in.
Shen Xiaoyan thought for a long time, then decided to ask Luoluo.
However, after asking, Luoluo didn't reply for a long time.
Just as Shen Xiaoyan was growing impatient and decided to go in and see, Luoluo finally replied.
"These three little ancestors are about to tear down the space. If you want the space to remain intact, you'd better let them out quickly."
Luoluo's voice was weak and full of deep helplessness and sighs.
This made Shen Xiaoyan even more curious. Without regard for Ruanruan's insistence that she not come in, she flashed into the space.
Zheng Wei stood in place, watching the spot where Shen Xiaoyan had disappeared, his brows furrowed.
Entering the space, Shen Xiaoyan was now staring at it in shock.
This...
Was this place, looking like it had been swept by an autumn wind, really her space?
And had the black fur on Lao Hei and Heizi been gnawed off by each other?
And what color was Bai Bai's fur?
Most importantly, when had Luoluo, who had always felt proud of his pure black fur and was extremely narcissistic, dyed his fur in such vibrant colors?
Shen Xiaoyan rubbed her forehead. Why was she becoming more and more confused?
However, combining Luoluo's and Ruanruan's words, and looking at the scene before her, she understood who the instigator was.