Si Qing's face instantly turned cold.
Qi Yu, however, good-naturedly leaned closer and poured a little wine into her cup.
She comforted Si Qing with her eyes: "What are you angry about? Ignorance is bliss. Besides, we don't even know what this old man is up to yet. Let's talk to him first."
Seeing Qi Yu's stance, Si Qing sat down beside her and also picked up his wine cup.
The old man, seeing the brother and sister sitting opposite him, pondered for a moment before trying to get closer, asking:
"I see you two have a very good relationship with our clan leader. Have you always been like this since you were young? Ah, I rarely see our clan leader get close to any girl, so I'm a bit surprised."
As the old man spoke, he sighed and shook his head, launching into a lengthy explanation about Sui You, despite being the clan leader, not being concerned about his own marriage at all.
Qi Yu's attention, however, was not on the topic the old man was discussing.
She just picked at the snacks from the food box, eating them intermittently and couldn't help but shake her head, feeling that the small snacks and accompanying dishes the old man had brought out from his box tasted exceptionally delicious, far better than what she had eaten at the table earlier.
Si Qing looked at Qi Yu with admiration.
After eating so much at the banquet, he couldn't believe his sister could still eat.
Qi Yu had no idea about her own large appetite.
While eating, she didn't forget to interject a few words when the old man was enthusiastically complaining: "Although Sui You is the leader of your Phoenix Clan, no matter what, his most important task now is to develop and strengthen his race. Besides, I don't think the matter of procreation should be rushed. Don't you have many pure-blooded little phoenixes in your Phoenix Clan? Can't they take over the position of Phoenix Lord in the future?"
Qi Yu had never understood, if everyone was of pure blood, what was the difference?
"That absolutely cannot be," the old man hastily slammed the table to explain. "Even with pure blood, the awakened spiritual roots of each bloodline are different."
Qi Yu said "Oh," and didn't pay much attention.
If they were different, then they were different. There was nothing she could do. She could only wait and see when Sui You was in a good mood and when he would find a partner.
Seeing the brother and sister lowering their heads to eat and quietly sip their wine, the old man continued to try and get closer: "What are your names, you two siblings? And what is this venerable one's true form?"
The so-called true form referred to their original form.
Qi Yu found the question a bit abrupt, but she still answered good-naturedly: "My brother and I are both Divine Martial Birds in our true forms."
"Oh, a celestial being!" The old man's face was almost blooming with a smile. "This old man is very skilled in medicine. How about you let me take a look? I see you have a pale complexion. I'm worried you might have some deficiency."
Qi Yu had a rough idea of what the old man was thinking, but she still cooperated by extending her wrist for him to feel her pulse.
The old man's fingers moved slightly, and two golden threads appeared on his fingertips, which he tied to Qi Yu's right wrist.
The old man performed a suspended pulse diagnosis, closed his eyes, and listened for a moment. After a while, he withdrew the golden threads, stroked his beard, and nodded. "Very good, very good. Your body is truly healthy, child. This is a pulse indicative of many offspring and great fortune."
Qi Yu showed a surprised expression and thanked him with a smile, while inwardly she was pounding the ground with her fists.
She had known the old man had ulterior motives as soon as she touched him, but she never expected that he was probably trying to set her up with her third senior brother!
No matter how slow Si Qing was, he understood what was happening at this point.
His face instantly turned dark. He grabbed Qi Yu, who was still trying to stifle her laughter, and said an apology to the old man, saying they had something to attend to and would talk another time.
Then, like a gust of wind, he turned and left.
Qi Yu, held in Si Qing's hand, burst into hearty laughter, pounding her thighs as she laughed.
Si Qing carried Qi Yu away, walking and angrily saying, "What was that old man thinking? That was so rude! We don't even know him, and he comes over to take your pulse, try to get close, and talk about the Phoenix Clan for so long, only to want an alliance? Sister, you too, you actually cooperated with him."
"I wasn't cooperating with him, I was just curious about what he wanted to do. Now that I have the body of the Heavenly Dao, I'm immune to all poisons, so there's nothing to be afraid of. But I never expected that the old man wasn't trying to poison the food, but was trying to find a partner for the third senior brother! Hahaha!" Qi Yu broke free from Si Qing's hand, squatted down, covered her face with one hand, and pounded the ground frantically.
Si Qing's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He didn't say a word, but his entire being exuded resentment, causing dark clouds to gather over the Phoenix Clan's territory.
Sui You and the others, seeing the sudden change in the sky, thought someone had angered Qi Yu and Si Qing.
So, a group of people hurried towards their direction.
When they arrived, they saw Qi Yu squatting on the ground, laughing heartily, while Si Qing's face was as dark as if someone owed him millions of gold.
"Are you two alright? Sigh, you startled me just now. I was wondering why the sky suddenly changed color," An Nuo said, sighing as he supported his knees.
Qi Yu, having finally laughed enough, managed to push herself up from the ground and then threw herself into An Nuo's arms, explaining the whole story from beginning to end, unable to stop laughing as she spoke.
"Sister, you're still in the mood to laugh. This is a serious matter. Shouldn't those old guys in the Phoenix Clan be replaced? What use do these old stubborn fools have besides nagging about marriage?" Si Qing complained to a visibly embarrassed Sui You.
"They must have misunderstood the relationship between Qi Yu and me. Sigh, Si Qing, don't take it too seriously," Sui You also spread his hands helplessly. "These old guys spend nine and a half years out of ten nagging about marriage. The remaining half year they spend traveling."
"It's not that I don't want to deal with them, but they've worked hard for the clan for half their lives, with great merit. I can't just kill them all because I'm annoyed."
If there was a way to prevent them from holding real power, and then they could enjoy their old age in peace within the Phoenix Clan, that would be ideal. However, Sui You hadn't thought of such a perfect solution yet.
Qi Nian, standing beside them, held his forehead. "How should I put it? I have the same idea as the third brother. Honestly, those old guys in the clan are the most annoying. These elders, relying on their minor contributions, often interfere in my personal affairs. If they were to interfere in matters of the clan, then so be it. But they don't manage the important matters; they only manage trivial things. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were matchmakers from the mortal world."
Once Qi Nian and Sui You started complaining, others also joined in.
Ming Lou squatted on the ground, propping his chin with one hand. "I thought I was the only one being pestered by the elders in the clan. It turns out everyone has the same troubles."