Knowing Zheng Wei would have no patience for explanations at this moment, Yi Zhixie recounted the events from beginning to end.
After finishing, he asked, "My martial uncle said your table is an ancient divine artifact. Is there some malevolent spirit on it? Otherwise, why would it turn a perfectly fine person into this?"
Upon hearing Yi Zhixie's account, the old man's expression grew serious.
No wonder he hadn't been able to sense the trace of spiritual energy left on the bracelet before; it was all because of this incident.
"Take me to see it first."
Hearing the old man's voice, Yi Zhixie opened his eyes in surprise.
Was such a serious tone and imposing presence truly emanating from the person before him?
Before he could ask, Zheng Wei had already led the way towards the main house.
Behind them, by the gate of the Shi'an Courtyard, Fujiwara Shifei, Bai Ying, Sima Han, Yue Qingxin, Lu Taobao, and Shen Xiaoming also entered.
On their way here, they had heard the servants mention that Yi Zhixie had returned carrying an old man. They knew then that he had found the old man and immediately rushed over.
As everyone walked into the courtyard, they saw only Yi Zhixie standing alone, which puzzled them.
Yue Qingxin stepped forward and asked anxiously, "Didn't you say you've already brought him back? Where is he?"
Yi Zhixie pointed towards the main house, "He went in with Zheng Wei."
Yue Qingxin was about to enter the main house upon hearing this but was stopped by Sima Han.
Yue Qingxin looked at Sima Han in confusion and heard him explain, "I don't know how the old man will examine Shen Xiaoyan. It's best we wait outside for a while. Too many people will cause a commotion and be detrimental to the examination."
After hearing Sima Han's words, Yue Qingxin stopped and stood still.
Although he was burning with anxiety, he cared more about Shen Xiaoyan's condition and could not barge in disregarding it.
They waited in the courtyard for nearly an hour before Zheng Wei and the old man walked out one after the other.
The cold aura emanating from Zheng Wei was so intense it was almost solidifying into ice. The moment he stepped out the door, it immediately spread, catching everyone off guard.
"What's wrong?" Yi Zhixie asked, puzzled.
They had found the person, but was there no solution?
The old man walked out from behind Zheng Wei, also with a worried expression. He didn't know how to explain and only after a long pause said, "This is my fault. I will find a way to resolve it."
Zheng Wei heard this and clenched his fists, his eyes growing colder, but he made no move.
All his anger was less important than Shen Xiaoyan.
"Then go find a way," he said faintly after a long moment.
With that, Zheng Wei turned and walked back towards the main house.
Everyone could see that Zheng Wei was suppressing his anger and couldn't help but look at the old man, wondering what had happened.
The old man saw everyone looking at him and didn't know how to explain. The courtyard fell silent for a while.
Fujiwara Shifei stood to the side, observing the old man from head to toe several times, then spoke with uncertainty, "Senior Ke?"
The old man responded instinctively, "Who is calling me?"
After speaking, he looked regretful, covering his mouth and stopping himself, turning halfway to look at Fujiwara Shifei's head, then forcefully turning back.
His movements were not missed by Fujiwara Shifei, who went from uncertainty to absolute certainty.
"Senior Ke, you don't recognize me? It's Shifei." Fujiwara Shifei walked forward a few steps and said to the old man.
The old man looked at the smiling woman before him and thought for a long time, searching his memory for a silhouette that gradually overlapped with the woman before him.
Seeing the old man's expression of sudden realization, Fujiwara Shifei was overjoyed. "Senior Ke, I didn't expect you to still remember me."
However, the old man immediately shook his head. "Who are you?"
Fujiwara Shifei's smile froze on her face. He had clearly recognized her, so why was he denying it?
Fujiwara Shifei frowned, a little confused by the old man's words.
Yi Zhixie walked over and stood between them. "Whether you know each other or not is not important. After all, the old man is advanced in age, and it's understandable that he can't recall everyone at once. However, old man, you must remember one thing: your task now is to find a way to wake Shen Xiaoyan."
The old man, seeing Yi Zhixie interrupt, first felt relieved. But upon hearing Yi Zhixie's words, his expression became one of mixed amusement and frustration.
He also wanted Shen Xiaoyan to wake up quickly. After all, this young disciple was quite good, not only giving him good wine but also helping him vent his anger. He liked this young disciple.
However, in the current situation, he was powerless.
Looking at the expectant faces of the people before him, the old man swallowed the words at his lips and said with a hint of helplessness, "Rest assured, I will."
With his assurance, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although they didn't know if the old man was boasting, he was, after all, the original owner of the bracelet and should have some solutions.
To facilitate the old man's examination of Shen Xiaoyan, Yi Zhixie arranged for him to stay in a small courtyard less than a hundred meters from the Shi'an Courtyard, named Bamboo Dwelling.
It was called a courtyard, but in reality, it consisted of only three bamboo buildings and a bamboo grove, surrounded by a fence.
The old man did not dislike it at all; instead, he happily said it was very good. He liked this kind of dwelling.
Yi Zhixie had people bring a few sets of new clothes for the old man according to his size and had hot water prepared for him to bathe.
Although the old man was not young, he was still quite tall, around 1.8 meters.
When the old man finished bathing and changed into new clothes, with his hair neatly combed, he astonished everyone.
Judging from his facial features and the imposing aura he exuded when he first emerged, the old man must have been a handsome man in his youth.
At noon, the old man had a hearty meal.
In the past few days, due to Shen Xiaoyan's condition, everyone had lost their appetite. Although Madam Qu and Madam Zhu had tried their best to cook dishes that suited everyone's tastes, most of them were returned untouched.
That noon, the table was still laden with dishes, and no one had much appetite, but the old man was eager to eat.
He had two great loves in his life: drinking wine and fine food.
Unfortunately, good wine was hard to come by, and fine food was even harder to find.
Furthermore, being penniless, it was already a blessing to be able to fill his stomach, let alone have any delicacies.
After eating his fill, it was time to get down to business.
However, the old man asked everyone not to disturb him and returned to the Bamboo Dwelling alone.
As the door to the Bamboo Dwelling was closed from the inside, everyone's eyebrows furrowed in unison.
This old man, the more they looked at him, the less reliable he seemed.
Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Fujiwara Shifei's expression turned displeased. "I don't care what happened before. From now on, your attitude towards Senior Ke must be restrained. Address him as Senior Ke, just like I do."
Sima Han's face turned grim, and he stared blankly at Fujiwara Shifei, saying coldly, "Don't think you're superior to us just because you're Yi Zhixie's martial aunt. This is not your place to give orders."
Fujiwara Shifei sneered at his words. "Are you disagreeing?"
Sima Han's lips curled upwards, but there was no smile in his eyes. "Of course."
"Very well, then let's have a match. If you can withstand ten of my moves, then I will consider you my peers from now on. How about it?"
"Good..."
"I'll spar with you."
Before Sima Han could finish saying "good," his words were drowned out by another clear and cold voice.
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.
Zheng Wei stood by the gate of the Shi'an Courtyard.
Fujiwara Shifei raised an eyebrow. "You want to fight me?"
Zheng Wei walked out step by step, his posture upright and his presence extraordinary.
He stopped about ten meters in front of Fujiwara Shifei. "I will fight you. If I lose even one move to you, then you win."
At Zheng Wei's words, Fujiwara Shifei couldn't help but chuckle.
This was an arrogant and presumptuous person. How long had he been cultivating?
Less than a year. Even with his talent, no matter how monstrous, he couldn't possibly defeat her.
Let alone defeating her, even blocking her attacks would likely be a problem.
Young people should be taught a lesson, she thought, so they would know not to be so arrogant in the future.
Fujiwara Shifei and Zheng Wei walked together towards an open space, stopping only when they reached a lawn.
Behind the two of them, Sima Han and the others had dark expressions, looking at the two facing each other, lost in thought.
And among them, Yi Zhixie was the most awkward.
These two were his martial aunt and his good brother. He felt that anything he said now would be inappropriate, yet saying nothing also felt wrong.
Yi Zhixie pondered for a moment longer and was about to step forward when Namuchong suddenly grabbed him and shook his head.
"What's wrong, Muchong?" Yi Zhixie asked.
"Martial Aunt Fujiwara is doing this deliberately. Don't you see?" Namuchong said in a low voice, but the sound carried to everyone present.
Instantly, everyone looked at the two figures not far away, while also straining their ears, waiting for Namuchong to continue.
Yi Zhixie truly hadn't realized Fujiwara Shifei was doing this deliberately, so he asked, "What do you mean?"
Namuchong pursed her lips and smiled, then explained, "Martial Aunt waited with us by the plum forest gate all night yesterday. Don't you understand why?"
Yi Zhixie thought for a moment and indeed understood the reason. He immediately composed his expression and continued to humbly ask, "Why?"
Namuchong was very pleased with Yi Zhixie's cooperation. She gave him a big smile and continued, "Although Martial Aunt Fujiwara is a woman and her temper is a bit cold, she is still a woman and can give off a delicate impression. However, Martial Aunt has a naturally combative temperament. For years, she hasn't found anyone to spar with here, isn't she anxious to death? Since Zheng Wei has this good fortune, she naturally wants to spar with him to settle her mind."