The old man, muttering to himself, failed to notice that the elder's face had turned to shock at his words.
Pointing at the muddled old man, the elder took a long moment before speaking, "You, you gave that bracelet away?"
Seeing the elder's extreme reaction, the muddled old man finally realized what he had said.
He instinctively covered his mouth, only to drop his hand again in an instant.
Though his face showed some embarrassment, he still stuck his neck out and said, "What of it? This old man took a good disciple, is there anything wrong with giving him a gift upon meeting?"
The elder glanced at the muddled old man, "Suit yourself. The thing isn't mine anyway, so this old man won't feel any heartache~"
Hearing the elder's casual words, the muddled old man's face grew even uglier. However, his eyeballs darted, and he then slowed his tone, "This old man, also not heartbroken. With this little disciple, drinking wine in the future won't be a problem, hahahaha..."
"The spiritual imprint is gone. This old man shall see where you find your little disciple then, humph!"
"You..." The muddled old man stared at the elder, dumbfounded, not knowing what else to say.
After carefully observing the elder for a while, the muddled old man finally spoke, "This old man has truly broadened his horizons. I never knew you were this kind of person..."
The elder looked at the muddled old man strangely, "What is it about this old man?"
The old man laughed heartily, "Nothing much, nothing much. Since you look down on this old man so much, then this wine will be enjoyed by this old man alone..."
With that, the muddled old man stood up and walked towards the forest.
The elder was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up and chased after him, "Brother, wait for me! How could I look down on you..."
As he spoke, he looked back towards the riverbank, but there was no sign of anyone.
Even in the forest, no one could be seen.
The Imperial Capital, Shi'an Courtyard.
Zheng Wei sat on the edge of the bed, carefully tucking the cotton quilt around Shen Xiaoyan, and said in a low voice, "Mimi, wait for me. I'll go find Zheng Fan and ask him where that old man is. I will definitely bring him back."
Shen Xiaoyan on the bed showed no reaction to Zheng Wei's words, because now, she could hear nothing.
Zheng Wei looked at Shen Xiaoyan's face for a while longer. Seeing that there was still no reaction, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
Hiding his disappointment deep within, Zheng Wei stood up and said to Yue Qingxin and Namu Zhong, who were sitting by the table, "I'll entrust Mimi to you."
Yue Qingxin and Namu Zhong stood up and said seriously, "Rest assured."
Zheng Wei nodded and, without further delay, strode out.
Yue Qingxin and Namu Zhong walked to the door and watched Zheng Wei's figure disappear swiftly before turning back into the room and sitting by the table.
Looking at Shen Xiaoyan on the bed, who showed no reaction, both of them were extremely worried.
Could Zheng Wei really find out the old man's whereabouts by going to Zheng Fan?
On the other side, by the gate of the Si Yang House, Zheng Wei, Yi Zhixie, and Sima Han, the three of them mounted their horses and galloped out.
Their destination was Zheng Xiang's Prince Duan's Manor.
Anxious, Zheng Wei urged his horse forward, leading the way.
Yi Zhixie and Sima Han felt something flash through their minds, but due to the urgency of the situation, they didn't ponder it further.
It was only later that they remembered: how did Zheng Wei know where Prince Duan's Manor was?
When they went to ask Zheng Wei, Zheng Wei looked at them blankly and said, "Weren't you two leading the way in front?"
Facing such Zheng Wei, they were helpless, and the matter passed.
But for now, the three of them galloped all the way and reached Prince Duan's Manor in less than half an hour.
Guards stood at the gate of the Prince's Manor. Seeing three horses galloping towards them, they were all startled. What was going on?
The three stopped their horses, facing the weapons held by a group of guards.
Zheng Wei was about to make a move when Yi Zhixie stopped him.
Yi Zhixie stepped forward and said to the guards, "Where is your Prince?"
The guards, seeing that Yi Zhixie spoke politely and was asking for the Prince, answered directly, "His Highness is attending court and has not yet returned. He is likely being kept by His Majesty to discuss matters."
As he spoke, the guard instinctively straightened his chest.
This was one of the things the guards were most proud of. For the Prince to be valued by His Majesty was the best thing.
Yi Zhixie heard this and turned to look at Zheng Wei, signaling with his eyes what to do.
Zheng Wei, however, was unconcerned. They were looking for Zheng Fan, not Zheng Xiang. What did it matter where he went?
Seeing the expression on Zheng Wei's face, Yi Zhixie roughly guessed Zheng Wei's intentions.
He couldn't help but secretly feel fortunate that he hadn't let Zheng Wei speak just now.
Otherwise, a fight would have surely broken out by now.
Yi Zhixie turned back to the guards and said, "Please invite your young master Zheng Fan out. Say that Grand Tutor Yi Zhixie and the Fifth Prince are looking for him."
The guards were startled. Their gazes towards Yi Zhixie, Zheng Wei, and Sima Han immediately changed.
Although they didn't know if Yi Zhixie was telling the truth, seeing that he could issue orders so nonchalantly and that he wanted to see the eldest son, they knew it was likely true.
Otherwise, once the eldest son came out, wouldn't the deception be revealed?
The guard who replied respectfully cupped his hands towards Yi Zhixie and said, "Please wait a moment, sirs. This subordinate will go now."
With that, he quickly ran into the Prince's Manor.
The remaining guards also lowered their weapons and stood at attention, but their eyes couldn't help but steal glances at Zheng Wei and the other two.
The three of them did not dodge, standing there and letting themselves be scrutinized.
Originally, the guard should have returned quickly after reporting.
However, to their surprise, they waited for half an hour, but there was still no movement from inside, and no one seemed to be coming out.
Yi Zhixie and Sima Han's faces grew increasingly grim.
The person who went in to report had used their names, but Zheng Fan refusing to come out was a direct insult, a sign of disrespect.
Zheng Wei, however, paid no mind to all this.
The corners of his lips curved up, and with a soft snort, Zheng Wei walked towards the main gate.
Since they wouldn't come out, he would make the effort to go in himself.
However, after he went in and questioned them, he would not be as polite as he had initially planned.
Some people were like this: if you offered them respect, they would reject it.
But when you decided not to give them any more, they would pester you shamelessly, begging for it.
Seeing Zheng Wei approaching with murderous intent, all the gate guards tensed up.
Although they had heard Yi Zhixie's words and roughly understood their identities, and even though the person in front of them hadn't revealed his name, being with the other two, he was likely no ordinary person.
However, even so, if their master did not give the order, they had to fight to the death against anyone trying to force their way in.
Seeing the guards preparing to block him, Zheng Wei was too lazy to engage with them. He lifted his right foot and stomped heavily on the ground, and his body leaped into the air.
In mid-air, Zheng Wei somersaulted, and his person had already cleared the high courtyard wall of the Prince's Manor and entered it.
The guards looked at each other, bewildered. Who was this person, and how could he be so powerful?
By the time they reacted and ran into the Prince's Manor, they couldn't see Zheng Wei's shadow at all.
Just as they were wondering where Zheng Wei had gone, they noticed Yi Zhixie and Sima Han walking in unhurriedly.
"You are not allowed to trespass into Prince's Manor."
The guards extended their weapons, pointing them at Yi Zhixie and Sima Han, seemingly ready to attack them immediately.
Yi Zhixie and Sima Han had no desire to get entangled with these people. If they didn't hurry to catch up, who knew if Zheng Wei would, in a fit of anger, directly kill Zheng Fan.
Killing Zheng Fan was not the main concern, but if he was killed without finding out the old man's whereabouts, it would be a great loss.
Therefore, with a wave of his sleeve, Yi Zhixie had already sent all the guards to the ground.
After knocking them down, the two did not linger and quickly rushed towards the inner courtyard.
After they left, all that remained were the guards groaning on the ground.
At this moment, the guards finally believed Yi Zhixie's identity.
Because besides the Grand Tutor, they truly couldn't think of anyone else who could incapacitate so many people with a mere wave of their sleeve.
Fortunately, they hadn't made a move earlier, or they might have been utterly annihilated by now.
While feeling fortunate, they also harbored some resentment deep down.
Young Master was truly something. They had already reported the arrival, and they had stated who the visitors were. Even if they didn't believe it, given the sensitive identities of the visitors, they should have at least come out to verify.
However, to not even show their face and to leave people waiting outside the gate was truly inexcusable.
They guessed that once these three found the young master later, the young master would likely suffer some physical pain.
Thinking this, the pain in their bodies seemed to lessen considerably.
If Yi Zhixie and Sima Han had known the thoughts of these guards, they would have probably burst into laughter.
How much of a failure was Zheng Fan to be treated like this by people?
When Yi Zhixie and Sima Han finally reached Zheng Fan's courtyard, led by a maid whom Yi Zhixie had casually grabbed, they saw Zheng Fan hanging from the eaves of the house.
And in the courtyard, the guard who had gone to report earlier was lying there.
Yi Zhixie glanced at the man and saw that his chest was still rising and falling, so he concluded that he was only injured and not dead.