"You've grown so much, you dare talk back to me now."
Hearing Yan Rulie's mournful sigh, Shen Xiaoyan felt her teeth ache to the point of soreness.
It was all an act, yet he was so serious about it.
Fujiwara Shifei replied to Yan Rulie, "This isn't just a short while, it's been over a hundred years. If it were an ordinary person, they would have reincarnated several times by now."
"Uh..."
Seeing Yan Rulie stunned, Shen Xiaoyan felt a surge of delight.
Serves you right for acting, for pretending. You've hit a snag, haven't you?
Yan Rulie had never expected Fujiwara Shifei to speak to him in such a manner.
Although Fujiwara Shifei had always been of a reserved temperament, to publicly embarrass him in front of so many people was something he simply couldn't accept.
"Senior Uncle Fujiwara, the Clan Leader is old, and sometimes forgetfulness is unavoidable. Senior Uncle Fujiwara should not be so calculating."
Yi Zhixie's words of comfort only made Yan Rulie's expression turn uglier.
He and Yi Modun were sworn brothers!
Yi Modun showed no signs of aging, yet Yi Zhixie was calling him senile, saying he couldn't even remember the days.
"Yi Zhixie, you are truly too presumptuous. How can you speak to the Clan Leader like that?"
Bai Ge'er spoke righteously, wishing she could use this excuse to have Yi Zhixie executed on the spot.
Yi Zhixie sneered, "The Clan Leader hasn't even spoken yet. Is there a place for you to interject?"
Yan Rulie sat at the head, his gaze flickering between Yi Zhixie and Bai Ge'er. After a long while, he said, "Ah Xie has been away for so long that I hardly recognize him. He's become so humorous. Is this still the elegant gentleman he once was?"
Shen Xiaoyan:!
Everyone else:!
Looking at Yan Rulie's fake smile, Shen Xiaoyan's confusion deepened.
Logically, Yan Rulie was the Clan Leader of the Sunscorched Sect. Within the sect, he was the highest authority. Whatever he wanted to do, whatever he wanted to say, he didn't need to consider anyone else.
Yi Zhixie had publicly embarrassed him, yet after being silent for half a moment, he actually used a joke to brush it off.
Should she say Yan Rulie was addled by old age, or that he was naively wishful?
Did he really think everyone in this room was a fool and wouldn't notice that Yi Zhixie was mocking him?
Or perhaps he believed that with his status, even if they understood, as long as he claimed it was a joke, no one would dare to say anything.
While she had to admit that this was indeed the case, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but want to retort.
But what puzzled her even more was why Yan Rulie treated Yi Zhixie so well, or rather, why he tolerated Yi Zhixie's every action.
She turned to look at Yi Zhixie's face and saw a flash of surprise in his eyes. But he quickly smiled and said, "See, the Clan Leader knows I'm just joking. It's just that some people constantly try to draw attention to themselves, really thinking they're something special."
Bai Ge'er's face turned red with anger, but he couldn't say anything.
He wasn't stupid. The Clan Leader had already spoken this way. If he said anything more, wouldn't that be defying the Clan Leader?
Seeing Bai Ge'er's suppressed demeanor, even Shen Xiaoyan felt a sense of satisfaction.
After much useless chatter, Shen Xiaoyan still didn't know why Yan Rulie had summoned them. Just as she was about to give Yi Zhixie a look to prompt him to ask, she heard Yi Zhixie speak.
"May I know what urgent matter brings us here, Clan Leader? You know my mother is still lying unconscious in bed. I need to return to attend to her."
Yan Rulie instinctively wanted to say, "Didn't Yin Susu lie there just fine when Yi Zhixie was away? Why does he need to attend to her now?"
Fortunately, he had been Clan Leader for a long time and avoided such a faux pas.
The words circled in his throat and were swallowed back down.
"What, Ah Xie, are you unwilling to speak with me?"
Although Yan Rulie's face held a faint smile, a chilling glint was growing in his eyes.
Shen Xiaoyan had no doubt that if Yi Zhixie answered "unwilling," Yan Rulie would immediately order him arrested.
Fortunately, Yi Zhixie was not an impulsive person. He looked at Yan Rulie expressionlessly for a long time, then suddenly smiled, "How could that be? I'm just afraid that the people in the sect will say I only know how to flatter and curry favor with the Clan Leader, disregarding my own mother."
The implication was that Yan Rulie disregarded the lives of the sect elders and only wanted others to please him.
Yan Rulie naturally did not want to bear such a burden.
"What are you saying, Ah Xie? You've grown up in the Sunscorched Sect since birth. You should have faith in our sect. Our sect would never have people who are so unjust."
After making a solemn promise, Yan Rulie immediately changed the subject, giving Yi Zhixie no opportunity to dwell on it.
"In truth, there is indeed a matter for which I've summoned you. Otherwise, with your mother in this state, how could I be so heartless as to insist you come?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Zhixie asked, "May I know what this matter is, Clan Leader?"
Before he could speak, Yan Rulie sighed, "Actually, it's not a major issue. It's just that your previous banishment to the small world was a decision made by the sect. Now that you've returned on your own, you need to provide some explanation, don't you think?"
Shen Xiaoyan's eyes changed upon hearing this. As expected, it was about this.
No wonder Bai Ge'er had been so confident and arrogant in his words earlier; it was because Yan Rulie was backing him.
However, if it was about this matter, why waste so much time earlier talking about trivial things?
Did Yan Rulie think that by improving his relationship with Yi Zhixie, Yi Zhixie would obediently comply and return to Great Chu?
Indeed, after this incident, Yan Rulie and the others likely wouldn't be able to get Yi Zhixie to return to Great Chu anymore.
After all, Yi Zhixie could return once, he could return twice.
This time, he had only returned to the Sunscorched Sect upon encountering Long Xuan.
Next time, if he simply went into hiding, the vastness of the Holy Spirit Continent would make him difficult to find.
If they didn't want Yi Zhixie to return to Great Chu, what was Yan Rulie's plan?
While Shen Xiaoyan was secretly wondering, she heard Yan Rulie say, "You've always been filial to your mother. Seeing her like this now, you must be suffering immensely. No one in our sect can cure your mother's poison. How about you go to Medicine Emperor Valley?"
Medicine Emperor Valley?
What place was that?
Judging by the name, it sounded very grand. Could someone there cure Yin Susu?
If so, then a trip there wouldn't be a problem, as Luo Luo said she couldn't do anything about the蠱 worm on Yin Susu.
However, when Shen Xiaoyan looked at Yi Zhixie, she saw that his calm expression had vanished, replaced by anger on his face.
Seeing Yi Zhixie's eyes turn red, about to speak, Shen Xiaoyan felt anxious. But then Zheng Wei stepped forward and tightly covered Yi Zhixie's mouth.
Yi Zhixie still tried to struggle, but Namu Zhong, who was beside him, reacted and grabbed Yi Zhixie's arm, whispering a few words. Only then did Yi Zhixie calm down.
Seeing Yi Zhixie no longer struggling, Namu Zhong's expression eased slightly. She turned and looked respectfully at Yan Rulie.
"Clan Leader, please forgive him. Ever since Yi Zhixie returned and saw his mother lying there, seemingly on the brink of death, his mind has been a little unbalanced. He might have acted foolishly again just now."
Yan Rulie was about to get angry, but because of Namu Zhong's words, he could only suppress his fury.
Even so, he said with a forced smile, "Namu Zhong has been away for a long time. You speak well now. I didn't expect such a small place like Great Chu to be so blessed with talent and spirit to have raised all of you so well."
Although these were words of praise, Shen Xiaoyan felt goosebumps rise all over her body.
The back of her neck suddenly became damp. She was sweating cold sweat.
She had always trusted her intuition. Yan Rulie bringing up Great Chu again definitely meant no good intentions.
Could it be that Yan Rulie was holding a grudge against Great Chu and intended to do something to it?
Great Chu was merely a small country. If Yan Rulie truly sent people, even Sima Han and Namu Zhong would only have their lives to lose.
Thinking of the potential danger to Sima Han and Namu Zhong, Shen Xiaoyan's heart ached.
No, she absolutely could not let such a thing happen.
She stepped forward, her face blooming into a bright smile, and Shen Xiaoyan said slowly, "Clan Leader, your words are incorrect. Yi Zhixie and Namu Zhong were clearly nurtured by me to be exceptionally vibrant. How can this credit be attributed to Great Chu?"
Yan Rulie didn't expect Shen Xiaoyan to suddenly appear.
When he heard her name clearly, he looked at Shen Xiaoyan carefully, a flash of surprise in his eyes, which quickly disappeared.
Yes, it was surprise.
Not amazement.
As the Clan Leader of the Sunscorched Sect, Yan Rulie had lived for an unknown number of years and had seen countless beauties.
Although she didn't consider herself unattractive, she couldn't expect everyone to be smitten with her.
Especially not someone like Yan Rulie?
For someone like him, with his experience, beauties were far less important than power in their hearts.
Therefore, he didn't show any amazement at her appearance, and she didn't think much of it.
But what was the meaning of this surprise?
While Shen Xiaoyan was pondering, Yan Rulie had already recovered his senses, but his gaze towards Shen Xiaoyan remained strange.
Shen Xiaoyan couldn't figure it out, so she stopped hesitating and waited for Yan Rulie to speak.
Yan Rulie looked at Shen Xiaoyan, then at the others for a moment, and sighed faintly.
"May I know who you are, madam? And how did you just say you saved Yi Zhixie and Namu Zhong?"
Shen Xiaoyan chuckled, "They were both penniless and on the verge of starvation. I kindly took them in. Who knew their appetites were so enormous, nearly starving me! They then agreed to bring me to the Holy Spirit Continent to experience things, in exchange for their meals."
As Shen Xiaoyan's words fell, everyone in the hall, including Yan Rulie, had faces as ugly as if they had just eaten feces.