In the garden before the reception hall. Several young men of the Shi family trailed eagerly behind Zuo Shi, their smiles obsequious, each vying to speak and impress her.

Among these young men, some were distant relatives, but there were also direct descendants of the Shi clan, such as Shi Tianxiao and Shi Tianluo. Zuo Shi moved through the blossoms, seeming slightly distracted, her steps light but unceasing.

She held a small watering can, swinging it listlessly, appearing like a spirit flitting among the flowers. Shi Yan emerged from the reception hall, paused in thought, and then walked directly toward the flowerbeds, approaching Zuo Shi with long strides.

He reached out a hand and said, "Let me see that tortoise shell." "You brat, now you know how to fawn over Little Shi. Where were you just now?" Shi Tianxiao snorted with displeasure.

"Great-Grandpa needed my assistance," Shi Yan explained casually, adding coolly, "I came to help look at it because I promised Grandpa Zuo. My purpose is different from yours." "...Our purpose?

What purpose do we have?" Shi Tianxiao faltered, then suddenly covered his nose, exclaiming, "Shi Yan, what is that smell on you?" A sour odor was gradually emanating from Shi Yan. At first, the others hadn't paid much attention, but upon hearing Shi Tianxiao's remark, the young men who had been focused only on pleasing Zuo Shi suddenly noticed it too, quickly covering their noses and cursing Shi Yan for being uncouth.

Unexpectedly, the only woman present, Zuo Shi, who was the focus of everyone's attention, did not back away. She remained standing there, still holding her small watering can, seemingly unbothered by the sour scent emanating from Shi Yan.

Zuo Shi stared at Shi Yan in surprise, a flicker of curiosity stirring within her. Every young man who had come to see her previously had been impeccably dressed, some even spritzing themselves with flower essence—like Shi Tianxiao and Shi Tianluo, who had bathed in the Dew of a Hundred Flowers beforehand, fearing any unpleasant odor might offend the beauty.

But the person before her was the exact opposite. His martial artist's robe was wrinkled and covered in dust, clearly unwashed for a long time, and he carried the pungent smell of recent cultivation.

This fellow clearly hadn't given me a second thought! Zuo Shi blinked, immediately drawing this conclusion, which strangely sparked a nascent interest in Shi Yan.

Seeing that everyone else had moved away, leaving Zuo Shi alone in place, Shi Yan nodded inwardly and said calmly, "The tortoise shell?" "It's in the reception hall, I'll get it right away." As soon as Zuo Shi's melodious voice fell, she moved her slender, straight legs. Her body swayed slightly, and then she vanished.

The girl was terrifyingly fast, like a flash of lightning. Even Shi Yan only caught a fleeting shadow and couldn't fully track her exit.

Shi Tianxiao and the others stared in stunned disbelief. It was only then that they seemed to grasp that Zuo Shi was not only beautiful but also a martial artist a full level above them.

As quickly as she left, she returned. In only five or six seconds, before the look of astonishment had faded from the faces of Shi Tianxiao and the others, she was back.

Zuo Shi held a tortoise shell the size of a washbasin in one hand and instantly appeared before Shi Yan, presenting it to him. "Here." Shi Yan nodded and reached out to take the shell, suddenly feeling a heavy downward pull.

He stumbled, nearly falling over, brought down by the sheer weight of the object. His vital essence surged outward abruptly, and Shi Yan managed to stabilize himself, letting out a sharp breath, "So heavy!" As he spoke, Shi Yan glanced at Zuo Shi with a hint of displeasure, thinking: Did this girl deliberately try to make me look foolish?

However, upon closer inspection, he saw that Zuo Shi’s pupils were clear, devoid of any mischievous intent, suggesting she wasn't intentionally playing a trick. "Yes, I don't know what material this shell is made of, but this single piece weighs seven or eight hundred catties," Zuo Shi seemed utterly unaware of the silent accusations Shi Yan had leveled against her.

She brushed a stray strand of hair from her ear and continued, "I was quite startled myself when I first picked it up." "Seven or eight hundred catties!" Shi Tianxiao rubbed his temples, feeling his scalp tingle. Zuo Shi had just carried an object weighing seven to eight hundred catties as if it were nothing, moving with lightning speed.

This brought home the vast gap between them, filling him with a sudden sense of weariness. Meanwhile, Shi Yan, after his initial stumble, was able to firmly grasp the massive weight.

This sight widened Shi Tianxiao's eyes, confirming that Zuo Shi's previous claims were not exaggerated. "Shi Yan, you, you fellow..." Although Shi Tianxiao lacked talent, he wasn't dull-witted.

Just as he was about to point out the strangeness surrounding Shi Yan, he suddenly realized that Shi Yan’s secret must be guarded closely by Shi Jian, so his final sentence trailed off mid-air. Shi Yan remained unperturbed and ignored Shi Tianxiao.

He merely turned the tortoise shell over in his hands, examined it closely, nodded to Zuo Shi, and said, "This is a very ancient script. I'll need some reference materials to decipher it.

Come with me to my room." With that, Shi Yan gripped the shell and walked directly toward his quarters. "Mm," Zuo Shi replied, nodding, and followed him without haste.

"Big Brother, um, should we follow them too?" Shi Tianluo asked subtly after Shi Yan and Zuo Shi had left, his expression peculiar. "Ahem, it might be good to take a look," Shi Tianxiao couldn't suppress his curiosity.

He glanced towards the reception hall; seeing no one emerge, he followed toward Shi Yan's residence. ...

Shi Yan resided in a three-story stone building. The ground floor was cluttered with miscellaneous junk.

The second floor contained his living quarters. The third floor housed immense bookshelves lined with various ancient texts and introductions to different historical artifacts.

After leading Zuo Shi to his living quarters, and spotting Shi Tianxiao's group approaching, Shi Yan called out loudly from the doorway, "I need quiet. Don't come in!" With that, Shi Yan closed the door and turned to Zuo Shi inside, "Let's go upstairs." Zuo Shi obediently nodded and followed him toward the second floor.

"Right, take the shell up to the third floor and wait there for a moment. I need to take a shower and change clothes on the second floor, then I'll be right up." Shi Yan handed the shell back to Zuo Shi and casually pointed toward the stairs leading to the third floor.

"Go up that way." "Why the sudden urge to bathe?" Zuo Shi wrinkled her delicate nose and shot him a sidelong glance. "I'm uncomfortable.

I'm not catering to your feelings, little girl. Don't jump to self-important conclusions." "You're the one being self-important!" "Stop wasting time.

Hurry up to the third floor; I'm about to undress." Shi Yan made no attempt to be modest. As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled off his martial artist's robe and tossed it carelessly onto a nearby rack, standing in only his shorts, exposing the greater part of his torso.

He lazily slanted his eyes toward Zuo Shi. "Are you not leaving yet?" He had been intensely cultivating recently, and when his clothes came off, his lean, powerful physique was immediately revealed.

Every muscle was balanced and taut, devoid of any superfluous fat, as if cast from iron and steel, radiating a distinctly masculine vitality. Seeing him strip off his clothes so readily and without reservation, Zuo Shi visibly panicked, mentally cursing Shi Yan as a rogue.

Blushing, she hastily carried the tortoise shell up to the third floor. His physique...

wasn't bad, Zuo Shi secretly assessed as she ascended. The third floor spanned two hundred square meters.

In this large room, besides the imposing bookshelves, there were various strange jars, earthenware pots, and an assortment of ancient wine cups... Upon arriving, Zuo Shi casually pulled an ancient book from a nearby shelf.

After flipping a few pages, she realized she couldn't recognize a single character. Shaking her head, Zuo Shi thought to herself: What a peculiar man!

Zuo Shi possessed wide-ranging interests. She had been obsessed with planting, tea ceremony, astrology, medicinal herbs, and artifact refinement at different times.

However, she was too indolent to let any single interest bind her for long; she would delve into one subject for a while before becoming captivated by another. Most of the ancient writings on this third floor related to history and the daily customs of past peoples.

Zuo Shi had no interest in this area. Occasionally, she would find an ancient text she could understand, glance at it for a few moments, and then find it utterly tedious, further solidifying her opinion that Shi Yan had a strange temperament.

Why care so much about the habits of ancient people? What connection did it have to you?

Was it useful to you? Zuo Shi pursed her lips, deciding that Shi Yan was even more ignorant of practical matters than she was.

...M