"Si Lingxi!"

"Which Si Lingxi?"

"The world's only Fire Phoenix from Southern Border Phoenix Mountain, Si Lingxi."

"She is also..."

"Also Lu Lang's close confidante. I now call her Sister Lingxi."

"..."

The old lady carefully looked at Liu Qingyan, trying to find any trace of deceit on her face.

After looking for a long time, she found nothing.

"How is it possible?"

The old lady was incredulous, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at Lu Zheng.

Liu Qingyan bit her silver teeth. Originally, it was impossible, but who could blame Lu Zheng for being so outstanding?

He defeated Wansong Daoist at chess, surpassed the world's top chefs in cooking, and had a perspective better than the Spring and Autumn Annals Historian.

His musical talents were exceptional, and his painting skills amazed the world.

One tune of "Phoenix Order," one painting of "Phoenix Maiden Playing the Zither," even Si Lingxi couldn't help but be moved by Lu Zheng.

With Si Lingxi's reserve, even if she was moved by Lu Zheng, she might not have taken action, but it just so happened that the matter with the Heartless True Desire Demon Ancestor occurred!

Well, she could only repay the life-saving grace with herself...

What else could Liu Qingyan do? She was also very desperate...

"Indeed it is."

Hearing the old lady's question, Liu Qingyan hurriedly nodded, "Sister Lingxi has moved into the house, but since the New Year is approaching, there are many affairs on Phoenix Mountain, so Sister Lingxi didn't come here and instead returned to Phoenix Mountain. Oh, she also asked me to convey her regards, which I haven't managed to say yet."

"No need to be so formal!" The old lady reflexively waved her hand.

Tushan is indeed strong, and she was strong too, with a thousand-year lifespan and ten thousand years of Dao Practice.

However, the old lady was well aware that Si Lingxi was even stronger, with the Phoenix Divine Fire that could scorch the heavens and earth, hardly anyone in existence could stand equal to her!

The old lady was confident, but she would never think she could defeat Si Lingxi.

And if even she couldn't defeat Si Lingxi, how could she let her own younger generation become the rightful wife in a romantic competition with Si Lingxi?

Cough cough...

Well, it seemed from Liu Qingyan's words that Lu Zheng and Si Lingxi weren't married yet?

If that's the case...

The old lady looked at Lu Zheng again, and her eyes were full of approval.

He kept everything balanced, excellent!

...

Lu Zheng certainly wouldn't eavesdrop on the secret communication between Liu Qingyan and the old lady, but seeing the change in the old lady's expression, he knew that Liu Qingyan had handled the matter well.

Lu Zheng was not someone to take the advantage and pretend to be pure, so he still respectfully picked up his wine cup, stood up straight, bowed deeply to the old lady, and said earnestly, "If Qingyan goes back to Tushan to file complaints in the future, and if there's any beating or punishment, feel free to direct it towards me, I, Lu Zheng, will accept it!"

Having said this, he raised his cup, tilted his head, and drank it all in one go.

In response, the old lady acknowledged Liu Qingyan's statement from earlier.

Understanding! Polite!

The old lady smiled and nodded, picked up the bronze goblet from the table, and drank half of it.

As for the matter of the two getting married, it was naturally skipped over; the affairs of the young should be handled by the young themselves.

However, mentioning this...

The fire of gossip in the old lady's heart couldn't help but blaze fiercely.

The Lu Zheng before her indeed appeared dignified, with some family background, running medical shops and opening businesses.

Moreover, his cultivation talent was evidently top-notch; within a few years, there weren't many foxes in Tushan better than him.

But!

But these things were nothing before Si Lingxi!

The old lady felt that after living for a thousand years and standing at the pinnacle of the cultivation realm, coupled with witnessing worldly affairs and enduring hardships, she would absolutely not be swayed by any mortal desires towards any man.

Let alone Si Lingxi?

So she was extremely curious, what exactly did Lu Zheng have that made Si Lingxi devote herself, and still allow such relations with other women!

The old lady blinked, suppressing her urge to ask Liu Qingyan and start a gossip journey, and simply said in a soft voice to Liu Qingyan, "Qingyan, tonight, stay with the old one in the backyard; I want to hear about your experiences over the years."

Liu Qingyan nodded obediently and said, "I obey the old lady's orders."

It's only natural and understandable for an elder to want to spend a night talking with a younger one who resembles them; what's more, Liu Qingyan's appearance was said to be strikingly similar to the old lady's third daughter.

At the feast, the old lady was whispering to Liu Qingyan; they looked just like a pair of beautiful sisters.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law!"

Just after appeasing the old lady, Liu Qingquan happily ran over.

"Brother-in-law, where are the chocolates and candies I entrusted to you when I arrived?"

Behind Liu Qingquan were seven or eight young boys and girls of similar age.

Lu Zheng patted the gourd, pulling out a large bundle and handing it to Liu Qingquan.

This was the snack gift Liu Qingquan had asked Lu Zheng to prepare in advance to share with new family friends in Tushan.

"Thank you, brother-in-law!" Liu Qingquan kissed Lu Zheng on the cheek.

"Thank you, brother-in-law!" several little foxes chimed in together.

Then, Tu Yujiao suddenly appeared, snatching the bundle from Liu Qingquan's hands, "Come, come, I'll distribute these, no snatching."

Liu Qingquan, "..."

...

"Greetings, Brother Lu."

Lu Zheng turned around and saw a handsome young man in a plain white cloud-patterned scholar's robe beside him, holding a bronze goblet.

"Brother Yuchen!" Lu Zheng quickly raised his cup in return promptly.

Introduced earlier at the seating, this man named Tu Yuchen, of the Yu Generation of the Tushan clan, an outstanding new talent with impressive cultivation, although not as great as Tu Yuya, he was still one of the esteemed male foxes. But of course, he was not comparable to Lu Zheng now.

Tu Yuchen had noticed the old lady's preoccupation with Liu Qingyan, leaving Lu Zheng seemingly without companionship, thus approached to engage him, avoiding making Lu Zheng feel neglected.

"Brother Lu is a distinguished figure of the Central Plains, the Northern Domain is situated in a frontier land with cold winds, icy snow, and scarce resources. If our hospitality is lacking, I plead for Brother Lu's understanding."

"Brother Yuchen, you are too kind,"

Lu Zheng shook his head with a smile, "Tushan gathers the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth; its landscapes and specialties differ from the Central Plains, yet it's not inferior in the least. The unique flavors of these foods have broadened my perspective."

They exchanged some polite flattery, then shifted into a more intimate conversation mode.

Lu Zheng talked about the Great Jing affairs, while Tu Yuchen spoke about the Northern Domain matters; their topics spanned astronomy, geography, cultural environments, and factions around the world. Observing Lu Zheng in a Confucian robe, Tu Yuchen even mentioned classical literature from the Central Plains.

Luckily, Lu Zheng was well-prepared...

After their conversation, Tu Yuchen couldn't help but view Lu Zheng in a new light; the reputation of the disciple from the Central Plains' major sect, White Cloud Temple, was indeed well-deserved.

Lu Zheng also felt admiration in his heart; he didn't expect Tu Yuchen to be such a well-rounded talent, knowing so much besides his own cultivation.