Chapter 55: The Eccentric

In the garden in front of the reception hall.

Several of the Shi family's young men followed behind Zuo Shi, their smiles fawning, each vying to speak, eager to show off in front of Zuo Shi.

Among these young men of the Shi family, some were collateral descendants, but there were also direct descendants like Shi Tianxiao and Shi Tianluo.

Zuo Shi, amidst the flowers, seemed somewhat absent-minded, her steps slow but never stopping. She held a small watering can, swinging it idly, as if she were a fairy in the midst of the flowers.

Shi Yan came out of the reception hall, pondered for a moment, then walked straight to the flower bed, taking large strides to Zuo Shi's side, and extended his hand, saying, "Let me see the turtle shell."

"You little brat, you only come to flatter Xiao Shi now. Where were you just now?" Shi Tianxiao grumbled.

"Grandfather called me for something," Shi Yan explained casually, then said indifferently, "I'm here to help because I promised Grandfather Zuo, not for the same reasons as you."

"… What do you mean, what are our purposes?" Shi Tianxiao felt guilty, then suddenly covered his nose and shouted, "Shi Yan, what's that smell on you?"

A sour odor gradually emanated from Shi Yan's body.

At first, the few people here didn't pay attention, but after Shi Tianxiao mentioned it, those who were only trying to flatter Zuo Shi suddenly noticed and covered their noses, scolding Shi Yan for being immoral.

Unexpectedly, the only woman present, Zuo Shi, who was the focus of everyone's attention, did not step back. She still stood there with the small watering can, seemingly not minding the sour smell from Shi Yan.

Zuo Shi stared at Shi Yan in surprise, feeling somewhat curious.

In the past, every young man who came to see her was neatly dressed, and some even sprayed floral essences on themselves. For example, Shi Tianxiao and Shi Tianluo, before coming here, had bathed in a mixture of a hundred flowers, fearing that any unpleasant odor might offend the beauty.

But the person in front of her was the opposite. He wore a crumpled martial artist's outfit, covered in dust, clearly unwashed for a long time, and there was even a lingering smell of recent cultivation.

This guy clearly doesn't take me seriously at all!

Zuo Shi was taken aback and immediately came to this conclusion, which piqued her interest in Shi Yan.

Seeing that everyone else had stepped back, but Zuo Shi remained in place, Shi Yan nodded inwardly and said indifferently, "Where's the turtle shell?"

"It's in the reception hall. I'll go get it right away." Zuo Shi's pleasant voice had just faded when she moved her long, slender legs, and in a flash, she was gone.

This girl was incredibly fast, like a bolt of lightning. Even Shi Yan only saw a shadow and couldn't fully track her movements.

Shi Tianxiao and the others were all stunned.

Only now did they realize that Zuo Shi was not only beautiful but also a martial artist of a much higher level than they were.

Zuo Shi came and went quickly.

In just five or six seconds, before the surprise on Shi Tianxiao's face had faded, she returned.

Zuo Shi held a turtle shell the size of a washbasin in one hand and suddenly appeared in front of Shi Yan, handing him the shell and saying, "Here."

Shi Yan nodded, reached out to grab the turtle shell, and suddenly felt a heavy weight pull him down. He staggered, almost falling over from the weight of the shell.

His entire body's essence energy surged, and Shi Yan barely managed to steady himself, exclaiming, "So heavy!"

As he spoke, Shi Yan looked at Zuo Shi with some displeasure, thinking, "Are you trying to make me look bad, girl?"

However, upon closer inspection, he saw that Zuo Shi's eyes were clear, with no hint of mischief, suggesting she had no intention of embarrassing him.

"Hmm, I don't know what material this turtle shell is made of, but this piece alone weighs seven or eight hundred pounds," Zuo Shi said, seemingly oblivious to Shi Yan's silent complaints. She smoothed her hair behind her ear and continued, "I was also surprised when I first got this piece."

"Seven or eight hundred pounds!" Shi Tianxiao rubbed his temples, feeling a bit numb.

Zuo Shi had just carried a seven or eight hundred-pound object as if it were nothing, and her speed was like lightning. This made him realize even more deeply the gap between himself and Zuo Shi, leaving him feeling powerless.

Shi Yan, on the other hand, managed to grab the seven or eight hundred-pound object firmly after a moment's hesitation, which opened his eyes. He immediately realized that Zuo Shi's earlier statement was not baseless.

"Shi Yan, you, you guy…"

Although Shi Tianxiao was not particularly talented, he was not stupid. He was about to point out the strange things about Shi Yan but suddenly realized that Shi Jian must be keeping Shi Yan's secrets. So, he stopped mid-sentence.

Shi Yan remained calm, ignoring Shi Tianxiao. He just examined the turtle shell and nodded to Zuo Shi, saying, "This is the oldest form of writing. I need some reference materials to decipher it. Follow me to my room."

With that, Shi Yan carried the turtle shell and headed straight for his room.

"Okay." Zuo Shi nodded and followed him at a steady pace.

"Brother, should we follow them?" Shi Tianluo asked with a strange expression after Shi Yan and Zuo Shi left.

"Cough, it's fine to take a look," Shi Tianxiao, unable to contain his curiosity, glanced at the reception hall, saw no one coming out, and walked toward Shi Yan's room.

...

Shi Yan lived in a three-story stone building.

The bottom floor was cluttered with various miscellaneous items, the second floor was his living quarters, and the third floor was filled with large bookshelves, containing various ancient texts and descriptions of ancient sites.

After bringing Zuo Shi to his room, Shi Yan saw Shi Tianxiao and the others approaching and shouted at the door, "I need peace and quiet. Don't come in!"

With that, Shi Yan closed the door and said to Zuo Shi, "Let's go upstairs."

Zuo Shi nodded obediently and followed him to the second floor.

"Okay, take the turtle shell to the third floor and wait there. I need to take a shower and change clothes, and I'll be up in a moment," Shi Yan handed the turtle shell back to Zuo Shi and pointed to the stairs leading to the third floor, saying, "Just go up there."

"Why are you thinking about taking a shower now?" Zuo Shi wrinkled her nose and gave him a sidelong glance.

"I'm uncomfortable, not because I'm concerned about your feelings. Don't flatter yourself, little girl."

"You're the one flattering yourself!"

"Don't waste time. Go to the third floor. I'm going to change clothes."

Shi Yan, without any hesitation, took off his martial artist's outfit and threw it on a nearby hanger. He stood in a pair of shorts, his upper body bare, and lazily glanced at Zuo Shi, "Aren't you leaving?"

During this time, he had been training hard, and when he took off his clothes, his well-built body was immediately revealed. Every muscle was well-proportioned and strong, with no excess fat, as if cast in iron and steel, exuding a unique masculine charm.

Seeing him undress without any hesitation, Zuo Shi was clearly startled. She inwardly cursed Shi Yan and, blushing, hurriedly took the turtle shell to the third floor.

This guy's physique is... not bad, Zuo Shi thought to herself as she climbed the stairs.

The third floor was two hundred square meters.

In this large room, besides the bookshelves, there were also various strange jars, vases, and ancient wine cups...

After coming up, Zuo Shi casually pulled out an ancient book from a nearby bookshelf and flipped through a few pages. She found that she couldn't recognize a single word.

Shaking her head, Zuo Shi thought to herself, What a strange person!

Zuo Shi had a wide range of interests.

She had been fascinated by planting, tea art, astrology, herbal medicine, and alchemy for a while, but she was too lazy to let one interest bind her to the exclusion of others. Generally, she would only study something for a while before becoming fascinated with something else.

Most of the ancient texts on the third floor were related to history and the living habits of ancient people.

Zuo Shi had no interest in this. She occasionally found a text she could understand, glanced at it, and found it boring, further confirming her belief that Shi Yan was eccentric.

Why do you care so much about the living habits of ancient people? What does it have to do with you? Is it useful to you?

Zuo Shi pouted, thinking Shi Yan was even more unlearned than she was.