My game even includes ancient times

The table fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Xia Yuan's hand, which had reached out to take the teacup, froze in mid-air.

Chu Yunsi stared at Bai Yushen with a look of utter indescribable disbelief.

Even Chu He, who had been quietly eating sunflower seeds, raised his head, which was quite unusual.

Only He Shi sat quietly on the stool, cracking a small handful of sunflower seeds in his hands.

A small pile of sunflower seed shells had already accumulated on the table in front of him, completely unaware of the subtle atmosphere around him.

"Click, click..."

After cracking the last sunflower seed in his hand, He Shi looked up and found that everyone had fallen silent. He blinked and glanced at the handkerchief that Bai Yushen was holding.

Thinking back to the other party's request, He Shi understood.

He stood up decisively and reached for the handkerchief in Bai Yushen's hand: "Third Senior Brother, don't trouble Senior Sister, I'll sweep it for you..."

Under the strange gazes of the four people, He Shi pinched one corner of the handkerchief and tried to pull it out... but failed.

He looked at Bai Yushen with a puzzled expression. The latter's large hand holding the handkerchief remained motionless, and his clear black and white eyes looked expectantly at Xia Yuan.

He Shi thought the other person had been distracted and forgot to let go, and was about to pull harder when Chu Yunsi grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the stool.

He parted his lips slightly, about to say something, when he saw Chu Yunsi frantically trying to wink at him, so he silently shut his mouth.

As clever as he was, he had already noticed that something was off about the atmosphere at the table.

He Shi glanced back and forth between Bai Yushen and Xia Yuan twice, then raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

What happened to these two people?

In the quiet air, Xia Yuan's hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, began to move again.

She slowly picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, but never accepted Bai Yushen's handkerchief.

Bai Yushen didn't feel uncomfortable at all, and just kept staring at Xia Yuan, even stretching the handkerchief in front of her.

Xia Yuan's movements as she drank tea were slightly stiff, her eyes fixed on the plate of melon seeds on the table.

The other three didn't dare to utter a sound and just sat there quietly in an awkward silence.

Fortunately, a loud male voice suddenly rang out at the entrance of the inn, breaking the tense atmosphere in time.

"I was unaware that the distinguished guests of the Chu family had already arrived in Yongning. I have failed to greet you properly and am truly sorry for my neglect!"

Chu Yunsi and He Shi immediately looked towards the door.

Chu He glanced casually at the person standing there, then looked away without much concern.

Bai Yushen finally lowered the handkerchief he was holding and turned his head to cast a dagger-like gaze at the person at the door.

Xia Yuan breathed a sigh of relief without showing any emotion. She gently stretched her muscles, which had become stiff from being stared at by that sharp gaze, and when she turned her head again, she had a gentle and polite smile on her face: "So it's Elder Hu. How could we juniors trouble you to come and greet us in person?"

The guests at several tables in the inn stopped eating and looked at each other in bewilderment.

The shopkeeper, who had been sitting behind the counter, rushed out and welcomed the middle-aged man standing at the door into the house.

The middle-aged man looked to be in his forties, with regular features and a dignified appearance. He had a neatly combed beard and a cloak draped over his shoulders. As he strode over, he brought a chill from outside.

After standing still by the table, he naturally turned his body to face Bai Yushen sideways.

Xia Yuan smiled and looked up at him: "Elder Hu, it's been a long time. Your martial arts seem to have improved."

Elder Hu stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Not at all, I'm just getting old, not as charming as Miss Xia is now."

"Thank you for your praise, Xia Yuan is unworthy of it." Xia Yuan gracefully stood up and introduced to her junior brothers and sisters, "Junior brothers and sisters, this is Elder Hu of the Heyang Sect."

Then he introduced the group to Elder Hu: "You must have met my two junior brothers before, Chu He and Bai Yushen. This is my master's beloved daughter, Chu Yunsi. This is our junior brother, He Shi."

"I have naturally met Young Master Bai and Young Master Chu. Both of you are young but have extraordinary martial arts skills. You are role models for many young people in our sect. Hahaha."

Elder Hu's gaze swept over Bai Yushen and Chu He, lingering briefly on Chu Yunsi before landing on He Shi's face. He couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration, "This young master He, I had only heard that he was a once-in-a-century genius in martial arts, but I never expected him to be such a handsome young man. He is truly a prodigy!"

He Shi smiled slightly upon hearing this: "Elder Hu, you flatter me. I am still young and far from being as good as the heroes of your sect."

Elder Hu clapped his hands: "Good, good, good. Young Master He is so young, yet his speaking skills are remarkable. Miss Xia, your Chu family has really struck gold."

Xia Yuan smiled and said, "Elder Hu, you're too kind. If you keep praising him like that, he'll become arrogant and lose his humility."

Just then, the waiter brought the food out of the kitchen and stood not far away, hesitating whether to bring it over.

Bai Yushen had sharp eyesight and spotted him immediately, so he called out, "Waiter, bring the food over."

The waiter then came over, took the plates off the tray, and placed them one by one on the table.

Elder Hu stood to the side with his hands behind his back, glanced at the ordinary dishes, and said, "Miss Xia, you must have had a hard time traveling all the way here through the wind and snow. How can you just eat these simple meals? Why don't we go to that restaurant in the east of the city? I'll treat you all to a proper feast."

Xia Yuan bowed again and said in a gentle voice, "Elder Hu, there's no need to be so polite. We are not picky about food. Besides, the dishes have already been served, so it's not good to throw them away. Let's just eat them as is."

She pointed to the empty chair opposite her: "Elder Hu, have you not had lunch yet? Why don't you sit down and have a simple meal with us?"

Elder Hu smiled and waved his hand: "No, no, in that case, I won't disturb your lively gathering any longer. I'll take my leave now and welcome you all at the mountain gate later."

Xia Yuan nodded: "Elder Hu, please take care. The roads are slippery in the snow. We won't see you off."

"Alright, alright, Miss Xia, please sit down and eat. The food will get cold soon. I'll take my leave now."

Watching Elder Hu walk out of the inn, Xia Yuan adjusted her fox fur coat and sat down.

Chu Yunsi put a piece of tofu in her bowl and asked curiously, "Senior sister, is this person from the Heyang Sect? He doesn't look like it."

Xia Yuan, having taken advantage of her advances, smiled genuinely: "How is it not like that?"

Chu Yunsi pouted: "Everyone says that the people of the Heyang Sect are arrogant and domineering, and they run rampant everywhere because of their status. They don't even respect the government officials. But I think this Elder Hu is quite easy to talk to."

"He's a notorious smiling tiger in the entire martial arts world. If you're fooled by his appearance, you're doomed. You'll suffer the consequences later."

"Huh?" Chu Yunsi's eyes widened. "He's that bad?"

"It can't be said to be bad. People in the martial arts world are all like this. How can they survive without some shrewdness? It's just that his shrewdness is deeper than others."

Xia Yuan quickly changed the subject and urged everyone, "Let's eat quickly, it'll get cold soon."