Su Yi watched quietly from the side, listening to the two old men without saying anything.
One of the old men noticed how intently Su Yi was looking and asked, "Young man, can you read it?"
Su Yi smiled without answering. He ignored him and continued walking.
"Hey! What's with that attitude? Didn't you hear Mr. Yang talking to you?" a young staff member nearby shouted at Su Yi.
Yu Huiyin hurried forward to apologize to the old man who had called out to Su Yi. "Sir, I'm terribly sorry. My friend has only just come from the countryside and doesn't know much about manners."
Su Yi looked at Yu Huiyin, his eyes clear and bright. "I don't even know him. Why do I have to answer just because he asks me something? I simply don't want to bother with him, so there's no need for you to apologize."
Anyone else questioned by an elderly man might have shown at least a little respect and answered out of courtesy.
But Su Yi was an old monster who had lived for who knew how many years. Though he looked young, this old man was still very young in his eyes.
Respect his elders?
Not happening.
Yu Huiyin was about to lose her mind. She had stepped in to smooth things over, yet this guy had foolishly gone and said something like that. Wasn't he just offending people?
Judging by their bearing, neither of the two old men could be an ordinary person. Why offend them?
The old man was angered by Su Yi's attitude too and couldn't help saying, "Young man, I only saw how intently you were looking and thought you could read the writing on it. If you can't, don't stand here putting on an act!"
Su Yi glanced at him as though looking at an ignorant little child and sighed helplessly. "Of course I can read it, but even if I tell you what's carved on it, you probably won't dare believe it."
"Tell me! What wouldn't I dare believe?" The old man really couldn't believe that a young man like Su Yi could recognize the characters at the very top. After all, this was the first time these characters had been discovered; they had never appeared at any ancient site before.
Su Yi smiled. "The passage carved at the very top of the stele says, 'I met an old Daoist called Hongjun. He was somewhat interesting, but a little long-winded, and his strength was still a little lacking.'"
"..."
Everyone around stared at Su Yi with wide eyes.
Was this some Arabian Nights tale or a webnovel?
"I told you, but you don't believe me. Nothing I can do about that." Su Yi smiled and lifted his foot to keep walking.
Qin Lin rarely got an opportunity like this, so he stepped forward too. "You could probably only fool an idiot with that, right? Who would believe it? He met Daoist Hongjun and actually thought he was too weak? Could you exaggerate any more?"
He had thought it through. Yu Huiyin disliked him anyway, and she would never accept him if he took the usual approach. He might as well be direct and destroy Su Yi's image in front of her.
They would all perish together. None of them would win the beauty's heart!
No sooner had Qin Lin finished speaking than the old man said, "Go on. I'm somewhat inclined to believe you!" He then gave Qin Lin a long, meaningful look.
What the fuck?! Qin Lin didn't dare say another word.
Had he just been asking to get insulted? Who could he blame when he had insisted on making himself that idiot?
Su Yi paused, glanced back at the stele, and said, "There's another passage in the middle, but I won't go into that. A passage farther down says, 'In the end, I still failed to control my emotions and brought this era to an end. I don't know how much longer I must wait before entirely new living beings appear in this world.'"
Both old men couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.
Ended an era?
What era, exactly?
For a moment, they didn't know whether they should believe this young man's words.
The stele recorded Ying Zheng, Xiang Yu, Liu Bang, and many famous figures from later generations. It distinctly felt like one person's diary.
They could also recognize some of the oracle bone script farther up. The accounts of the Shang and Zhou dynasties amounted to only a few brief sentences, but the writing before that was beyond their ability to recognize.
Yet, considering the content that followed, the earlier content surely couldn't be anything simple either!
What Su Yi said sounded incredible, but wasn't the later content on the stele just as unfathomable?
It could be said that this single stele spanned all of Huaxia's history.
"Young man, you really do recognize the writing on this stele." The old man excitedly walked over to Su Yi. "Hello, my name is Yang Zhengcheng. I'm a retired teacher from Qingzhou University. I'm very interested in ancient culture. If you truly can translate this writing, I'm willing to take you as my master."
Su Yi said indifferently, "Just because you want to take me as your master, do I have to accept you? I don't want to talk to you right now. I just want to look around in peace. Don't bother me!"
Yang Zhengcheng froze awkwardly in place.
When Yu Huiyin heard the name Yang Zhengcheng, her delicate body trembled. How was he merely some retired teacher?
Wasn't he the former president of Qingzhou University?
An honorary professor at Qingzhou University with countless students under his tutelage-even among the truly famous and powerful, who wouldn't show this former president some respect?
Yang Zhengcheng had said he was willing to take Su Yi as his master, yet Su Yi barely deigned to respond. Wasn't that far too arrogant?
"Old Yang, don't get so worked up. Maybe he's just spouting nonsense off the top of his head. Why take it so seriously?" The other old man pulled at Yang Zhengcheng. "Do you think someone so young could possibly recognize the writing on it?"
Yang Zhengcheng drew a deep breath and finally calmed down. Indeed, everything Su Yi had said could very well have been nonsense.
Su Yi offered them no explanation. He walked over to the jade bed he had once slept on and couldn't help giving a wry laugh.
He had slept on this bed for quite a few years, and now look at it-it had actually been put on display in a museum. From now on, he would even have to buy a ticket to see his own bed.
Yu Huiyin apologized to Yang Zhengcheng and the others, then could only follow Su Yi over.
"Su Yi, can't you be a little more polite when you speak to elderly people?" Yu Huiyin couldn't quite stand Su Yi's arrogant manner either.
Su Yi smiled. "How should I be polite? I already told him what was written on it. What more does he want? He actually wanted to take me as his master, too. As if he'd be that lucky!"
"..." Yu Huiyin nearly exploded with anger.
Could he speak like a normal human being?
What did he mean, wanting to take him as a master?
He'd be lucky?
My God! How could someone so shameless exist in this world?
Su Yi offered no explanation. Every one of his disciples had left their name in the annals of history, and he had requirements for accepting disciples.
Anyone over eighteen was definitely out. After all, ordinary people had limited lifespans. This old man was already so far into the grave that probably only his head was still sticking out, yet he wanted to take Su Yi as his master. Wasn't that a fool's dream?
Yu Huiyin stopped talking too. Su Yi silently browsed the museum. Besides the things from his tomb, there were quite a few rare cultural relics, but in his eyes, those things were nothing much either.