"What do you mean it's not their first time sleeping together, Elder Xuan?!" Elder Shan suddenly stepped forward aggressively, looking like she wanted to grab Elder Xuan by the collars and shake him violently.

However, Elder Shan resisted her urges and stopped after her first step, yet her gaze still stared daggers at Elder Xuan, almost like she was demanding an answer!

A slight smile appeared on Elder Xuan's as he shook his head, and then he said, "Calm down, Elder Shan. I'll explain."

Thus, in order to calm Elder Shan down, Elder Xuan explained the whole situation regarding Fei Yuyan staying at Yuan's living quarters so they can practice more conveniently.

Elder Shan turned to look at Fei Yuyan with disbelief on her face after hearing the whole story and finally understanding the situation.

"Y-You… Unbelievable! How could you not tell your own Master about this! We're going to have a little talk later— just you and me!" Elder Shan said to her, clearly upset about Fei Yuyan's actions for some reason.

"Yes, Master…" Fei Yuyan responded with a nod before sighing inwardly, 'This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you about staying at Yuan's house…'

"Senior Shan, if you're worried about Disciple Fei breaking the sect rule, rest assure, since we'd received Elder Xuan's permission," Yuan said to Elder Shan afterward, worried that Disciple Fei might get scolded because of some misunderstanding.

A bittersweet smile appeared on Elder Shan's face after seeing Yuan's innocent face, and she said, "Don't worry, Disciple Yuan, neither of you is in trouble, nor is this about breaking the sect rules."

"I-Is that so?" Yuan nodded, feeling relieved that it wasn't about breaking the sect rules.

"Anyway, I won't allow Disciple Yuan to sleep in the same room with the female disciples while I am here, so he'll be sleeping with us." Elder Shan said in a clear voice with an adamant look on her face.

Elder Xuan shook his head inwardly. Knowing Elder Shan's stubbornness and without any assistance from the other elders, Elder Xuan knew that it was near impossible to change her mind.

"Fine… You can stay with us…" Elder Xuan mumbled in a tired-sounding voice afterward.

"Eh?!" Xuan Wuhan felt her heart drop after hearing this, as it meant that she'll no longer be able to sleep with Yuan in the same room, much less the same bed!

While she wanted to complain, she didn't want to sound desperate, and she was not as shameless as Elder Shan.

Meanwhile, the workers in the hotel stood there with dumbfounded looks on their faces as they witnessed this spectacle that would've done great as a romantic comedy.

"P-Please, allow me to show you the rooms…" One of the servants there said to them after their little show was over.

Sometime later, the servant led them to the fourth floor and showed them the last two rooms in the hallway.

"These will be your rooms, esteemed guests. If you wish to stay even after the competition, there will definitely be more available rooms since those who came for the competition usually leave immediately afterward."

"And here are the keys to your rooms."

Once the servant left the scene, Elder Shan handed one of the two keys to Fei Yuyan and said, "You girls can do whatever you want for the rest of today and tomorrow. Just make sure you're back in the hotel before midnight so we know you're safe."

Immediately after hearing Elder Shan's words, Fei Yuyan looked at Yuan and asked him, "Disciple Yuan, do you want to look at zithers with me? I know this large musical store that not only displays powerful zithers but they also sell them!"

"Really? I want to go." Yuan immediately nodded.

"I'll go as well," Xuan Wuhan said.

"Me too," Min Li also said.

"Wait a second, before you go, let me speak with you real quick, Disciple Fei." Elder Shan suddenly said.

"I'll be right back." Fei Yuyan said to them before following Elder Shan into one of the rooms.

Once they were inside, Elder Shan silently stared at Fei Yuyan with narrowed eyes.

After a few moments of awkward silence that felt like an hour for Fei Yuyan, Elder Shan opened her mouth and spoke in a serious voice, "Did… Did you two already do 'that' together?"

"That?" Fei Yuyan raised her eyebrows with a puzzled look on her face, as she was too nervous to think properly right now.

"Do you really need me to spell it out for you?" Elder Shan shook her head.

And she continued, "I'm talking about 'that'! You lived at his house for almost an entire week, right? Surely, you must've had s.e.x already!"

"S-S-S.e.x?!" Fei Yuyan took a step back from shock, and she stared at Elder Shan with disbelief on her face. How can a beautiful woman like Elder Shan mention such a vulgar word so casually?

"We didn't do anything like that!" Fei Yuyan quickly refuted after coming back to her senses.

"What? You haven't? Really? You're not lying to me, right? There's no way a woman and man at your age would be able to live together without doing anything!" Elder Shan said, doubting her.

"W-What kind of woman do you think I am, Master?! There's no way I would do something like that with someone I'd just met! Furthermore, Disciple Yuan wouldn't lay a hand on me even if I am completely vulnerable! He's too kind and innocent!" Fei Yuyan said.

"Hmph! I don't believe it! All men are beasts by nature! If you let your guard down, they'll immediately try to take advantage of you, and I doubt Yuan is any different! Tempt him enough and he'll reveal his true nature! This is my experience with men after living for over 300 years!" Elder Shan said, clearly having some sort of resentment towards men.

"Master, you make it sound like Disciple Yuan is a bad guy, yet you'd insisted on sleeping in the same room as him and Elder Xuan. That doesn't make any sense!" Fei Yuyan said, leaving Elder Shan speechless for a moment.