Inside the room, the First Elder sat to one side, sipping tea. Seeing a trace of fatigue on Xiao Ze's face, he could not help but smile and say, "Now you know how much people are scrambling after you. Trying to deal with so many people coming to curry favor with you all by yourself would surely exhaust you in the end."
Xiao Ze shook his head, half amused. "Wasn't it you, First Elder, who told me I could interact with them a little?"
"I didn't tell you to be so amiable with them," the First Elder said with a helpless chuckle. "Show some of the pride befitting an Alchemist, and let them know you aren't so easy to deal with." He sighed gently. "Never mind, let's not dwell on it. If you can handle it, do as you did before. If you can't cope, just follow my lead—act unapproachable and keep your words brief."
Chapter 166