"This..."
Ge Ye's face showed a hint of awkwardness, but remembering Nalan Yanran's status, he gritted his teeth and forced a smile, "Patriarch Xiao, as you know, the Misty Cloud Sect has strict rules, and the Sect Master holds extremely high expectations for Yanran.
She's already being groomed to be the next Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect. The Misty Cloud Sect has unique regulations. As the Sect Master's successor, Yanran cannot be entangled with any man before officially becoming the Sect Master.
After consulting with Yanran, the Sect Master learned of her engagement with the Xiao family. Therefore, the Sect Master wishes to ask Patriarch Xiao to... dissolve the engagement."
"Crack!"
The jade cup in Xiao Zhan's hand instantly crumbled into a pile of powder. The atmosphere in the hall became silent. The three elders were also shocked by Ge Ye's words. For the Xiao family to have their engagement forcefully dissolved at their doorstep—if not handled properly, it could lead to disaster. Xiao Zhan's face was extremely gloomy. Nalan Yanran didn't dare to look up, burying her head and shrinking her body, her fingers nervously intertwined.
Ge Ye sighed helplessly and spoke, "Patriarch Xiao, I know this request is a bit forceful, but please, for the sake of my Misty Cloud Sect, dissolve the engagement!"
Xiao Zhan clenched his fists. A faint green Dou Qi gradually covered his body, finally vaguely forming an illusory lion head around his face. This was the Mid-tier Xuan-class Lion Fury's, the Xiao family's most important and highest-grade inherited cultivation method.
Seeing Xiao Zhan's reaction, Ge Ye's expression instantly became solemn. He flew to shield Nalan Yanran, his hawk-like hands sharply curving, green Dou Qi gathering in them, emitting tiny yet sharp streaks of sword qi. This was the Misty Cloud Sect's Low-tier Xuan-class Azure wood Sword Art, a lower-tier version of the Azure wood Sword Qi that Yan Qingshan once practiced, and its power was still quite good.
The clash of auras between Xiao Zhan and Ge Ye caused the faces of the weaker youths in the hall to instantly turn pale, followed by a feeling of tightness in their chests. Just as Xiao Zhan's breathing became increasingly rapid, the stern shouts of the three elders thundered through the hall: "Xiao Zhan, stop! Don't forget, you are the Patriarch of the Xiao family!"
Xiao Zhan's body stiffened abruptly, the Dou Qi on his body slowly receded, eventually disappearing completely. He looked indifferently at the silent Nalan Yanran, his voice somewhat hoarse, "Niece Nalan, what courage you have. Nalan Su truly has a daughter to be envied!"
Nalan Yanran's actions directly led to the severing of the long-standing friendship between the Nalan and Xiao families.
Afterward, Ge Ye even produced a previously prepared Qi Gathering Powder. While this item was indeed precious, in truth, it was merely that. Although it was a Fourth-Grade medicinal pill, it was meant for those at the ninth stage of Dou Zhi Qi. It seemed capable of helping the Xiao family produce another genius, but such a genius held too many uncertainties and was far incomparable to the Xiao Yan whose talent hadn't been lost.
However, the Xiao family was, after all, just a small family in Wu Tan City at the moment. This Qi Gathering Powder was a valuable item they usually had no access to. The three elders were naturally tempted, but at this moment, Xiao Yan stepped forward.
"Thirty Years East, Thirty Years West, don't you dare bully me because I'm poor now!."
Xiao Yan first used the principle of family righteousness to force the three elders to back down. Then, he delivered a scathing rebuke to Nalan Yanran, proclaiming the phrase that would become widely known across myriad worlds: "Thirty years east, thirty years west, don't you dare bully me because I'm poor now."
He then proposed a three-year agreement with Nalan Yanran. Xiao Yan's series of actions undoubtedly stung the nerves of the three from the Misty Cloud Sect, yet they couldn't find a good reason to refute him. Nalan Yanran, of course, reacted fiercely, agreeing to become Xiao Yan's slave or maid if she failed the three-year agreement.
Xiao Yan's reaction was even more direct: he shoved a blood-stained annulment letter in front of Nalan Yanran, stating that there was no need to wait three years; he wanted to sever ties with her right then and there.
After making his vow in front of Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yan turned and left. Nalan Yanran felt as if the annulment letter in her hand weighed a thousand jin, wanting to throw it away but feeling it was inappropriate. For a moment, she stood stunned.
"The three of you, since your objective has been achieved, please leave." Xiao Zhan watched Xiao Yan's departing back, his fists, hidden within his sleeves, clenched until his knuckles turned white. He coldly issued an eviction order to Ge Ye and the other two.
"Uncle Xiao, Yanran apologizes for today's events. If you have time in the future, please do visit the Nalan family as our guest!"
Nalan Yanran bowed respectfully to the indifferent Xiao Zhan. She then rose and began to walk out of the hall, followed closely by Ge Ye and the handsome young man.
"Take the Qi Gathering Powder with you too!"
Xiao Zhan waved his hand, and the jade box on the table was flung out. Ge Ye reached back with his hand, steadily catching the box. He gave a wry smile and put it into his ring.
Yan Qingshan had been silently observing the entire event, a hint of a smile on his lips. Witnessing this historic moment gave him a strange feeling.
He had never intended to interfere with Xiao Yan's annulment, as the matter was truly difficult to judge as right or wrong. Nalan Yanran's dissatisfaction with the engagement could have been best resolved not by pressuring the Xiao family through the Misty Cloud Sect, but by having Yun Yun directly approach Nalan Jie.
The Nalan family was not without other young ladies; the engagement could have been completely shifted to another person. As for explaining it to the Xiao family, with the Misty Cloud Sect Master, Dou Emperor Yun Yun, personally appearing, what could the Nalan family say? And the Xiao family naturally wouldn't say much either, allowing everything to be perfectly resolved.
However, there were some complications. Nalan Jie was rigid in character; as a patriarchal figure, his decisions were not to be challenged by family members.
If Nalan Yanran had asked Yun Yun to pressure him, even if the matter succeeded, her relationship with Nalan Jie as granddaughter and grandfather would likely be severed.
Nalan Yanran might have been considering this, which is why she didn't ask her teacher to approach her grandfather, choosing instead the most irrational method: she privately came to the Xiao family herself, using the Misty Cloud Sect's influence to dissolve the engagement.
While this method achieved her goal, the friendship between the Xiao and Nalan families was bound to be broken. The sentimental Nalan Jie would surely be furious about such a situation and most likely wouldn't forgive Nalan Yanran. In other words, after all her efforts, she still nearly fractured her relationship with her grandfather.
Nalan Yanran's approach was indeed ill-advised, but Xiao Yan's reaction was even more excessive. The annulment and even the letter of divorce were fine—after all, the Nalan family was in the wrong. But that final three-year agreement was an absolute blunder, a product of useless pride exploding in anger.
He could have simply annulled Nalan Yanran's engagement to vent his anger, but insisting on a three-year agreement showed a complete disregard for reality. One must remember that he was currently in a state of having lost all his talent. How could he possibly turn things around in three years, especially after making such a public vow?
Such a grand and public series of actions would only lead the matter into an uncontrollable abyss, ultimately bringing great disaster upon the Xiao family. Imagine if Xiao Yan failed to recover his talent; in three years, whether he went to the Misty Cloud Sect or not, he would have socially disgraced himself.
If he went to Misty Cloud, a Dou Zhi Qi Stage Three would be a joke, unable to even withstand their aura. And if he didn't go, various rumors would spread, and Xiao Yan, and even the entire Xiao family, would be troubled by those seeking to curry favor with Nalan Yanran.
If this escalated to Xiao Yan's death, Nalan Yanran would certainly bear the blame, and as the Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, she shouldn't have such a blemish on her reputation.
In such a situation, what should be done? Wouldn't it be simpler to make the Xiao family disappear? If the entire Xiao family perished, then the matter would have nothing to do with the Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect.
Nalan Yanran and Yun Yun might not harbor such thoughts, but the elder generation of the Misty Cloud Sect would certainly not be soft-hearted. At that point, great disaster would befall the Xiao family. The Xiao family, which had repeatedly declined, with its highest cultivation practitioner being only a Five-star Dou Grandmaster, facing the Misty Cloud Sect, which overshadowed the Jia Ma Empire—the outcome was obvious.
Therefore, Xiao Yan acted too recklessly. With this agreement made, the Xiao family and the Misty Cloud Sect were destined to become adversaries. Isn't this one person dragging down an entire family?!
…
On the steep mountain wall behind the Xiao family, Xiao Yan sat alone, gazing calmly at the perilous, mist-shrouded mountains opposite.
That was the Magical Beast Mountain Range, one of the few dangerous places in the Jia Ma Empire. Xiao Yan's self-mockery and indignation lingered on the mountaintop.
He ran his fingers through his black hair, biting his lip tightly, his heart aching as if being cut by knives. Everything that had happened in the assembly hall deeply pained him, which was why he impulsively made the agreement.
At this moment, perhaps sensing that the time was right, the storage ring on Xiao Yan's finger suddenly made a sound. The "golden finger" old man, Yao Lao, came online. When Xiao Yan learned of Yao Lao's existence, his first reaction wasn't excitement, but a furious outburst.
"What the f*ck, I was impulsive, reckless!" Xiao Yan, consumed by anger, directly threw the black storage ring on his hand down the cliff.
After his impulse, he realized he had done something stupid. He had been tricked for three years, and now he had thrown it away without getting any benefits. Wasn't that a huge loss?!
A dark, ancient ring quietly floated behind Xiao Yan. Above the storage ring, a transparent, aged figure drifted.
"Heh heh, little brat, no need to be so furious, is there? It's just three years of your Dou Qi that I absorbed."
The transparent old man was none other than the continent-renowned Medicine Saint, also a shameless old scoundrel, who was now smiling as he spoke to Xiao Yan.
Yao Lao had observed Xiao Yan for three years and was naturally quite satisfied with this disciple he was about to take. For three years, Xiao Yan had not given up in the face of various taunts and insults.
He had shed the superficial arrogance from being admired by everyone, undergoing a transformation. He had originally planned to test him for a longer period, but when Xiao Yan made the three-year agreement, he decided not to continue.
For Xiao Yan to catch up to Nalan Yanran within three years, it would be absolutely impossible without his help. He was basically satisfied with this disciple; three years of tempering had greatly reduced his impetuosity.
Any further tempering might break him. So, he chose to appear now, ready to lay everything out for Xiao Yan.
"Little fellow, you... someone's coming." Just as Yao Lao was about to continue persuading Xiao Yan, he suddenly turned his head to look in the direction opposite the cliff.
Then, his figure moved, disappearing into the black storage ring, which then gently fell into Xiao Yan's palm. Xiao Yan looked at the storage ring in his hand with some surprise and uncertainty, pondering Yao Lao's words just now.
He then looked towards the front courtyard and, upon seeing a figure, couldn't help but be astonished, wondering what this person was doing here.