Xiao Yan's eyes widened in shock after hearing Xiao Ning's acquisition, but then he thought of the mysterious man who attacked them. His face paled slightly, and he couldn't refute Xiao Ning.
Xiao Yan couldn't help but glance at Gu Xun Er from the corner of his eye. Although he knew that his lover had a strong background; in the end, he still underestimated the clan behind her.
If it weren't for the people from her clan, he and his brothers would have been dead.
Gu Xun Er stayed calm from the beginning, and nothing seemed to affect her. She knew who was behind Xiao Clan's disappearance and their motive to do so. Hence, she showed no interest since the start, and the only reason she followed was to prevent Xiao Ning from harming her lover.
Even though Xiao Yan didn't disclose the matter between him and Xiao Ning, it did not prevent Gu Xun Er from learning about it.
Xiao Ning's eyes flashed as he saw their reaction and made a preliminary judgment in his heart, 'Xiao Yan looks guilty, and Gu Xun Er's face remained indifferent this whole time.'
'Just like I had thought, both Hall of Souls and Gu Clan were involved, and judging from Xiao Yan's face, Uncle Xiao Zhan must have died. As for the other two, they must have been taken back to Gu Clan,' Xiao Ning thought.
'The Gu Clan won't let Xiao Clan's blood perish. Ha Ha! What a Gu Clan,' Xiao Ning sneered inwardly.
He glanced at Xiao Yan's ring for a moment before he looked Xiao Yan in the eye and spoke coldly, "Xiao Yan, it seems that Uncle Xiao Zhan didn't inform you about the punishment passed by the clan."
He stopped for a second and saw Xiao Yan's face pale rapidly; only then the latter remembered that Xiao Ning is the current patriarch of the Xiao clan.
His cold voice reminded Xiao Yan of both, the punishment passed by the clan and his father's death.
Xiao Yan couldn't hold back his emotions, and his body trembled uncontrollably. His dou qi erupted, and the surrounding temperature cooled down.
Instantly, an even more oppressive momentum burst from Xiao Ning's body and suppressed Xiao Yan, "Calm down."
Gu Xun Er placed her soft hand on Xiao Yan's shoulder and helped him control his emotions. Her concern for Xiao Yan was visible through her eyes.
Xiao Ning was indifferent about it, and after he saw Xiao Yan recover from his emotional outburst, he added coldly, "Xiao Yan, as the patriarch and the only other living member of the Xiao Clan, I deprive you and your brothers of the surname 'Xiao,' and expel you from the Xiao Clan."
"From today onwards, you can no longer call yourself Xiao Yan."
"Only in this way, I can be worthy of the clan who died because of you."
Xiao Ning spoke coldly, and his voice carried a trace of murderous intention.
Xiao Yan's eyes turned red as he listened, and his face couldn't be more paler. Hidden within the sleeves, Xiao Yan clenched his fists, and his nails pierced his palms.
He sat there silently and kept staring at Xiao Ning.
'Sigh!' Gu Xun Er, who sat silently, sighed softly, and her pretty face showed a rare angry emotion. Her eyes turned cold as she looked at Xiao Ning and said, "Xiao Ning, how can you....."
Xiao Ning didn't give Gu Xun Er a chance to complete her sentence, "Gu Xun Er, you are not a member of Xiao Clan and have no right to interfere in my clan's business." A golden light flashed in the depth of his eyes as he stared back at Gu Xun Er.
His actions did not soften even when facing Gu Xun Er, the pearl of the Gu Clan. Only his lovers and friends deserved his soft side, and for the enemies, Xiao Ning only had one thought, 'Only a dead enemy is a good enemy.'
If the situation permitted; Xiao Ning wouldn't mind killing her now, but it would waste his trump card.
Xiao Ning's words froze Gu Xun Er in her speech, and she couldn't complete her sentence. Her pretty angry face stared at Xiao Ning, and a golden flame flashed in the depth of her eyes.
Not to be outdone, Xiao Ning stared back, and he also summoned a trace of 'Dragon Buddha Flame' to confront the 'Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame.'
"Xun Er, stop it," Xiao Yan suddenly spoke hoarsely. He stared at Xiao Ning with bloodshot eyes, turned around, and walked out. Gu Xun Er's face changed, and she hurriedly followed behind him.
...
'Sigh!' Xiao Ning, the only one who remained in the room, sighed. It was hard for him to control himself. Yes, Xiao Ning did his best not to attack them in the academy. He came here to settle down for a year and practice alchemy wholeheartedly.
He couldn't find an environment more suitable than Jia Nan Academy. Furthermore, he had some thoughts about the 'Fallen Heart Flame' locked in the academy.
...
After coming out of Xiao Ning's room, Xiao Yan jumped up and sat on the pavilion's roof. He stared at the starry sky with tears falling down his cheeks.
At some point, Gu Xun Er appeared beside him and placed his head on her shoulder. She hugged him and kept sitting in that position for the rest of the night.
The next day, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes and smelled the faint fragrance on Gu Xun Er's body. He smiled wryly after seeing her sleeping face on his shoulder.
"Teacher?" Xiao Yan called out in his heart. His mind was in chaos, and Xiao Yan didn't know what to do. As a man, he was deprived of his surname; nothing could be more humiliating.
'Sigh!' Yao Lao sighed in the ring. Xiao Yan's current situation reminded him of his past. He was expelled from the clan back then, and now his disciple's situation was worse he couldn't even keep his surname.