Xiao Zhan suppressed the anger in his heart and slowly unclenched his hand from its tight grip, placing it back on the armrest of the chair. However, his strong body remained tense beneath the brocade robe, and his voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
"Remember."
Xiao Zhan didn't mention their previous alliance or the arranged marriage, but Ge Ye could tell that something was amiss. He feared that Xiao Zhan had already guessed their intentions, and his embarrassment was evident on his face. Nevertheless, he had to continue.
"The person next to me is Nalan Yanran, granddaughter of Marshal Nalan Jie."
Nalan Yanran nodded lightly towards Xiao Zhan and greeted him: "Greetings, Uncle Xiao. It has been many years since I last paid a visit. Please forgive my absence."
Xiao Zhan let out a deep sigh and fixed his gaze upon Nalan Yanran, whom he had not seen in five or six years. His voice carried a touch of melancholy as he spoke: "Niece Nalan, it has been many years, and you have grown into such a beautiful and elegant lady."
As he spoke, Xiao Zhan's eyes subtly scanned the corner of the hall where his son stood, who had lost his status as a genius and had undergone an unexpected change of fate. A few traces of pain and helplessness crept onto his face.
The unfamiliar look in Xiao Zhan's eyes made Nalan Yanran feel uneasy. She discreetly pulled at Ge Ye's sleeve, urging him to continue.
Ge Ye gave a light chuckle, capturing everyone's attention once again. He spoke loudly: "Lord Xiao, the matter I have come to discuss today concerns Yanran. Furthermore, it was personally ordered by the sect leader."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent. The Xiao family was only one of the three major families in Wu Tan City, which was not even noteworthy in the entire Jia Ma Empire. On the other hand, the Yunlan Sect, where the three of them came from, was the largest power in the Jia Ma Empire. To put it bluntly, even the Jia Ma Royal Family could not compare to it. To the Yunlan Sect, the Xiao family was nothing more than a small stone compared to a mountain.
Now that they heard that the Yunlan Sect Leader, who stood at the top of the Jia Ma Empire, had given instructions to pass down the position, the people of the Xiao family felt a sudden tightness in their chests, and their breathing became a little dry.
"Lord Xiao, you should know that Yanran has been accepted into the Yunlan Sect by Sect Leader Yun Yun. The Sect Leader has great expectations for her and is grooming her to become the next Sect Leader of the Yunlan Sect..."
"However, due to the strict rules within the sect, the successor to the Sect Leader cannot have any romantic involvement with any man before officially taking over the position."
"So, the Sect Leader hopes that Lord Xiao can understand and cancel the engagement between Yanran and Yan."
As soon as Ge Ye finished speaking, the hall fell silent. After the initial shock, the three elders of the Xiao family turned back to Xiao Zhan with a mocking and sarcastic expression.
The outstanding children of the Xiao family in the hall also openly sneered at Xiao Yan in the corner.
"Crack!"
Xiao Zhan's jade cup shattered into a pile of powder in his hand. His face turned completely livid, and his breathing became more and more rapid. Although he lowered his head and did not look at anyone, everyone in the hall could feel the rage and indignation in his heart.
After a while, Xiao Zhan slumped into the chair and weakly waved his hand while saying: "It's fine. My son is not deserving of the Nalan family's granddaughter, let alone the future Sect Leader of the Yunlan Sect."
"...Let's just forget this engagement. I believe that the conversation between Marshal Nalan Jie and my father was merely a joke."
Nalan Yanran's body shivered slightly at Xiao Zhan's cold and distant words, feeling somewhat angry for no apparent reason.
"Thank you for your understanding, Lord Xiao."
Upon hearing this, Ge Ye was elated, having successfully accomplished the task entrusted to him by the Sect Leader. He then snapped his fingers, and a green jade box appeared out of thin air in his hand.
"Lord Xiao, we apologize for our impoliteness today. This gift was specially prepared by our Sect Leader as an apology."
In the Xiao family hall, whether it was the elders or the outstanding youths, they all leaned over curiously to take a look, wondering what kind of compensation the Sect Leader of Yunlan Sect would offer.
"Qi Gathering Pill!"
The three elders seemed to recognize this item and exclaimed in surprise.
In the jade box, there was a pill that was entirely green and the size of a dragon's eye, lying quietly on a red silk, emitting an enticing fragrance.
On the Dou Qi continent, in order to become a true Dou Zhe, one must first condense the Dou Qi Cyclone within the body. However, this is an extremely difficult task and not easy to achieve. Once failed, it can cause a significant loss of Duan Qi.
The Qi Gathering Pill, on the other hand, is capable of allowing a person with Nine Duan Qi strength to successfully condense the Dou Qi Cyclone.
The young boys and girls of the Xiao family in the hall stared intently at the jade box in Gu Ye's hand with hot eyes.
However, the two people in the corner of the hall were different. A beautiful girl holding a book looked at the scene with a hint of disdain and anger in her pretty eyes.
For the Xiao family, the Qi Gathering Pill was certainly rare, but this item was sent by the Sect Leader of Yunlan Sect, which stood at the pinnacle of the Jia Ma Empire. It seemed insincere and perfunctory.
The handsome and slightly childish-looking young man's eyes were filled with anger. What is this? Compensation or charity!
"And this was also refined by our sect's honorable elder, Gu He."
Ge Ye continued, raising the excitement in the hall to a new level.
"This pill was refined by the Pill King Gu He?"
The Pill King Gu He had an extremely influential status in the Jia Ma Empire. His alchemy skills were mysterious and countless powerful individuals wanted to flatter him, but had no way of doing so. Not only were the pills he made of better quality, but their value was also several times higher.
Just as everyone's hearts were becoming even more eager, suddenly a voice of a young man rang out abruptly in the hall.
"Wait a minute, why don't you take back this pill? I, Xiao Yan, do not wish to agree to today's matter."
Xiao Yan stood up and said in a cold voice, suppressing his anger.
"Xiao Yan, you have no right to speak here. Shut up!"
The elder's face sank as he angrily shouted, and the other two elders also seemed displeased. They were just about to speak out and reprimand Xiao Yan when a voice from a seemingly unremarkable young girl in the corner silenced them.
"Three elders, this matter concerns Brother Xiao Yan. It's better not to interfere."
The three elders' arrogance dissipated, and they dared not speak a word. This caused Xiao Yan to turn his head and give the girl a deep look. He then suppressed his doubts, bowing respectfully to Xiao Zhan first before speaking coldly.
"My Xiao family may be small, but we can bend and never break. If my Dou Qi talent today was still as strong as before, it's hard to say who would be the one climbing up to the other in this engagement."
"You... "
Nalan Yanran's face turned red as if she had been hit in a sore spot. It was indeed true that, even with the help of the abundant cultivation resources of the Nalan family and her own hard work, she was still unable to catch up with Xiao Yan. With Xiao Yan's terrifying talent at the time, there were few people in the entire Jia Ma Empire who could surpass him.
Suddenly, Nalan Yanran came back to her senses, and a hint of disdain appeared on her face. But now was not like before. Xiao Yan was already a waste, and she had nothing to be angry about.
"Xiao Yan, I know you're unhappy today, even feeling humiliated, but there's nothing I can do. It's my master's order, and I can't defy it."
"However, I can temporarily withdraw my request to cancel the engagement. As long as you can defeat me in the Yunlan Sect three years later, I will never mention this matter again. Otherwise, I will publicly cancel the engagement with you."
"How about it, Xiao Yan? Do you dare to accept this agreement?" Nalan Yanran stepped forward, looking up at Xiao Yan with her beautiful face and exerting pressure on him.
Xiao Yan was already extremely angry, losing his rationality temporarily. He clenched his fists and stepped forward without hesitation, pushing back: "Why wouldn't I dare!"
Then, he became even more furious and spoke one word at a time: "Nalan Yanran! Thirty years east, thirty years west, don't you dare bully me just because I'm poor!"
Nalan Yanran was frightened by Xiao Yan's sudden terrifying outburst and retreated, her momentum instantly weakened.
Just as the people in the hall were surprised by Xiao Yan's explosive outburst, a ethereal and exceptionally clear voice suddenly entered everyone's ears:
"What an angry young man. When you humiliate others with a superior attitude, you should be prepared to have your face ruthlessly trampled upon in the future."
"Nalan Yanran of the Yunlan Sect, are you ready?"