Chapter 58: The Three-Year Agreement and the Truth about the Xiao Family
Ge Ye sighed deeply, his face filled with bitterness, as he whispered to Nalan Yanran, "Yanran, given the current strength of the Xiao family, insisting on breaking the engagement would be a slap in their face. It's better to let it go."
"Let it go?" Nalan Yanran frowned and whispered back, "Uncle Ge Ye, I finally found this opportunity. If I give up now, my life will be ruined."
"Yanran, you must think of the bigger picture!" Ge Ye implored earnestly. "Besides, you're both still young. There will be other opportunities."
"Alright," Nalan Yanran agreed, thinking to herself, "When I reach a higher level in my cultivation, let's see if you still dare to marry me."
Seeing her agree, Ge Ye stood up with a bitter smile and said to Xiao Zhan, "Patriarch Xiao, it seems we were too presumptuous today. We'll take our leave now."
With a wave of his hand, Ge Ye collected Mo Li's body into his storage ring. Although the ring couldn't hold living things, Mo Li was now a corpse.
"Wait!" Xiao Yan suddenly stood up and shouted.
Nalan Yanran's annoyance flared at being stopped. She asked coldly, "Xiao Yan, what do you want?"
"Miss Nalan, you should know that on the Dou Qi Continent, when a woman breaks off an engagement, it greatly humiliates the man," Xiao Yan said slowly. "I don't care much for myself, but my father is the head of the family. Your public rejection humiliates him and makes it difficult for him to lead the Xiao family."
Nalan Yanran apologized, "I was rash today, but now we're not breaking the engagement."
"You decide to break the engagement and then decide not to, all without considering the Xiao family's feelings?" Xiao Yan sneered. "Since you want to break the engagement so badly, I'll grant your wish."
He walked over to a table and started writing furiously. When he finished, he drew a ceremonial sword from the wall and slashed his hand with it.
"Slap!" Xiao Yan pressed his bloody hand onto the white paper, leaving a striking red handprint. He then threw the paper at Nalan Yanran.
"Nalan Yanran, don't think I care about you. This is my letter of divorce. From today, you have nothing to do with the Xiao family!"
"You... you dare divorce me?" Nalan Yanran was furious, clutching the letter. She never imagined that she, the pride of her family, would be dismissed.
Xiao Zhan struggled to suppress his laughter and said, "Since you have the divorce contract, please leave."
"Xiao Yan, you only dare divorce me because of the Xiao family. I, Nalan Yanran, am not convinced!" Nalan Yanran said angrily. "Do you dare to make a three-year agreement? In three years, we will compete. If you win, I will be your servant!"
"Fine!" Xiao Yan declared. "Three years from now, I will go to the Yunlan Sect and compete with you!"
"I, Nalan Yanran, will wait for you!" She bowed to Xiao Zhan and then turned to leave.
"Take your Qi Gathering Powder with you," Xiao Zhan said, waving his sleeve and sending the jade box flying back to them.
Ge Ye caught the box and followed Nalan Yanran out in shame. As they returned to the Yunlan Sect, news of the Xiao family would undoubtedly spread across the Jia Ma Empire, causing widespread attention.
Of course, that was a matter for the future.
After they left, the Xiao family members dispersed. Xiao Tian approached the patriarch and the three elders.
"Xiao Tian, what do you need to discuss with us?" Xiao Zhan asked.
Xiao Tian replied, "Patriarch, and three elders, you should prepare the clan. We may soon face a crisis that could destroy our family."
"A crisis that could destroy us?" The four were stunned.
The first elder asked, "But we have a Dou Huang strongman. Why should we fear the Yunlan Sect?"
"The crisis I refer to does not come from the Yunlan Sect," Xiao Tian clarified.
"Not the Yunlan Sect?" The second elder asked, perplexed. "We haven't offended anyone. Why would someone want to destroy us?"
"Let me tell you the truth. Our Xiao family once had a Dou Di ancestor," Xiao Tian revealed, shocking everyone. "At that time, the Xiao family was one of the most powerful forces on the Dou Qi Continent, even possessing a small world of our own."
"What? We had a Dou Di ancestor?" Everyone was astounded.
Xiao Tian continued, "Families with Dou Di bloodlines find cultivation much easier. But that same bloodline can become a curse, weakening over time until it becomes no different from ordinary people. After the Dou Di's disappearance, one of our ancestors tried to restore our glory by extracting the bloodline of the entire clan to break through to Dou Di. He failed, was severely injured, and our enemies took advantage, annihilating our family. Our small world vanished, and only our branch escaped, eventually settling in the remote Jia Ma Empire."
"So, with our name spreading, our enemies will surely discover us. We must prepare to hide our identities again," Xiao Tian warned.
Xiao Zhan and the three elders were terrified. "Does that mean our enemies are Dou Shengs?"
"Don't worry," Xiao Tian reassured. "I will move you to a very safe place where they will never find you."
Knowing that the Yunlan Sect's Yun Shan was allied with the Soul Hall, Xiao Tian planned to move the Xiao family to the Wu Dong world soon, ensuring their safety. Once he reached a certain level of power, the Xiao family could return.
(End of Chapter)