In the hall, Xiao Zhan and the three elders were quite eagerly engaged in conversation with the unfamiliar old man, but this old man seemed to have something difficult to say, as he would often swallow back the words that came to his lips with a helpless expression, and during these times, the delicate girl beside him couldn't help but shoot him a glare...
After listening for a while, Xiao Yan shook his head in boredom...
"Xiao Yan gege, do you know their identities?" Just as Xiao Yan was getting bored and about to doze off, Xun Er beside him turned the ancient book page with her slender fingers and smiled without looking away.
"You know?" Curious, Xiao Yan turned his head and asked in surprise.
"Did you see the silver sword shaped like a cloud at the cuffs of their robes?" With a slight smile, Xun Er said.
"Oh?" A flicker of interest sparked in his heart as Xiao Yan's gaze shifted to the three people's cuffs, and he indeed spotted a silver sword in the shape of a cloud.
"Are they from the Yunlan Sect?" Xiao Yan whispered in astonishment.
Although he hadn't gone out to train, Xiao Yan had seen information about this sword sect in some books. The city where the Xiao family is located is called Wutan City, which belongs to the Jia Ma Empire. Although this city ranks among the major cities of the empire due to its proximity to the Monster Mountain Range, it is merely at the bottom of the list.
Xiao Yan's family holds considerable weight in Wu Tan City, but they aren't the only ones; there are two other prominent families in the city whose strength is nearly on par with the Xiao clan, and the three have been in a subtle power struggle for decades without a clear victor...
If the Xiao clan is the tyrant of Wu Tan City, then the Yun Lanzong that Xiao Yan mentioned could be considered the tyrant of the entire Jia Ma Empire! The gap between them is like a chasm, so it's no wonder that even his usually serious father speaks of them with such reverence.
"What are they doing at our family?" Xiao Yan asked softly, a bit confused.
The delicate fingertips paused for a moment, and after a brief silence, Xun Er finally said, "Perhaps it's related to you, Brother Xiao Yan..."
"Me? I haven't had any interactions with them!" Hearing this, Xiao Yan was taken aback and shook his head in denial.
"Do you know what that girl's name is?" Xun Er glanced lightly at the delicate girl across from her.
"What?" With a furrowed brow, Xiao Yan pressed on.
"Nalan Yanran!" Xun'er」s small face showed a hint of oddness as she glanced sideways at the somewhat stiff Xiao Yan.
"Nalan Yanran? The granddaughter of Marshal Nalan Jie from the Gama Empire? That... that fiancée who is betrothed to me since we were in our mothers' wombs?" Xiao Yan said with a stiff expression.
"Hehe, back in the day, Grandpa was a life-and-death friend with Nalan Jie, and at that time, you and Nalan Yanyan were born at the same time. So, the two old men arranged this marriage. However, it's a pity that three years after you were born, Grandpa died from severe injuries sustained in battle with his enemies. As time passed, the relationship between the Xiao family and the Nalan family gradually faded..." Xun'er paused slightly, looking at Xiao Yan's wide-open eyes, and couldn't help but chuckle softly. Then she continued, "That old man Nalan Jie is not only stubborn but also extremely concerned about promises. The marriage back then was something he personally agreed to, so even though Brother Xiao Yan's reputation has been terrible in recent years, he still hasn't sent anyone to annul the engagement..."
"That old man really is stubborn in a lovable way..." Hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.
"Nalan Jie has absolute authority in the family; his words are generally unopposed. Although he dotes on his granddaughter Nalan Yanran, getting him to speak up to annul the engagement is quite difficult..." Xun'er」s beautiful eyes narrowed playfully as she said, "But five years ago, Nalan Yanran was personally taken as a disciple by Yun Yun, the head of Yun Lan Sect. Over the past five years, Nalan Yanran has shown exceptional talent in cultivation, which made Yun Yun dote on her even more... When a person gains the power to change their own fate, they will try everything to get rid of what they dislike... Unfortunately for her, her engagement to Brother Xiao Yan is one of the things she is most dissatisfied with!"
"Are you saying she has come to annul the engagement this time?"
With a change in expression, a surge of anger rushed up in Xiao Yan's heart. This anger wasn't due to Nalan Yanran's discrimination against him. To be honest, although the girl opposite him was beautiful, Xiao Yan wasn't a lecher driven by his lower body. Even if he couldn't form a marriage alliance with her, it would just leave him with a bit of that typical male regret. But if she really made a request to break off the engagement in front of everyone, then his father's face as the clan leader would be completely lost!
Nalan Yanran was not only beautiful and charming, but also of high status and exceptional talent. Anyone discussing this matter would think that Xiao Yan was like a toad trying to eat swan meat, only to be trampled underfoot by the swan...
If that were the case, not only would Xiao Yan be ridiculed in the future, but even his father would become a laughingstock, losing all his authority.
Taking a gentle breath of the icy air, Xiao Yan's hand hidden in his sleeve had already clenched tightly: "If I were a Dou Master right now, who would dare to trample on me like this?"
Indeed, if Xiao Yan possessed Dou Master strength at this moment, then even with Nalan Yanran backed by the Yunlan Sect, she wouldn't dare to act like this. A fifteen-year-old Dou Master? Heh, in the history of the Dou Qi Continent, there are only a handful of them, and those few have long since become the towering figures in the Dou Qi cultivation world!
A delicate little hand quietly slipped through the sleeve, gently pressing against Xiao Yan's tightly clenched fist. Xun'er softly said, "Xiao Yan gege, if she truly acts like this, it will only be her loss. Xun'er believes that in the future, she will regret her shortsightedness today!"
"Regret?" With a sneer, Xiao Yan's face was full of self-mockery: "Do I even have the right to say that about myself now?"
"Xun'er, you seem to know them quite well? Some of the things you mentioned earlier might be things even my father doesn't know, right? How did you find out?" With a slight wave of his hand, Xiao Yan suddenly changed the subject and asked.
Xun'er was taken aback, but she just smiled and remained silent.
Looking at Xun'er's evasive demeanor, Xiao Yan could only helplessly curl his lips. Although Xun'er also had the surname Xiao, she had no blood relation to him whatsoever. Moreover, Xiao Yan had never met Xun'er's parents. Whenever he asked his father about them, his father would immediately fall silent with a smile on his face, clearly very wary of Xun'er's parents, even... afraid!
In Xiao Yan's heart, Xun Er's identity was extremely mysterious, but no matter how he subtly inquired, this little girl would cleverly respond with silence, leaving Xiao Yan with no way to use his tricks even if he had them.
"Sigh, forget it, I can't be bothered with you, if you don」t want to talk then don」t…" Shaking his head, Xiao Yan's expression suddenly darkened, because the elder in front of him finally stood up under the constant signaling from Nalan Yanran.
"Heh, using Yunlan Sect to exert pressure on my father? Nalan Yanran really has some good tricks up her sleeve..." A cold, angry laugh echoed in Xiao Yan's heart.