"Ahem. The novel is all here" The old man in the white robe cleared his throat, stood up, cupped his hands towards Xiao Zhan, and smiled: "Xiao clan leader, I came to your family this time mainly to ask for a favor!"
"Hehe, Mr. Ge Ye, if you have something to say, please go ahead. If it's within our ability, the Xiao family should not refuse." Xiao Zhan didn't dare to be negligent towards this old man and quickly stood up politely to say so, but since he didn't know what the other party was asking for, he didn't dare to speak too confidently.
"Hehe, Clan Leader Xiao, do you know her?" Ge Ye smiled slightly, pointing at the girl beside him and asking with a grin.
"Uh... forgive Xiao Zhan for being unable to recognize, but this young lady..." Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhan was taken aback, looked up and down at the girl, and shook his head awkwardly.
Back when Nalan Yanran was taken as a disciple by Yun Yun, she was only ten years old, and she had practiced in the Yunlan Sect for five years. As the saying goes, a girl changes greatly at eighteen, and after many years without seeing her, Xiao Zhan naturally didn't know that the girl in front of him was his nominal daughter-in-law.
"Ahem... her name is Nalan Yanran."
"Nalan Yanran? Nalan old man's granddaughter, Nalan Yanran?" Xiao Zhan was taken aback for a moment, and then his face broke into a joyful smile, clearly recalling the events from years ago. He hurriedly showed a gentle smile to the girl: "So it's my niece Nalan, Uncle Xiao hasn't seen you for many years, don」t blame Uncle for being blind to your presence."
The sudden appearance left everyone slightly stunned, the three elders exchanged glances, their brows furrowing slightly...
"Uncle Xiao, it's my fault for not coming to pay my respects, but as for blaming you, how could I dare to blame Uncle Xiao?" Nalan Yanran said with a sweet smile.
"Hehe, Nalan niece, I heard before that you were taken in by Lord Yun Yun, and at that time I thought it was just a rumor. I never expected it to be true. You really have great talent, niece..." Xiao Zhan praised with a smile.
"Yanyan is just lucky..." With a faint smile, Nalan Yanyan found herself a bit overwhelmed by Xiao Zhan's enthusiasm, and under the table, her hand gently tugged at Ge Ye's sleeve.
"Hehe, Chief Xiao, the matter I request today is related to Yanyan, and this matter was even personally brought up by the Sect Leader..." Ge Ye chuckled lightly, and when mentioning the Sect Leader, her expression became slightly serious.
Xiao Zhan's expression changed slightly, and he also reined in his smile. Yun Yun, the Sect Leader of the Yunlan Sect, is a big shot in the Gamma Empire; a mere clan leader like him can't afford to offend her. But what could it be that requires the Xiao family」s help, especially given her strength and influence? Ge Ye said it's related to Nalan's niece—could it be?
Thinking of a certain possibility, Xiao Zhan couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth a few times, his huge palm slightly trembling, but fortunately it was covered by his sleeves, so it went unnoticed. He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and said in a trembling voice, "Mr. Ge Ye, please speak!"
"Ahem..." Ge Ye's face suddenly showed a hint of embarrassment, but recalling the sect leader's fondness for Nalan Yanran, he could only grit his teeth and smile, "Patriarch Xiao, you know that the Yunlan Sect is strict, and the sect leader has high expectations for Yanran. Now she is basically being groomed as the next sect leader of Yunlan... And due to some special rules, the sect leader's successor cannot have any entanglements with men before officially becoming the sect leader..."
"After the sect leader inquired about Yanran, he learned that she has a marriage engagement with the Xiao family, so... so the sect leader would like to ask Patriarch Xiao if you could... dissolve this engagement."
"Snap!" The jade cup in Xiao Zhan's hand suddenly turned to dust.
In the hall, the atmosphere was somewhat silent, and the three elders above were also shaken by Ge Ye's words, but after a moment, their gazes towards Xiao Zhan added a hint of sarcasm and mockery.
"Hehe, having someone come to forcefully break off the engagement, let's see how you, the patriarch, will manage the family with any prestige left!"
Some of the younger generation didn't know about the engagement between Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran, but after asking their parents beside them, their expressions suddenly became interesting, as mocking and derisive gazes were thrown towards Xiao Yan in the corner…
Looking at Xiao Zhan's extremely gloomy face, Nalan Yanran also didn't dare to lift her head, burying it down, her fingers nervously intertwined.
"Elder Xiao, I know this request is a bit unreasonable, but please, for the sake of the Sect Master, lift the engagement..." With a helpless sigh, Ge Ye said.
Xiao Zhan's fists were tightly clenched, gradually enveloping his body, and finally, it faintly gathered on his face, forming an illusory lion's head.
Xiao Clan's top martial art: Furious Lion's Fury! Level: Mid-level Xuan Rank!
Looking at Xiao Zhan's reaction, Ge Ye's expression suddenly became serious, her body blocking in front of Nalan Yanran, her hands curling like eagle's claws, gathering in the claws, emitting sharp sword energy.
Yunlan Sect's profound martial art, Qingmu Sword Technique! Level: Low-level Xuan Rank!
As the two of them unleashed their auras, the weaker young men in the hall suddenly turned pale, and then felt a bit of discomfort in their chests.
Just as Xiao Zhan's breathing grew more and more rapid, the stern shouts of the three elders rang out like thunder in the hall: "Xiao Zhan, stop it! Don't forget, you are the patriarch of the Xiao family!"
His body suddenly stiffened, and the fighting spirit around Xiao Zhan slowly retracted, eventually disappearing completely.
Sitting back in his chair, Xiao Zhan looked indifferently at Nalan Yaran, who bowed her head in silence, and said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Nalan niece, what courage you have! With Nalan Su as your father, I'm really envious!"
Her delicate body trembled slightly, and Nalan Yaran murmured, "Uncle Xiao..."
"Hehe, just call me Patriarch Xiao. I can't take the title of uncle; you are the future master of the Yunlan Sect, and you will be a prominent figure in the Douqi Continent. My Yan'er is just an average talent, really not worthy of you..." He waved his hand lightly, speaking with a cold tone.
"Thank you for your understanding, Chief Xiao." Hearing this, Ge Ye was overjoyed and smiled at Xiao Zhan, saying, "Chief Xiao, the sect master knows that this request is somewhat impolite today, so he specially asked me to bring something as a token of apology!"
As he spoke, Ge Ye reached out to wipe a ring on his finger, and a completely green ancient jade box appeared out of nowhere in his hand…
Carefully opening the box, a strange fragrance instantly filled the hall, making everyone feel invigorated.
The three elders leaned in with curiosity, peering into the jade box, and their bodies jolted, exclaiming, "Qi Gathering Pill?"