"Wow, never thought the Xiao family was this daring."
"This isn't called daring, my friend. This is called shooting yourself in the foot."
"That Xiao Chen is so tough. Did you see how he tore those papers?"
"Damn! Although it was stupid, not gonna lie, it indeed looked cool."
"Still, do you think the Crimson Blade Sect will let them go with this?"
"Who knows? And honestly, do you think they need to do it themselves?"
"Hush... why are you gossiping inside the Xiao mansion? Do you have a brain?"
Inside a massive mansion made with dark wooden walls, sloping tiled roofs, and a spacious courtyard surrounded by high stone walls, Xiao Zixian walked along the spacious corridor, listening to the hushed voices of the crowd around.
From the way they were gossiping, it seemed something major had occurred just now.
'What happened while I was gone?'
Zixian was stunned as he wasn't in the mansion—he had been busy outside selecting a suitable gift for his grandfather, in the market.
After all, today was the joyous occasion of the 100th birthday of the Xiao Clan Grand Elder, Xiao Baizhen.
But after disappearing for a stick of incense's time, why did he feel like something major had happened to the Xiao family?
Feeling something was off, Xiao Zixian hurried toward the grand hall that was beautifully decorated while navigating through the crowd when he heard a charming voice from ahead.
"Okay, Okay. Xiao Chen, you are so bold. You even dared to scold my elder."
The voice sounded a little cold and distant as if filled with extreme disappointment.
"Let's go, Elder Murong. As he said, this engagement is now canceled. There's no need to care about this Xiao family anymore. Let him live in his delusion."
By the time Zixian reached the front, he saw a tall girl turning around in anger and preparing to leave in the direction from where he had come from.
Since he was on the same path, he immediately recognized the young girl, who looked beautiful in her flowing long white dress. Her silky light golden hair cascaded down her back, partially tied with delicate jade and gold hairpins. Her violet eyes made her look quite ethereal.
'Huang Yue!'
Of course, Zixian immediately knew who she was after seeing her appearance. She was the daughter of the clan leader of the Huang family.
The Xiao, Huang, and Ling families were the three major cultivation families in Mistwood City, dominating three sides.
The Huang and Xiao families had good relations with each other. That's why Huang Yue had been engaged to Xiao Chen during their childhood. Xiao Chen was also the son of the Xiao Clan's leader.
"Oh? Haha, what little girl Yue said makes sense. Don't worry, I didn't take his words to heart. After all, he's just a brat showing impotent rage."
Elder Murong, who was addressed by Huang Yue, raised his eyebrows slightly and gave a fake smile, intending to return with her. He could understand that Huang Yue wanted to let this matter rest and not impact the Xiao family.
'Someone from the Crimson Blade Sect?'
Seeing his figure though, Zixian was stunned as he saw the blood-red knife symbol on the chest of the middle-aged man.
Wasn't this the symbol of the Crimson Blade Sect, a First-Rate Sect with a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in charge?
Although he looked middle-aged, from the impressive aura around and his natural superior posture resembling his Grandfather, Zixian immediately knew that he was an Essence Forging Realm expert.
'Why is he here? To cancel the engagement?'
Since Huang Yue just called him Elder Murong, he must be an Outer Sect Elder.
But even if he was just an Essence Forging realm elder from the outer sect, they would never glance at a backward place like Mistwood City.
So, it seemed he came along with Huang Yue to cancel the engagement with Xiao Chen. But why did he feel that this situation seemed quite similar—a feeling of déjà vu?
'Wait... Isn't this plot quite similar to those brain-dead novels from my previous life?'
Zixian thought, growing more and more convinced that it was indeed the case.
Actually, he wasn't originally from this world and transmigrated here five years ago.
When he first arrived in this cultivation world, he was quite excited. But all that excitement was quickly doused by his somewhat mediocre talent.
Fortunately, although his parents weren't alive, he had Grand Elder Baizhen as his grandfather, along with other clan members who helped him a lot. That's why he already had some affection for the clan.
So, after staying in this family for five years, finding out that he might be in some kind of brain-dead novel plot wasn't to his liking.
"Haha... what a good way to get rid of your mistakes, Yue'er. Do you think you two can just come to my Grand Elder's birthday party, break the engagement rudely, and leave?"
While Zixian was trying to ascertain the situation, he heard Xiao Chen's disdainful voice.
It seemed Elder Murong calling him a brat irked Xiao Chen so much that he sneered and stopped them with his words.
"Oh? Then... what are you going to do?"
Elder Murong was ready to leave with Huang Yue when Xiao Chen's sudden words made his face go dark. His patience was already limited and now was running dangerously thin.
"Grandfather, what happened? Why don't you stop him?"
By this time, Xiao Zixian had already reached the center and asked his Grandfather in a low voice. The old man looked quite solemn amid the ruckus.
"Zixian, you came."
Seeing him appear in front of him, the old man finally smiled slightly with some kind of relief in his eyes.
"Sigh... I want to. But he won't let me."
Xiao Baizhen sighed a little, and signalled at the figure at the side, disappointed.
After all, such a disgraceful incident had to happen on his 100th birthday. Anyone would feel bad.
"Hmm? It is just the annulment of engagement. There is no need to offend a first-rate sect for such a small matter. We should stop him before it gets bad."
Zhixian said hurriedly as the more he listened, the more he felt that things were going bad.
No matter what, Murong was from a First-Rate sect, and their family couldn't afford to offend him. At least, not like this in public.
"Let the youngsters handle their affairs themselves. If we force him, Chen'er might encounter a heart demon. Besides, I don't think a First-Rate Sect will lower itself to deal with such a small event."
Before Grand Elder could reply though, the silent clan leader at the side suddenly spoke in a stern voice, silencing any arguments.
Hearing the sudden words from the side, Zixian looked at the Clan Leader, Xiao Heng, who seemed unconcerned about the ongoing fiasco.
"But Clan Leader, isn't it better to get this over with? After all, if we can, it's better not to provoke..."
"Like I said, Chen'er might encounter a heart demon due to this event. Let him vent a little, and everything will be fine. You don't have to teach me how to do things."
Xiao Heng snapped after seeing that even when he ordered, Zhixian still dared to argue. So, his voice suddenly turned ice-cold as he unleashed the oppressive pressure of the Early Essence Forging Realm.
"There is no need to show your power to your clan members. Did you already not embarrass us enough?"
Seeing him lashing out at Zixian for no reason, the Grand Elder waved his hand, stopping the aura in time.
Then he sighed as if fed up with all this.
"Hmph, youngsters need to know how to honor their elders."
Xiao Heng didn't like the Grand Elder supporting Zixian. So, he still lectured him a bit and stopped paying attention.
'Are you serious? What kind of crap heart demon will that guy encounter? He isn't even at the Third level of Qi Gathering Realm yet.'
Zixian, of course, didn't like his attitude. He was already seething with rage inside.
But his suspicion that Xiao Chen was the protagonist of a brain-dead novel was growing stronger and stronger.
And from the way things were going forward, he had a bad premonition of what kind of plot it was.
Just when Zhixian didn't know how to get out of this quagmire, he heard Xiao Chen once again spouting nonsense.
"Of course, you two need to apologize. You came at such a joyous occasion of my Grandfather's birthday just to humiliate us. How can you leave just like that?"
It seemed, seeing that both Huang Yue and Elder Murong stopped, Xiao Chen felt he had some leeway, so he directly ordered them to apologize.
Really, like father, like son, both were hell-bent on offending the Crimson Blade Sect somehow, as Zhixian already saw Elder Murong's face getting darker.
"Like I said before, I didn't know it was your Grandfather's birthday, and I never wanted to bring this up during the event. It was you who brought this up suddenly."
Huang Yue finally couldn't take it anymore and scolded in a cold voice. She just wanted to cancel this engagement to practice freely in a First-Class Sect.
What did she do wrong?
Even after finding out it was a birthday celebration, she requested Elder Murong to wait a little longer.
Wasn't it Xiao Chen who was escalating it all the time as he couldn't handle the gossip around?
"Heh... don't try to play the victim now. Everyone knows why you two came here. It doesn't matter whether you bring this up now or later. Why act generous now?"
Xiao Chen sneered and didn't listen to Huang Yue at all, making her speechless.
Not only her, but even the crowd became speechless.
Was this guy's brain not working, or what?
"Boy, do you know who you are asking to apologize?"
But it seemed Elder Murong finally couldn't take it anymore and directly released his aura of Foundation Building Realm towards Xiao Chen, causing him to stumble back hard and spout a mouthful of blood.
"Chener!"
Seeing his son getting attacked, Xiao Heng hurriedly used his own aura shielding Xiao Chen behind it. Then he looked at Elder Murong and shouted coldly,
"A dignified Elder from a First-Rate Sect. Does it feel good to attack the younger generation weaker than yourself?"
He asked with a sense of moral high ground.
"If I really attack him, will he still be alive?"
Elder Murong replied coldly as he felt that this father and son both had IQs lower than a rock's.
"You..."
"Father, let me handle it."
Xiao Heng was about to say something when he heard Xiao Chen's voice from behind.
Then, without waiting for him, Xiao Chen walked in front of Elder Murong and Huang Yue with no fear and said,
"Heh... aren't you two looking down on me because of my low realm? Such a dignified elder even sneakily attacked me."
As always, he first enticed them with his words, causing Elder Murong's face to go black.
"But don't worry. Don't you, Huang Yue, look down on me because of my low realm? Let me give you three years..."
Xiao Chen held up three fingers at the two of them condescendingly and said,
"In three years, I will come to your broken First-Rate Sect and defeat you fair and square in front of the whole crowd."
"Humph, thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi, do not bully the young for being poo—"
"Pah..."
Just when Xiao Chen was in the middle of his grand speech, he suddenly felt a solid slap on his cheek, sending him flying to the corner of the hall, tumbling a few times.
The slap was so intense and loud that the entire hall fell into pin-drop silence after the sudden reversal.
"Can you stop this crap?"