The courtyard of the Misty Cloud Sect branch was in shambles.
The branch steward stared at Xiao Yao in horror. A large hole had been punched through the Dou Qi Armor he had just condensed around his fist, and his fist burned with pain.
What terrifying Fire Attribute Dou Qi.
The steward was deeply shaken. If he had not condensed Dou Qi Armor and had met his opponent's fist with his bare hand, he probably would not have kept it. It would have been burned to charcoal.
After that lightning-fast exchange, the people in the courtyard had gathered around.
An old man had also emerged from the main building. He wore the Misty Cloud Sect's moon-white uniform, with a silver sword amid clouds embroidered on his sleeve.
On his chest was a silver crescent moon surrounded by seven gold stars, signifying his strength as a Seven-Star Great Dou Master.
He was none other than Ge Ye, who had brought Nalan Yanran here to break off her engagement.
Though Ge Ye was old, he was vigorous and full of spirit. His sharp eyes fixed on Xiao Yao, and he could not help feeling surprised and suspicious. He could not see through this mysterious man.
To his senses, Xiao Yao was like a fireball constantly radiating terrifying heat, making it difficult for him to judge his strength.
But Xiao Yao had fought Zheng Ping, the branch steward, to a standstill and even gotten the better of him by a small margin. His strength could not be underestimated.
And Zheng Ping had already reached the Four-Star Da Dou Shi level.
Ge Ye grew more serious. He did not know whether the man had come for this branch or for his own party.
If he had come for the branch, then the branch was lucky. After all, this mysterious man was a notch stronger than Zheng Ping.
If they had not happened to arrive at the Wutan City branch today, this man alone might have been able to raze the entire branch to the ground.
If he had come for them, however, the implications were rather intriguing.
Considering the man's strength, Ge Ye did not make another rash move. Instead, he spoke in a deep voice.
"Do you know this is a branch of the Misty Cloud Sect? Are you prepared for the consequences of offending our sect?"
"Hehe, the Misty Cloud Sect? Who isn't one of them?"
Xiao Yao condensed Dou Qi in his throat and used it to alter his voice, so every word sounded different.
It would have been almost impossible to identify Xiao Yao by his voice.
Ge Ye frowned at those words.
Could this man be from the Misty Cloud Sect too?
At the thought, Ge Ye softened his tone somewhat, though he continued to press him.
"Since you have ties to the Misty Cloud Sect, why have you barged into one of its branches?"
"Hehe, I merely had some advice for you."
As Xiao Yao spoke, he turned his head slightly and looked at the pretty, graceful figure standing not far away.
"Young sect leader, although the sect leader has already agreed to let you go to the Xiao Clan to break off the engagement, you are still the young sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect and represent its face. It would be better not to stir up a great commotion over this matter and to handle it discreetly if possible."
"Otherwise, if the entire Jia Ma Empire hears about it, the Misty Cloud Sect will lose face as well."
Nalan Yanran was taken aback. She had not expected him to have come for her.
Ge Ye was equally surprised. He was an old hand, and he quickly worked out how things stood.
News of the broken engagement had not yet spread.
Even after arriving at this branch, Ge Ye had only told the person in charge that they had important business to attend to. He had not revealed that they were here to break off an engagement.
Therefore, the man's information had surely come from within the Misty Cloud Sect.
As a sect, the Misty Cloud Sect was not a solid, unified block. The forces within it had roots and branches tangled together.
The elders had formed their own factions, and there were also rifts between the elders and the sect leader.
Could this mysterious man have an elder of the sect behind him, someone displeased with the sect leader's decision to support the young sect leader in breaking off the engagement and intending to stir up complications?
But judging by what he had said, he was not opposed to breaking off the engagement. He only wanted them not to make a great commotion about it.
Ge Ye speculated about what the important figures above him were thinking, uncertain what to do for the moment.
Nalan Yanran, however, frowned and took a step forward, asking in puzzlement, "Which elder sent you?"
Though Nalan Yanran was still young, she had come from a great family like the Nalan Family.
He had made himself so clear that it would have been strange if she still had not understood.
"Hehe, young sect leader, there's no need to waste your breath. If I weren't afraid of being exposed, I wouldn't have come dressed like this."
"In any case, I've delivered the advice. Please give it serious consideration, young sect leader."
With that, Xiao Yao stomped hard, and the ground burst apart with a boom.
He shot into the sky like an arrow loosed from a bow, cleared the courtyard wall, and vanished into the darkness.
Throughout it all, not a single person from the branch dared to stop him.
They had also picked up on some clues. This man was probably another important figure sent down from the sect.
Wouldn't branch members like them just be asking for trouble if they tried to stop him?
Ge Ye and his two companions were also uncertain because of Xiao Yao's words and did not stop him either, allowing Xiao Yao to leave.
After Xiao Yao had gone, Ge Ye saw the crowd gathered around and waved them away, telling them to go back and rest.
He then asked Nalan Yanran and the others to stay behind to discuss how to resolve the matter.
"Uncle Ge, what do you think? Was that fellow really sent by an elder?" Nalan Yanran asked.
Ge Ye shook his head and said with a wry smile, "It's hard to say."
As a longtime member of the sect, Ge Ye naturally knew what things were like within it.
The elders had often paid lip service while acting against orders.
"But from what he let slip, he probably isn't trying to stop you from breaking off the engagement. He just doesn't want you to make too much of a commotion over it."
Nalan Yanran frowned, recalling what the mysterious man had said.
She was the young sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, and her every word and deed represented the sect's face.
If she made a great commotion over breaking off the engagement, it would indeed reflect poorly on the Misty Cloud Sect.
After all, whatever her reasons, she, Nalan Yanran, was the one who wanted to go back on the agreement.
Nalan Yanran thought for a long time before finally letting out a sigh.
"All right, then. Let's change tomorrow's visit. Find a quiet place and invite Uncle Xiao and... Xiao Yan out for a talk."
"That works too. Let's hope they can see the gap between the two sides and know what's good for them."
Ge Ye nodded as well.
Nalan Yanran, however, shook her head slightly and said, "Uncle Ge, it isn't because of a gap in strength or status. I just don't want to marry someone I don't know at all because of an agreement made many years ago."
"Even if Xiao Yan's talent hadn't disappeared and he were still a genius as before, I wouldn't be willing."
"Before, I couldn't stand up to the power of my family. Now that I've finally obtained Master's permission, of course I have to try to dissolve this engagement."
Seeing how serious Nalan Yanran was, Ge Ye shook his head with a wry smile.
He had been about to say that marriage was decided by a parent's command and a matchmaker's word, was it not?
But when he thought of Xiao Yan's talent, he sighed again and said nothing more.