Three-Year Pact

However, the people of the Xiao Family seemed somewhat to disappoint him.

Nalan Chaoge gently shook his head, the expression on his face entirely disdainful.

Xiao Yan clenched his hands tightly together, then slowly loosened them. The bitter fruit he had cast out was thrown right back into his face by someone else. This slap-in-the-face sensation had to be swallowed, whether he liked it or not!

"There is still one matter I wish to ask my former brother-in-law. You and my sister had a betrothal by finger-prick, and my sister has not yet married you. Firstly, breaking off the engagement-that does not exist, because my sister never agreed to this marriage from the very beginning, nor did you ever ask whether my sister consented. Where does the talk of breaking off an engagement come from? I must ask you not to misuse words. Secondly, since you are not yet married, by what right and with what authority do you write a divorce letter?"

"I have only ever heard of divorcing a wife; I have never once heard of divorcing a fiancée. Since you and my sister share no marital affection, why stubbornly drag things out without annulling the engagement? For the sake of your own face, why even bring up divorcing a wife? Do you truly think that doing so can salvage your Xiao Family's face? Do you not feel that you are only slapping your own face by doing this?"

A spine of unyielding iron, standing proudly upright.

Nalan Chaoge suddenly stepped forward once more, pressing his entire body close to Xiao Yan's ear.

"Thirty years east of the River Luo, thirty years west, do not mock the poor in tattered clothes. Joys and sorrows, partings and reunions are common affairs; who can say destiny holds no turning point? Xiao Yan, do not think that just because you have a powerful soul to help you, you can go around bullying people!"

Nalan Chaoge's words brought joy to everyone's hearts, leaving the entire Xiao Family dead silent.

As for Xiao Yan, he was left utterly dumbfounded!

Xiao Yan possessed a ring, and he already knew the secret within that ring; otherwise, given Xiao Yan's temperament, he would never have struck the Three-Year Pact.

He had learned the reason for his declining strength, and had even obtained Old Yao's promise.

This was what Nalan Chaoge had guessed when he first saw Xiao Yan. Only, Nalan Chaoge had not expected that this fellow Xiao Yan was actually sinister enough to wait until Nalan Yanran stated the agreement, only to naturally and smoothly take her up on it.

"He truly is a disgrace to our Xiao Family!"

"Precisely! To have someone come knocking on your door to annul an engagement-he'd have been better off honestly calling it quits!"

"Now it's fine. How does it feel to be repeatedly slapped across the face? Must feel great!"

"Trash is trash! Not only is his strength trash, but even his brain is trash!"

Xiao Yan bit his teeth tightly, his expression turning ashen. The fists in his hands clenched shut, then slowly loosened.

Nalan Chaoge knew Xiao Yan's ruthlessness. Because of this very matter, he had massacred the entire Misty Cloud Sect in the future. If his sharp edge was not completely broken now, he would surely end up implicating the Nalan Family down the road.

He was a petty villain who would trample everyone underfoot the moment he tasted a shred of success.

"Just as my sister said, this engagement is postponed for three years. Three years from now, you will come to the Nalan Family to issue a challenge. Of course, the person you will challenge is me. If you lose, you and my sister will publicly dissolve the engagement. By that time, we will both have passed our coming-of-age ceremonies, so even if you lose, it will not make the Xiao Family's face too unbearable. We are both considered trash-do you dare accept?" Nalan Chaoge said calmly.

We are both considered trash-do you dare accept?

Nalan Chaoge's words rang with solid impact.

Nalan Yanran's heart twitched, and she wanted to say something, but looking at the eloquently speaking Nalan Chaoge, she ultimately chose to trust him.

"Hehe, if I lose when the time comes, it indeed won't damage my father's reputation any further. But as for me, perhaps I'll have to bear the humiliating name of a failure for the rest of my life!" With a sorrowful and indignant laugh in his heart, Xiao Yan's face was brimming with mockery.

"Who can know how victory and defeat will turn out? You have your wide open road, and I have my single-plank bridge. All roads lead to Rome; you understand, I understand, the heavens know, and the earth knows. We are both men-we must ultimately pay a price for our actions! A person must always have dreams; what if they come true?" Nalan Chaoge encouraged.

"What if I win?" Xiao Yan understood Nalan Chaoge's angle now, and said coolly.

"Easily done. You two will still dissolve the engagement,

but this head of mine will belong to you!" Nalan Chaoge contemptuously tapped his own head with a finger.　　"No! Xiao Ge, absolutely not!" Nalan Yanran startled, hurriedly stopping Nalan Chaoge.

She knew that Nalan Chaoge was unable to cultivate. Even with the absorption of a fifth-order magical beast, his talent remained ordinary-how could he possibly be a match for Xiao Yan?

"Sister, no matter what, I will never let you marry someone you do not like!" Nalan Chaoge gave Nalan Yanran a gentle smile.

"Fine! It's a deal! Today you all crossed the threshold of my Xiao Family, and in three years, I shall personally set foot upon the Nalan Family!"

Staring coldly at the youth before him, Xiao Yan abruptly turned around, bent his knees before Xiao Zhan, and kowtowed heavily. He bit his lips tightly, yet stubbornly remained silent...

Although today's wedding-annulment storm had been placated, having lived through this event, Xiao Zhan would inevitably endure countless sneers as Xiao Yan's father...

To have someone come to your house to break off an engagement-such a matter, when spread abroad, was ultimately less than glorious.

Looking at the prostrate Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan-understanding the extreme guilt in his son's heart-smiled indifferently and said with a warm smile, "I believe my son will not be trash for a lifetime. Mere idle gossip will naturally collapse on its own in the face of reality come future days."

"Father, three years from now, Yan'er will go to the Nalan Family and personally wash away today's humiliation for you!" With slightly damp corners of his eyes, Xiao Yan kowtowed heavily once more, then rose straight to his feet, striding unhesitatingly out toward the great hall.

As he passed Nalan Chaoge, Xiao Yan paused his footsteps, his calm, youthful words spitting out ice-cold.

"Three years from now, I will come looking for you!"

"I await you at any time!" Nalan Chaoge replied just as calmly.

Watching Xiao Yan's departing back, Nalan Chaoge knew that he had finally shifted the Three-Year Pact onto himself.

To change the family's destiny and uphold Nalan Yanran's dignity, he would have to rely on himself.

"Wait!"

Nalan Chaoge watched Xiao Yan, who was about to walk out of the hall.

Xiao Yan halted his body, though he did not turn around.

"Take your filthy divorce letter with you!"

With a wave of Nalan Chaoge's hand, a gust of wind carried the single sheet of divorce letter on the table fluttering toward Xiao Yan.

Right now, this was no longer a matter of a divorce letter; it was about dignity!

The divorce letter he had written could not be sent out, and he was forced to humilatingly keep it himself-this was Xiao Yan's final line of defense.

That was precisely what Nalan Chaoge wanted to do.

Xiao Yan's back trembled violently, his hands clenching tightly together.

Strength! If he had strength, he would surely tear the people of the Nalan Family into tens of thousands of pieces!

"Is Marshal Lionheart really so remarkable? A mere Dou Wang, nothing more! The people of the Nalan Family are nothing much either! As for the young lady of the Nalan Family, I hope you will not regret today's arrogant actions in the future. Furthermore, do not think you can run amok just because you have the Misty Cloud Sect backing you. The Dou Qi Continent is vast indeed, and there is no lack of people stronger than Yun Yun..." Just as that sheet of divorce letter drifted toward Xiao Yan, the young girl's ethereal voice, carrying a faint indifference, suddenly rang out.

The three figures halted abruptly, their slightly shifting gazes cast toward the corner, upon the purple-dressed girl who was gently turning the pages of a book.

Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the doors and windows, precisely enveloping the girl. Viewed from afar, she resembled a purple lotus blossoming amidst the secular world, pure and graceful, untainted by worldly dust...

Seeming to notice the three gazes shooting toward her, the girl lifted her exquisite little face from the ancient book pages. That pair of autumn-water-like beautiful eyes suddenly welled up with a wisp of tiny, golden flame...

The moment the flame stirred, the temperature in the hall abruptly soared, while the divorce letter still suspended in mid-air instantly ignited, turning to ashes in the blink of an eye.

Holy crap!

Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame!