At the sight of the tiny golden flame in the girl's eyes, Ge Ye's body shuddered violently. Terror instantly spread over his aged face. His withered hands hastily grabbed the bewildered Nalan Yanran and the young man, and he quietly retreated a step. All his Dou Qi surged forth in that instant, wrapping him in a jade-green Dou Qi Gauze Robe as he shielded Nalan Yanran and the other young man behind him.
Seeing Ge Ye's actions, everyone in the hall except a handful of people wore expressions of utter bewilderment...
Nalan Chaoge was also briefly taken aback, but instead of retreating, he walked straight toward Xun'er, who sat off to one side.
"Miss Xun'er, you certainly possess astonishing talent. Perhaps you have an extraordinary background as well. But as you said, the Dou Qi Continent is vast, and there are plenty of things that neither you nor your family can resolve. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here. Am I right?"
"Who are you..." A startled look crossed Xun'er's exquisite face.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that I want to ask you something. If you were promised in marriage before you were even born through Betrothal by Finger-Prick, what would you do? If your father arranged a marriage for you, and your groom wasn't this Brother Xiao Yan you've spent every day with, what would you do?"
As a bystander, it was easy to lecture others. But once you were caught in the game yourself, your own actions might be even worse than those of the people you had mocked.
"I want you to take those words back and apologize to my sister. Nalan Yanran did nothing wrong!" Nalan Chaoge's words were relentless.
He seemed utterly unconcerned by the golden emperor burning heaven flame blazing brilliantly in Xun'er's eyes.
"Impossible!" Xun'er's stubborn face brimmed with fighting spirit. It seemed that if Nalan Chaoge took another step forward, she would strike without mercy. Of course, had she not been wary of the power backing him, she would already have attacked.
She could afford not to worry about any of this, but she had to consider the trouble her actions might bring upon Brother Xiao Yan.
"Then how about a wager? If your father promises you to someone else, I'd like to see what you do, Miss Xun'er. Of course, someone as reasonable, benevolent, and righteous as you would surely respect her father's arrangements. Isn't that right?"
"You... Of course I'll respect my father's arrangements. I won't go back on my word like certain people!" Xun'er said, biting her lip.
"Good!" A smile curled Nalan Chaoge's lips. "We'll wait and see, then. I hope you'll remember what you said today, Miss Xun'er. Who knows? One day, we might even be joined by Betrothal by Finger-Prick. Oh, of course, that phrase might not fit. Uh, let's go with 'the matchmaker's word and the parents' command' instead!"
Without giving Xun'er or anyone from the Xiao Family time to react, Nalan Chaoge winked at Nalan Yanran and Ge Ye, and the group practically fled the Xiao Family estate.
Of course we had to run! What else were we supposed to do?
Xun'er was the one with cheats on the entire Dou Qi Continent. At such a young age, she already possessed a child flame of the golden emperor burning heaven flame. She didn't even need to cultivate; her strength just kept shooting up.
She had only just been at ninth stage Dou Qi, yet in less than a year, she became a Six-Star Dou Zhe. And while others might not know it, Nalan Chaoge knew perfectly well that Xun'er had a Dou Emperor bodyguard beside her-a four- or five-star Dou Emperor, at that. She could swagger unchecked through the entire Jia Ma Empire!
Given Xun'er's temper, after he had confronted Xiao Yan so harshly, she might actually dare to strike along the road and wipe him out.
To be honest, Nalan Chaoge truly didn't want to provoke Gu Xun'er.
Once a woman fell for a man, her intelligence would rapidly plummet to zero!
Wutan City was a small city on the border of the Jia Ma Empire. Once they left the Xiao Family estate, Nalan Yanran wanted to catch up with Nalan Chaoge, but he didn't pause for even a moment. He dragged the others away at speed and plunged straight into the Magical Beast Forest without stopping.
Only after traveling farther did Nalan Chaoge let out a heavy breath.
"Xiao Ge, why are we..." Nalan Yanran looked at him in confusion.
"Better safe than sorry. The Xiao Family is nothing to fear right now, but that Xun'er-you saw her yourselves. She's no ordinary person. I've already angered her, and I'm afraid she'll retaliate!"
Nalan Chaoge plopped down on the ground, gasping for breath. Even with the strength of a Dou Master, that frantic sprint had left his heart pounding uneasily.
He was certain that girl Xun'er had every intention of killing him!
Damn it, offending Xiao Yan really was the stupidest thing to do in this world!
Glancing at Nalan Yanran standing beside him with worry written all over her face, Nalan Chaoge felt warmth fill his heart. Still, everything he had done was worth it!
"And this young fellow is..." Somewhat puzzled, Ge Ye glanced at Nalan Yanran, then at Nalan Chaoge.
"Uncle Ge, this is my younger brother, Nalan Chaoge. Chaoge, this is Uncle Ge Ye from our Misty Cloud Sect, and this is my senior brother, Yun Feng!"
Nalan Yanran made the introductions.
They exchanged pleasantries for a while, then each recounted their experiences.
When Nalan Chaoge said he could cultivate now, Nalan Yanran nearly jumped for joy and pulled him into her arms.
"That's wonderful, Xiao Ge! I'll return to the Misty Cloud Sect right now and ask my master to take you as a disciple too. Don't worry. As long as you train hard, defeating Xiao Yan three years from now shouldn't be a problem. Even if he can cultivate again, within three years he absolutely won't..."
"Sis! I don't plan to join the Misty Cloud Sect, but thank you!" Nalan Chaoge interrupted her.
"Why not?"
"Uh, well... Here's the thing. I heard Jia Nan Academy is recruiting students, so I plan to try my luck in the Black-Corner Region. Only by fighting life-and-death battles can I grow stronger!" Nalan Chaoge said with a sheepish smile.
"Jia Nan Academy? Does Grandfather know you want to go there? Oh, right, Xiao Ge, now that you can cultivate, how did you get all the way here? And what level are you at now? How could you be so reckless as to make that Three-Year Pact with Xiao Yan? Do you know he used to be a genius? Once his talent returns, you..."
"I... Well..." What Nalan Chaoge dreaded most was being asked about his cultivation. How was he supposed to explain it? In a little over a month, he had leaped from a good-for-nothing to a Dou Master. Who in the world would believe that? "Uh, I've only just entered the ranks of Dou Zhe!"
He couldn't keep it hidden anyway, so Nalan Chaoge could only "tell the truth."
"Dou Zhe!"
All three were startled to hear that Nalan Chaoge was actually a Dou Zhe.
Looking toward Xiao Yan again, Ge Ye and Yun Feng both wore somewhat astonished expressions. That old fellow Nalan Jie really was lucky. It looked as though the Nalan Family was about to rise.
"Uh, perhaps it's thanks to the fifth-order magical beast Grandfather got for me, the Fiery Poison Seal Python. Oh, right, and the medicinal pills Pill King Gu He gave me!"
So that was it! Even so, his talent for cultivation was heaven-defying! Ge Ye gave a wry chuckle. No wonder this boy dared challenge the Xiao Family's genius.
A thirteen-year-old Dou Zhe. This little fellow's talent for cultivation was even a notch above Nalan Yanran's. The only question was how far the Fiery Poison Seal Python could carry him.
"Boy, I admire the courage you showed just now. A man ought to act like a man. How about it? Come join the Misty Cloud Sect with me. That Xiao Family boy isn't as simple as you think! His gaze is profound, and his movements are steady. If I'm not mistaken, he may already have regained his talent for cultivation!"
Ge Ye spoke to Nalan Chaoge with a measure of fond appreciation.
"Thank you, Uncle Ge, but I've already made up my mind. I'm going to Jia Nan Academy!"
To be honest, Nalan Chaoge had a very good impression of Ge Ye. He had accompanied Nalan Yanran over a thousand miles to break off her engagement, and later accompanied her to the Mo Family to offer birthday congratulations. Strictly speaking, he could be considered Nalan Yanran's bodyguard.
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