Breaking Off the Engagement

"Then why did they come to my house?" Xiao Yan asked, looking utterly confused.

The Yunlan Sect was immensely powerful, far beyond anything the Xiao Clan could aspire to. The two sides had never had any dealings with each other, so now that an envoy from the Yunlan Sect had suddenly arrived at the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan instinctively felt that something was off.

Xiao Xun'er's hand paused as she turned a page. After a moment of silence, she said, "Perhaps they came because of Brother Xiao Yan."

"Me?" Xiao Yan pointed at himself. "I don't know them either! They're favored geniuses of the Yunlan Sect, while I'm just a useless good-for-nothing from the Xiao Clan in Wutan City. There's no way our paths could have crossed."

Xiao Yan was baffled to death. He did not remember ever having anything to do with these people. In fact, he had never even seen any of them before.

"Do you know who that young woman is?" Xiao Xun'er glanced at the girl sitting there and asked Xiao Yan in a low voice.

"No." Xiao Yan shook his head decisively.

"Nalan Yanran." Seeing Xiao Yan's bewildered expression, Xiao Xun'er pursed her lips in a smile and said calmly.

"Nalan Yanran? Nalan Yanran, granddaughter of Gama Empire Lion Heart Marshal Nalan Jie? The one... the one who was betrothed to me before we were even born?" Xiao Yan nearly cried out, his face stiffening.

What the hell? Xiao Yan had long since cast this fiancée of his off to Java. The two families had not kept in contact for years. Who knew why they had suddenly come knocking now?

"Hehe, Grandfather and old Mr. Nalan Jie were close friends back then. Since you and Nalan Yanran happened to be born around the same time, the two old gentlemen conveniently arranged this marriage. Unfortunately, not long afterward, Grandfather was seriously injured in a battle with his enemy and soon died of his wounds. The relationship between the two families gradually faded after that." Seeing Xiao Yan's utterly lifeless expression, Xiao Xun'er found him even more adorable.

"Old Mr. Nalan Jie is proud and unruly by nature, but he values his promises greatly. He and Grandfather personally arranged this marriage back then. Although your performance over the years has been less than satisfactory, the Nalan Family has never shown any intention of breaking off the engagement," Xiao Xun'er continued.

"That old man seems pretty decent." Xiao Yan smacked his lips, feeling that Nalan Jie was quite an interesting old man.

"Don't be happy too soon. Although Nalan Jie has absolute authority in the Nalan Family and few dare to oppose his words, even with how much he dotes on Nalan Yanran, if he does not agree to dissolve the engagement, Nalan Yanran can only marry into the Xiao Clan in the end.

"Unfortunately, five years ago, Nalan Yanran caught the Yunlan Sect's eye. Yun Yun, the Yunlan Sect Leader, personally accepted Nalan Yanran as her final disciple, so Nalan Yanran's status naturally rose with the tide. When someone displays exceptional cultivation talent and gains the power to change her own fate, she naturally will not remain indifferent. Unfortunately, Brother Xiao Yan, your marriage to Nalan Yanran is the thing she finds most dissatisfying, so you understand..."

He understood. Of course he understood. Xiao Yan was not an idiot. Xiao Xun'er had made it so clear that if he still failed to understand, he would be an idiot.

"So she came today to break off the engagement." Xiao Yan clenched his fists, his face filled with anger.

Xiao Yan was not angry because Nalan Yanran looked down on him. The girl before him was beautiful, but Xiao Xun'er was no less so. There was no need to ignore someone familiar to chase after someone he barely knew like a lapdog.

What truly enraged him was that Nalan Yanran had completely disregarded the occasion and intended to call off the engagement in front of everyone in the Xiao Clan. This was not merely a slap in the face—it was grinding someone's face viciously into the dirt. It was a humiliation to the Xiao Clan.

If she had raised it in another setting, such as in private, Xiao Yan would have agreed without hesitation. A marriage without feelings could never be happy, and forced love bore no sweetness. He had not fallen so low as to force a young woman to marry him.

Why did Nalan Yanran dare to come openly to break off the engagement? Wasn't it because she was Yun Yun's disciple and had the Yunlan Sect backing her? Unless the Xiao Clan wanted to be wiped out, they had no choice but to endure this humiliation.

"Damn it. If I were a Dou Shi, who would dare humiliate me?" At that moment, Xiao Yan hated his lack of cultivation talent more than ever. Otherwise, how would Nalan Yanran dare come openly to break off the engagement? She would probably be afraid that he would come to break it off himself.

And indeed, if Xiao Yan truly were a Dou Shi, even the Yunlan Sect would not dare offend him lightly. Anyone with eyes could see how terrifying a Dou Shi at fifteen or sixteen years old was. Barring unforeseen circumstances, his future achievements would be limitless. Offending such a genius would undoubtedly be incredibly foolish.

A small hand silently reached over. Xiao Xun'er held Xiao Yan's hand and said softly, "Brother Xiao Yan, if she truly came today to break off the engagement, it can only prove that she is shortsighted. Once Brother Xiao Yan regains his talent, there will come a day when she regrets it."

Xiao Yan wore a bitter expression and mocked himself. "Regret it? What right do I have to say that now? She probably doesn't know how fortunate she feels."

Xiao Yan no longer held any hope of recovering his talent. So long as he could not find the reason his Dou Qi had vanished, he could never truly rise again.

He did not even know why his Dou Qi had disappeared, much less where to begin looking. Restoring his talent was simply a distant and hopeless prospect.

Xiao Xun'er looked at Xiao Yan with a heartbroken expression, but she had no way to console him. Only by pulling himself out of this could he untie the knot in his heart. Otherwise, no words would have much effect on him.

"Xun'er, you seem to know a great deal about these things. Some of what you said earlier seems like even my father doesn't know it. Where did you learn all this?" Xiao Yan asked in confusion.

Although Xiao Xun'er bore the Xiao surname, she had no relationship with the Xiao Clan. Moreover, Xiao Yan had never seen Xiao Xun'er's parents. Whenever he asked his father about them, his father would always act as though the matter were deeply taboo—clearly, he was extremely wary of it, or perhaps... afraid.

From his father's attitude alone, it was clear that Xiao Xun'er's identity was anything but ordinary. Her background might even be far greater than he could imagine. Otherwise, his father would have no reason to be so cautious.

"Brother Xiao Yan, don't ask carelessly about my family. When the time comes, I will naturally tell you. All I can say is that when I was little, Uncle Xiao Xian brought me back. My family spent a long time searching before they found me, but for some reason, they did not take me away. Instead, they left me in the Xiao Clan." Xiao Xun'er frowned, equally unable to understand why she had ended up in the Xiao Clan.

"How is that possible? Uncle Xiao Xian has never cultivated Dou Qi. How could he have brought you out of your family? It makes no sense." Xiao Yan found it hard to believe.

Xiao Xian truly had never cultivated Dou Qi. Xiao Yan could tell as much from how he had previously discovered him being chased half to death by a Zero Order Magical Beast.

If Xiao Xian had cultivated Dou Qi, even if he were only at the Dou Zhi Li stage, he could have smashed that Magical Beast apart with one punch. How could he possibly have been chased until he was in such a pathetic state?