Joining the Fun

"Mr. Ge Ye, you should take this Qi Gathering Powder back. We may not agree to what happened today." Unable to endure any longer, Xiao Yan pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.

The hall instantly fell silent, and everyone's eyes involuntarily turned to Xiao Yan.

"Xiao Yan, shut up! Do you even know what you're saying? What right do you have to speak here?" First Elder flew into a rage, thoroughly flustered.

This was a Fourth Grade medicinal pill, the Qi Gathering Powder. Once consumed, it could produce a Dou Zhe with absolute certainty. If given to one of his descendants, they could immediately become one of Wutan City's foremost geniuses.

Faced with such a premium pill, First Elder naturally salivated over it and wished he could claim it for himself at once. How could he allow Xiao Yan to deliberately ruin things?

"Xiao Yan, step back. I know you're feeling terrible right now, but we'll decide this matter for you," Second Elder chimed in as well.

Although Third Elder said nothing, the expression on his face gave him away. He, too, did not want a cooked duck to fly away.

"Heh heh!" Xiao Yan gave a bitter laugh, feeling his heart turn cold. "Three Great Elders, if this had happened to your sons or grandsons today, could you still sit here spouting such grandiose nonsense?"

"Outrageous!"

"You little bastard, how dare you speak to your elders like that?"

"Xiao Zhan, is this the son you taught?"

Having had their thoughts exposed, the Three Great Elders immediately flew into a rage out of humiliation and berated him harshly.

If the person being cast aside in this broken engagement had been their son or grandson, the Three Great Elders would likely have erupted and killed someone, even if it meant sacrificing the entire Xiao Clan.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs. The one whose engagement was being broken off today was not their descendant. Naturally, they could sit here self-righteously making insensitive remarks, completely unconcerned about Xiao Yan's feelings.

Or perhaps greed had already clouded their judgment. Sacrificing a useless person's happiness in exchange for a pill that could guarantee becoming a Dou Zhe—no matter how they calculated it, it was a profitable deal. Only an idiot would refuse.

"Three Great Elders, Brother Xiao Yan is right. This matter concerns him, after all. It would be best if you did not interfere." Just as the Three Great Elders were about to say more, Xiao Xun'er's gentle voice carried over, immediately silencing them.

Within the Xiao Clan, everyone knew that Xiao Xun'er was a special existence. The clan behind her was unimaginably terrifying. If they offended her and her side retaliated, the consequences were simply beyond what they could bear.

Thus, once Xiao Xun'er spoke, no matter how dissatisfied the Three Great Elders were, they could only shut their mouths obediently.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan grew even more curious about Xiao Xun'er's identity. However, this was no time for such thoughts. He had to settle the matter before him first.

Xiao Yan first bowed to Xiao Zhan, then turned around and stood with his hands behind his back. He calmly asked Nalan Yanran, "Miss Nalan, does Old Master Nalan Jie know about this matter of breaking off the engagement today?"

Nalan Yanran was stumped, because this had been entirely her own decision. Her grandfather knew nothing about it. Otherwise, she could never have come to the Xiao Clan today, because Nalan Jie would never have allowed her to do this.

But anger soon appeared on Nalan Yanran's face. Xiao Yan stepping forward to stop her earlier had already displeased her, and now he was still clinging to the matter without letting go. It was truly unbecoming of a gentleman.

That was how selfish people thought. She never understood how deeply her actions hurt others. She was entirely self-centered and never considered anyone else.

Not only that, if someone refuted her words or said something that displeased her, she would blame them for everything, without caring whether she herself had started it in the first place.

Nalan Yanran possessed only a beautiful outward appearance, yet lacked the soul to match it. All glitter on the outside, rot within—that described people like her.

"I can make my own decisions. There's no need for Grandfather to worry about me," Nalan Yanran said, somewhat lacking in confidence.

"So, Old Master Nalan doesn't know, does he?" Xiao Yan pressed.

"I..."

"Oh? What's going on here? Why is it so lively? Little Yanzi, honestly, something this exciting is happening and you didn't tell your uncle? Don't you know your uncle loves a good spectacle?"

Nalan Yanran opened her mouth to say something, but a frivolous voice suddenly sounded from outside.

When everyone turned to look, they saw an exceedingly flashy man strolling in. He held a white porcelain wine flask in one hand, raising it to pour wine into his mouth as he walked.

"Xiao Xian, what are you doing here?" Before the clan leader could speak, First Elder impatiently jumped out.

"Who the fuck are you? You look like a damn dog. Do I know you?" Xiao Xian opened with a string of vulgarities.

"You..."

First Elder was furious beyond measure. He pointed at Xiao Xian with a trembling hand, unable to get out a single word.

"Xiao Xian, you are far too presumptuous! As a member of the Xiao Clan, you dare to brazenly insult First Elder. Do you know your crime?" Seeing First Elder suffer, Second Elder, who was in league with him, immediately spoke in a stern voice.

"You old dog, don't fucking use clan rules to threaten me every chance you get. Piss me off, and I'll cut you down." Xiao Xian cursed at Second Elder impatiently, as though swatting away a fly.

He had actually called him an old dog? Second Elder's nose nearly twisted out of shape with rage.

Yet whether it was First Elder or Second Elder, after being insulted by Xiao Xian, neither rushed at him to fight to the death. Instead, they chose to swallow their anger. This truly opened Xiao Yan's eyes.

Were they both ninja turtles or something? How could they endure so much?

"Heh heh, Xiao Xian, you're here? Quickly, have a seat." Seeing First Elder and Second Elder get scolded like grandsons, much of Xiao Zhan's anger immediately dissipated. He spoke with a broad smile.

The older generation of the Xiao Clan all knew that although Xiao Xian bore the Xiao surname, like Xiao Xun'er, he had no actual connection to the Xiao Clan. He was not even from Wutan City, but had traveled here from afar and somehow joined the Xiao Clan, becoming one of its guest elders.

To win him over, the Xiao Clan had spared no expense. They had not only given the entire Back Mountain to Xiao Xian, but also delivered his annual stipend in full and on time. They rarely troubled him with anything, only asking him to act when they encountered problems too difficult to resolve.

Xiao Xian had been in the Xiao Clan for more than a decade, but the number of times he had acted could be counted on one hand. Most of the time, he simply idled away his days in the Back Mountain.

Had Xiao Xian not suddenly appeared today, First Elder and the others would probably have forgotten all about him.

Xiao Xian staggered through the hall. As he passed Ge Ye, he snatched the jade box from the man's hands. Amid everyone's stunned gazes, he took out the Qi Gathering Powder from inside the box and tossed it straight into his mouth.