The Nalan Family

The Old Man had come, and the Old Man had left. Naturally, I had to leave with the Old Man.

The next morning, the Old Man, the accompanying guards, and I boarded a Flying Magical Beast bound for Gama City.

Flying Magical Beasts were scarce and expensive, but more importantly, they held strategic value. As a result, all flying birds and beasts, including Flying Magical Beasts, were entirely controlled by the Gamma Empire's imperial family. Our Three Great Families had no way to interfere... Of course, that was also because the Yun Lan Sect could not be bothered with the matter.

When I came here, Dad and I had been forced to ride with everyone else. But now, with my Old Man here—a dignified member of the Gamma Empire's Ten Great Experts—we had directly chartered an entire Flying Magical Beast!

Yet I felt neither happy nor proud. Standing inside the tent, I let out a sigh. A Dou Wang expert could use Dou Qi Transformation Wings. Ordinarily, the Old Man traveled by flying himself, so there was no way he would ride some Flying Magical Beast. But now...

Though he said he wanted to travel with his adorable and sensible grandson, I knew my own family best. He had clearly been poisoned and no longer had the strength for long-distance flight.

Suddenly, for no reason at all, I turned to look behind me and was instantly startled. At some point, the Old Man had appeared behind me. I hurriedly bowed and said, "Ye Er greets Old Man."

Nalan Jie did not look at me. He walked straight to the edge of the Flying Magical Beast. The howling wind sent his grizzled hair flying wildly, while his robes snapped in the gale.

He raised his head to look at the sky, yet it seemed as though he were gazing down from above. "Your name is Nalan Ye, right?"

I was speechless. So the old man had not even remembered my name. Still, I did not dare show it and obediently replied, "This grandson is indeed called Nalan Ye. Internal Affairs Elder Nalan Tu is my father."

Nalan Jie raised his brows slightly. "Then that old guy Nalan Tie is your grandfather?"

Before I could answer, Nalan Jie continued, "That fellow Nalan Tie was inferior to me from childhood. I beat him from the time we were kids until we grew up. Heh, who would have thought that in our old age, he would actually get one over on me."

With a turn of thought, I understood that he was talking about me. I hurriedly said, "I would not dare. Sister Yanran's talent is outstanding. How could I possibly compare to her?"

"Exactly. You little trash are not even a Dou Zhe yet. How could you compare with Yanran? It is only because Yanran is a girl that I would never let her join the Yun Lan Sect..."

Nalan Jie sighed, then cursed, "It is all that trash Nalan Su's fault. Ever since Yanran's mother died, that bastard has not touched another woman. He has not even given me a grandson! When I get back, I will break his legs and make him give me a grandson!"

I could not help wanting to laugh. If Nalan Su really gave Sister Yanran a younger brother... heh, that would truly be something.

We traveled in silence. I entered the tent and began cultivating. Six days later, the Flying Magical Beast arrived safely at Gama City.

With the guards clearing the way, the Old Man and I made our way to the Nalan Residence in the eastern part of the city. There was no grand welcoming ceremony. The Old Man and I simply walked into the residence.

After entering the residence, a junior like me naturally could not remain at the Old Man's side. After bowing to him, I left on my own. The dozen or so guards who had followed me for so long also went to report to the Guardian Elder, leaving only me alone.

I walked amid layers of pavilions and towers. This residence was exceptionally vast, even larger than the Ning-Rong Mansions combined. Gardens, lakes, and artificial hills stretched on endlessly, and the scenery was breathtaking enough to dazzle the eye. But I knew that the finest sight in the Nalan Residence right now was not here—it was in the Council Hall.

Thinking of that old bastard Nalan Jie's explosive temper, I could not help laughing. I was merely a junior, so the matter of breaking off the engagement had little to do with me. But for the clan leader and elders...

Tsk tsk. The Council Hall was probably quite the spectacle right now. Nalan Jie must have been seated in the place of honor, cursing the clan leader and elders until they were utterly humiliated.

Humming a little tune, I made my way back to my own courtyard. The courtyard was not small. Its roofs had sweeping upturned eaves, its corridor pillars were smooth and rounded, and Maidservants and servants continually bowed to me along the way, leaving me thoroughly refreshed.

"Brother!"

A little girl of eleven or twelve suddenly ran out from around the corner ahead. She wore a pale green dress and had an adorable face.

She rushed over and grabbed my arm, looking up at me as she cried in delight, "Brother, you're back! Hurry and tell me, what is it like outside?"

I laughed. This little one was Nalan Sun, my full-blooded younger sister. I reached out and rubbed her head, then took out a small gift I had specially bought for her on the road from my Ring of Holding and handed it to her.

"Be good, Sun Er. Let me see Mother first, all right?"

Upon receiving the gift, Sun Er smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed to slits. She quickly pulled me along to see Mother.

My mother came from a fairly prominent family, and her aptitude was not bad either. At the very least, she had cultivated to the level of a Dou Master.

When she saw that I had returned safely, a faint smile appeared on her face. After asking about the journey, she began steering the conversation toward her future daughter-in-law, repeatedly asking me about Xiao Meier.

I found it difficult to answer. I had gone to Wutan City for Xiao Yan and Xun Er. As for Xiao Meier, I truly had no impression of her at all. If she had not gone to the inn and caused a scene, I would not even have known what she looked like.

But I could not exactly tell Mother that, so I could only pick some nice things to say and muddle through.

At last, Mother asked, "Ye Er, when do you think you and Meier should get married?"

I frowned and thought for a moment. I definitely had to marry Xiao Meier, but I did not want to marry too early. After considering it, I said, "Women marry at twenty. We can wait until Xiao Meier is twenty."

Mother was somewhat displeased. "Meier is only fourteen this year. That would be another six years. That is far too long!"

"When I married your father, I was only seventeen. I think she should marry into the family once she turns seventeen."

I wanted to protest, but I could not think of any reason. The marriage had already been arranged—what reason could I possibly have? I could only agree helplessly. With a bitter laugh, I thought to myself that Xiao Yan's Three-Year Agreement had fallen through, but I had somehow ended up with a "Three-Year Agreement" of my own.

When I left the hall, Nalan Sun was waiting outside. There were also three or four little children beside her, chattering so noisily that they gave me a headache.

The Nalan Family was flourishing, and these three or four children had all sorts of different seniorities. Some were my younger cousins, while others were my nephews and nieces. I had even heard that one dissolute old guy had fathered a daughter in his old age... making her my Aunt!

When Nalan Sun saw me come out, she hurriedly threw her arms around me. The little ones also crowded around, calling me Brother and Uncle.

I laughed and gave each of them a small gift. Then I found a pavilion to sit in and began telling the children about my experiences on this trip.

The pavilion was cool and shaded, with flowers and plants blooming on both sides. Their colors were vivid, and their fragrance filled the air. Maidservants brought over tea and pastries. As I boasted and showed off while listening to the children's innocent laughter and feeling their admiring gazes, it was an excellent kind of enjoyment.

Before I knew it, the sky had grown dark. The women of each household came looking for them, and the children were taken away one after another. Before leaving, they looked at me reluctantly and shouted that they wanted to come back tomorrow to hear more stories.

I laughed and waved goodbye to them. After the bustle faded, only Nalan Sun and I remained in the pavilion. She greedily swallowed the last piece of pastry, licked her fingers, and asked innocently, "Brother, is that Sister Xun Er really as pretty as you said?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"Prettier than Sister Yanran?"

I nodded again.

The little girl looked confused. Biting her finger, she said, "But Mother says men all think their own wives are the prettiest... Brother, why don't you think Sister Meier is the prettiest?"

I was stunned. Xiao Meier? She was only a stepping stone for me to cling to Xiao Yan's thigh, only a minor character, only... my fiancée...

The expression on my face froze, then slowly faded. My brows began to knit as I sank into deep thought.

Why was it that, even though Xiao Meier was my fiancée, I never cared about her? Sometimes, I even forgot that such a person existed.

I stood and paced back and forth inside the pavilion, then lifted my head to look at the night sky. Yet I still could not understand.

Was it because I did not love Xiao Meier? That was clearly an absurd reason. Before, I had not even met the Little Fairy Doctor, yet I had constantly thought about her. Even now, I was still thinking about Nalan Yanran, Yun Yun, and Cai Lin...

Could it be because they were all main characters, while Xiao Meier was merely a supporting character, that I did not care about her?

For no reason, a surge of anger rose in my heart. I looked around, left the pavilion and the path, and walked onto the flowerbed lawn.

The flowers in the flowerbeds had all been carefully tended by the gardeners. They bloomed brilliantly during the day, but by nightfall, they inevitably wilted...

Yet some flowers bloomed at night, and they were now blooming brilliantly—so brilliantly that I could not help stomping on one.

When I lifted my foot, all that remained beneath it was a patch of mud. Its beauty was nowhere to be seen. For some reason, a wave of satisfaction rose in my heart. I turned my gaze to the next flower that bloomed at night. One, two, three...

Nalan Sun watched in confusion from the pavilion and could not help calling out, "Brother, Mother told us to go eat. Let's hurry over. We should not keep Mother waiting!"

I frowned and turned to shout, "Didn't you just eat so many pastries? Why are you hungry again?"

Nalan Sun pouted and said unhappily, "I'm just hungry!"

With that, she stopped waiting for me and turned to run off by herself. As I watched her departing figure, my heart ached for no reason.

Then it suddenly dawned on me why I had never cared about Xiao Meier. It was because I had always treated myself as Xiao Yan!

To Xiao Yan, Xiao Meier was merely a supporting character. But to me—to Nalan Ye—the Little Fairy Doctor, Cai Lin, and even Xiao Xun'er were the supporting characters!

For me, my female lead should be Nalan Sun, who listened to me boast and show off. It should be Mother, who waited for me to go eat. It should be Xiao Meier, waiting in Wutan City thousands of miles away to marry me...

I burst out laughing and ran after that petite figure ahead of me, shouting, "Sun Er, wait for me! Don't eat all the good food!"