Mu Zhan: A true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall. If you don't call me brother now, you won't get another chance later

As expected, Xiao Yan passed the second round of assessment without any major incidents.

After burning the first batch of Medicinal Herbs, Xiao Yan noticed the problem with the Hou Tu Zhi. He then amazed everyone by simultaneously refining and fusing eight kinds of Medicinal Herbs, managing to complete the pill refining before the Gray-robed Man could.

Upon witnessing Xiao Yan's final technique for collecting the core, Yao Lao let out a sigh that defied easy comprehension.

This little guy is indeed a genius at alchemy!

As for Xiao Yuan, although he had never encountered such a pill-collecting technique before, he was equally excited.

I found the story of turning the tide at a major conference incredibly inspiring when I read about it in novels back then, and witnessing it firsthand still gets my blood pumping.

My younger brother, Xiao Yan, has the Dou Emperor potential!

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yuan looked at Fa Ma, who had been both shocked and furious by Xiao Yan's bold method of collecting the pills, and had smashed the railing with a single slap.

Now, Fa Ma's face changed completely, filled with joy.

The changes before and after are truly interesting.

"Good!"

Then, Xiao Yuan took the lead in cheering.

After all, he's my own brother. If I don't praise him, should I expect someone else to?

A hint of amazement flashed in Ya Fei's eyes. Judging from the previous performance of Fa Ma and the other members of the Alchemist Guild, Xiao Yan's actions just now were undoubtedly extremely risky.

However, Ya Fei has a keen eye for people. Xiao Yan may be slightly less composed than Xiao Yuan, but he is by no means reckless.

Daring to do that means you have enough confidence.

Now that he and Xiao Yuan have come together, and Xiao Yan will be considered his brother-in-law in the future, these two brothers will surely stand at the pinnacle of the Jia Ma Empire, or even at the pinnacle of the continent.

As someone associated with Xiao Yuan, she naturally didn't want to be just the head of a family in the Jia Ma Empire.

Whether from the perspective of kinship or the interests of the family, winning over Xiao Yan is an important matter.

Although Xiao Yan usually obeys Xiao Yuan's every word, it's not appropriate for Xiao Yuan to communicate with Xiao Yan on this matter. The sincerity that a family should show must still be maintained! Since they are brothers, they naturally cannot let their brother suffer a loss!

As for every loss the family suffers now, it will be repaid many times over in the future.

She trusted Xiao Yuan, and she also trusted her own judgment in judging people!

So, she subconsciously turned her gaze to Hai Bodong and Mittel Tengshan, the two heads of the family.

But then they noticed that the two old men had exchanged a meaningful glance, clearly sharing the same thought.

If the Mittel Family hadn't been unable to find another woman as outstanding as Ya Fei, they probably would have already Ya Fei and Xiao Yuan to introduce her to Xiao Yan.

Princess Yao Ye, sitting not far away, was also deep in thought. These two brothers of the Xiao Clan were indeed extraordinary. One was ridiculously strong in combat, even his great-grandfather, Dou Huang expert, would suffer a loss. The other was extremely outstanding in alchemy. If these two brothers joined forces, the Xiao Clan family would probably definitely have a place in the future Jia Ma Empire.

We must build good relationships with them! Meanwhile, Nalan Yanran was excited and even a little tempted by Xiao Yan's performance, but she also knew that Xiao Yan was not interested in her, his "future sister-in-law" who had come to annul the engagement.

The thought of it gave her a headache.

Why couldn't these two brothers recover their talents sooner?

By the time the second round of assessments was completely over, it was getting dark, and a crescent moon slowly emerged from the horizon, illuminating the brightly lit Imperial Capital.

Looking at those who had failed the test and whose faces were ashen, Fa Ma's eyes remained unmoved as he calmly said, "Everyone, let's end today's competition here. Please get some rest for the night. Tomorrow is the final round of our competition, a crucial game to determine the champion. So please don't let anything prevent you from attending, or you'll regret it for the rest of your lives."

Upon hearing Fa Ma announce the end of today's assessment, everyone in the square, including Xiao Yan, breathed a long sigh of relief. These two rounds of assessments had been quite exhausting.

After putting the medicine cauldron back into his Storage Ring, Xiao Yan suddenly looked up and glanced at the gray-robed youth. He saw that after Fa Ma finished speaking, the youth packed up his things and headed out of the square. Before leaving, he didn't forget to throw a cold look at Xiao Yan.

Watching the gray-robed youth slowly walk out of the square, Xiao Yan rubbed his forehead, finished packing his things, and then followed the crowd of contestants out of the square.

Stepping out of the plaza, Xiao Yan took a deep breath of the fresh air, his tense mind easing slightly. Looking at the young girls who had come out of the audience and were staring at him with shining eyes, he shook his head with a wry smile. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Xiao Yuan and Ya Fei walking towards him hand in hand.

"Brother, sister-in-law."

Although Ya Fei is not yet officially married into the family, Xiao Yan is very sensible and has already changed his address accordingly.

"You did a good job, but you still suffered some losses in the second round of the competition. I'll discuss the problems that arose during the process with you after the competition is completely over tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was taken aback for a moment, then realized that Yao Lao must have meant something in this conversation. He nodded and said, "Okay!"

"Let's go. I know you want to rest for a while, but we can't rest yet. We have other things to do."

Xiao Yuan smiled and then led Xiao Yan toward the east gate of the Imperial Capital city.

"Is there anything else to do?"

Xiao Yan blinked in confusion upon hearing this, but still followed.

Third Brother always has his reasons for doing things.

"Hehe, you'll find out when you get there."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan smiled mysteriously, keeping everyone in suspense.

When Xiao Yuan and his two companions arrived at the east gate of the Imperial Capital, they found a somewhat familiar person standing guard there.

Upon seeing the three approaching, his expression became noticeably awkward, but he still forced himself to walk over.

"Mu Zhan? What are you doing here?"

Xiao Yuan asked, somewhat surprised.

"Well, the old man just sent me to guard the gate. As for why, Brother Xiao, you should be able to guess, right?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhan scratched his head and said awkwardly.

Then, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation, Mu Zhan continued, "Brother Xiao, what brings you to the city gate?"

"Oh, here to pick someone up."

Xiao Yuan smiled and nodded.

"Then let's not just stand here. Come on, let's go up to the city wall. Our Mu family still has some face!"

After saying that, Mu Zhan extended a warm invitation.

This appearance surprised Xiao Yan and Ya Fei quite a bit.

I never expected this arrogant guy to have such a side.

Xiao Yuan was able to guess some of the reasons behind this.

Clearly, Mu Chen had given Mu Zhan some pointers in private. As for the specifics, he didn't know, but the result was quite good for him.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Xiao Yuan nodded, and then followed Mu Zhan up to the city wall.

"Ahem, Brother Xiao, I heard that you sparred with Jia Lao before, and even he suffered a loss at your hands?"

As Mu Zhan climbed the steps, he asked in a low voice, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes.

"Hey, don't listen to their nonsense, it's Jia Lao's been lenient."

Xiao Yuan naturally couldn't say that he was so awesome that he burned off Jia Xingtian's beard, so he waved his hand modestly and said...

"Hey! Brother Xiao, you're too modest. This matter was told to me by the clan elder, so how could it be false? I was indeed rash to my sister-in-law that day. She's here today, so I apologize to you. I, Mu Zhan, am a rough man, and sometimes I do speak without thinking. But I admire people like Brother Xiao who have real skills. You could say we became friends after this little misunderstanding, haha!"

Mu Zhan, unusually humbled, apologized to Ya Fei as well.

"Um."

Ya Fei was also taken aback by Mu Zhan's unprecedented action, but she quickly recovered and nodded with a faint smile.

Xiao Yan, standing to the side, remained noncommittal. It was only because Mu Zhan had provoked the incident in the Imperial Capital city, within the Nalan Residence, that he could possibly stand here and speak. If it had happened outside the Imperial Capital city, he was certain that his Third Brother would have scattered the man's ashes on the spot, causing him to vanish without a trace.

To his own people, Third Brother was indeed a great man, but to his enemies, he was absolutely like a demon.

Seeing that Ya Fei also nodded, Mu Zhan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since he learned about Xiao Yuan's terrifying combat power, he understood his family patriarch's worries. With Xiao Yuan's current potential, he was no longer someone the Mu family could afford to offend. If they were really pushed too far, they could call on Hai Bodong to wipe out the Mu family on the spot!

Not to mention his own terrifying talent. According to the current assessment of Xiao Yuan by these families, it will only take five to ten years at most for Xiao Yuan to stand at the pinnacle of the Jia Ma Empire. The Mu family absolutely cannot afford to offend such a powerful figure! If they can't afford to offend him, why would they put on airs in front of him? Wouldn't that be courting death?

When it comes to his own life and the survival of his family, Mu Zhan's mind is still sharp.

Besides, Xiao Yuan is so strong, what's wrong with calling him "brother"? It's not a loss at all! If you don't call him that now, you won't have the right to be so friendly when he becomes Dou Emperor!

As a member of a large family, Mu Zhan was naturally quite adept at interpersonal relationships; however, most people in the Imperial Capital were not worth his time.

But in front of Xiao Yuan, he dared not act arrogantly anymore. If Xiao Yuan really took notice of him, he would be truly doomed.

Besides, some of what Xiao Yuan said made sense. "Well, this is the best spot in the city gate, so you can wait here, Brother Xiao. I have to go down and guard the gate, so I won't disturb you any longer!"

Seeing that Xiao Yuan and the other two had no intention of chatting with him, Mu Zhan took his leave and led his soldiers downstairs.

"These scions of prominent families do have some redeeming qualities."

Watching Mu Zhan's departing figure, Xiao Yan said calmly.

"Hehe, the Mu family, which can occupy a place among the three major families in the Imperial Capital, naturally could not have raised a brute. Although Mu Zhan is impatient, he must understand the rules."

Ya Fei, who was standing to the side, nodded and smiled faintly.

"Yes, and the Mu family has extensive connections in the military. Our Xiao Clan is stationed in the Jia Ma Empire, so it's unlikely that we can actually kill Mu Zhan in front of everyone. It would cause a series of troubles. We need to go back to the academy. We can't leave a mess behind. It's always better to have one more friend than one more enemy."

Xiao Yuan nodded in agreement and said with a smile.

The Mu family is different from the Mo Clan. The Mo Clan is nothing more than a nouveau riche local tyrant in the northeastern province. Not only do they lack any foundation, but their reputation is also extremely poor. When problems arise, everyone will kick them while they're down. Although Xiao Yuan did not wipe out the entire Mo Clan, he didn't actually need to take action. The families and forces that had been oppressed by the Mo Clan before would naturally strike back without mercy.

However, the Mu family is the second largest family after the Mittel Family. In terms of foundation, even the Nalan Family is inferior. If it weren't for Nalan Yanran joining the Misty Cloud Sect, the Nalan Family would actually be the weakest of the three major families.

Over the years, the Mu family has accumulated countless connections throughout the Jia Ma Empire. With the Xiao Clan's current power, they certainly cannot easily become enemies with them.

Moreover, it's not worth provoking the entire Mu family over a single Mu Zhan.

"Hehe, just teach him a lesson. If I were to kill him or even exterminate his entire clan over such a trivial matter, I would feel uneasy, as if I were some kind of femme fatale."

Upon hearing this, Ya Fei also smiled.

Seeing that his brother and sister-in-law were about to show off their affection again, Xiao Yan sensed something was wrong and quickly interrupted, changing the subject. "Brother, we're already here, so tell me, who are we waiting for here?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan revealed a strange smile, looked at Xiao Yan, and slowly said, "Seriously? You're so smart, how come you still haven't figured it out?"

Clap clap clap! In the distance, the rhythmic sound of horses' hooves rang out, and several figures on horseback slowly entered the line of sight of Xiao Yuan and his companions.

"Well, since he brought his sister-in-law along, the person he's picking up must be someone all three of us know. That person must be from Wutan City. Could it be... Master Gu Ni!?"

Xiao Yan analyzed with a serious expression.

???

"Oh, my brother, this is not funny."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan shook his head speechlessly, looked at Xiao Yan who was telling a lame joke, and said in a deep voice.

"Pfft! You two brothers are really something!"

Ya Fei, standing to the side, couldn't help but chuckle at the conversation between the two brothers, covering her mouth and giggling softly.

Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan exchanged a glance and shook their heads with a smile. Then, Xiao Yuan grabbed Ya Fei and jumped down from the city gate with Xiao Yan.

Outside the city gate, the group of people approached from afar. Although the leader was covered in dust, his eyes were full of excitement and he showed no signs of fatigue.

Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan looked at that person and couldn't help but murmur, "Father!"