Douqi Turns into a Horse (Not)

Douqi Turns into a Horse (Not)

Early morning, the red sun rose.

Dressed in a neat white outfit, with a low-grade Storage Ring on his finger, Xiao Yuan walked out through the gates of the Xiao Clan.

"Xiao Yu."

Seeing Xiao Yu standing at the entrance in a red dress and light makeup, Xiao Yuan approached her with a smile.

"Take care of yourself out there."

Xiao Yu's eyes reddened slightly as she reached out to straighten Xiao Yuan's clothes, her voice trembling a little.

"Don't worry, I will."

Xiao Yuan stepped forward and drew Xiao Yu into his arms.

Xiao Yu's delicate body trembled. Then she wrapped her arms around him as well, burying her face against his shoulder.

"I'm only going out to train for a few months. I'll be back, so don't be so sad!"

Xiao Yuan gently patted Xiao Yu's back and comforted her softly.

"It's all Nalan Yanran's fault. You could have stayed in the clan to cultivate, then entered Jia Nan Academy as planned."

Xiao Yu muttered in a low voice.

"Heh, she actually has little to do with it. A year from now, she won't be a match for me. But the clan needs my strength to grow stronger. The stronger I become, the stronger the clan becomes. There is one thing Nalan Yanran was right about: on the Douqi Continent, only the strong have a voice and can earn others' respect."

Xiao Yuan explained with a faint smile, then added:

"That's simply how this world is. But fortunately, I have the potential to become strong. That already makes me luckier than most people, so I have to work hard."

Hearing the somewhat heavy tone of Xiao Yuan's words, Xiao Yu fell silent. His maturity truly made her heart ache.

He had only just passed his Coming-of-Age Ceremony, yet he already had to shoulder the clan's future.

"If you get tired, come back and find me."

Xiao Yu raised her head and whispered into Xiao Yuan's ear.

"Mm."

Xiao Yuan nodded slightly and smiled.

Hearing his response, Xiao Yu finally loosened her arms.

Xiao Yuan released her as well, smiling as he waved. Then he turned and left.

The morning sunlight stretched Xiao Yuan's shadow long, but no matter how long a shadow was, it would gradually shorten with the passing of time until it vanished completely.

Watching Xiao Yuan leave, Xiao Yu rubbed her slightly stinging eyes with the back of her hand and turned to walk back into the clan.

She needed to cultivate even harder too.

Imperial Capital, Nalan Residence.

With a look of utter despair, Nalan Su dodged his father, Nalan Jie, behind him.

Nalan Jie's furious face bore an extremely unnatural grayish-black tint. Holding a stick, he was chasing after Nalan Su and beating him.

Nalan Su was helpless too. Who would have thought that after he had merely led troops to garrison the western part of the empire for a year, his audacious daughter would dare to break off the marriage his father had personally arranged back then?

Though it was said that things had not turned too ugly, that was only in Wutan City. Who in the Imperial Capital did not know why Nalan Yanran had gone to the Xiao Clan?

Yet Nalan Jie cared deeply about his reputation. Nalan Yanran's actions would undoubtedly lead others to say that the Nalan Family had seen the Xiao Clan weakening and disdained marrying into it, so they had broken their word and abandoned their promise.

What made things even more troublesome was that the old man had received intelligence some time ago. It was said that Xiao Yuan had not only regained the ability to cultivate, but had also broken through to a Four Star Fighter in less than a year and a half. Even the Nalan Family had to take such terrifying cultivation talent seriously.

By now, plenty of gossip had spread throughout the Imperial Capital. The Nalan Family's broken engagement had become after-dinner conversation for many people.

Such idle chatter made Nalan Jie so furious that he nearly jumped in rage. If not for his poor physical condition, he would likely have dragged his frail body up Misty Cloud Mountain long ago.

"Father, stop hitting me. Watch your health. I'll go to Misty Cloud Mountain right now and ask Yanran what happened!"

Thinking of Nalan Jie's condition, Nalan Su stopped dodging. After letting the stick strike him, he hurriedly spoke.

"Ask my ass! If Yanran didn't hide anything when she explained what happened during that trip to the Xiao Clan, then the Xiao Clan and our Nalan Family are completely finished, understand? Yanran still foolishly thinks she got what she wanted, but that Xiao boy is far smarter than she is. He's the reason she has such a stupid illusion!"

Nalan Jie immediately flew into a rage and snapped.

"Father, isn't that a bit extreme?"

Nalan Su frowned. He did not believe that a teenager could have any great schemes.

"You're questioning me? Use your damned brain and think. If someone broke off an engagement with you, could you stay calm, put on a smiling face, maneuver around the other party, and minimize your losses? To this day, no one in Wutan City knows Xiao Yuan was the one whose engagement got broken off!

But in the Imperial Capital, nearly everyone knows that our Nalan Family is made up of snobs. That means even if Yanran and Xiao Yuan repair their relationship in the future, it will only confirm that the Nalan Family is a family of snobs! Do you understand?"

Nalan Jie roared, so furious that his beard trembled and his eyes bulged.

"But back then, that Xiao boy truly couldn't cultivate. Would you really have been at ease making Yanran marry him?"

Nalan Su understood where the issue lay, but he still asked somewhat unwillingly.

"Bullshit. Whether I'd be at ease or not, that isn't how things should have been handled! Xiao Lin and I were friends who had faced death together. When Xiao Lin died, the Xiao Clan moved their entire clan to Wutan City instead of shamelessly coming to ask me for help. That showed they were people with pride.

The broken engagement could originally have been settled through proper discussion and some compensation, and it would not have come to this. But Yanran's actions were practically a slap across the Xiao Clan's face. Even if they didn't fall out verbally, that was only because they were smarter. At its root, this matter cannot be salvaged, understand?"

Nalan Jie angrily struck Nalan Su again, his entire body trembling as he spoke.

"Then what should we do?"

Nalan Su had nothing more to say. He looked at his father eagerly and asked.

"How should I know? I won't live for many more years anyway. Yanran is now Yun Yun's disciple and the Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect. I'm afraid the Nalan Family no longer exists in her eyes. Your daughter, you handle her yourself!"

Nalan Jie was already weak, and after unleashing such a torrent of scolding at Nalan Su, he had no strength left to argue. Tossing aside the stick, he staggered away.

"Sigh!"

Watching Nalan Jie's retreating back, Nalan Su sighed again.

Both the old and the young were so stubborn. Caught in the middle, he truly had it hard!

"Someone, prepare a horse!"

After thinking it over, Nalan Su decided he still needed to ask Nalan Yanran exactly what had happened.

That was a Four Star Fighter for a son-in-law.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yuan was still traveling on horseback.

It was not because he wanted to turn Douqi into a horse in the future. He simply did not want to waste time on the road. However, in order to keep himself in peak condition, Xiao Yuan still chose to travel by horse. Though it was not as fast as running himself, it did not consume douqi.

Besides, he had advanced to a Five Star Fighter.

Everyone, remember to keep reading and help me make it into the next round of recommendations. The more follows I get, the sooner I can go premium and release chapters like crazy! orz