Xiao Family.
Main hall.
"May I ask what the family head has summoned me for?"
The girl had delicate features and wore a plain-colored dress. She stood tall and graceful, her expression neither servile nor overbearing.
After giving her a glance, the goateed old man's eyes flashed with a sinister light, but he quickly returned to normal.
He said amiably, "Among the direct descendants of our Xiao Family, only you and Feng Hai have the highest aptitude."
"Your uncle knows that ever since your parents passed away, you've suffered no small amount of mistreatment in the Xiao Family."
"But Lian Yue, rest assured. There won't be anything like that in the future."
A puzzled look appeared on the girl's face. She said softly, "If the family head has something to say, please speak plainly."
The old man gave an awkward smile. "You know the situation our Xiao Family is in."
"Now the aberrations have launched their assault, Great Gan is teetering on the brink, and the other cultivation sects are protecting themselves wisely."
"So your uncle intends to have you marry into another family."
"Marry into another family? Who?" the girl asked instinctively.
The old man suddenly smiled. Then he stepped aside, and a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
His face was deathly pale, but crimson light suffused his eyes. The way he looked at the girl was like a hunter gazing at his favored prey, carrying a trace of greed and yearning.
The girl's heart trembled, but she still forced herself to remain calm. "May I ask who you are...?"
"I come from the Eternal Life Family of the Saint Clan—the Yan Family."
"Miss Lian Yue may call me Yan Xiu."
The man bared his teeth in a smile as he spoke.
"Eternal Life Family? The Yan Family?"