The Elusive Truth

From Qing Lin's words, Na Lan Yan Ran finally learned some information about Wutan City in recent years.

Xiao Ning became a genius in Wutan City, won the heart of Gu Xun Er, and not only that, he also brought Qing Lin back to the Xiao Clan, becoming the head of the Xiao Clan. In the end, he also obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame and became a fourth-grade alchemist.

All of this has changed. These achievements, which should have belonged to Xiao Yan, have now all appeared on a minor character Xiao Ning.

Na Lan Yan Ran had a bad feeling. Could it be that Xiao Ning, like Ling Feiyan, came from the same place?

By chance, she noticed the blue scales on Qing Lin's arm and casually remarked, "Your scales are beautiful."

"Is that so?" Qing Lin said calmly, "Young Master Xiao Ning said the same thing back in the Tagor Desert. However, Young Master Xiao Ning also said that you shouldn't care whether others say you are ugly or beautiful, because the truly beautiful thing in the world is the human heart."

"That's not necessarily true," Na Lan Yan Ran shook her head and chuckled softly, watching Qing Lin's departing figure.

It seems that Xiao Ning is quite a ruthless character, actually taking everything that belonged to Xiao Yan.

So, where exactly is Xiao Yan now?

As night fell, an old man appeared in Na Lan Yan Ran's room. This old man was a clan elder sent by Nalan Su to the Xiao Clan a few days ago to propose Xiao Clan, but he had not returned home yet.

The old man's Nalan Jie, the younger brother of Na Lan Yan Ran's grandfather Nalan Jie. It was precisely because of his noble status that Nalan Su sent Nalan Jie to the Xiao Clan to propose marriage.

"Young Miss, there's something I'm hesitant to say," Nalan Ao said meaningfully, sitting in Na Lan Yan Ran's room.

"Second Grandfather, please speak freely. We're all family, there's no need to be so formal. Yanran has never shown any respect for you since she was little."

"Then Second Grandfather will speak." Nalan Ao smiled knowingly and poured out his thoughts and observations about the Xiao Clan in the past few days since arriving in Wutan City, as well as what he wanted to say.

"Yanran, your second grandfather thinks you shouldn't marry Xiao Yan. If you have to marry someone, you might as well consider marrying Xiao Ning."

A few days ago, Nalan Ao came to Wutan City and witnessed Xiao Yan's appearance firsthand. He also experienced the demeanor of Xiao Ning, the new Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, and immediately felt that the difference was like heaven and earth.

If they weren't family, Nalan Ao would never have said those words today. That Xiao Yan is just too unbecoming; how could he be worthy of Na Lan Yan Ran?

Xiao Ning of the Xiao Clan also seemed to have some feelings for Na Lan Yan Ran. For several days in a row, he warmly entertained Nalan Ao. At the dinner table, he even directly expressed his attitude to Nalan Ao that he didn't care whether Na Lan Yan Ran was a good-for-nothing or not, and that he intended to marry her.

Nalan Ao had come to propose marriage, but he still needed to consider the matter of remarriage and remarriage. He was planning to return to the capital today, but unexpectedly, Na Lan Yan Ran had already arrived.

"Where is Xiao Yan?" Na Lan Yan Ran asked with an unusually cold expression, "Second Grandfather, you've been at the Xiao Clan for so many days now, you must have seen Xiao Yan. Tell me, where is he?"

Nalan Ao let out a long sigh, then shook his head and walked out of the room.

He was unwilling to reveal to Na Lan Yan Ran at all that Xiao Yan was engaged to the Nalan Family.

Na Lan Yan Ran clenched her fist tightly, her heart filled with even greater panic.

Xiao Yan, where are you?

"Is Miss Yanran here? I'm Xiao Ning. I'd like to invite Miss Yanran to stroll around Wutan City with me, as a way of showing hospitality."

The next morning, the sun shone brightly, making it a perfect day for going out and shopping.

Xiao Ning, dressed in a magnificent moon-white robe, arrived at Na Lan Yan Ran's door and gently knocked a few times.

Na Lan Yan Ran pushed open the door, her face showing exhaustion and dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't slept a wink all night and couldn't fall asleep.

"So it's Clan Leader Xiao Ning! It's truly Yanran great blessing for Yanran to have Clan Leader Xiao Ning take Yanran on this trip."

Na Lan Yan Ran knew exactly what Xiao Ning meant. He just wanted to connect with her on a deeper level. She also wanted to meet Xiao Ning and see what he was capable of.

The two, accompanied by several Xiao Clan guards and Nalan Family soldiers, strode out of the Xiao Clan mansion.

Throughout the journey, Xiao Ning constantly tried to win over Na Lan Yan Ran, while also employing various flirting techniques.

"Upon hearing that Miss Yanran's dantian was destroyed, I, the Clan Leader, pondered for a moment and realized that there might still be elixirs in the world that could treat such injuries. So, I spent the entire night searching through ancient texts and finally found a good formula for repairing the dantian."

As they walked, Xiao Ning suddenly uttered this sentence, hoping to pique Na Lan Yan Ran's interest.

In her opinion, a proud woman like Na Lan Yan Ran would certainly not be able to accept the reality of becoming a cripple. It would be better for him to find a cure so as to win the heart of the beauty.

So Xiao Ning found a healing pill at Yao Chen's place, which he told Na Lan Yan Ran about today.

"What did you say?" Na Lan Yan Ran feigned surprise and excitement, grabbing Xiao Ning's hand and saying, "Clan Leader Xiao Ning, does such a pill really exist in this world? If Clan Leader Xiao Ning is willing to refine the pill for Yanran will definitely repay you tenfold in the future."

Xiao Ning smiled smugly. It seemed his plan was going very smoothly. As expected, given Na Lan Yan Ran's current situation, she would definitely not be able to resist such temptation.

"Miss Yanran, please don't get too excited." At this moment, Xiao Ning suddenly interrupted Na Lan Yan Ran's reverie, saying confidently, "The pill I'm talking about is Fifth-grade Pill, and I'm only a fourth-grade alchemist right now. I'll have to wait some time before I can refine Fifth-grade Pill."

"Then what should we do?" Na Lan Yan Ran feigned confusion.

"Miss Yanran, don't be disappointed. You must believe in my talent. I will definitely finish refining the pill in less than a year. However, once the pill is refined, the user must consume it immediately, otherwise it will lose its medicinal properties."

Not only that, but some of the required medicinal herbs are also needed. So once the necessary herbs are discovered, the pills must be refined as soon as possible. In the meantime, I would appreciate it if Miss Yanran could stay by my side for a while. You know, I have no choice but to do this for these pills!

He spouted a bunch of high-sounding but useless nonsense, all he wanted was to keep Na Lan Yan Ran by his side for a year to cultivate their relationship. Once their relationship was stable, winning over this little beauty would be a piece of cake.

Xiao Ning gave Na Lan Yan Ran time to consider. Seeing her hesitation, he changed the subject, saying, "Let's go find the necessary medicinal herbs for this pill now. There's a Medicine Immortal Residence up ahead that has a wide variety of herbs. It's run by my Xiao Clan. How about we go there and take a look?"

Medicine Immortal Residence is the largest medicinal herb supplier in Wutan City. It not only sells various precious medicinal herbs but also various elixirs. In addition, it provides free medical treatment to people free of charge, making it very popular among the residents of Wutan City.

"Silly brother, you're here!"

As soon as I entered the shop, a beautiful girl in white, as lovely as a fairy, ran over to me.

"Xiao Yi Xian?" Na Lan Yan Ran was startled when she saw the girl's face clearly.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ning also set his sights on Xiao Yi Xian. Doesn't that mean that after he obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame, Medusa was also in his hands?

Xiao Ning's plan is indeed long-term, as he has gathered all the potential stocks from the early stages.

"You know me?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, her face full of doubt.

"Of course I know you," Na Lan Yan Ran quickly composed herself and smiled, "Xiao Yi Xian's name is known to everyone in Wutan City. Everyone says that you are not only highly skilled in medicine, but also beautiful and charming. But after seeing you today, I feel that the reputation is somewhat undeserved. You are more than just beautiful and charming; you are a beauty of unparalleled grace!"

With just a few words, he captivated Xiao Yi Xian Yun Shan, and also developed a great deal of goodwill towards Na Lan Yan Ran.

"Clan Leader Xiao Ning, Yanran suddenly feels tired and wants to go back to rest. She won't accompany you on your trip. Why don't you stay here and keep Xiao Yi Xian company?" At this moment, Na Lan Yan Ran suddenly saw a soldier outside the Medicine Immortal Residence wink at her. She immediately changed her tone and politely took her leave.

"Alright then, Miss Yanran, you are currently in a delicate and frail state, and it is not suitable for you to travel too much. You should go back and rest quickly." Xiao Ning did not notice anything amiss and saw Na Lan Yan Ran off from the Medicine Immortal Residence.

After Na Lan Yan Ran left, Xiao Yi Xian rolled her eyes charmingly and said to Xiao Ning reproachfully, "Silly brother, you have quite a few beauties, don't you?"

"No, Na Lan Yan Ran is just visiting Wutan City. Xian'er, in my heart you will always be irreplaceable," Xiao Ning hugged Xiao Yi Xian tightly and explained.

"What a big idiot! How could I be so jealous? As long as my idiot brother doesn't abandon Xian'er, that's enough." Xiao Yi Xian leaned against Xiao Ning's chest, listening to his sweet words, and fell completely in love.

"Have you found any clues about Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan?" Na Lan Yan Ran asked the soldier anxiously as they reached a corner.

Last night, seeing that Nalan Ao was unwilling to mention Xiao Yan in front of her, she could only send the Nalan Family officer beside her to investigate the whereabouts of Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan.

The officers trained by the Nalan Family were indeed exceptionally capable; they obtained the information Na Lan Yan Ran wanted in less than a night.

"Reporting to Miss Yanran, I was sent by Captain Wang to find Xiao Zhan's whereabouts. We have found him; we have the exact location of Xiao Zhan, the former Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan."

Where is it?

"The Xiao Clan cemetery has been guarded for the past few years since Xiao Zhan stepped down, and a small thatched hut was even built in front of his wife's grave," the soldier reported truthfully.

You know, places where you eat often have the most intelligence. Last night, their captain got a kitchen helper from the Xiao Clan drunk at a dinner party, and that's how they managed to extract this little bit of valuable information.

Na Lan Yan Ran was extremely anxious. As long as she found Xiao Zhan, she could find Xiao Yan's whereabouts.

"Well done. Tell me the direction of the Xiao Clan cemetery quickly, I'll be right there."