The Young Girl Who Resisted Fate

Standing by the window, Xiao Han sized up Xiao Yi Xian's appearance while clicking his tongue in wonder.

Though Xiao Yi Xian was still very young and green, she was a rare beauty embryo, one hard to come by.

Like Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian appeared pure, gentle, and kind on the surface, as if she harbored goodwill toward everyone.

But in truth, this was merely a mask she wore to disguise herself. Having grown up with the Disaster Poison Body, the hardships she endured were beyond ordinary imagination.

These trials had also granted her a maturity far beyond her peers.

Unless she acknowledged someone, even a genuine smile from her was impossible.

If anyone claimed Xiao Han had no designs on Xiao Yi Xian, no one would believe it.

However, Xiao Han's "designs" were not about laying hands on this beautiful girl's snowy white body or engaging in matters between men and women.

Rather, after a long period of careful deliberation, a thought had taken shape in his mind.

After obtaining the system and mulling it over at home for over a month, I, Xiao Han, made a decision that defied the original work.

That was, Xiao Han would lay the groundwork early and establish his own force!

In the original work, the geniuses around Xiao Yan who could reach Dou Saint were few: Xiao Yi Xian, Meduza, Xiao Xun'er, Zi Yan—all stunningly beautiful women beyond compare. If he could befriend and subdue them early, they would become an unimaginable asset to his future.

His own little maid, Qinglin, possessed the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, but her innate talent wasn't at the ceiling-level of absolute genius.

Still, Xiao Han already had a plan: once his strength grew, he would take Qinglin across the entire Douqi Continent to capture powerful snake-type magical beasts, securing her capital to reach Sainthood!

As for Xiao Xun'er, though he had treated her well since childhood, as the Young Miss of the Gu Clan, her unpredictability was too great. Unless she showed him the same attitude she had toward Xiao Yan in the original work, she wasn't worth trusting.

Zi Yan could be approached once he reached Jia Nan Academy. He'd start a feeding play with her directly, activate a caretaker mode, and then slowly build a bond as master and pet—that should work.

Zi Yan wasn't the hard part; the toughest was the Meduza Queen. That woman was no pushover—proud, aloof, and hard to tame.

In the original work, if not for a twist of fate that cooked the rice, this proud woman probably wouldn't have bowed her head so easily.

But pride had its limits. Before evolution, the Meduza Queen was a Dou Emperor with mid-tier talent; a lifetime of cultivation might at best net her a Dou Ancestor.

That was why the Meduza Queen risked being roasted into snake soup by the Green Lotus Core Flame, using the strange fire to evolve.

Yet how could a mere Meduza control the danger of a strange fire? A rampaging, untamed strange fire was more perilous than man-eating beasts!

Back in the day, his teacher Yao Chen nearly died from the Bone Chilling Flame. It was said that Old Man Yao developed a psychological shadow over the Flame Mantra afterward and switched to other techniques.

Ahem, getting off track.

Actually, Xiao Han had an even more underhanded plan for the Meduza Queen.

If negotiations went well, he'd use the Demonic Flame to assist her evolution!

And a successfully evolved Meduza Queen would turn into an incredibly cute purple loach!

Ahem!

Rather, an incredibly cute Colorful Swallowing Python—a little creature so adorable even girls would squeal—Xiao Cai!

And as for what to do next, those who know, know, heh.

But until Xiao Yi Xian's retreating figure disappeared, Xiao Han still didn't go downstairs to approach the master of the Disaster Poison Body.

First, an uninvited favor reeks of ulterior motives. If Xiao Han rushed up rashly, Xiao Yi Xian's strong wariness toward strangers would likely cause his recruitment to fail.

Second, Xiao Yi Xian's Disaster Poison Body was still in its unawakened stage, so her craving for poison wasn't severe yet.

When Xiao Yi Xian was tormented by the Disaster Poison Body to the point of despair, he'd appear and lend a hand—charcoal in a snowstorm was more precious than adding flowers to brocade.

Then, by appealing to emotion and reason, with the reward of refining a poison pill for her, it should be enough to make her join his camp.

Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Xiao Han stood up, settled the bill, and checked out of the room.

Having stayed in Green Mountain Town for over a week, Xiao Han's alchemist rank had advanced, and his sword technique proficiency had reached perfection, just waiting for a stroke of luck to break through to the Pinnacle. In these ten days or so, Xiao Han had not only obtained three volumes of Dou Techniques but also made significant progress in strength—he was quite satisfied.

"Time to go home~"

Meanwhile, in a certain family within Jia Ma Holy City, an old man and a young girl were locked in a fierce standoff.

"I won't! I refuse to marry that waste!"

The 14-year-old girl screamed, venting her emotions at the grandfather who had always doted on her and taken pride in her!

"You... you wretched child!"

The old man, his lips trembling with rage at his granddaughter's demand, raised a withered hand, ready to slap the girl whose beautiful eyes were brimming with tears.

But for some reason, the old man's raised hand couldn't bear to fall.

Watching her furious grandfather, Nalan Yanran's face was full of grievance and sorrow.

Nalan Yanran didn't understand—she truly didn't understand why her grandfather insisted she marry that waste from the Xiao Family. Was it all because of a promise made years ago? To push his beloved granddaughter into a pit of fire?!

If it were two years ago, when Nalan Yanran heard she was to marry a genius who had advanced to Dou Practitioner at twelve, she might have been unwilling, but she could only submit to fate!

Because back then, Xiao Yan was indeed a genius with boundless prospects!

A twelve-year-old Dou Practitioner—such terrifying cultivation speed was unprecedented in the entire history of the Jia Ma Empire. It was easy to imagine that if Xiao Yan hadn't met with misfortune, he would surely have become a Dou Emperor!

Both his father and mother, as well as his grandparents, all looked forward to the execution of this marriage contract.

This marriage contract, whether viewed through the deep friendship between Grandfather and Old Man Xiao, or the benefits it generated, was of no small advantage to the Nalan Clan.

A seedling destined to become a Dou Emperor, or even a Dou Ancestor, was an incredibly cost-effective gain—binding him to their faction with just a single piece of paper.

Moreover, his own daughter was exceptionally talented and beautiful; this marriage contract did not disgrace the genius Xiao Yan in the slightest.

But, as the saying goes, wind and cloud are unpredictable.

Nalan Yanran, who had already resigned herself to her fate, heard rumors two years ago about Xiao Yan's fall from genius to waste material. After leveraging her connections within the Yunlan Sect, she confirmed the news through intelligence disciples under the sect's command.

The twelve-year-old genius Dou Practitioner had become a cripple, his Dou Qi vanishing overnight. No matter how he cultivated, he could only remain at the Third Stage Dou Disciple. Even the most skilled physicians could find no flaw.

In other words, Xiao Yan, that genius... was finished.

And while Nalan Yanran's talent could not compare to Xiao Yan's before his fall, she had made rapid progress through years of hard work. One month after her fourteenth birthday, she successfully advanced to Dou Practitioner!

A fourteen-year-old Dou Practitioner was already a remarkable display of talent.

With such aptitude, she was naturally taken as a disciple by Yun Yun, the Yunlan Sect Leader.

Now that she had become a Dou Practitioner and had a Dou Emperor-level teacher backing her, Nalan Yanran finally possessed the capital to resist her family, resist her grandfather, and resist the miserable fate of marrying a cripple!

When Nalan Yanran gleefully told her grandfather about her promotion to Dou Practitioner and sought to annul the marriage contract with the Xiao family's waste, she was met with the ruthless refusal of the old man who had always doted on her the most!

In the end, he still couldn't bring himself to harshly discipline his granddaughter. Nalan Jie truly felt... this was too difficult.

"Get out!"

The old man took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and with a sweep of his sleeve, turned around. One hand behind his back, the other pointing at the door: "Get out! Go back to your room and face the wall for three days! I don't want to hear you mention annulling the marriage contract again!"

Even as stubborn as he was, choosing between his granddaughter and the childhood betrothal set when his old brother Xiao Lin, who had died for him back then, was still alive—this decision gave him a splitting headache.

"Wuwuwu—Grandfather, you big jerk!!!"

Tears fell like broken pearls, streaming endlessly. Even as strong-willed as Nalan Yanran, facing the incomprehension and betrayal of her closest kin, she couldn't help but let her face become drenched with tears.

Her face streaked with rain and pear blossoms, Nalan Yanran wiped her tears with her sleeve, spat out a heartbroken, angry remark, and rushed out of the room without looking back. She then charged straight out of the Nalan Clan's gates and ran away from home...

Just after Nalan Yanran left, an unremarkable middle-aged man walked into Nalan Jie's room and knelt on one knee: "Master, should I follow the Young Miss?"

"Forget it, let Yanran clear her head. After all, the Nalan Clan is a giant of the Jia Ma Empire. I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to provoke my granddaughter." Nalan Jie's words were filled with authority, the killing intent cultivated from years of military campaigns sending chills down one's spine.

"Besides, I heard that when the Yunlan Sect Leader accepted Yanran as her disciple, she bestowed a treasure capable of briefly blocking attacks from a Dou Emperor-level expert. I doubt any Dou Emperor would be so undignified as to strike at a child.

"And how many times has Yanran run away from home before? Doesn't she always come running back obediently? No matter what, this girl is still my granddaughter. Her nature may be a bit proud, but she would never be stupid enough to provoke an enemy she cannot handle."