Thirty Years East of the River, Thirty Years West

Sitting on the bed, Nalan Jie had already unbuttoned his robe, revealing two dark wounds on his arm.

Clearly, that's where the Branding Poison was injected.

Xiao Yan glanced at this man who was said to be very close to his grandfather back then, but his heart remained unmoved.

If his grandfather knew that the Nalan Family had never once firmly chosen the Xiao Family since his fatal injury, what would he think?

Don't be fooled by how this family calls me a good nephew and a good kid. If I were to become a fallen genius, they probably wouldn't even set foot in Wutan City, let alone come to see what's wrong with me.

Of course, in the Dou Qi Continent, strength is paramount. No matter how talented a person is, they are not very useful if they do not grow up.

Xiao Yan simply didn't think much of the Nalan Family's methods.

Suppressing his thoughts, Xiao Yan raised his hand, a few wisps of cobalt blue flames swirling around his fingertips.

"Grandpa, I'm ready to begin."

Xiao Yan said softly.

"Haha, come on, to be honest, I've never experienced the power of Heavenly Flames before."

Nalan Jie laughed heartily upon hearing this, his voice full of energy, making it almost impossible to tell that he had been poisoned. He truly lived up to his reputation as a Dou Wang- level expert!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression turned somewhat strange.

If he doesn't scream in pain later, he might think more highly of Nalan Jie.

He slowly extended his palm and gently placed it on Nalan Jie's back. The Cobalt Blue Flame, enveloped by soul power, entered Nalan Jie's body.

At the same time, Nalan Jie's body also trembled violently under the terrifying high temperature of the Heavenly Flames.

The soul power swept over Nalan Jie's entire body, and apart from signs of poisoning in the bones of his arms, no other abnormalities were found in his bones.

There was some poison in his meridians and blood vessels, but it was suppressed by Nalan Jie's Dou Qi and would not cause too much harm.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yan decided to start with blood vessels and meridians.

The temperature of the Heavenly Flames burning the bones might be too much for this old man to handle. Let's start with the meridians and blood vessels, which are easier to deal with first.

Xiao Yan squinted, his soul power controlling the cobalt blue flames, which entered Nalan Jie's bloodline and meridians, gradually removing the poison along the meridians.

To be honest, Branding Poison isn't difficult.

If it weren't for Xiao Yi Xian's insufficient strength and her incomplete development of the Woe Poison Body, she could simply wave her hand and the Branding Poison in Nalan Jie's body would transform into her tonic, helping her improve her strength.

Of course, even now, Xiao Yi Xian has nine different ways to deal with the Brand Branding Poison, which has not yet taken hold.

But no one asked her, and Xiao Yan didn't intend for her to take action, so she would just watch coldly from the sidelines.

Although Xiao Yan did intend to make the old man suffer a bit, as a Super Sweeper alchemist, even at this moment, he did not forget to train his Fire Energy. He managed to suppress the temperature of the Heavenly Flames to a level that was just enough to remove the Branding Poison without harming Nalan Jie.

This month of alchemy not only strengthened Xiao Yan's control over his own Dou Qi, but also significantly improved his Fire Energy to control the newly born Heavenly Flames.

Even so, the burning pain from the Heavenly Flames on his meridians and blood vessels still caused a look of pain to appear on Nalan Jie's face. His thin hands clenched tightly, and the veins on his arms throbbed continuously.

Clearly, even the Heavenly Flames under Xiao Yan's control caused this Dou Wang expert considerable pain.

However, it was still bearable. In order to distract himself, Nalan Jie couldn't help but ask:

"Xiao Yan, how has the Xiao Family been these past years?"

That's a question...

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this and said calmly:

"Not good. Since Grandpa passed away, the Xiao Family has suffered some attacks on the way from the Imperial Capital. All the strong members of the family have perished. By the time they arrived in Wutan City, the Xiao Family did not even have a single Da Dou Shi.

After more than a decade of development, we were barely able to rival the two major local families of Wutan City. If I hadn't been fortunate enough to become an apprentice of a high-level alchemist and learn Alchemy, which helped the family suppress the two major families of Wutan City, the Xiao Family would probably still be struggling on thin ice."

Xiao Yan said calmly.

Hearing the calmness in Xiao Yan's tone, Nalan Jie sensed something amiss and his expression immediately froze.

"As for the matter of becoming a disciple of Teacher Yun Yun, it has little to do with the Misty Cloud Sect. If it weren't for her connections, you might see me going to the Misty Cloud Sect to demand an explanation in a few years. Oh, by the way, Senior Sister Yanran, when that time comes, will you be on my side or on the side of the Misty Cloud Sect?"

While manipulating the Heavenly Flames, Xiao Yan steered the conversation towards Nalan Yanran.

"Ah?"

Nalan Yanran was clearly taken aback by Xiao Yan's sudden question, finding herself momentarily at a loss for words.

"So, which side will the Nalan Family choose?"

Xiao Yan turned his gaze back to Nalan Jie.

"Uh, what conflict do you have with the Misty Cloud Sect that has escalated to this point?"

Nalan Jie, after all, hadn't lived in vain; he immediately grasped the crux of the problem.

"The Misty Cloud Sect's vassal, the Salt City Mo Clan, wants to kill me and then steal the Heavenly Flames. Oh, and they also plan to take my friends and maids back with them to do some organ transplants. I remember I made that clear to Senior Sister Yanran before, right?"

Although Xiao Yan's tone was somewhat cold and stern, he maintained control over the temperature of the Heavenly Flames without any change.

"But the Misty Cloud Sect truly knew nothing about this..."

Nalan Yanran was getting a little anxious.

She really didn't want to see Xiao Yan disband the Misty Cloud Sect again.

"Oh, Miss Nalan really doesn't know what that old dog Yun Leng has done?"

Xiao Yan's lips curled into a cold smile as he spoke meaningfully.

Upon hearing this, Nalan Yanran's mind exploded with a "boom".

Could it be that he was also reborn?

"I..."

Nalan Yanran bit her lip, unable to utter a single word.

When she heard Xiao Yan, who was usually quite well-mannered, utter such an extremely insulting term as "Yun Leng old dog," she understood everything.

Recalling the black-clad youth with bloodshot eyes who loudly questioned the Misty Cloud Sect above, Nalan Yanran seemed to see once again the scenes of the Misty Cloud Sect's march toward destruction.

She now fully understood why Xiao Yan had always been so cold towards her.

Perhaps Xiao Yan had already seen through all her little schemes, but he had been playing along with her act without exposing her true intentions.

Suddenly, she seemed to see that fifteen-year-old boy again, writing furiously and drawing blood with his sword.

Each sound, like the sharpest sword, pierced her heart.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young man's potential!"

"This contract is not a contract to dissolve the engagement, but a certificate of divorce from the Xiao Family!"

"From this day forward, you Nalan Yanran, will have absolutely no connection with my Xiao Family!"