Wutan City's Great Event, Simulation Again...

Early the next morning, the gates of Wutan City were packed tight, mostly with onlookers who had heard the news and come to watch the spectacle.

"Is that the son of the Jialie Family head? To think he was actually beheaded and hung up on the city gate!"

"Look over there, those two must be the son and grandson of the Aoba Family head!"

"My god, who on earth is bold enough to do this? Are they tired of living?"

"Heh! Whoever dared to do this certainly isn't afraid of retaliation. If you ask me, it's highly likely the Xiao Family did it!"

"That can't be right, can it? What would the Xiao Family want? Offending two major families at once?"

"The sky over Wutan City is about to change!"

Xiao Zhan was naturally aware of what had happened at the city gate, but he was currently feeling rather bewildered. Although he had the heart to retaliate, he wouldn't dare commit such an outrageous act.

"Two elders, what is your take on this matter?"

Xiao Zhan sat in the center of the main hall, his face full of worry. While this matter had nothing to do with the Xiao Family, he feared the Jialie Family and Aoba Family would not see it that way.

The Second Elder stroked his beard, a glimmer of sharp insight flashing in his eyes as he chuckled, "Clan Head, you are blinded by your own perspective. The fact that those two old things haven't come knocking yet means they are afraid!"

"Afraid? How do you figure that?"

Xiao Zhan scratched his head in confusion. He couldn't quite grasp the Second Elder's logic. Those two old things would be afraid of the Xiao Family? That didn't seem realistic no matter how he looked at it.

The Second Elder smiled at these words, lifted his teacup for a light sip, and explained unhurriedly, "They aren't afraid of our Xiao Family, but of the killer. The heads of Jialie Ao, Aoba Lin, and Aoba Xiong are still hanging at the city gate, after all!"

Hearing this, Xiao Zhan finally reacted. That was true; given the temperaments of those two old things, they would have tried every possible way to cover up such a shameful scandal if they could.

Since they hadn't shown their faces by now, the only possibility was that they knew they couldn't afford to offend the person who had killed their descendants.

The reality was exactly as the Second Elder had surmised; the same situation was unfolding within both the Jialie Family and the Aoba Family.

Aoba Pa wanted to draw out the killer to exact revenge, but he was held back by the family elders, who tried to persuade him with earnest, bitter words.

Jialie Bi was slightly calmer, merely wanting to retrieve his son's head for burial so that he could at least have a complete corpse, but the elders within his clan refused, terrified of angering the killer and suffering the fate of total annihilation.

"Bastards! A bunch of bastards! I only want to retrieve my son's head, and you would even block me from doing that!"

Jialie Bi paced the room in a rage. The room was a scene of chaos, with every reachable object smashed to pieces. Three maids knelt at the doorway, shivering and not daring to look up.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Aoba Pa looked at the elders blocking his path, his entire body trembling with fury. Violent Dou Qi erupted from him, shattering the clutter in the room. "You... you bunch of scoundrels, get out of my way!!"

"Clan Head, please prioritize the family!"

The Great Elder of the Aoba Family furrowed his brows and stepped forward, a terrifying pressure of Dou Qi enveloping Aoba Pa, clearly intending to force him to back down.

Seeing the Great Elder take the lead, the other two elders exchanged a glance and stepped forward in unison, releasing their own Dou Qi pressure. "We ask that the Clan Head prioritize the family!"

"Fine! Fine! You actually dare to threaten me? Are you trying to revolt?"

Aoba Pa's expression grew increasingly dark. Surging Dou Qi erupted from his body, coalescing into a sturdy suit of armor before him.

Seeing this, the three elders knew they couldn't push him too far, or the Clan Head might actually attack them. However, they could understand his state; if they had lost a son and a grandson in succession, they would likely be in the same state.

But understanding was one thing, and letting him go out was another. They hadn't lived long enough yet. That mysterious powerhouse had killed Aoba Lin and Aoba Xiong in front of Aoba Pa, which meant Aoba Pa had absolutely no power to resist that person.

Provoking such an existence—losing a son and a grandson was already a stroke of luck, the three elders thought. After all, it wasn't their own kin who had died.

In the Xiao Family, inside Xiao Chen's room.

Such a massive event had occurred in Wutan City that even without asking, the news had reached Xiao Chen's ears.

Compared to the others who were still guessing the identity of the killer, Xiao Chen saw the situation with perfect clarity. The one who struck was undoubtedly Ling Ying, and the person who ordered him was certainly Xun Er.

"This is truly... a beauty's favor that is hard to repay!"

Xiao Chen sighed with a wry smile. It was clear that Xun Er had done this to vent his anger, but how was he supposed to repay this sentiment?

Cultivation techniques? Dou Skills? Medicinal pills?

With the Ancient Clan backing her, it wasn't as if she lacked these things. Even if he could obtain them with his current ability, they wouldn't be of a very high grade.

After pondering for a long time, Xiao Chen could only shelve the thought for now, deciding to find a way to repay this favor "in the future."

However, the grudge regarding the Jialie Family sending people to ambush him could not be brushed aside so easily. Thinking of this, Xiao Chen tapped on his system panel.

[Current available character for simulation: Xiao Yan]

That was right; after a full eight months, the simulator had finally lit up again, and the selectable character this time was still Xiao Yan.

[System, start simulation!]

[Simulation starting. Current character: Xiao Yan!]

The familiar sensation of dizziness washed over him again. When Xiao Chen opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the reception hall, and directly opposite him was a young girl of about fourteen or fifteen.

"Nalan Yanran? Is this the annulment of the engagement? The three-year agreement?"

Looking at the girl before him, Xiao Chen quickly sorted out the timeline. It was precisely after this annulment that Xiao Yan truly began his rise.

On the main seat, Xiao Zhan's Dou Qi surged, his gaze filled with fury as he looked at Nalan Yanran. "Take this Qi Gathering Powder back. My Xiao Family has no fortune to accept it!"

Seeing this, a flash of inspiration struck Xiao Chen, and he quickly spoke up: "Wait, Father. This child has something to say to Miss Nalan!"

"Xiao Yan, I will absolutely not marry someone I have never met before!"

Nalan Yanran looked up at Xiao Yan. At this moment, she realized she might have done something wrong, but she was unwilling to accept it. Why should she have to accept her family's arrangements and marry someone she had never seen?

Xiao Chen smiled at her words, walked quickly to the table, picked up the Qi Gathering Powder, and shook it at Nalan Yanran, teasingly saying, "I didn't expect Miss Nalan to be a proponent of free marriage. Rest assured, since you don't like this engagement, I won't pester you either!"

"I fully understand Miss Nalan's thoughts. After all, this is the other half who will accompany you for a lifetime; you should always choose someone you like!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present, including Nalan Yanran, was stunned. They likely hadn't expected "Xiao Yan" to say something like that.