The next morning, the city gates of Wutan City were already surrounded by a huge crowd. Most had heard the news and come to see the spectacle.
"Isn't that the son of the Jialie Family's clan leader? Someone actually cut off his head and hung it on the city gate?"
"Look over there. Those two must be the son and grandson of the Aoba Family's clan leader!"
"My god, who would be so bold? Do they have a death wish?"
"Heh! Whoever did this clearly isn't afraid of retaliation. I bet the Xiao Family was behind it!"
"Could that be? What does the Xiao Family want? To offend two major families at once?"
"The winds in Wutan City are changing!"
Xiao Zhan naturally knew what had happened at the city gates, but he was still a little stunned. Though he had wanted revenge, he hadn't dared to do anything so outrageous.
"Elders, what do you make of this?"
Xiao Zhan sat in the middle of the main hall, his face full of worry. The Xiao Family might have had nothing to do with this, but the Jialie Family and the Aoba Family probably wouldn't see it that way.
The Second Elder stroked his beard, a glint flashing in his eyes as he said with a chuckle, "Clan leader, you're too close to the matter to see it clearly. Those two old fools haven't come knocking yet, which means they're afraid!"
"Afraid? What do you mean?"
Xiao Zhan scratched his head in confusion. He couldn't understand the Second Elder's reasoning. Those two old fools afraid of the Xiao Family? That just didn't seem realistic.
The Second Elder smiled, lifted his teacup, and took a small sip before explaining unhurriedly, "They aren't afraid of our Xiao Family. They're afraid of the killer. The heads of Jialie Ao, Aoba Lin, and Aoba Xiong are still hanging at the city gates, after all!"
Hearing this, Xiao Zhan understood. That was right. Given those two old fools' temperaments, after such a disgrace, they would have done everything they could to cover it up.
The only explanation for their continued absence was that they knew they couldn't afford to offend the person who had killed their descendants.
The truth was just as the Second Elder had guessed. At that very moment, the same thing was happening in both the Jialie Family and the Aoba Family.
Oba Pa wanted to draw out the killer and take revenge, but the family elders stopped him, pleading with him to reconsider.
Jialie Bi was somewhat calmer. He only wanted to retrieve his son's head and bury it, so at least his son could have a whole body. But the family elders refused to let him, afraid that they might anger the killer and bring their entire clan to ruin.
"Bastards! A bunch of bastards! I only want to retrieve my son's head, and you're actually stopping me from even doing that!"
Jialie Bi paced furiously around the room. It was a complete mess; everything within reach had been smashed to pieces. Three maids knelt by the door, trembling and not daring to raise their heads.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Oba Pa glared at the elders blocking his way, trembling with rage. His violent Battle Qi burst out in every direction, pulverizing the clutter in the room. "You... you bunch of bastards! Get out of my way!"
"Clan leader, please put the family first!"
The Aoba Family's First Elder furrowed his brow and stepped forward. A terrifying pressure of Battle Qi descended upon Oba Pa, clearly meant to force him to back down.
Seeing the First Elder take the lead, the other two elders exchanged a glance, then stepped forward together and released their Battle Qi pressure. "We ask that you put the family first, clan leader!"
"Fine! Fine! You dare threaten me? Are you trying to rebel?"
Oba Pa's face darkened. A surge of Battle Qi burst from his body and gathered in front of him, forming a sturdy suit of armor.
Seeing this, the three elders knew they couldn't push him too far, or the clan leader might turn on them. They could understand how he felt: if they had lost both a son and a grandson, they would probably look the same.
But understanding was one thing; letting him leave was another. They weren't ready to die yet. That mysterious powerhouse had killed Aoba Lin and Aoba Xiong in an instant, right in front of Oba Pa, which showed that Oba Pa had no power to fight back against him.
Picking a fight with someone like that and losing a son and grandson was already lucky. That was what the three elders thought, anyway. It wasn't their own family members who had died.
Back at the Xiao Family, in Xiao Chen's room.
Something this big had happened in Wutan City. Even without asking around, the news had reached Xiao Chen.
While everyone else was still guessing who the killer was, Xiao Chen knew the answer as clearly as if it were written in a mirror. It had to be Ling Ying, and the one who'd sent him was certainly Xun'er.
"This really is... the hardest debt to repay: a beautiful woman's kindness!"
Xiao Chen gave a bitter smile and sighed. Xun'er had clearly done this for him, but how could he repay her feelings?
Cultivation methods? Dou Techniques? Pills?
With the Ancient Clan behind her, Xun'er hardly lacked any of those things. And even if he could get his hands on them, given his current abilities, they wouldn't be anything especially high-grade.
After pondering for a long while, Xiao Chen had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being. He decided to think of a way to repay her kindness "in the future."
But the Jialie Family's attempt to ambush him wasn't something he could simply let go. Thinking of this, Xiao Chen opened the system panel.
[Currently available simulation character: Xiao Yan]
That's right. A full eight months had passed, and the simulator had finally lit up again. The character available for this simulation was still Xiao Yan.
[System, begin simulation!]
[Simulation started. Character for this simulation: Xiao Yan!]
That familiar wave of dizziness swept over him again. When Xiao Chen opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the reception hall, facing a girl who looked about fourteen or fifteen.
"Nalan Yanran? She's here to break off the engagement? The Three-Year Agreement?"
Looking at the girl before him, Xiao Chen quickly pieced together the timeline. It was after this broken engagement that Xiao Yan would truly rise to prominence.
In the seat of honor, Battle Qi surged around Xiao Zhan. He looked at Nalan Yanran with fury in his eyes. "Take this Qi Gathering Powder back. My Xiao Family has no use for it!"
A flash of inspiration crossed Xiao Chen's mind. He hurriedly spoke up. "Wait, Father! I have something to say to Miss Nalan!"
"Xiao Yan, I will absolutely not marry someone I've never even met!"
Nalan Yanran looked up at Xiao Yan. She realized she might have made a mistake, but she was unwilling to accept it. Why should she have to follow her family's arrangements and marry a complete stranger?
Xiao Chen smiled at her words, strode over to the table, and picked up the Qi Gathering Powder. He waved it at Nalan Yanran teasingly. "I didn't realize Miss Nalan was such a supporter of marriage by choice. Don't worry. Since you don't like this engagement, I won't cling to you against your will!"
"I understand how you feel, Miss Nalan. After all, this is the person who'll spend your life by your side. You should choose someone you like!"
At those words, everyone present, Nalan Yanran included, froze. They probably hadn't expected "Xiao Yan" to say something like that.
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