"...Niece Nalan, I'll accept your request on Yuan'er's behalf."
When he said this, Xiao Zhan seemed to age ten years.
He had no choice but to agree.
Xiao Zhan knew very well that Xun'er liked Xiao Yuan a lot. If he could, he would have been happy to see the two of them together.
But in the end, it was impossible.
The Xiao Clan was far, far beneath the family behind Xun'er.
Even though Xiao Yuan had reached the Da Dou Shi realm at the age of fourteen, and the Xiao Clan might even be able to turn its fortunes around thanks to that, they still couldn't reach high enough to marry into Xun'er's family.
What was more, the colossal Misty Cloud Sect was an opponent the Xiao Clan couldn't afford to provoke.
Now that Nalan Yanran had made a concession,
if they refused again, the Xiao Clan would surely suffer for it.
But just then, Nalan Yanran looked at Xiao Yuan and spoke again.
"I know that even though I'm Teacher Yun Yun's disciple, you must have plenty to say about getting engaged to me, a mere Dou Zhe. You probably think I'm using my power to pressure you."
"So, I, Nalan Yanran, hereby make a Three-Year Agreement with you."
"Three years from now, you and I will settle this at the Peak of Misty Cloud. If I lose, our engagement will be dissolved. If I win, then you'll obediently become my husband."
"You may be a once-in-a-generation genius, but I, Nalan Yanran, am no ordinary person either!
"Here, I, Nalan Yanran, will leave you with one more thing to remember—
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; don't bully a youth for being poor!"
Xiao Yuan: ???
[Hey, lady, did you pick up the wrong script? Is that really your line?]
"Fine. Then it's settled."
Xiao Zhan cut in at just the right moment, ending their conversation and beginning to see his guests off.
"And take this with you, too. The Xiao Clan doesn't need this kind of compensation."
With a wave of his hand, Xiao Zhan coldly flung the jade box on the table away.
It was Xiao Zhan's final shred of stubborn pride, and the last thing he could do for his son as a father.
But before the other party could catch it, a hand suddenly reached out and snatched it from the air.
The person was none other than Xiao Yuan.
Holding the jade box, he respectfully addressed Xiao Zhan at the head of the hall:
"Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Xiao, but I don't think we can return this Qi Gathering Powder."
As he spoke, he turned to Nalan Yanran and smiled.
"Besides, the Misty Cloud Sect has a huge family and fortune. It's only a mere fourth-grade pill. Since it was given as a gift, what reason is there to take it back? Isn't that right, Miss Nalan?"
Though that was what he said, he was thinking:
[Damn it, why should we give it back? For a little face? How much is face worth? Even if I sold this thing, I'd feed it to a dog before returning it to the Misty Cloud Sect!]
[If you're going to disgust me, don't blame me for disgusting you right back!]
Hearing his inner thoughts, Nalan Yanran let out a soft laugh and a coquettish snort.
"Hmph. I wasn't going to take it back anyway. Just consider it our engagement token."
With that, Nalan Yanran led Ge Ye and the others away.
Watching them leave, Xiao Yuan couldn't help gritting his teeth.
[What the hell? This is completely backwards!]
The Xiao Clan had saved face.
Nalan Yanran had achieved her goal.
The broken engagement had ended this way, and it should have been a happy outcome for everyone.
But Xiao Yuan couldn't smile, no matter what.
Damn it, who could have imagined that this backwards-ass lunatic Nalan Yanran was lusting after him!
And the one who felt even more dejected than him was Xiao Yan.
At least in the original story, his father, Xiao Zhan, and Xun'er had both stood by him and supported him.
But now?
Xun'er was one thing, but he hadn't expected Xiao Zhan to give in, too.
You couldn't begin to imagine how much that hurt Xiao Yan.
So Xiao Yuan made a point of seeking out his nominal cousin, intending to comfort him.
Unfortunately, Xiao Yan had only given him a bitter smile and thanked him for preserving the Xiao Clan's dignity.
That expression.
He looked just like some poor bastard whose wife had been stolen by a blond, and who still had to say thank you.
There was nothing he could do.
If he couldn't comfort him, he might as well give up and let Xiao Yan come to terms with it himself.
Besides, according to the timeline, Yao Chen should be waking up today.
So he said goodbye to Xun'er and returned alone to the small courtyard that belonged to him.
He shut the door tight and began inspecting the spoils he'd collected that day.
First, there were the fifty porcelain bottles set out in front of him.
Aside from a few bottles of healing medicine, a full thirty-four bottles contained Joyous Union Powder!
Just seeing that number made Xiao Yuan's eyelid twitch.
"Damn it, what am I, some new breed of womanizer? What do I need so much of this stuff for? Am I supposed to eat it with every meal?"
Most crucially, one of the bottles contained a Joyous Union Powder that was completely different from the rest.
[Yin-Yang Aphrodisiac Powder] [Grade: None] [Effect: Can cause anyone below Dou Di to lose all their cultivation for one hour, allowing them to fully enjoy the pleasures of the flesh.] [During intercourse, it can accelerate cultivation and increase one's cultivation based on the other person's level.]
In simple terms, it was an upgraded version of Joyous Union Powder.
And it was made for dual cultivation.
Going by the description, if he fed this stuff to a Dou Sheng and then cultivated with her, could he become a Dou Sheng at lightning speed?
It sounded pretty great.
But who would dare?!
He'd probably get slapped into a meat pancake by the Dou Sheng before he could even take the stuff out and slip it into her drink!
It was so absurd, absurdity's own mother would open the door and welcome it home!
"Dog System, why don't you just give me kidneys that can't be damaged, while you're at it!"
[Ding, no.]
Xiao Yuan was immediately at a loss for words. He cursed as he put away the bottles, then looked at the next reward—
"The Ten Thousand Soul Banner."
A black flag appeared in his hand.
It was icy to the touch—so cold it seemed to pierce right down to the bone!
The most vicious treasure of the demonic path: its staff was made from Ten Thousand Year Profound Yin Wood, with Soul-Hooking Chains suspending souls from the banner. Its surface was like green silk dyed with ink, and hideous white skulls surged across it, their sockets spilling eerie green ghostfire. The ancient characters "Profound Yin Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Heaven" hung from its corners.
As the saying went—
To become a dragon or elephant among the heavens, first feast on the oxen and horses of all living beings.
If you don't work hard on the road to immortality, you'll be brothers together inside the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
He just didn't know if he could refine this thing into gold in the Dou Qi Continent. Though having Grandmist Purple Qi coiling around it would be pretty nice, too.
After fiddling with it for a bit, he was just about to put it away when the Ten Thousand Soul Banner suddenly burrowed into his body.
He could take it back out with a mere thought.
It was as easy as moving his own arm, without the slightest hindrance.
"Pretty convenient."
Xiao Yuan grinned, then began examining the next reward.
"Next up... Hang on, what's this?"
Just as he was about to check out the Heavenly Flame he'd been longing for, he suddenly spotted a strange wooden box.
It looked exquisitely crafted, with gold inlay along the edges. It was ancient, and the box alone was worth a fortune. The description from the system was even more astonishing.
[Origin Qi] [Description: A wondrous energy born in accordance with the will of heaven and earth, it is essential for advancing to Dou Di.]
Xiao Yuan: "..."
He fell silent.
But his silence was deafening!
He could practically hear himself cursing the Dog System again and again.
He hadn't expected today's rewards to be a double-yolk egg, but a triple-yolk one!
But the problem was, even a novelist wouldn't dare write a scene where someone drew the key item for becoming a Dou Di from a lucky draw!
Wasn't this basically putting him over a fire and roasting him?!
He dared say that if this thing got exposed today,
Hun Tiandi would bring the experts of his entire clan to surround his door first thing tomorrow morning!