Xiao Yan, Get Lost

"Forget it. This matter is too difficult for you. It really wouldn't be appropriate for me to say it. Besides, your family has some standing here. If I brought up that matter and made you agree to it, your family would lose face. That would be immoral of me."

Yun Shenwei deliberately put on a troubled expression. In truth, he was playing hard to get. To completely win over an enemy, he first had to draw their attention.

"Shenwei Ge, don't be like this. If you talk like that, then you don't see me, Xiao Yan, as a friend. Besides, we're fellow townsmen. In this world, aside from my parents and brothers, you're the person I should trust most. If I don't trust you, who else can I trust?"

The moment Xiao Yan heard that, he became unhappy. He slapped the table and stood up, his face filled with displeasure.

"Don't be so distant, or you'll be looking down on me!"

After saying that, Xiao Yan clenched his fists. Clearly, those words had come from the bottom of his heart.

Wonderful. This guy has finally taken the bait. But to make him take the initiative even more, I still need to retreat in order to advance.

Yun Shenwei calculated inwardly. At that moment, the bait had already been set. It was now up to the fish to bite.

"No, this matter truly concerns your family's honor. You also understand that this place is ultimately different from our Blue Planet. Just because you can think it through doesn't mean your father or clansmen can. You can't simply think something is acceptable yourself, then take it for granted that others will think so too. That would be wrong."

Yun Shenwei waved his hand, his expression still troubled.

In fact, he was not wrong. What he was talking about was breaking off an engagement. If such a matter happened on Blue Planet, society might be more open now and no longer as stubbornly old-fashioned as before, and young people would be easier to reason with.

Even so, in certain places, parents still had the final say, and children had to obediently listen. Families all had their rules.

Not to mention that this was the world of Battle Through the Heavens. The living environment here was actually much like the ancient Celestial Dynasty on Blue Planet.

Therefore, the customs, habits, lifestyles, and local traditions of the people here were all quite similar.

"Why don't we just forget about this? I can't make things difficult for you and your father."

Yun Shenwei waved his hand again.

"Shenwei Little Brother, I'm unhappy to hear you say that. You came here to help my son. How could I not be grateful for such a great kindness?"

At that moment, a middle-aged man's voice came from outside the door. Needless to say, Xiao Zhan had arrived.

Xiao Zhan quickly pushed open the door and strode in. His face still carried some of a patriarch's authority, but upon seeing the two youths, he swiftly changed to a gentle expression.

"I only just arrived. Yan'er, tell me honestly what Shenwei Little Brother just said to you. We of the Xiao Family should know how to repay kindness. His status is noble, and he came here originally to train. The fact that he can spare the effort to help us is already more than commendable."

Xiao Zhan's words rang out firmly and carried deep meaning.

"Father, I don't know what this is about. Ask him." Xiao Yan looked helpless. After all that, he still had no idea what was going on, and now his father had come over as well.

"Do you truly want me to say it?"

Yun Shenwei asked with feigned difficulty. At this moment, he was actually preparing to unleash his Ultimate Move.

"Say it. I am the Xiao Family Patriarch. As long as it is within my power, I will see it done for you."

Xiao Zhan nodded solemnly. He was still very confident when it came to authority. After all, his position in the family was still the highest, and his other brothers did not dare act recklessly.

"Then I'll say it. Do you know who that girl who came with me is?"

Yun Shenwei spoke mysteriously.

Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan looked at each other, then both shook their heads. Of course, they remembered that the girl was indeed beautiful. She looked noble as well, clearly a disciple of some great family, and her cultivation was extraordinary.

"She is Nalan Yanran."

Yun Shenwei said softly.

"Nalan Yanran? That name sounds somewhat familiar..."

Upon hearing it, Xiao Zhan could not help frowning. He had some impression of the Nalan Family.

"Could it be?"

Very quickly, Xiao Zhan seemed to remember something.

"That's right. She is Nalan Yanran, the one engaged to Xiao Yan, the treasured daughter of the Nalan Family of the Jia Ma Empire."

Yun Shenwei slowly nodded and spoke unhurriedly.

Everything was now proceeding according to his plan. At this point, all he needed was convincing acting. He believed that when faced with a choice between benefits and feelings, these two would definitely not disappoint him.

"So it's her! Father, does that mean I'm supposed to marry her once I come of age?"

Xiao Yan asked in confusion, only to be glared at by Xiao Zhan. He could only shut his mouth.

"May I ask what this matter has to do with Nalan Yanran?"

At this moment, Xiao Zhan had vaguely sensed something, but he did not dare confirm it and could only ask aloud.

"Nalan Yanran and I are in love, and our elders have already met as well. To be honest, the reason I came this time was to help Nalan Yanran break off her engagement with the Xiao Family."

The moment Yun Shenwei said this, the scene seemed to freeze.

Xiao Zhan's expression shifted between ugliness, ferocity, anger, and worry.

He was, after all, the patriarch of a family. Rather than becoming enraged from humiliation over this matter, he suppressed the fury in his heart and said, "Shenwei Little Brother, you should know what it means in the Jia Ma Empire when someone comes to a family's door to break off an engagement. My Xiao Family is also one of the Four Great Families in Wutan City. I wouldn't say we are particularly glorious in ordinary times, but at the very least, many common people here still hold the Xiao Family in awe.

"If the engagement is broken off, it would be an enormous humiliation. Although I am the patriarch, this matter truly puts me in a difficult position. Moreover, it concerns my son's happiness for the rest of his life."

As Xiao Zhan spoke, his fists clenched tightly.

"That's why I originally did not plan to bring this matter up. I was afraid of putting you in a difficult position. Now that I've said it, everyone is unhappy. Why don't we just forget it? After all, compared to restoring Xiao Yan's cultivation, I think it would be better to let Xiao Yan marry Nalan Yanran."

Yun Shenwei pretended to yield and shook his head.

"It's just that Pill King Gu He has a very good relationship with me. If I personally ask him, he might be willing to help. But if it is anyone else, I'm afraid it would be useless. Even the sect leader of my Misty Cloud Sect would not be able to do it."