Light pierced the darkness, and a peaceful aura spread across the land. A new day had begun, and people started busying themselves once more. In a side hall of the Xiao Clan, however, sharp snores could be heard from far away.
Xiao Meng had gone to bed too late last night, so he still had not gotten up.
"Ah..."
Suddenly, Xiao Meng, who had been sleeping soundly, let out a shriek as if a three-foot steel needle had stabbed into his body, and he sprang up in alarm.
He jumped so high that he directly snapped a thick roof beam.
Yet before he could cry out in pain, he landed on the bed, immediately sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes in concentration.
"Holy shit, why are you two squaring off against each other?" Xiao Meng's consciousness entered the Heavenly Abode, and his expression abruptly changed.
After studying the flame he had fished up last night, he learned that it was called the Primordial Origin Flame, an incredibly powerful existence. He had only dripped a few drops of blood onto it, and it had acknowledged him as its master. In the end, he had stored it in the Heavenly Abode to nourish it.
However, as soon as the Primordial Origin Flame entered his Heavenly Abode, it hid in a distant corner, staying far away from that green lotus. Thus, the two had remained at peace.
But now, they were actually confronting each other, looking ready to fight to the death.
"Damn it, you're both part of the family. What the hell are you making a fuss over? Got something wrong with your brains?" Xiao Meng finally understood. The Primordial Origin Flame wanted to seize the golden energy where the Chaos Green Lotus had taken root, while the Chaos Green Lotus firmly refused.
"Big Old Two, be good and go play somewhere else. That belongs to your big brother, so what are you trying to snatch it for?" Xiao Meng's face grew increasingly ugly. The Primordial Origin Flame was like a bull—he could not drag it away at all.
To Xiao Meng, the Chaos Green Lotus was like his own biological child. Naturally, the good stuff had to go to it first. The Primordial Origin Flame was more like an adopted child, so its treatment naturally had to be a little worse. That was only human nature. Perfectly normal.
"Big Old Two, if you still won't listen, I'm going to whip you!" Xiao Meng was furious. Since it was inside his body, how could he allow it to act so arrogantly? If it truly enraged him, then screw it—he would just kill it.
Perhaps sensing Xiao Meng's anger, the Primordial Origin Flame slowly retreated and no longer gave off hostile intent.
Only then did Xiao Meng's expression improve. If the two really started fighting, he would definitely be the one injured.
"Big brother, don't be so stingy either. You need to learn to share the good stuff. Besides, you've already eaten both the meat and the bones. At least leave someone some soup."
Xiao Meng communicated with the Chaos Green Lotus, asking it to share some of the golden energy with Big Old Two. Even if it was adopted, he could not let it become malnourished and grow up deformed.
After some communication, the Chaos Green Lotus swayed a few times, indicating its agreement.
Xiao Meng was very pleased. His biological child was just obedient and well-behaved.
But in the next second, his smile froze on his face. The Chaos Green Lotus trembled a few times, and from the golden mass of energy beneath it, a wisp of gas no bigger than a pair of chopsticks drifted toward the Primordial Origin Flame.
Damn! Stingy was no longer enough to describe this. Xiao Meng felt pain in his liver, pain in his heart, and even his balls were cramping in agony.
"Uh... Big Old Two, you really have no ambition. A tiny bit of energy is enough to make you this happy..." Xiao Meng was speechless. There was truly no one else like the two oddballs inside his body.
"Forget it. As long as you don't start fighting, play however you want." After being disturbed by those two, Xiao Meng had not slept well, so he planned to catch a little more sleep.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
But just as he pulled the blanket over his head, a sudden knock sounded at the door.
"Who is it? Are you going to let people sleep or not?" Xiao Meng sat up at once and roared darkly.
"Young Master Three, the clan leader requests your presence in the main hall," a servant's voice came from outside.
The main hall?
Xiao Meng froze for a moment, then hurriedly threw on his clothes and leaped out of bed. His father had reminded him last night that guests would be coming to the Xiao Clan today. According to the plot, today was the day Nalan Yanran would come to break off her engagement with Xiao Yan. As his elder brother, he had to go lend some support.
After getting dressed, he checked his Storage Ring. Seeing that the wok spatula was inside, he walked out of the room, smiled at a servant in blue, and said, "Let's go!"
Following the servant through several twists and turns, he soon arrived at the Xiao Clan's reception hall. He lightly knocked on the door a few times before slowly pushing it open and entering.
The spacious hall was packed with people. His father, Xiao Zhan, sat in the seat of honor, with several respected elders beside him.
At the same time, three strangers sat below Xiao Zhan's right hand.
One was an old man dressed in moon-white robes. He wore a smile and looked full of vigor. His small eyes glinted with sharp light. There was no need to guess—this man had to be Ge Ye, a Seven-Star Da Dou Shi.
Beside Ge Ye sat a young man and woman. They wore the same moon-white robes. The man was around twenty years old, with handsome features and a tall, straight figure. He was quite charming, a Five-Star Dou Zhe.
As for the girl around Xiao Meng's age, she was ethereally beautiful, with curved brows, watery eyes, rosy lips, jade-like teeth, and a tall figure. Yet her brows were filled with arrogance, and her entire body exuded a chill that kept others at a distance. She was naturally the person who had come to break off the engagement—Nalan Yanran, a Three-Star Dou Zhe.
The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat oppressive. Xiao Zhan's face was filled with fury, fire blazing in his eyes as his fists clenched tightly.
"Looks like I came a little late and missed some of the conversation." Xiao Meng felt somewhat annoyed. If he had known, he would not have slept last night. He then found a seat below Xiao Xun'er and sat down.
"Miss Nalan, are you truly determined to have your own way and disregard the goodwill between our two families?" Xiao Zhan's voice turned cold and stern, Dou Qi surging within him.
He knew that nothing good ever came of people from the Misty Cloud Sect visiting the Xiao Clan, but he had never expected them to come to break off an engagement. A woman breaking off her engagement with a man—where would that leave the Xiao Clan's dignity?
Especially when the person involved was his own son. How could Xiao Zhan endure it?
"Clan Leader Xiao, why must you do this? A forced marriage will never be sweet. It will only bring endless troubles to the two children."
Ge Ye smiled faintly. "The Sect Master knew that today's matter would put the Xiao Clan in an awkward position, so she specifically instructed me to bring a Qi Gathering Powder as compensation."
As soon as he finished speaking, an ancient jade box that glowed entirely green appeared out of thin air in Ge Ye's palm. He carefully opened it, and a strange fragrance immediately filled the hall. Everyone who smelled it felt their spirits lift.
"Qi Gathering Powder!" Quite a few elders cried out, their eyes filled with burning desire.
However, to Xiao Zhan, this was even more humiliating than forcibly breaking off the engagement. What did the Misty Cloud Sect take the Xiao Clan for? Did they think the Xiao Clan would abandon its family honor for a single medicinal pill?
"You people from the Misty Cloud Sect are going too far!" Xiao Zhan's fists creaked as he clenched them. Faint green Dou Qi gradually covered his body, eventually gathering vaguely around his face into an illusory angry lion.
The Xiao Clan's top cultivation technique: Wild Lion Fury, Earth-tier mid-grade.
"Uncle Xiao, I have already said it. I, Nalan Yanran, am the young sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect, a favored daughter of heaven. I cannot possibly marry a trash like him. Dragons do not dwell with snakes. Besides, if I married into your Xiao Clan, I would only bring you trouble, perhaps even disaster." Nalan Yanran showed no fear as she stared directly at Xiao Zhan.
"Dragons do not dwell with snakes? That stupid bitch thinks she deserves to call herself a dragon?" Xiao Meng narrowed his eyes, a cold gleam flashing through them. He was considering whether to kill Ge Ye, Nalan Yanran, and that pretty-boy beside her right now.
"Nalan Yanran, you humiliated my third brother like this today. Do you really think you are so incredible? Xiao Yan has a few words for you: thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Do not bully the poor youth."
Xiao Yan could no longer endure it and stood up directly, roaring furiously with a savage expression.
"Hehe, three years from now, that idiot Nalan Yanran..."
"Wait a second!"
Suddenly, Xiao Meng sensed that something was wrong. His expression stiffened, and his mouth fell open. "What did Fourth Brother just say? Humiliate his... his third brother?"
"What the hell does that mean? Isn't his third brother me?"
"No, Nalan Yanran is breaking off his engagement. How does that humiliate his... his third brother? What does that have to do with me?"
"Fourth Brother, what do you mean by that?" Xiao Meng panicked. Was he supposed to take the fall for Xiao Yan? That could not be right.
"What's wrong, Third Brother? Did I say something wrong?" Xiao Yan turned his head and asked.
While everyone was still immersed in Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Meng grabbed Xiao Yan and pulled him back into his seat, whispering, "Fourth Brother, how did she humiliate me? Shouldn't she be humiliating you?"
"Humiliating me?" Now it was Xiao Yan's turn to look completely dumbfounded.
"Third Brother, Nalan Yanran came to break off her engagement with you, so she was humiliating you just now." Xiao Yan thought it over and immediately understood that his third brother had misunderstood.
"She's breaking off her engagement with me?" Xiao Meng exploded. Damn it, they were actually making him take the blame. This was utterly intolerable.
A sharp scream immediately drew everyone's attention.
"You must be Xiao Meng." A trace of disgust flashed through Ge Ye's eyes, though he still put on a kind and amiable expression.
"Father! This woman is my fiancée?" Xiao Meng refused to accept it, pointing at Nalan Yanran with a livid face as he asked.
"How dare you! You dare disrespect the Young Sect Master? Death without pardon!" The instant Xiao Meng finished speaking, the young man beside her stood up, killing intent on his face as he shouted.
"How dare you, you fucking bitch! You really love licking people's boots, don't you?" Xiao Meng's face darkened, and he immediately fired back.
Hiss!
"I never expected Third Brother to be so fierce when he curses." Xiao Yan sucked in a breath of cold air. In his impression, aside from being somewhat shameless, Xiao Meng had always been mild-tempered. He had never seen him get angry before.
"You trash, you..."
"Enough!" Xiao Zhan barked.
Ge Ye's face looked terrible. He gestured for the young man beside him to sit down, but the way he looked at Xiao Meng became even colder.
"Meng'er, this is my fault. I should have told you beforehand..." Xiao Zhan guiltily explained the entire matter.
It turned out that the Xiao Clan had once done a favor for the old master of the Nalan Clan, which was why this betrothal had been arranged. But when the marriage had been decided, the eldest and second sons had already been born for many years, so it fell to the third son.
And since he had been born before Xiao Yan, Nalan Yanran naturally became his fiancée.
"Damn it, you dare break off my engagement? I'm going to beat you to a pulp today..."
Ding, new random mission.
At that moment, the system's voice suddenly sounded in Xiao Meng's mind.
"A mission?"
Xiao Meng subconsciously opened the mission. Pass the blame to Xiao Yan. [Note: If passing the blame fails, Xiao Yan's cultivation speed will be halved, so he will eventually die.]
Xiao Meng: "..."
"Father! Look carefully at me. I'm the fourth son, not the third!" Xiao Meng suddenly pointed at himself, his voice trembling as if he were about to cry.
Everyone: "???"
"Third Brother, I have something to do. I'll be leaving first!" Xiao Meng called out to Xiao Yan, then vanished from the hall with a whoosh.
Xiao Yan: "???"
Everyone: "???"
In a corner, Xiao Meng wore a pained expression. He knew that doing this would make Xiao Zhan look even worse, but compared to Xiao Yan's life, he could only do this. Otherwise, he would definitely defy the system and give Nalan Yanran a lesson she would never forget.
But he also believed that if Xiao Zhan knew the reason, he would definitely support his decision.
"Nalan Yanran, Lord Meng will let you be arrogant a little longer. Just wait—soon enough, I'll beat you to death!"
Before you continue