Taking the Blame and Passing the Buck (Please Recommend, Please Favorite)

Dawn pierced the darkness, and a peaceful aura spread across the land. A new day had begun, and people busied 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. It was as though a three-foot steel needle had stabbed into his body, making him leap up in fright.

He jumped so high that he directly snapped a thick roof beam.

Yet before he could cry out in pain, he landed back on the bed, immediately sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused his mind.

"Fuck, why are you two confronting each other?" Xiao Meng's consciousness entered his Heavenly Mansion, and his expression changed drastically.

After studying the flame he had fished up last night, he learned that it was called the Primordial Origin Flame. It was an incredibly formidable existence. All it took was a few drops of his blood for the flame to recognize him as its master, after which he brought it into his Heavenly Mansion to nurture it.

However, once the Primordial Origin Flame entered his Heavenly Mansion, it hid in a distant corner, keeping far away from the green lotus. Thus, the two had remained at peace.

But now, they were actually facing off, looking ready to fight to the death.

"Damn it, you're both family. What the hell are you making a fuss over? Got something wrong with your brains?" Xiao Meng could see what was happening. The Primordial Origin Flame wanted to seize the golden energy where the Chaos Green Lotus had rooted itself, while the Chaos Green Lotus firmly refused.

"Second, be good and go play somewhere else. That belongs to your big brother. What are you trying to snatch it for?" Xiao Meng's expression grew uglier. The Primordial Origin Flame was like a bull; he could not pull it away no matter what.

To Xiao Meng, the Chaos Green Lotus was practically his biological child. Naturally, the good stuff had to go to it first. The Primordial Origin Flame, on the other hand, was adopted, so its treatment naturally had to be a little worse. That was only human nature.

"Second, if you keep refusing to 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 outright.

Perhaps sensing Xiao Meng's anger, the Primordial Origin Flame slowly retreated and stopped emitting hostility.

Only then did Xiao Meng's expression improve. If the two really started fighting, he would definitely be the one injured.

"Big brother, you can't be so stingy either. You need to learn to share the good stuff. Besides, you've eaten both the meat and the bones, so you should at least leave someone a little soup, right?"

Xiao Meng communicated with the Chaos Green Lotus, asking it to share some of the golden energy with its second brother. Even if it was adopted, he could not let it become malnourished and grow crooked.

After some communication, the Chaos Green Lotus swayed a few times, indicating its agreement.

Xiao Meng was very pleased. Biological children really were obedient and well-behaved.

But the next second, his smile froze on his face. The Chaos Green Lotus shook a few times, and from the golden energy beneath it seeped out a strand of gas no bigger than a pair of chopsticks, drifting toward the Primordial Origin Flame.

Damn! Stingy did not even begin to describe it. Xiao Meng felt pain in his liver, pain in his heart, and even his balls were cramping painfully.

"Uh... Second, you really have no standards. Just a little wisp of energy is enough to make you this happy..." Xiao Meng was speechless before the heavens. There was truly no one else like the two oddballs inside him.

"Forget it. As long as you don't fight, 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 burst of knocking suddenly sounded.

"Who is it? Are you seriously not letting people sleep?" Xiao Meng sat up at once and roared with a dark expression.

"Third Young Master, the clan head requests your presence in the main hall," a servant's voice came from outside the door.

The main hall?

Xiao Meng was stunned at first, then hurriedly threw on his clothes and jumped 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 came to break off her engagement with Xiao Yan. As his elder brother, he had to go cheer him on, right?

After getting dressed, he checked his storage ring. Seeing that the wok spatula was inside, he walked out of the room and smiled at a young servant in blue. "Let's go!"

Following the servant through turn after turn, 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 filled with people. His father, Xiao Zhan, sat in the seat of honor, with several highly respected elders beside him.

At the same time, three strangers sat below Xiao Zhan's right hand.

One was an old man dressed in a moon-white robe. He wore a genial smile and looked full of spirit. Though his eyes were narrow, they gleamed sharply. There was no need to guess—this man had to be Ge Ye, the seven-star Grand Battle Master.

Beside Ge Ye sat a young man and woman, both wearing the same moon-white robes. The young man was around twenty years old, with a handsome face and a tall, straight figure. He was quite charming, a five-star Battle Disciple.

As for the girl around his own age, she was exquisitely beautiful and otherworldly, with curved brows, watery eyes, rosy lips, jade-like teeth, and a tall figure. Yet her brows were filled with arrogance, and coldness radiated from her body, making her difficult to approach. She was naturally the person who had come to break off the engagement—Nalan Yanran, a three-star Battle Disciple.

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat oppressive. Xiao Zhan's face was full of rage, fire blazing in his eyes, his fists clenched tightly.

Looks like I came a little late and missed some of the conversation. Xiao Meng felt somewhat annoyed. Had he known, he would not have slept last night. Then he found a seat below Xiao Xun'er and sat down.

"Miss Nalan, are you truly determined to have your way and disregard the bond between our two families?" Xiao Zhan's voice turned cold and stern as battle qi surged within him.

He knew that the Cloudmist Sect coming to the Xiao Clan could not mean anything good, but he had never expected them to come to break off an engagement. For the woman to annul the engagement with the 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 Head Xiao, why must you be like this? A forced melon is never sweet. This will only bring endless distress to both children."

Ge Ye smiled faintly. "The Sect Master knows that today's matter will put the Xiao Clan in an awkward position, so she specifically had me bring a Qi Gathering Powder as compensation."

As soon as he finished speaking, an ancient jade box with a green sheen appeared in Ge Ye's palm out of thin air. He carefully opened it, and an unusual fragrance immediately spread through the hall. Everyone who smelled it felt their spirits lift.

"Qi Gathering Powder!" Several elders cried out in shock, their eyes filled with burning desire.

Yet in Xiao Zhan's eyes, this was even more humiliating than forcibly breaking off the engagement. What did the Cloudmist Sect take the Xiao Clan for? Did they think the Xiao Clan would abandon its dignity for a single medicinal pill?

"Your Cloudmist Sect has gone too far in bullying others." Xiao Zhan's fists crackled as he clenched them. Faint green battle qi gradually covered his body before vaguely gathering around his face into an illusory furious lion.

The Xiao Clan's top cultivation technique: Wild Lion Fury, rank: mid-grade Profound.

"Uncle Xiao, I have already said it. I, Nalan Yanran, am the Young Sect Master of the Cloudmist Sect, a favored daughter of heaven. I cannot possibly marry a piece of trash. As they say, dragons do not dwell with snakes. And if I marry into your Xiao Clan, I will only bring you trouble, perhaps even disaster." Nalan Yanran showed no fear as she stared directly at Xiao Zhan.

"Dragons don't dwell with snakes? This dumb bitch thinks she's worthy of calling herself a dragon?" Xiao Meng narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing through them. He was considering whether he should kill Ge Ye, Nalan Yanran, and that pretty-boy beside them 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 not endure it any longer. He stood up directly and roared in fury, his face twisted with rage.

"Hehe, three years from now, Nalan Yanran, you idiot..."

"Wait a second!"

Suddenly, Xiao Meng sensed something was wrong. His expression stiffened, and his mouth fell wide open. "What did Fourth Brother just say? Humiliated his... his third brother?"

"What the fuck does that mean? Isn't his third brother me?"

"No, Nalan Yanran came to break off his engagement. How did that become humiliating his... his third brother? What does this have to do with me?"

"Fourth Brother, what do you mean by that?" Xiao Meng panicked. Was he supposed to take the blame for Xiao Yan? No way in hell.

"What's wrong, Third Brother? Did I say something wrong?" Xiao Yan turned his head and asked.

While everyone was still absorbed in Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Meng grabbed Xiao Yan and pulled him back into his seat, asking in a low voice, "Fourth Brother, how did she humiliate me? Shouldn't she have humiliated you?"

"Humiliated me?" This time, Xiao Yan was the one left dumbfounded.

"Third Brother, Nalan Yanran came to break off her engagement with you, so she was humiliating you just now." Xiao Yan thought it through and immediately understood that his third brother had misunderstood.

"Breaking off her engagement with me?" Xiao Meng exploded. They actually wanted him to be the scapegoat? This was absolutely intolerable.

His sharp cry 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 kindly appearance.

"Father! Is this woman my fiancée?" Xiao Meng was having none of it. Pointing at Nalan Yanran with a livid face, he demanded an answer.

"How dare you! You dare disrespect the Young Sect Master? Death without mercy!" The young man beside her stood up the moment Xiao Meng spoke, killing intent on his face as he shouted.

"How dare you my ass! You cheap bastard, do you enjoy licking boots that much?" Xiao Meng's face was dark as he immediately fired back.

"Hiss!"

"I never expected Third Brother to be this fierce when insulting people." Xiao Yan sucked in a breath of cold air. In his impression, aside from being somewhat shameless, Xiao Meng had always had a mild temper. He had never seen him get angry.

"You trash, you..."

"Enough!" Xiao Zhan barked.

Ge Ye's expression turned ugly. He raised a hand to signal 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 for not telling you about it beforehand..." Xiao Zhan explained the whole matter with some guilt.

It turned out that the Xiao Clan had once shown kindness to the Nalan Clan's old master, which led to this arranged marriage. But when the marriage was decided, the eldest and second sons had already been born for many years, so it fell upon the third son.

And because he had been born before Xiao Yan, Nalan Yanran naturally became his fiancée.

"Damn it, you dare break off my engagement? Today, I'm definitely going to beat you to..."

Ding, new random mission.

Just then, the system's voice suddenly sounded in Xiao Meng's mind.

"A mission?"

Xiao Meng subconsciously opened the mission panel. 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 at me carefully. I'm the fourth son, not the third!" Xiao Meng suddenly pointed at himself, his voice carrying a sob.

Everyone: "???"

"Third Brother, I have something to do, so I'm leaving first!" Xiao Meng greeted 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 on the spot.

Still, he believed that if Xiao Zhan knew the reason, he would definitely support him in doing this.

"Nalan Yanran, Lord Meng will let you be arrogant a little longer. Just wait—I'll beat you to death soon enough!"