Nalan Yanran's Arrival

Xiao Clan Back Mountain, a young man sat cross-legged on a blue stone, facing the setting sun.

"Hoo~" Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, feeling the Dou Qi that he had painstakingly cultivated in his body disappear silently once again. His heart was not stirred at all, as this had become the norm in the past three years.

"Uh~"

Xiao Yan sat up, stretched slightly, and hummed comfortably. Just then, a clear, melodious voice, like that of a lark, rang out from afar, "Xiao Yan Gege."

"Oh, it's Xun Er!" Xiao Yan turned around and saw a beautiful girl dressed in purple with an ethereal air. He couldn't help but smile.

"After being a useless person for so many years, this is the only girl who has stayed by my side."

Although most of the younger generation of the Xiao Clan refrained from any impulsive actions due to Xiao Zhan's prestige, the contrast before and after was something almost anyone could sense.

At first, Xiao Yan was indeed very angry, but over time, he got used to it and even began to enjoy it. Looking at Xun Er, who exuded amazing charm, Xiao Yan's heart stirred.

I can't help but laugh at my own naivety back then.

In the beginning, when he had just lost his talent, Xiao Yan was unable to cope with the sudden drop in status and became indifferent to everyone around him.

Only Xun Er, this proud daughter of heaven, stayed by Xiao Yan's side without ever leaving him. Due to his pride, Xiao Yan deliberately kept his distance from her, but in the end... he still succumbed to her tenderness.

"Xun Er, is something the matter?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.

"Here, these are Xiao Yan Gege's resources for this month." Xun Er stuffed a Storage Ring into Xiao Yan's hand, blinked her eyes, and said playfully.

"Xun Er, lying is not a good habit!" Xiao Yan checked the resources in his Storage Ring and shook his head bitterly.

As intelligent as he was, how could he not know the origin of the items in this Storage Ring? A year ago, Xiao Zhan had already told Xiao Yan that his family had cut off most of his resources.

Xiao Yan understood this perfectly. How could a "waste" with Three Stages of Dou Zhi Qi him be worth such a huge investment? He couldn't possibly use all those things, and he would be more than satisfied if his family could leave him a portion.

However, the resources sent by Xun Er this time were exactly the same as those he had before. Even if he was slow to realize it, Xiao Yan could guess that a certain girl had paid out of her own pocket to make up for it.

"What is Xiao Yan Gege saying? Xun Er doesn't understand!" Even now, Xun Er still pretends to be stupid, blinking her big, bright eyes, trying to get away with it by being cute.

"Alright," Xiao Yan flicked Xun Er's head, "These are all yours, right?"

Xiao Yan shoved the Storage Ring back into Xun Er's hand and said irritably.

"You're about to break through to the Da Dou Shi, and that's exactly when you need resources. How can you be so reckless?"

For some reason, Xiao Yan's senses were extremely sharp. Although Xun Er had some methods of concealment, he still managed to sense her cultivation level— Nine Star Dou Shi.

He was only one step away from breaking through to this level, and Xun Er was still foolishly sharing her resources with him. Although he was touched, he had no way of accepting them.

"Okay!" Xun Er agreed, looking aggrieved, as if Xiao Yan had bullied her.

Immediately, Xun Er seemed to remember something, "Xiao Yan Gege, it seems we have guests at home. Aunt Long asked me to call you over."

Guest?

Xiao Yan frowned. Didn't he know what the situation was like in the Xiao Clan? They were basically isolated from the world. Although they didn't restrict the movement of their family members, very few people would come to visit except on certain important days. How could they possibly have any guests?

And he also needed to get his mother to call him over. Thinking this, Xiao Yan turned his gaze to the "innocent" little girl beside him.

"Xun Er, what's wrong?" Xiao Yan knew perfectly well that no matter who his mother wanted to hide it from, she would never hide it from Xun Er.

"It seems like Xiao Yan Gege's fiancée has come to visit!" Xun Er said mysteriously.

"Fiancée? When did I get a fiancée?" Xiao Yan was completely baffled. This was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing in his life.

"I know that," Xun Er said cheerfully. "It's Nalan Yanran, the Young Sect Master of the Yun Lan Sect. Her grandfather, Nalan Jie, the Gama Empire Lionheart Marshal, is a good friend of Xiao Lin's grandfather. It was the two of them who arranged your engagement."

"Nalan Yanran?" Xiao Yan frowned, then seemed to realize something was amiss. "Wait a minute, didn't Grandpa die before I was born? How could he have arranged a marriage between us?"

It has to be said that Xiao Lin's whereabouts were kept completely secret; even the younger generation of the Xiao Clan today do not know that he is still alive.

"That marriage contract didn't specify a particular person. It seems that only the two of you are the closest in age, and that's how it was arranged!" Xun Er's slightly naive words made Xiao Yan feel helpless, and his lips twitched. Could a marriage contract really be so "arbitrary"?

"This old man is really... impressive!" After struggling for a while, Xiao Yan couldn't think of any other words to say, so he could only utter this one word.

"Xiao Yan Gege, that Nalan Yanran is a famous beauty, aren't you tempted?" Xun Er's voice made Xiao Yan's heart itch, seemingly full of seduction.

"Come on," Xiao Yan waved his hand and said, "I've never even met that Nalan Yanran, how could I possibly like or dislike her?"

"But... let's go take a look anyway!" It sounded nice, but the last words and the slightly quickened pace revealed the true nature of a certain pervert. A hint of jealousy flashed in Xun Er's eyes.

"Yan Er, you're here!" As soon as Xiao Yan stepped through the gate, Xiao Long, who was all smiles, noticed him.

"Oh, Xun Er is here too! Come over to Aunt Long." Just as Xiao Yan was about to greet his mother with a smile, Xun Er walked in and quickly attracted Xiao Long's full attention.

"Okay, Aunt Long." Xun Er walked forward with a smile, took Xiao Long's arm, and said very intimately.

"Sigh!" Xiao Yan just sighed, he was used to this kind of scene.

Not long after, Xiao Yan sat down next to Xiao Long and asked in confusion, "Mother, what's the situation with that engagement?"

"Did this little girl tell you again?" Xiao Long glanced sideways at Xun Er, who was sitting obediently to the side, and said with a hint of jealousy. She had a feeling that her own cabbage had been taken.

"This engagement is just a joke between the two families, it shouldn't be taken seriously." However, Xiao Long explained that she had no feelings for the Nalan Family at all. The two families had become strangers since the Xiao Clan left the Garma Imperial Capital.

Even the Old Clan Leader Xiao Lin, who had made the marriage agreement, never mentioned it again.

"Oh~" Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. He thought he was going to hand over his right to choose a partner so inexplicably.

"Aunt Long, do you know why Nalan Yanran came here?" Xun Er asked curiously.

"They're probably here because of that engagement too," Xiao Long said noncommittally. "It's fine if the two families settle this privately."

"But it seems that Nalan Yanran is arriving today..." Before she could finish speaking, someone came over.

"Reporting to the mistress, the guests from the Nalan Family have arrived and are waiting in the main hall."

And so, Nalan Yanran, the Soul Emperor's lifelong enemy, visited the Xiao Clan with an unperturbed expression.

The author will release a few chapters first, and the rest will be published tonight. I hope readers will be understanding!