Nalan Yanran Comes to Break Off the Engagement!

By the next morning, quite a few Xiao Clan disciples had already gathered in the training square, discussing things animatedly.

"I heard an honored guest is coming today—Nalan Yanran of the Misty Cloud Sect. She's a renowned genius among the younger generation of the Jia Ma Empire."

"Exactly. She's now the personal disciple of Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect's leader. She became a Dou Zhe at such a young age; her future is limitless."

"But why is she coming to our Xiao Clan? Could she be here to see Xiao Yan? After all, she has an engagement with him."

"An engagement? Give me a break. Look at Nalan Yanran's current status—does a piece of trash with only three stages of Dou Qi like Xiao Yan deserve her? I'd say she's probably here to break off the engagement."

"That makes sense. How could a proud daughter of heaven like Nalan Yanran possibly take a liking to trash like Xiao Yan? What a waste for her."

For a time, all manner of mocking voices rang out, and quite a few clan disciples wore gleeful expressions.

Just then, Xiao Yan happened to pass by the edge of the square, and those discussions naturally reached his ears.

His steps paused briefly. There was no visible expression on his face as he lowered his head slightly and continued forward.

Over the past three years, he had heard such words far too often. From the initial anger and unwillingness to the numbness he now felt, he seemed to have grown accustomed to them.

Throughout the entire clan, almost everyone who looked at him did so with ridicule in their eyes. He had heard the word "trash" more times than he could count.

Xiao Yan quickly crossed the square and soon arrived at the clan hall.

After pushing open the doors and entering, he noticed that Xiao Yun was already seated inside, so he took a seat beside him.

Inside the hall, Xiao Zhan sat at the head of the room, while the Second Elder and Third Elder sat on either side. The First Elder was also in his own seat, and all of them wore somewhat grave expressions.

After a while, hurried footsteps sounded outside. A woman dressed in white entered the Xiao Clan hall, followed by an elderly man in a gray robe.

The woman was extraordinarily beautiful and possessed an exceptional bearing. Dressed in the uniform of a Misty Cloud Sect disciple, she naturally carried herself with an arrogant air. She was Nalan Yanran.

That said, the elderly man behind her had a steady, restrained presence. One look was enough to tell that he was an expert of the Misty Cloud Sect.

After entering the hall, Nalan Yanran swept her gaze around the room. It paused on Xiao Yan's face for a moment, then moved away just as quickly.

As the clan leader, Xiao Zhan had originally intended to exchange a few pleasantries. No matter what, she was his future daughter-in-law, and he could not neglect the proper courtesies expected of a future father-in-law.

But before he could speak, Nalan Yanran beat him to it.

"Uncle Xiao, Yanran has come today to ask something of you."

Xiao Zhan froze for a moment and swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue. "What is it? Speak freely."

Nalan Yanran glanced at Xiao Yan, her tone remarkably calm. "Yanran has come today to dissolve my engagement with Xiao Yan."

The instant those words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent.

The Second Elder and Third Elder exchanged looks. They had more or less guessed it, but hearing Nalan Yanran say it outright before so many people still surprised them.

Xiao Zhan's expression changed at once. He abruptly rose to his feet, disbelief in his voice. "What did you say? Dissolve the engagement?"

"Nalan Yanran, do you know what you are saying? This engagement was personally arranged by your grandfather years ago. You think you can simply dissolve it because you say so?"

Faced with Xiao Zhan's questioning, Nalan Yanran did not retreat. Unhurriedly, she took a jade bottle from her storage ring and placed it on the table.

"Uncle Xiao, I know this is somewhat abrupt, but it concerns the marriage that will affect the rest of my life. I hope you can understand."

"This fourth-grade medicinal pill, the Qi Gathering Powder, can be considered a small compensation from the Misty Cloud Sect to the Xiao Clan."

"Qi Gathering Powder?"

Xiao Zhan looked at the jade bottle on the table, his face turning utterly livid.

A fourth-grade medicinal pill was indeed extremely valuable outside, but they wanted to dismiss the engagement between the two families with a mere fourth-grade pill?

This was clearly a slap in the Xiao Clan's face in front of everyone!

"Nalan Yanran, are you truly determined to do this?"

"The engagement was arranged by your grandfather and my father. Even if it is to be dissolved, there must be a proper explanation. You come to my doorstep today with a single pill and demand to break off the engagement—isn't that far too disrespectful to my Xiao Clan?"

Seeing that Xiao Zhan would not yield, Nalan Yanran frowned slightly.

The gray-robed elder behind her, Ge Ye, stepped forward at that moment. The faint aura of a Seven-Star Da Dou Shi radiated from him, carrying an unmistakable hint of pressure.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly grew tense, as if swords were drawn and bows bent.

None of the elders spoke, but their gazes quietly shifted toward Xiao Yun.

After what had happened a few days ago, they all knew who truly called the shots in the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Yun suddenly stood up and walked over to the table. He picked up the jade bottle containing the Qi Gathering Powder and gave it a glance.

"A fourth-grade medicinal pill?"

Xiao Yun spoke lightly, then casually tossed the jade bottle back onto the table.

"You actually have the nerve to call this compensation?"

When Nalan Yanran heard that, her expression went blank for a moment. She had not expected anyone from a minor Xiao Clan to speak to her like that.

She looked Xiao Yun over, seeming to recall something. "You are... Xiao Yun of the Xiao Clan, aren't you?"

"I heard you're trash with only two stages of Dou Qi. Since when was it your turn to speak here?"

"The Misty Cloud Sect is, at the very least, a major sect of the Jia Ma Empire. Bringing out something like this to dismiss us is rather beneath you, isn't it?"

Nalan Yanran's expression changed slightly upon hearing that. She had not expected a trash young master from the Xiao Clan to dare speak to her so bluntly.

"What do you mean? You should know perfectly well what a fourth-grade medicinal pill is worth in the Jia Ma Empire. Do you have the ability to produce a better pill?"

Nalan Yanran's face darkened at those words. Just as she was about to retort, Ge Ye beside her suddenly stopped her.

Ge Ye's gaze was fixed tightly on Xiao Yun, his brows slightly furrowed.

As a Da Dou Shi expert of the Misty Cloud Sect, his senses were far sharper than Nalan Yanran's. The reason he had remained silent until now was that he had been secretly observing every person in the Xiao Clan.

The aura around this Fourth Young Master of the Xiao Clan... was something he could not see through.

It was not that it seemed particularly powerful, but rather that it gave him a faint sense of danger.

"Yanran, don't be hasty," Ge Ye said in a low voice.

Nalan Yanran was momentarily stunned after Ge Ye stopped her. She rarely saw him wear such a grave expression.

But she was, after all, the proud young lady of the Misty Cloud Sect. How could she possibly be frightened off by a few words from a trash young master of the Xiao Clan?