Don't Want to Just Be Friends with Me? Do You Want to Be My Enemy?

"What's going on with you two?"

In his own room, Xiao Zhan was completely baffled.

From the moment the two of them arrived chatting and laughing, to introducing Nalan Yanran's identity, to jointly bringing up breaking off the engagement, he had been baffled from beginning to end.

He simply could not process what was happening.

"No, wait. You little brat, I know you don't want this engagement, and I've been thinking about how to bring it up with Old Master Nalan. But directly... talking his granddaughter into coming here and privately breaking off the engagement—isn't that inappropriate?"

Xiao Zhan scratched his head. He knew his son seemed dissatisfied with this engagement, but because of the close friendship between their elders' generation, he found it difficult to bring it up to the Nalan Family.

When Xiao Yan's Dou Qi had vanished, he had subtly mentioned it to Nalan Jie before. However, the latter had refused decisively. Even when he brought it up a second time, Nalan Jie still rejected it firmly, saying that once was acceptable, twice was tolerable, but there would not be a third time.

Xiao Zhan could only put the matter aside for the time being and did not mention it to Xiao Yan again.

He had planned to consider it carefully over time.

So why had it become so sudden today?

He had only just received word that a group from the Misty Cloud Sect seemed to have arrived. Before he could investigate what was going on, Xiao Yan had brought Nalan Yanran straight to him.

"It's alright, Uncle. This is my own decision. Yan and I think alike—I believe it's better to make our own choices when it comes to major life decisions."

Nalan Yanran smiled faintly, her tone gentle.

"My grandfather doesn't know about this, but this is my own matter. He cannot decide for me either."

Seeing that Xiao Zhan remained silent, Nalan Yanran added another sentence.

"Right, right, right. It's fine, Dad. She was the one who came to us to break off the engagement, so this is on her."

Xiao Yan grinned broadly, crossing one leg over the other as he grabbed several fruits from the platter on Xiao Zhan's desk and began munching on them.

When Xiao Zhan shot him a glare, he pursed his lips, put his leg down, and tossed a fruit to Nalan Yanran.

"Try it. I carefully bred these fruits myself."

"Chomp chomp." ×2

"You know, these are pretty sweet." Nalan Yanran's eyes lit up.

Xiao Zhan, standing beside them, was even more confused.

Was this normal? Was this how people acted when breaking off an engagement?

Had he gotten too old to keep up with young people's thought processes?

After another incense stick's worth of time, having confirmed that the two truly shared the same intentions—and seeing their attitudes grow increasingly outrageous—Xiao Zhan's face darkened.

Break it off, then! He could not control young people's affairs anyway!

"Go on, go on. Here's the engagement contract. Discuss it yourselves." Stuffing the contract into Xiao Yan's hands irritably, Xiao Zhan did his best to offer Nalan Yanran a smile. He immediately rose, intending to go to the back room and calm himself down.

That little brat was good at everything except being infuriating sometimes!

"So this is mine now?" Nalan Yanran gave Xiao Zhan a gentle smile, then walked out of the inner room and into the main hall.

Pinching the engagement contract between her fingers, Nalan Yanran waved it at Xiao Yan. Without waiting for his reply, she tucked it away.

"You're not tearing it up?" Xiao Yan scratched his head.

"Why would I?" Nalan Yanran lifted her chin. "Wouldn't it be nice to keep it as a memento?"

Xiao Yan: "..."

After a moment of silence, Xiao Yan looked at Nalan Yanran's sparkling eyes and understood her train of thought.

"So this is the first step in your successful rebellion against fate, huh?"

Nalan Yanran nodded happily.

Her eyes shone even brighter.

"Come on. I'm in a good mood, so let me treat you to another drink."

"Sure."

Xiao Zhan, secretly listening from behind: (一`ˊ一)

Watching the two leave while chatting and laughing, Xiao Zhan looked up at the sky in speechless disbelief.

He really was falling behind the times.

Why did these two brats look like close friends? Was this really what breaking off an engagement looked like?

In a pavilion Xiao Yan had built himself in the back mountain of the Xiao Clan.

After chatting for a long time, Xiao Yan refilled both of their cups amid the sound of splashing water.

He raised a cup of green plum wine and lightly clinked it against Nalan Yanran's.

"Yanran has traveled far and wide, so surely she recognizes all the heroes under heaven... Cough, cough...

How does it feel now that the problem troubling you for years has been resolved?" Xiao Yan coughed lightly. Having mixed up his lines, he asked as if nothing had happened. Nalan Yanran, across from him, was clearly used to it by now and even seemed to enjoy it.

"It feels truly good to control my own fate." Nalan Yanran's cheeks flushed slightly. She drained her cup in one gulp without using Dou Qi to dispel the alcohol, simply staring steadily at Xiao Yan.

"So now... are we friends?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and gently clinked cups with her again.

At that, Nalan Yanran fell quiet for a moment. She nodded, then shook her head.

"We're friends, but I don't want us to only be friends."

Xiao Yan froze.

After pondering for two seconds, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Do you want to be my enemy?"

Nalan Yanran: ???

Her cheeks, which had only been slightly flushed, instantly turned crimson. Her breathing grew heavy as well.

A young girl's blush surpassed every love confession.

After panting for a long while and seeing Xiao Yan remain silent, Nalan Yanran glared with her beautiful eyes and wrapped an arm around his neck.

"Hey, stop playing dumb, and don't give me the silent treatment!"

Xiao Yan's gaze became even sharper.

"You want to fight me?"

"I'll fight your *%@#¥/!"

Yanran flew into a rage, ready to spear Xiao Yan off his horse.

She spread her jade-like legs, straddled Xiao Yan, and wildly pounded his chest.

But as she continued hitting him and felt Xiao Yan pressing against her, her face turned even redder. She angrily rose to her feet.

Xiao Yan: (∥•/ω/•∥)

He now completely understood what this girl was thinking.

She really was much like him. Both of them had made a good first impression on each other and had developed considerable affection.

Then why break off the engagement?

It seemed Nalan Yanran had seen the thoughts written across Xiao Yan's face, because she rolled her eyes beautifully.

"You know."

Xiao Yan recalled his days in Konoha, when he had endured no shortage of jealous stares and disdainful looks.

I know nothing!

But after thinking it over, Xiao Yan understood what Nalan Yanran meant.

Judging by how things were developing, she seemed quite fond of him and did not even reject the possibility of being with him.

Yet that did not conflict with breaking off the engagement.

Nalan Yanran's view seemed to be that making her own choices outweighed everything else. Even if the fate others had arranged for her was something she approved of, it still would not do. She had to choose it herself.

It sounded a little contradictory, but for a teenage girl with an exceptionally strong sense of self, it was understandable.

Xiao Yan rather liked that sharp, unyielding personality.

Still, it'll be a joke if this single-mindedness turns into being trapped from both ends.

Xiao Yan grumbled inwardly, seriously suspecting that Nalan Yanran had picked up the wrong script.

If she did not play along with the other side, the whole thing would become ridiculous.

And according to the usual routine, this was supposed to be a scene about breaking off an engagement, right? Why had things developed so bizarrely?

Yet after thinking about it, Xiao Yan's expression grew stranger and stranger. This seemed to be his fault.

It appeared that their letters over the years, along with his casual remarks, had inadvertently made Nalan Yanran's thinking increasingly clear...

If he was not someone I chose myself, then even if I liked him, I should reject him outright?

What personality.

After a whirlwind of thoughts, Xiao Yan slightly raised his head, met Nalan Yanran's gaze, and smiled.

"Even so, this seems a little unnecessary."

"It isn't."

Nalan Yanran shook her head.

"I wanted to break off the engagement because I wanted to resist my family's decision.

As for liking you... that is because I followed my heart."

Some of the words in the middle were so quiet they sounded like a mosquito buzzing, and Xiao Yan could not hear them clearly.

But he did not need to.

With a wicked smile, he forcefully pulled Nalan Yanran into his arms.

"So, are you willing to write the fate you want together with me?" Nalan Yanran adjusted her sitting position on Xiao Yan's thigh and leaned against his shoulder.

Xiao Yan smiled. Under Nalan Yanran's expectant gaze, he raised a finger and waved it from side to side.

"But I refuse."

She could break things off whenever she wanted, then chase him whenever she wanted? How could things be that easy?

Was he, Xiao, the sort to let someone lead him around by the nose?

"What, are you scared?" Nalan Yanran was not angry. She merely raised her delicate brows with a smile. "Want to have a match with me?"

"...A provocation? That worked very well."

Xiao Yan smiled helplessly and spread his hands.

Though it felt strange, he had to admit that Nalan Yanran truly suited his tastes. Their personalities even shared some similarities.

He really did like people with strong, competitive temperaments.

Gallant, valiant older sisters were his favorite.

"Since you've put it that way, refusing to fight you would make me seem rather unromantic."

"There's no need to do it now."

Seeing Xiao Yan about to get up and head for the training ground, Nalan Yanran slowly shook her head.

"If you think your cultivation is higher than mine, then there's no need to worry." As he spoke, Xiao Yan lightly clenched his fist. The First Gate of the Eight Gates, the Gate of Opening, opened in an instant. With a thunderous burst, his Dou Qi surged violently.

In only a moment, his aura had reached the level of a peak nine-star Dou Zhe, half a step into Dou Master. Then, in an instant, he withdrew it. His face was not red, and his breath was steady, leaving the tax bureau no chance to collect cultivation-realm taxes.

"I'm not surprised that you went from the third stage to the ninth stage in a single day and possess such strength." Feeling that terrifying power, Nalan Yanran showed little surprise. Or rather, in her view, for Xiao Yan, who had leapt from the third stage to the ninth stage in one day, this was child's play.

"Yesterday, the world misjudged you. Today, it misjudges you. Tomorrow, it will still misjudge you. And am I not the same?"

"Just as you said."

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Never bully a poor youth."

"Three years. Give me three years, and give yourself three years. Three years from now, we will meet atop Misty Cloud Mountain and determine who is superior."

As Nalan Yanran spoke, her entire being radiated sharpness. There was not the slightest hint of discouragement in her. She was full of spirit, her eyes gleaming with incomparable brilliance.

"Well? Interested?"

For some reason, Xiao Yan felt his vision blur. He said nothing, only grinned faintly.

Seeing that Xiao Yan did not deny it, Nalan Yanran's lips curved higher. A glint flashed through her eyes as she slowly drew closer.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. As destined rivals three years from now, shall we start with a round?"

"...?" Xiao Yan scratched his head. Though the development of events felt outrageously absurd, to the point that even his erratic train of thought could barely keep up, he did not refuse.

If it was only a spar, that would be fine...

Half a day later, in the back mountain of the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Yan rubbed his lower back, his face looking somewhat yellow.

Slumping inside the cave where he usually lived, he tapped the ancient ring in his hand with his index finger and released its seal.

The moment the seal was lifted, Yao Chen floated out. He looked Xiao Yan up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"This is bad, kid. That little girl set you up."

Xiao Yan's face darkened further. "I fucking realized it, but... she has leverage on me!"

Who knew how sparring had somehow turned into a massage?

"It's fine. She is your fiancée, after all." Yao Chen cackled strangely.

He had been sealed away after Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran started cooking green plums over wine and things became somewhat ambiguous. He could figure out what happened next without using his brain.

The things he had played with in his younger days had been far more elaborate than this.

"Don't bring that up! It pisses me off whenever you mention it! How can that woman be independent one moment and not independent the next?!" It would have been fine if Yao Chen had not mentioned it, but once he did, Xiao Yan's brows shot up. Just as he was about to explain further, Yao Chen let out a long sigh and slowly shook his head.

"No need to explain. In the end, you're just lustful."

Xiao Yan: "..."

Silence. A long silence.

Damn it, there really was no way to refute that...

The air in the cave instantly became awkward. Yet while some were happy and others sorrowful, Yao Chen did not find the atmosphere awkward in the slightest. Instead, he found it exceptionally delightful.

Xiao Yan's face reddened as he stammered out an excuse.

"What do you mean lustful? Can a young man's affairs be called lustful? That's called vigorous blood and energy."

"Someone or other once said that food and sex are human nature."

The atmosphere became even more delightful.

After a long while, once the master and disciple had finished their idle banter, Yao Chen finally brought up the serious matter.

"Since you agreed to fight atop Misty Cloud Mountain three years from now, do you have any plans?"

"Since Master asked that, it seemed you had something in mind."

"I did have plenty of ideas, but we had to take things one step at a time.

How about... I teach you Alchemy first? Among your inheritances, some could strengthen soul power, while others required it. Practicing Alchemy would be far more than a simple one plus one for your improvement.

And you knew Artifact Refining, so you already had a solid foundation."

"Then... shall I give it a try?"

In Wutan City.

At the inn where the Misty Cloud Sect party was staying.

"Yanran, you were back."

Ge Ye rose to welcome the returning Nalan Yanran.

However, after Nalan Yanran walked past him, Ge Ye felt that something was off.

He immediately looked up and could not help studying her.

Other than her overall bearing seeming to have undergone a transformation, there were no changes to her figure. Yet why did her face alone seem to have grown even more exquisitely beautiful?

"When were we going to the Xiao Clan to annul the..."

Before Ge Ye could finish, Nalan Yanran waved a hand and smiled.

"There was no need. I had already taken care of it."

Ge Ye was greatly shocked and hurriedly recounted the intelligence he had gathered during this time.

But Nalan Yanran merely revealed a smile.

"Heh-heh, no matter how talented he was, he was still nothing more than a toy in the palm of my hand."

Ge Ye was utterly astonished.

"Oh, right. You need not concern yourself with what came next. Do not mention this to anyone..."

Somewhere within the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Xun'er braced both hands against the window and stared silently at the peach blossoms outside.

"I was clearly the one who came first..." After a long silence, accompanied by the sound of grinding teeth, an unreadable expression appeared on Xiao Xun'er's pretty face.

How had things developed in this direction? Was there some part of this that had gone wrong?