A gentle breeze lifted a strand of Nalan Yanran's hair, but it could not dispel the murderous intent in her eyes.
She was serious!
Dead serious!
At that moment, Nalan Yanran no longer cared about the Xiao Clan or breaking off the engagement!
She had eyes only for Lin Dong!
She had been treated like a princess since childhood. When had she ever suffered such humiliation?!
She would demand an answer for this!
Nalan Yanran fixed her eyes on Lin Dong and said coldly, "Three years from now, atop Misty Cloud Mountain. Either you die, or I do!"
"Huh?!"
Lin Dong blinked. Wasn't this plot going off track?
How did I end up being the one in the Three-Year Agreement?
Lin Dong opened his mouth to speak, then suddenly changed his mind and asked, "You refuse to accept this?"
Frost filled Nalan Yanran's eyes, and she gave a cold snort!
Proud as she was, there was no way she could accept what had happened today!
The sharp crack of that slap still rang in her ears!
Seeing this, Lin Dong said, "If you refuse to accept it, I don't mind agreeing to a fight. But you're demanding a death match right off the bat. I'm afraid I can't agree to that."
"If you kill me, I lose my life, and you vent your anger. Of course you'd feel great."
"If I kill you, what do I get besides being hunted down by both the Misty Cloud Sect and the Nalan Family?"
"I'm not doing that!"
Nalan Yanran thought for a moment, then said coldly, "As long as you defeat me, I, Nalan Yanran, will become your slave. I'll toil for you, obey your every command, and never complain!"
"Oh, please!"
Lin Dong waved his hand. "Make the Misty Cloud Sect Master's personal disciple a slave?"
"Ask Ge Ye beside you whether he'd agree to that."
Ge Ye's expression was terrible, but he still could not help speaking up. "Yanran, don't be reckless!"
Nalan Yanran's chest heaved with anger as she snapped, "This won't do, that won't do. What exactly do you want?!"
"You don't really think my Nalan Family would hesitate to kill, do you?!"
"I've never doubted your Nalan Family's power."
Lin Dong smiled. "If you want me to honor the Three-Year Agreement, fine. Ten portions of Qi Gathering Powder, or ten fourth-tier pills."
"Lin Dong! You're courting death!"
Ge Ye roared, fury surging in his eyes. "You dare extort our Misty Cloud Sect?!"
"This is a fair deal!"
Lin Dong looked at Nalan Yanran. "I'm wagering my own head against you. Asking for a little interest isn't unreasonable, is it?"
"Yanran, don't believe him. Even if..."
Ge Ye wanted to say more, but Nalan Yanran raised a hand to stop him.
She looked at Lin Dong and said icily, "I don't have that many pills, and I won't hand the Misty Cloud Sect's resources over to you!"
As she spoke, Nalan Yanran took the ring off her right ring finger and said:
"This is my Nalan Family's ancestral Storage Ring. There's only one!"
"If you're willing, this Storage Ring is yours."
"If you're not..."
Nalan Yanran said no more, but she could no longer conceal the murderous intent in her eyes. Her meaning was clear.
She was willing to fight him one-on-one because she was immensely proud and wanted to defeat Lin Dong with her own hands!
If Lin Dong refused her challenge, he could not blame her for using the resources of the Misty Cloud Sect and the Nalan Family!
"A Storage Ring?!"
Looking at the antique ring in Nalan Yanran's hand, Lin Dong could not suppress the wild joy in his heart!
Items that could hold vast spaces within them-spatial items-were the most valuable items in the real world!
They were also the most useful!
Lin Dong had only been hoping to pick up a little extra benefit along the way. He had never imagined that Nalan Yanran would actually offer her Storage Ring just to secure his agreement!
This was an unexpected windfall, pure and simple!
"Deal!"
Without giving Nalan Yanran a chance to change her mind, Lin Dong said at once, "Three years from now, atop Misty Cloud Mountain, you and I will fight!"
"If you dare not show up..."
Nalan Yanran tossed the Storage Ring straight to Lin Dong. "You know what will happen to you!"
Smack!
Lin Dong caught the Storage Ring securely, a smile tugging at his lips. "Don't worry. I always keep my word!"
"You'd better!"
Nalan Yanran gave Lin Dong a long, penetrating look, as though she wanted to carve his face into her very bones. Only then did she help Ge Ye up.
"Yanran... you..."
Ge Ye looked at Nalan Yanran helplessly, his eyes full of concern.
"Uncle Ge, there's no need to say any more. Let's go back."
Nalan Yanran suddenly let out a clear, piercing whistle.
After a few seconds of stillness!
A rumble rose from deep within the Magical Beast Forest!
The next second!
Two crimson Dragon Horses, their bodies covered in scales and their forms resembling both dragons and horses, charged out!
"Redblood Dragon Horses?"
Lin Dong clicked his tongue. "Just what you'd expect from the Misty Cloud Sect. They really do have deep reserves."
Nalan Yanran pushed lightly off her toes, leaped onto a horse's back, and fixed her eyes on Lin Dong:
"Three years from now, atop Misty Cloud Mountain. I'll be waiting for you!"
Before she had even finished speaking, Nalan Yanran spurred her horse into a gallop!
Seeing this, Ge Ye hurried after her.
Lin Dong stood motionless with a smile on his face. Only when the two Dragon Horses had vanished from sight did his legs give way, dropping him to one knee.
Splat!
Lin Dong spat out a mouthful of blood. His face grew noticeably pale, but he let out a long breath of relief!
As he was now, taking on a Da Dou Shi head-on was still a little beyond him.
If he had not distracted Ge Ye and weakened the force of that final sword strike, his internal injuries might have been even worse!
At that thought, Lin Dong could not help coughing up another mouthful of blood!
"Big brother!"
"Big brother!"
Just then, a cry filled with urgency, concern, and guilt suddenly rang out.
Xiao Yan had been inspecting the Xiao Family Market with Xun'er.
All of a sudden.
Xun'er had insisted on dragging him outside the city.
As a result, he had stumbled upon Nalan Yanran trying to break off the engagement and Lin Dong stepping in to stop her.
At first, when Xiao Yan heard that Nalan Yanran intended to go to the Xiao Clan to break off the engagement, anger had flared instinctively within him!
He could not imagine how humiliated his father would have been if Nalan Yanran had actually reached the Xiao Clan and broken off the engagement publicly, in front of everyone!
And what a laughingstock their Xiao Clan would have become!
Probably all of Wutan City would have burst out laughing!
At that moment, Xiao Yan had been furious and bitter, filled with self-mockery and resentment!
Yet just as he was about to step forward and argue his case, Lin Dong had defended his dignity and prevented the worst from happening.
When Lin Dong had declared, "My second brother will definitely make you regret this. Fortune changes with time. Don't look down on a young man just because he's poor!" Xiao Yan had been moved to tears!
He had thought that Lin Dong defending him openly at the Xiao Clan's test was already something he would never forget.
But Xiao Yan had never imagined that Lin Dong had also done so much for him behind the scenes!
To protect his dignity and the Xiao Clan's reputation, Lin Dong had chosen to face the Misty Cloud Sect head-on himself!
What was the Misty Cloud Sect?
It was the number one sect in the Jia Ma Empire!
An enormous power that could crush the Xiao Clan with a single finger!
Yet even so, Lin Dong had still chosen to stand against it!
So when Lin Dong spat blood and collapsed, Xiao Yan could no longer hold back. He shouted and charged toward him!
[Ding! Xiao Yan's favorability +10!!] [Ding! Xiao Yan's favorability has surpassed 101!] [Ding! Congratulations! You have gained a friendship that will endure until death!]
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