Old Fool, Has Your Brain Gone Bad?

After saying that, Nalan Yanran still wore a smile as she gave Xiao Zhan a proper junior's bow, then turned and left with Ge Ye and the other Misty Cloud Sect disciples.

At the doorway, she glanced back at Xiao Long. Her gaze was bright and sharp, like a little knife gouging across his face, before she stepped over the threshold without looking back again.

Ge Ye followed behind her, looking as though he had swallowed a fly. Even his steps were quicker than when he had arrived.

He probably wanted to leave this place, where he had lost every last scrap of dignity, as quickly as possible.

Xiao Long watched that pink-clad figure disappear beyond the courtyard gate and clicked his tongue.

This girl really knew how to hold a grudge. Even as she left, she had thrown those words at him, making it clear that this was far from over.

He turned back and saw Xiao Zhan sitting at the head of the hall with a hand against his forehead.

His father probably never imagined that his son's broken engagement could turn into such a mess. The fiancée refused to marry the younger son and wanted the elder instead. What kind of nonsense was this?

The three elders' expressions were quite a sight, too.

The Second Elder held his teacup and pretended to drink, but his eyes kept darting between Xiao Long and Xiao Zhan. Who knew what he was plotting?

The Third Elder behaved himself more, keeping his head down and staring at his shoes, wishing he could shrink into his chair.

Only the First Elder glanced at the Ancient Jade Box in Xiao Yan's arms, then at Xiao Long, before clearing his throat and speaking.

"Clan leader, since things have already reached this point, I have an idea."

Xiao Zhan lifted his eyes toward him without speaking, waiting for him to continue.

The First Elder straightened, set his teacup on the table, and assumed the air of a senior. "Miss Nalan just said she was willing to marry into our Xiao Clan.

"Though she wasn't referring to Xiao Yan, she is still a daughter of the Nalan Family's main line, and the personal disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect Master."

"Given our Xiao Clan's current circumstances, securing a marriage like this wouldn't be a bad thing."

He glanced at Xiao Long, saw no reaction, and continued, "In my opinion, we should simply follow the current and let Xiao Long marry Nalan Yanran.

"That would preserve our Xiao Clan's dignity, keep the peace between our families, and forge a connection with the Misty Cloud Sect. Three birds with one stone."

As soon as he finished, the Second Elder nodded in agreement. "Elder Brother is right.

"Miss Nalan may have handled things poorly, but she is still a young lady from a distinguished family, as well as Sect Master Yun Yun's disciple.

"If Xiao Long marries her, he'll have an easier time making his way through the Jia Ma Empire."

Xiao Yan sat with his hand resting on the Ancient Jade Box. He glanced at Xiao Long, then at the First Elder, but said nothing.

Lounging in his chair, Xiao Long listened until the First Elder finished, then raised his head to look at him. "Old fool, has your brain gone bad?"

The smile froze on the First Elder's face.

"Who gave you the right to speak here?"

The First Elder slammed his hand against the armrest and sprang to his feet. "Xiao Long! I am the First Elder of the Xiao Clan! Why wouldn't I have the right to speak in this family?"

Xiao Long inwardly shook his head.

When his grandfather was alive, the Xiao Clan had at least been a family of some standing in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital.

They might not have compared to a behemoth like the Misty Cloud Sect, but they had still held their ground in the imperial capital.

Once his grandfather fell, the family had retreated to Wutan City.

His grandfather's death was the main reason, but if these people in the clan could have twisted themselves into a single rope, they wouldn't have declined so quickly.

After all, his grandfather had left behind some connections in the imperial capital.

They were a heap of mud themselves. Even anyone willing to pull them up couldn't find a handhold.

When Xiao Long said nothing, the First Elder thought he had gained the upper hand, and his voice grew louder. "Besides, Miss Nalan was courteous. She didn't dissolve the engagement outright, and she even compensated us with Qi Gathering Powder.

"No family in the Jia Ma Empire could find fault with such courtesy."

"Qi Gathering Powder is a valuable thing to our Xiao Clan. Xiao Ning is already at the peak of the eighth stage of Dou Qi, just one final step away.

"He might well break through to the ninth stage, and then our Xiao Clan would have another young Dou Zhe."

"Besides, it came from the Misty Cloud Sect. Since the Misty Cloud Sect gave it to us, we must accept this gesture."

The Second Elder added from beside him, "Exactly. Xiao Ning has good talent; he just lacks an opportunity. Giving him this Qi Gathering Powder wouldn't be a waste."

As Xiao Long listened, he began to laugh.

He leaned against the back of his chair with his legs crossed, watching the First Elder through half-lidded eyes. That smile spread from his lips to his eyes, but the light beneath it was ice-cold.

Now he understood. This family was rotten to its roots.

Nalan Yanran had given that Qi Gathering Powder to Xiao Yan as compensation in front of everyone in the room.

His younger brother had been slapped in the face before everyone, and the Misty Cloud Sect had brought out a bottle of medicine as a fig leaf. Yet these two old fools had immediately begun scheming to scrape it into their own grandson's hands.

Xiao Long lowered his legs, sat upright, and looked at the First Elder. "Old fool."

The First Elder's face reddened further, veins bulging at his temples. He opened his mouth to speak.

Xiao Long gave him no chance. "That Qi Gathering Powder was Nalan Yanran's compensation to my brother. What the fuck are you running your mouth for?"

"So what if Xiao Ning reaches the ninth stage of Dou Qi? Isn't he still trash?"

"What's the difference between ninth-stage trash and eighth-stage trash? And you're sitting here telling me he has good talent?"

The First Elder trembled with rage, pointing at Xiao Long as his voice cracked. "Xiao Long! You have no respect for your elders! I am still your senior! Is this how you speak to your elders?"

Xiao Zhan could no longer sit still either. He barked in a low, stern voice, "First Elder, what do you think you're doing!"

The First Elder drew a deep breath, his chest heaving several times as he forced some of his anger down. His face, however, remained livid.

Xiao Long had already risen and reached out to pull Xiao Xun'er up from the chair beside him.

Xiao Xun'er obediently stood with him, her small hand held in his.

"Utter nonsense."

Leaving those words behind, Xiao Long took Xiao Xun'er toward the door.

At the doorway, Xiao Long paused and said without turning around, "It belongs to my brother. Whoever reaches for it, I'll chop off their hand."

With that, he stepped over the threshold. Holding his hand, Xiao Xun'er had to jog a couple of steps to keep pace.

Walking beside him, Xiao Xun'er tilted her head to look at him and couldn't help laughing. "Brother Xiao Long, you were so fierce just now."

"Was I?"

"If that old fool had babbled on another moment, I'd have beaten him up too! He even dared covet my brother's things. Who gave him the nerve?"

"But he's a Da Dou Shi!"

"A Da Dou Shi... heh. If he still dares bare his teeth in a couple of days, I'll admire his courage!"

Xiao Long sneered.

That old fool, the First Elder, was a six-star Da Dou Shi, one star higher than his father, but their combat strength was worlds apart. His father had inherited a Dou Wang's legacy.

The cultivation method he practiced belonged to the main lineage. No individual elder could possibly stand against his father.

Only against the Three Great Elders together would his father have to avoid their cutting edge.

Xiao Xun'er smiled with her lips pressed together and moved closer to him, her sleeve brushing his arm.

Xiao Long pondered his breakthrough to Dou Shi, along with that last glance Nalan Yanran had given him before leaving. He had a nagging feeling this matter wouldn't be so easily put behind them.

That girl was stubborn. Spoken words were spilled water; there was no taking them back. She might really go home and make a fuss before her grandfather.

The Misty Cloud Sect would probably have objections too, especially Yun Yun, that woman with big breasts and no brains.

Her own disciple had been scolded until she left the Xiao Clan in tears. Sooner or later, that debt would have to be settled.

He sighed, thinking that in the end, he still wasn't strong enough.

But once he broke through to Dou Shi and opened another Chinese animation gift pack, what did a Da Dou Shi matter? They could taste his Dragon Blast first!