In the streets and alleys of Wutan City, people whispered among themselves, their attention shifting between the grand procession from the Misty Cloud Sect and the outlandish gossip about Xiao Yan, brimming with curiosity and speculation.
"Heavens, those are people from the Misty Cloud Sect! The one leading them... isn't that Nalan Yanran?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! She's the Misty Cloud Sect Master's personal disciple now. She's someone of very high standing!"
"What has she come to Wutan City for? Could it be... that engagement with the Xiao Clan?"
"Most likely! Have you forgotten? She's engaged to Xiao Yan, that former genius of the Xiao Clan who's now a good-for-nothing. Tsk, tsk, one's heaven's favored daughter, and the other's the clan's useless deadweight. I reckon this marriage is going to fall through..."
The whispers surged through the crowd like a tide, yet no one dared raise their voice, afraid of disturbing these lofty guests.
Nalan Yanran turned a deaf ear to the chatter around her, her gaze resting calmly ahead, as though her heart had long since become still water. Yet as the procession advanced, a strange, overpowering aroma unlike anything she had ever smelled slipped into her nostrils without warning.
It was neither the toasted fragrance of ordinary food nor the scent of some precious spice, but an utterly pure, intensely savory aroma.
The scent seemed to carry a peculiar magic, instantly awakening the deepest hunger within a person and making their mouth flood with saliva. Even the Dou Qi circulating through their bodies seemed stirred by it, growing a little more lively.
"Hm?"
Elder Ge Ye, who had been resting with his eyes closed, snapped them open almost the instant he caught the scent. For all his vast experience, he could say with certainty that he had