Though Xiao Yan had little fondness for Nalan Yan... at least not that kind of fondness, the others did not necessarily feel the same.
His handsome looks, his "impressive" strength compared to the others, and the "halo" of being the Misty Cloud Sect Chief Disciple.
Without even trying, Nalan Yan had already won himself quite a few "fangirls" in the Xiao Clan.
Even Xiao Mei, seated off to one side, had a glimmer of fascination in her beautiful eyes whenever she looked his way.
The girl beside him was also casting flirtatious glances at Nalan Yan.
Xiao Yan could not help frowning slightly. If Nalan Yan had come to break off their engagement, what was he playing at, bringing this "fellow disciple" who clearly liked him?
If he had not come to break it off, that made things even more interesting.
Instinctively, Xiao Yan felt a dislike for Nalan Yan.
And...
Xiao Yan noticed that Nalan Yan had not even noticed her entering, nor was he paying attention to the fellow disciple beside him. Instead, he was looking toward a corner of the hall.
Following his gaze, Xiao Yan's expression darkened another shade-
Nalan Yan was looking at... Xiao Xun'er in the corner?
"..."
By now, Xiao Yan had already slapped the label "spoiled brat with mediocre talent and powerful connections" on Nalan Yan in her mind.
...Just break off the engagement with this piece of work and get it over with.
So Xiao Yan said nothing more. She strode forward and respectfully bowed to Xiao Zhan and the three elders seated at the head of the hall.
"Father, Elders!"
"Hehe, Yan'er, you're here. Come, sit down."
Seeing Xiao Yan arrive, Xiao Zhan stopped his cheerful conversation with the guests, nodded at her, and waved a hand.
Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, pretending not to notice Nalan Yan's gaze from the side. She headed straight for the corner and sat with Xiao Xun'er.
Seated beside Xun'er, Xiao Yan leaned closer and whispered, "Why are you sitting here? Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd been pushed out."
Xiao Xun'er closed the book in her hands and stuck out her tongue at Xiao Yan. "With you looking out for me, Sister Xiao Yan, who in the Xiao Clan would dare push me out?"
"True enough. I might not be strong, but my words still carry a little weight in the Xiao Clan..."
One reason Xiao Yan had gone to Xun'er was that she had noticed no seat had been left for her in the hall. Standing in the middle would only embarrass her father.
A family's dirty laundry should never be aired outside. Who knew what those three elders were thinking, trying to humiliate her in front of outsiders?
What did they stand to gain from it?
Besides, the engagement had not been broken yet. She was still Nalan Yan's fiancée.
By doing this, weren't the three elders, in a sense, slapping their "honored guest" in the face?
Their train of thought... was impossible to understand.
So she had come to sit with Xun'er. That would ease some of the awkwardness while also giving Nalan Yan a little "reminder."
As for everything else... there was no perfect solution.
They were breaking off the engagement anyway. If she offended him, so be it.
The three honored guests seated at the head of the hall now wore differing expressions.
Seeing Xiao Yan walk straight to the corner and sit down with such a "lack of manners," the old man could not help frowning;
The girl beside Nalan Yan watched Xiao Yan with a measure of wariness;
As Nalan Yan looked at Xiao Yan, who had just entered, a fleeting flash of admiration crossed his eyes.
He had not expected the Xiao Clan to have so many beauties.
And this fiancée of his was actually so outstandingly beautiful too.
Xiao Yan was naturally exceptionally beautiful, and she had put a little effort into her appearance today. Even beside Xun'er, neither outshone the other.
Still, Nalan Yan would never marry a useless... ahem, a "pretty vase."
So Nalan Yan quickly returned to "normal" and signaled for the old man to speak.
At the head of the hall, Xiao Zhan was sitting on pins and needles. He could not understand why the usually considerate Xiao Yan was showing such a "lack of tact" now.
But both Gu Xun'er and Nalan Yan had formidable backgrounds, and Gu Xun'er's was even more formidable.
Thus, Xiao Zhan could neither warn her nor leave her unwarned.
"Ahem." Just then, the white-robed old man coughed lightly, rose, and cupped his hands toward Xiao Zhan with a smile.
"Clan Leader Xiao, we have come to your esteemed clan to ask a favor!"
"Hehe, Mr. Ge Ye, please speak freely. If it is within our power, the Xiao Clan should have no reason to refuse."
Xiao Zhan dared not slight Ge Ye. He hurriedly stood and replied courteously, though he did not dare make an absolute promise.
"Hehe, Clan Leader Xiao, do you recognize him?" Ge Ye smiled slightly and pointed at the young man beside him.
Nalan Yan had spent five years cultivating in the Misty Cloud Sect, and as the saying went, a girl changed eighteen times as she grew... as did a boy.
Having not seen him for years, Xiao Zhan naturally failed to recognize the young man as his nominal son-in-law.
"Hmm... forgive my poor eye for faces..."
"Ahem... his name is Nalan Yan."
At that moment, Xiao Yan, seated in the corner, suddenly had a bad feeling.
This steward looks like he knows how to handle things. Surely he wouldn't...
But barring any surprises, a surprise was about to happen...
"So... we would therefore like to ask Clan Leader Xiao to... dissolve this engagement."
Unlike in the original timeline, there was no barely plausible "reason" such as "the Misty Cloud Sect forbids the sect master's successor from dating."
Though Ge Ye's lengthy speech displayed the art of tactful phrasing, every part of it conveyed the same message-we don't think you're good enough. Break off the engagement!
In the corner, Xiao Yan abruptly rose, unmistakable astonishment in her eyes.
She had expected this gathering in the hall to be merely a courtesy for the "honored guests" who had traveled so far.
What Ge Ye wanted to discuss here should never have been the matter of breaking off the engagement!
As Xiao Yan saw it, they should have settled the engagement privately after the three guests had been "welcomed and refreshed" in the hall.
Then Nalan Yan could say he wanted to break it off, she could agree, and they could write up a document and both sign and affix their thumbprints. That would be that.
Only some members of the clan knew of her engagement to Nalan Yan anyway. Ending it that way would not make it common knowledge.
Though her father would lose some face within the clan, it would not be much of a problem as long as the news did not leak.
Then she could put those few people in the know on the lofty pedestal of "clan honor" or something, and they would hardly go spreading it around.
They had their pride, after all.
But who could have known that Nalan Yan would actually raise the matter of breaking off the engagement publicly in the hall?
Now even the younger Xiao Clan members who had known nothing about it knew that someone had come to her door to break off her engagement.
Trying to silence all those wagging tongues now would be all but impossible.
Xiao Yan's heart instantly tightened with anxiety. Things had gone completely beyond her expectations.
Did this Nalan Yan and that Misty Cloud Sect steward truly not understand, or...
Crack! The Jade Cup in Xiao Zhan's hand burst into a cloud of powder.
A hush settled over the hall.
The three elders at the head of the hall were also shaken by Ge Ye's words, but moments later, their gazes toward Xiao Zhan had gained a hint of mockery and ridicule.
Hehe, someone has come right to your door and forced you to dissolve the engagement. Let's see what authority you have left to run the clan!
Xiao Yan: "..."
For fuck's sake. They're gloating when someone comes to humiliate their clan leader. This clan is going to be done for sooner or later.
Then Ge Ye took out a dose of Qi Gathering Powder...
Xiao Yan was once again speechless.
If she was not mistaken, this was the goddamn "compensation"...
You could have given anything else. Why did you have to give this?
It was not that Qi Gathering Powder lacked value. Only a fourth-tier alchemist could refine it, and it was worth a considerable sum.
But this stuff was simply inappropriate for the occasion.
First, everyone in the city knew that she, Xiao Yan, currently had only three-stage dou qi.
Second, Nalan Yan had come to break off their engagement precisely because he knew she had only three-stage dou qi.
And the "compensation" for breaking off an engagement was obviously meant for the "person concerned"-namely, Xiao Yan herself.
So now you give me Qi Gathering Powder, whose effect is to "allow someone with ninth stage dou qi to advance to a Dou Practitioner"...
What exactly are you trying to say, bro?
This was fucking equivalent to slapping Xiao Yan in the face in public-
I've given you this. Can you even use it?
How was that any less of an insult to Xiao Zhan?
To put it bluntly, this was like giving someone a set of designer children's clothes right after their child had died. Giving that gift was just begging for a beating.
If this was not deliberate, then everything above their necks was purely decorative.
Sure enough, at the sight of the Qi Gathering Powder, Xiao Zhan was already on the verge of erupting.
Seeing that Xiao Zhan was about to explode, Xiao Yan quickly rose and went to the center of the hall. "Father..."
If a fight really broke out, today's affair would become very difficult to resolve!
Even if they were in the right, they would end up in the wrong!
Xiao Yan knew that, as the person directly involved, she had to step forward and say something now.
And today's affair would probably no longer end peacefully...
Before you continue