"You unfilial daughter! Shut your mouth-"
A furious roar rolled toward them from afar like surging waves.
Nalan Su came into view, his face livid as he strode toward Nalan Yanran with a menacing air.
Fury blazed in his eyes. His expression suggested he wanted to devour Nalan Yanran alive, and even the air around him seemed to grow scorching with his anger.
Yet faced with her father's towering rage, Nalan Yanran showed no trace of panic. Instead, she calmly turned, bowed to Nalan Su, and said softly, "Father."
"Now that you're the Misty Cloud Sect Master's successor, your wings have grown strong, haven't they? You no longer have any regard for your father!"
Nalan Su stopped abruptly before her, his chest heaving violently. Clearly, his anger had reached its peak.
Seeing the daughter who had once filled him with such pride, a trace of doting affection inevitably flickered in his eyes-the deep love of a father for his daughter. Yet that glimmer was soon drowned beneath a tide of fury.
Nalan Yanran drew her slender, willow-leaf brows together slightly, confusion showing in her eyes. "Father, what makes you say that?"
"Hmph! You went to the Xiao Clan and broke off the engagement on your own. Did you ever ask what I, your father, thought?" Nalan Su's eyes widened in anger as he berated her loudly.
His voice echoed over the Beast-Taming Arena, and everyone nearby could feel his fury.
Xiao Qian silently took a slice of melon from his Storage Ring.
At those words, Nalan Yanran rolled her lovely eyes. A flash of indignation crossed them as she retorted, "When you arranged the engagement back then, did you consider what I might think once I grew up?"
Her words left Nalan Su red-faced with anger, and he laughed in his fury. "Ridiculous! Marriage is decided by the parents' command and the matchmaker's word. Since when do you have any say in it?"
"My future must be decided by me. No one else can decide for me!" Nalan Yanran refused to back down. She lifted her delicate face, her gaze as firm as rock.
"You! You! You unfilial daughter!"
Nalan Su's fury rushed to his head. His body trembled slightly, and he suddenly raised his hand.
His palm rose high, whipping through the air as he prepared to slap Nalan Yanran.
But Nalan Yanran merely stared stubbornly at him, without the slightest wavering or concession in her expression.
Crunch.
Xiao Qian relished his melon, each bite producing a crisp crunch. Its sweet, refreshing flavor spread through his mouth, making the experience thoroughly enjoyable.
Only then did the father and daughter, locked in their fierce, head-on argument, seem to realize that someone else was present.
Nalan Su drew a deep breath, forcing down the rage erupting in his heart like a volcano.
His raised hand slowly lowered and clenched into a fist. Veins bulged across its back, showing how hard he was struggling to restrain his emotions.
"Are you Xiao Qian of the Xiao Clan?" Nalan Su regarded Xiao Qian with a searching gaze.
His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, as though he meant to see right through Xiao Qian and discover what magic this youth possessed to make his daughter behave so willfully.
Xiao Qian leisurely wiped his mouth, tossed away the melon rind, and nodded slightly. "Patriarch Nalan."
His tone was neither servile nor overbearing. Neither Nalan Su's status nor his recent fury inspired the slightest fear in him.
Nalan Su stopped looking at the daughter who gave him such a headache and turned to Xiao Qian instead. Pointing into the arena, he said heavily, "I just heard them say that you wanted this Mighty Demon Bull's skeleton, so Yanran was going to slaughter it?"
His eyes held dissatisfaction and accusation, as though Xiao Qian were the true culprit behind this farce.
Xiao Qian nodded, his tone as indifferent as ever. "That's right."
"Do you have any idea how much I paid to win this living fourth-order magical beast at auction?" Nalan Su snorted coldly. His Dou Ling aura surged toward Xiao Qian like raging ocean waves.
That powerful aura seemed almost tangible. Even the air around them grew heavy, making it difficult to breathe.
"And now, because of a single word from you, we're supposed to squander such a precious creature?!"
Xiao Qian's expression sobered slightly.
Yet beneath the pressure of that immense aura, he did not retreat in the slightest.
He spoke each word distinctly, his voice steady and unhurried. "This is what I'm owed. As for the reason, you should ask your daughter."
A flicker of surprise crossed Nalan Su's eyes.
The youth before him, who did not even seem to be a Dou Zhe, actually remained perfectly composed beneath the pressure of his aura, without the slightest panic.
"Father! What are you doing?"
Nalan Yanran instantly sensed the enormous pressure bearing down on Xiao Qian. Moving like lightning, she instinctively darted forward and resolutely stood before him, sharing the pressure that descended like Mount Tai.
An unusual look flashed through Nalan Su's eyes. Then he gave a heavy, cold snort, and his immense aura slowly receded like the tide. "When you broke off the engagement without permission, the disgrace originally belonged to the Xiao Clan. Had that been all, at most I would have had to spend some words persuading the old man. But now, because of this brat, you've become the laughingstock of the entire Empire, and you still want to protect him?"
"I was outmatched. If that is my disgrace, I will reclaim my honor through my own strength."
Nalan Yanran raised her head proudly, her expression resolute. "I left Xiao Yan with a disgrace he can never erase in his lifetime. As a member of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Qian had every right to step forward and restore their dignity."
Nalan Su knitted his brows and rubbed his temples helplessly. "Even now, you still don't think you've done anything wrong?"
"I seek independence and long for freedom without shackles. What is wrong with that?" Nalan Yanran tightly clenched her small fists, her eyes blazing. Her tone allowed no argument, each word seeming to burst through her clenched teeth.
"Fine! Fine! Just wonderful! Your wings have grown strong, and with Yun Yun backing you, I can't control you anymore!"
Nalan Su angrily flung out his hand and roared.
Then his gaze shot toward Xiao Qian like a sharp arrow, and a cold smile tugged at his lips. "Hmph. Still, I went through endless twists and turns and untold hardships to purchase this fourth-order magical beast. Whatever you want to do with it, I can refrain from interfering..."
He deliberately paused. Just as delight was about to appear on Nalan Yanran's face, he continued, "But if you want to slaughter it, do it yourselves. Don't expect any help from me!"
Nalan Yanran's face instantly turned deathly pale, her eyes filled with shock and anger. "Father, what are you saying? How could we possibly kill a fourth-order magical beast?! That's simply impossible!"
Nalan Su gave a cold scoff, his eyes brimming with mockery. "Hmph. Don't you think you're all grown up? Don't you believe your wings are strong enough to let you do whatever you please? Fine. Since you want this magical beast, as the Nalan Family's heir, I can let you take it."
"But if you want to do anything with this magical beast, don't even think of borrowing anyone else's strength in the family. You'll have to rely entirely on yourself!"
Before you continue