Xiao Zhan

Biodata

History

The Broken Engagement

Xiao Zhan received Nalan Yanran and the Misty Cloud Sect delegation alongside the Xiao Clan’s three elders. When Nalan Yanran requested that her engagement to Xiao Ce be dissolved, he rose in fury and gathered his Dou Qi. Already distressed by Xiao Yan’s lost talent, he collapsed before his aura could clash with Ge Ye’s 1.

He recovered shortly afterward and declined medical attention, but wearily told Nalan Yanran to do as she pleased. After Xiao Ce repudiated her and established the Three-Year Agreement, Xiao Zhan reassured his son that he did not have to bear the pressure alone 2.

Supporting Xiao Ce’s Recovery

During Xiao Ce’s following year of cultivation, Xiao Zhan regularly found time to visit and urged him not to overwork himself. When Xiao Ce reported reaching the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi, Xiao Zhan accepted his explanation of a fortuitous opportunity. Overjoyed that both Xiao Ce and Xiao Yan were improving, he gave Xiao Ce the Qi Gathering Powder left as compensation by Nalan Yanran 4 5.

The First Elder subsequently accused Xiao Zhan of fabricating Xiao Ce’s progress to appropriate the medicine. Xiao Zhan maintained that the powder belonged to Xiao Ce in the first place. After Xiao Ce revealed his Eight-Star Dou Zhe cultivation and accused the elder of diverting clan resources, Xiao Zhan ordered the elder confined pending investigation 11.

That evening, he encouraged Xiao Ce to concentrate on cultivation rather than clan responsibilities. He also approved his nineteen-year-old son’s plan to train outside the clan, judging that a high-star Dou Zhe could protect himself 11.

The Market Crisis and Consolidation of Authority

The Jia Lie Family’s superior Rejuvenation Powder drew customers and merchants away from the Xiao Family Market. Xiao Zhan warned that the clan faced bankruptcy within three months, but the three elders withheld assistance and mocked his leadership 29.

Xiao Ce returned with his Body-Recovery Pill, which Xiao Zhan immediately had tested. Its effectiveness exceeded Rejuvenation Powder by at least fifty percent. Xiao Ce’s defeat of the elders and revelation that he was an alchemist enabled Xiao Zhan to take direct control of clan affairs 29.

The elders’ crippling initially provoked unrest that even Xiao Zhan could not settle. Once Body-Recovery Pill sales revived the market and Xiao Ce’s alchemist status became known, resistance subsided. Xiao Zhan avoided a broad reckoning with his opponents, instead gradually replacing personnel in important positions with members of his own branch 32.

The Assassination Attempt and Its Aftermath

After learning that Xiao Ce had been attacked in the market, Xiao Zhan wanted to confront the Jia Lie Family immediately, but his son stopped him 32.

Following the family’s extermination that night, Xiao Zhan questioned Xiao Ce privately. He accepted Xiao Ce’s prepared explanation that a reclusive master had retaliated on his behalf. Concerned by the supposed master’s brutality, Xiao Zhan warned his son to be careful around him and continued asking about his injuries 33.

Appearance

• Increasingly white hair: When Xiao Ce visits his study to request the Qi Gathering Powder, he notices that more white has appeared in his father’s hair 5.

Personality

Xiao Zhan is protective of his sons and willing to absorb humiliation to preserve harmony within the clan. That restraint ends when the elders attack his children: he openly supports Xiao Ce’s rebuke of the First Elder and uses his authority to enforce the elder’s confinement 11.

He places his children’s development ahead of their usefulness to the clan, telling Xiao Ce to focus on improving himself while leaving clan affairs to him. Xiao Ce later treats him as a standard of responsible parenthood, contrasting him with the neglectful parents encountered during a deployment 11 44.

His handling of internal opposition is measured rather than indiscriminately punitive. After resistance to his leadership collapses, he strengthens his position through gradual personnel changes instead of settling every grievance 32.

Abilities & Skills

Clan Administration

• Oversees the Xiao Clan’s official business and market operations 5 32.
• Bears responsibility for thirteen marketplaces across two streets and approximately a thousand people dependent on the clan 11.
• Identifies the financial threat posed by competing medicines and arranges practical testing of Xiao Ce’s alternative 29.

Dou Qi

• Can gather dense Dou Qi around himself in preparation for confrontation, as shown when he rises against the Misty Cloud Sect delegation 1.

Relationships

• Xiao Ce — Third son. Xiao Zhan supports his cultivation without demanding the details of his opportunities; Xiao Ce fiercely defends his father against the elders 5 11.
• Xiao Yan — Fourth son. His loss of talent weighs heavily on Xiao Zhan, who is later delighted by his recovery 1 5.
• First Elder — Political rival who exploits the broken engagement and disputes Xiao Zhan’s handling of clan resources to undermine his authority 1 11.
• Second and Third Elders — Join the First Elder in resisting Xiao Zhan’s leadership during the market crisis, prioritizing their influence over cooperation 29.
• Nalan Yanran — Xiao Ce’s former fiancée. Her demand to dissolve the engagement publicly humiliates Xiao Zhan and helps trigger his collapse 1 2.

Notable Quotes

“Ce, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Your father is still here.” 2

“Right now, all you need to do is focus on improving yourself. Your father can handle things here.” 11