After Xiao Zhan left, only Xun'er and Xiao Yan remained in the attic.
Xiao Yan did not speak first, and Xun'er remained silent beside him. After a long while, she tilted her head and looked at him with the hint of a smile. "Brother Xiao Yan, you really do have a lot of secrets..."
"Oh, well. Xun'er trusts Brother Xiao Yan. One day, you'll tell Xun'er of your own accord, won't you?"
Xiao Yan looked at Xun'er, who had tilted her head and was watching him playfully. He fell silent for a moment, then said softly:
"Mm! One day, Xiao Yan will tell Xun'er himself..."
Xiao Xin thought to himself, Better to leave this secret for 'Xiao Yan' to tell Xun'er and the others himself.
"That's enough, then~"
Xun'er's request seemed simple enough. After receiving Xiao Yan's assurance, she immediately broke into a smile as lovely as a flower and skipped away with her hands behind her back.
"Oh, right, Brother Xiao Yan, don't push yourself if you're hurt~"
As Xun'er spoke, a jade bottle appeared in her hand, and she placed it in Xiao Yan's palm.
After they left, Xiao Yan looked at the jade bottle in his hand and smiled faintly.
"That little girl is quite observant."
Xiao Yan took a deep breath. He had taken a palm strike from that young man, and even with the protection of Soul Armor, his was ultimately only the body of a ten-year-old boy.
Though it was not serious, he had still suffered a minor injury.
Because of the fight that had broken out in the market, Xiao Yan and Xun'er's outing naturally had to end there.
Watching the Xiao Clan disciples continue to clean up the aftermath in the market, Xiao Yan could clearly sense that, after he had killed the young man, the looks people around him gave him held a trace more wariness and respect.
After returning to the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan used his injuries as an excuse to return to the room belonging to Xiao Yan of Battle Through the Heavens.
He opened the jade bottle Xun'er had given him, and a perfectly round cyan pill with a faint sheen appeared in his hand. A rich medicinal fragrance filled the air, and even his depleted Soul Power seemed to stir a little more actively.
"What wondrous medicinal effects!"
Xiao Yan looked at the pill in his palm. If he could take this thing back to the Douluo Continent...
Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, and he swallowed it in one gulp. The pill melted the moment it entered his mouth, and a rich surge of energy instantly burst forth, turning into a warm current that flowed through his body.
The faint pain in his chest gradually disappeared as the medicine took effect, and even his depleted Soul Power recovered rapidly, replenished by the pill.
Meanwhile, as Xiao Yan treated his injuries,
News of the fight that had erupted in the eastern market spread at a terrifying speed. Within half a day, all of Wutan City knew about the conflict that had broken out between the Xiao Clan and the Jia Lie Family.
And Xiao Yan, who had slain a Three-Star Dou Zhe by himself despite the difference in rank, became even more famous than before.
Every faction in Wutan City turned its attention to the Xiao Clan.
The talent of this young master of the Xiao Clan had truly exceeded everyone's expectations.
Ten years old, only ten! Yet he had killed a Three-Star Dou Zhe single-handedly! Such a feat would have been shocking even across the entire Jia Ma Empire.
Of course, not everyone believed the account of Xiao Yan's feat.
After all, killing a Three-Star Dou Zhe single-handedly at the age of ten was something even the current ten strongest experts in the Jia Ma Empire could not have done in their youth.
Thus, most of the others dismissed it as nothing more than a rumor passed from one person to another.
As night deepened, Xiao Yan finished refining all the medicinal power in his body. The injury to his chest had long since healed completely.
But...
Xiao Yan could not shake the feeling that the Soul Power within him seemed unusually active.
During the day, because he had only just swapped places and crossed into the Dou Qi Continent, Xiao Yan had devoted most of his attention to hiding his identity.
Only when he had calmed his mind to treat his injuries just now had he noticed this abnormality within him.
"Could it be because of the energy in the two worlds?"
Xiao Yan frowned to himself, but came up empty-handed.
The Dou Qi of this world was also a form of energy. After absorbing it into his body, he could convert it into Soul Power and store it.
Opening the door, Xiao Yan watched the last glow of the setting sun on the horizon, a trace of resolve flashing in his eyes.
He would strike while the iron was hot. While his combat strength and talent carried the greatest influence, he would involve himself in the clan's decisions.
He dared to do so partly because he knew that Xiao Zhan, the patriarch of the Xiao Clan, truly cared about Xiao Yan.
And partly because Xiao Zhan's strength and prestige were enough to suppress the dissenting voices within the clan.
"Young Master Xiao Yan!"
Just as Xiao Yan stepped out of the courtyard gate, a Xiao Clan disciple greeted him excitedly. Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, then asked:
"Where is my father now?"
"The patriarch and the three elders are still discussing matters in the council hall. They haven't come out yet."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, nodded, and said:
"Sorry to trouble you, but could you show me the way?"
"Of course, of course! Young Master Xiao Yan, please follow me!"
The disciple was visibly excited by Xiao Yan's request. After all, having a chance to meet Xiao Yan, the number one genius of Wutan City, at close quarters was a great honor for him.
Led by the Xiao Clan disciple, Xiao Yan soon arrived outside the Xiao Clan's council hall.
Even from a distance, he could hear the sound of arguing coming from within.
"No, I absolutely do not agree to this!"
"Xiao Zhan, do you know how many dangers your stubborn insistence will bring upon the clan...?"
The council hall was not a place ordinary disciples could approach. The disciple looked awkwardly at Xiao Yan, apparently at a loss because he had heard something he should not have.
"It's all right. Thank you for showing me the way."
"You're welcome, Young Master Xiao Yan. My name is Xiao Ming, and I'm a disciple of a branch family. If you need anything, you can call on me at any time."
After bowing to Xiao Yan, Xiao Ming tactfully turned and left.
Xiao Yan looked up at the Xiao Clan's council hall and took a deep breath. Lowering his gaze, he steadied his breathing before stepping forward again and heading into the hall.
Before he entered the council hall, Xiao Yan heard a barrage of verbal attacks from within.
It seemed that one of Xiao Zhan's decisions had provoked opposition from the three elders. One side stubbornly held to its view while the other argued its case, and neither could convince the other.
"Father, three elders, Xiao Yan requests an audience."
Outside the council hall, Xiao Yan stopped and spoke with a slight bow.
"Yan'er, you're here? Come in."
Xiao Zhan's surprised voice came from inside. Only after receiving his permission did Xiao Yan enter the council hall, where the furnishings were visible at a glance.
As patriarch, Xiao Zhan sat in the main seat at the head of the hall. The other three, elderly men who looked rather aged, wore robes of different colors and sat in the lower seats, their faces all tinged with anger.
At that moment, however, their gazes all fell on Xiao Yan.
"Yan'er, what brings you to the council hall?"
Xiao Zhan was smiling, but Xiao Yan keenly noticed a fleeting trace of helplessness between his brows. It seemed his conversation with the three elders had not been harmonious.