“Brother Xiao Yan.”
The young girl stood before Xiao Yan, her soft, fair hands clasped behind her back. Leaning slightly forward, her large, bright, and beautiful eyes sparkled. Her slender figure curved like a crescent moon, and a pair of dimples appeared on her lovely face, making her look incredibly adorable.
Shifting his gaze away from the scroll, Xiao Yan smiled at the girl in front of him. He then swept his eyes across the main hall, noticing the burning glares directed at him. He couldn't help but say helplessly, "Silly girl, I know you're highly charming, but you shouldn't use me as a shield, should you?"
"Hehe."
Pouting her lips with a soft giggle, Xun'er sat down beside Xiao Yan and stretched lazily. Her tight-fitting clothes instantly accentuated her alluring curves. Reaching back to casually pull a scroll from the bookshelf behind her, she let her gaze linger on Xiao Yan for a moment before asking with a lazy smile, "Brother Xiao Yan, have you reached the fourth stage of Dou Qi?"
Hearing this question, Xiao Yan, who had been buried in his scroll, raised his eyebrows slightly. The ten stages of Dou Qi all belonged to the beginner phase. During this phase, the fluctuations of Dou Qi were faint and weak, making them extremely difficult to detect. Unless one actively channeled their Dou Qi or used a testing stone, it was very hard to accurately determine which stage a person had reached. Yet now, with just a casual glance, Xun'er had spoken the exact truth. This truly astonished Xiao Yan.
*Just what is this girl's true background? Looking at the Dou Skill she used during her fight with Xiao Ning earlier, it was clearly a high-level Dou Skill. That kind of golden-light Dou Skill is not something the Xiao clan could possibly possess...* As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Xiao Yan tilted his head to look closely at the girl beside him. Shrugging slightly, he gave a small nod. "Yes, the fourth stage."
Seeing Xiao Yan nod, the smile on Xun'er's delicate face grew even brighter. She giggled, "It seems this has to do with Brother Xiao Yan's closed-door cultivation for the past half month?"
"Yeah."
Nodding gently, Xiao Yan did not deny it. Returning his gaze to the scroll, he asked casually, "Were you just bored today, deciding to spar with them?"
Mimicking Xiao Yan with a shrug of her own, Xun'er smiled softly. "I was just bored." Her eyes drifted to the youth, carrying a faint trace of resentment. "Since that time, Brother Xiao Yan hasn't come to see Xun'er for half a month. Are you afraid that Xun'er will ask you for money?"
Xiao Yan shuddered slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. With a bitter smile, he said, "The coming-of-age ceremony is next year. How could I not rush my cultivation?" Looking up at the girl, who was wrinkling her nose slightly, he could only reach out and affectionately pat Xun'er's head, gently comforting her, "I will definitely make time for Xun'er in the future."
Hearing Xiao Yan's promise, Xun'er's expression finally softened a bit. She kept whispering and laughing into Xiao Yan's ear. Their intimate display made the eyes of all the youths in the hall turn red with jealousy. Watching the two of them chatting and laughing from afar, the corner of Xiao Ning's mouth twitched. His face was rather unsightly, and his fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly...
As the grandson of the clan's Grand Elder, Xiao Ning had always possessed a strong sense of superiority. Regarding an extraordinary girl like Xun'er, Xiao Ning had already firmly and secretly claimed her as his future wife in his heart, even if this was merely his own one-sided wish...
Seeing his "future wife" laughing and talking with someone else, intimately close without any distance between them, caused the flames of jealousy in Xiao Ning's heart to flare up. What was worse, the person talking so intimately with Xun Er was actually the most useless trash in the clan.
Fury flared in his eyes, but after a moment, Xiao Ning slowly exhaled. A warm smile returned to his face as he smoothed his slightly disheveled clothes. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he quickly walked toward the two people sitting by the bookshelf.
In the hall, everyone watching Xiao Ning walk toward the two chuckled in amusement at another's misfortune. Of course, this laughter was not directed at Xiao Ning, but at Xiao Yan, who seemed completely unaware of what was about to happen.
Sweeping his gaze over the diagram of the human meridians on the scroll, Xiao Yan quietly memorized the acupoints that needed to be activated, along with the positions and directions of the meridians.
Exhaling softly, Xiao Yan's brows suddenly furrowed. His sharp soul perception allowed him to clearly sense the movements of everyone in the hall, including Xiao Ning, who was walking toward him.
"This girl is truly a trouble magnet." With a sigh, Xiao Yan slowly rolled up the scroll in his hand.
"Haha, Cousin Xiao Yan, are you here to study Dou Skills? Do you need your cousin here to help you choose some high-level ones? There are some things you might not have the authority to access yet." Standing in front of Xiao Yan with a smiling face, Xiao Ning said.
Xiao Yan put away the scroll in his hand, gently placed it back on the bookshelf, and shook his head slightly. "Thanks for your concern, but I don't need it for now," he said, completely uninterested.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot. Cousin Xiao Yan's Dou Qi is only at the third stage. High-level techniques are indeed very difficult for you to learn." Rubbing his forehead, Xiao Ning laughed as if suddenly realizing, though the mockery on his face was poorly concealed.
Xiao Yan sighed softly. *You really came looking for a tongue-lashing...*
His lips curled into a smirk. Xiao Yan said with a hint of helplessness, "I know you're saying these pointless things just to get Xun Er's attention. However, I still have to say, you are really childish..."
Having his face stung so mercilessly by Xiao Yan, the smile on Xiao Ning's face slowly faded. He hadn't expected that the usually quiet and taciturn Xiao Yan would suddenly have the courage to trade barbs with him. His expression instantly darkened, and he sneered, "It seems Cousin Xiao Yan has some prejudice against this cousin of yours? Why don't we spar? Let me see how much progress you've made over the past few years."
"Do you want to spar with me instead?" Xun Er put down the scroll in her hand and lifted her small face. Her beautiful, lively eyes flashed with a hint of coldness.
His eyes twitched. Seeing Xun Er step up to fight on Xiao Yan's behalf, the flames of jealousy in Xiao Ning's heart flared even higher. He glared fiercely at Xiao Yan and sneered, "Do you only know how to hide behind a woman?"
"Why didn't you dare say that to me three years ago?" Xiao Yan stood on his tiptoes, pulled down a bundle of scrolls, blew the dust off them, and said indifferently. It had to be said that Xiao Yan's calm and leisurely attitude, in the eyes of those who disliked him, truly made them feel choked with frustration.
Gritting his teeth so hard they creaked, Xiao Ning was already seething with rage inside. Yet, he did not dare to openly make a move against Xiao Yan. No matter how low Xiao Yan's cultivation talent had fallen, he was still, after all, the son of the clan leader.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Ning cast a cold, sinister glance at Xiao Yan. Leaning in slightly, he whispered into Xiao Yan's ear, "Xiao Yan, you are no longer the cultivation genius of three years ago. Right now, you are nothing but a piece of trash. Xun'er is not someone you can hope to reach. Be smart and stay away from her. Otherwise—heh, though I can't make a move against you on normal days, you will be forced to accept a challenge from a fellow clansman during the Coming-of-Age Ceremony in a year. If you don't want to end up a cripple, I suggest you get lost as soon as possible, hide yourself away in some remote, godforsaken backwater, and live out the rest of your life in peace!"
Hearing these threats, the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched upward. Tilting his head slightly, he sized Xiao Ning up with a bizarre look, then gave him a disdainful glance. Clutching the scroll in his hand, he turned to leave.
Seeing Xiao Yan's reaction, Xiao Ning thought he had compromised. But before he could even rejoice, a seemingly casual remark from Xiao Yan caused his face to instantly turn ashen. "Sure, fine. One year from now... I'll be waiting for you to cripple me."