Sneaking into his room, Xiao Yan quickly closed the door, then rushed to the corner of the room. Finally, he took out a pile of medicinal ingredients and a few magic crystals, carefully storing them in a drawer. He took a deep sniff of the medicinal ingredients in his hand, chuckled, and let out a long sigh of relief.
So he could fully dedicate himself to cultivation, Xiao Yan had bought enough medicinal ingredients for approximately eight months this time. Judging by this, he intended to spend the rest of the year in arduous training.
Affectionately patting the drawer, Xiao Yan’s mouth twitched. He walked to the bed, relaxed, and lay down. More than half a day of rushing around had truly made him a little tired.
“Yan’er, are you in there?” A faint knock suddenly came from the door.
Rubbing his blurry eyes, Xiao Yan jumped off the bed, then opened the door. Seeing Xiao Zhan standing outside, he scratched his head and asked with a smile, “Father, is there something you need?”
“Can’t I look for you if there’s nothing wrong? You rascal, you’ve been avoiding me for two months.” His hand affectionately patted Xiao Yan’s head as Xiao Zhan chided with a smile.
Looking at Xiao Zhan’s gentle smile, Xiao Yan felt a little touched in his heart and didn’t know what to say.
“Are you still blaming yourself for that? Haha, if she doesn’t accept my son, it’s her loss. There’s nothing to be sad about. A grown man acting like a little girl. I know, my son, Xiao Zhan’s son, is absolutely no waste!” Xiao Zhan said heartily.
“Haha, Father, three years from now, Yan’er will go to the Yun Lan Sect himself.” Smiling, Xiao Yan said softly.
Xiao Zhan’s smile faded slightly. He stared at Xiao Yan and said with some hesitation, “It’s not that Father minds, but… are you really going? It’s not that Father thinks you’re inferior to Nalan Yanran, but the strength of the Yun Lan Sect…”
Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, his lips curving into a stubborn line. “Father, some things cannot be avoided. As a man, one must shoulder them.”
“Haha, this temperament, it’s just like mine. If your two elder brothers knew you understood this, they’d probably be very happy.” At Xiao Yan’s persistence, Xiao Zhan smiled with delight. He let out a soft sigh, then nodded vigorously. “Alright, Father will wait for the day my son reclaims his honor! I want that old bastard Nalan Su to bring betrothal gifts and beg me to retract the annulment!”
Xiao Yan nodded, bursting into laughter.
“Here, this is for you. Consider it Father’s sponsorship!” He took out a white jade bottle from his person and Xiao Zhan handed it over.
Looking at this item that had changed hands several times, and remembering the Foundation Elixir in his own possession, Xiao Yan was both amused and exasperated. But on his face, he maintained an expression of confusion. “Father, what is this?”
“It’s a Foundation Elixir. It can speed up your Dou Qi cultivation. I got it at an auction today,” Xiao Zhan said with a smile.
“It must have cost a lot?” Taking the white jade bottle, a warm current seemed to flow through Xiao Yan’s heart.
“Forty thousand gold coins, but since it’s useful to you, it’s worth more than its price,” Xiao Zhan said with an unconcerned smile.
“You spent forty thousand gold coins to buy me this Foundation Elixir. The elders will probably use it as an excuse to cause trouble,” Xiao Yan said with a wry smile.
“Let them. I’m the clan head. At most, they’ll just grumble,” Xiao Zhan snorted coldly.
“Thank you, Father. A year from now, at the coming-of-age ceremony, I will make them all shut their mouths,” Xiao Yan said with a light smile.
"Alright, I'll wait until my son undergoes his metamorphosis!" Although he didn't know where Xiao Yan's confidence came from, Xiao Zhan was overjoyed by his son's absolute certainty, and immediately burst out laughing.
"Alright, I shouldn't keep you from resting any longer. If you need anything, come find your father; we're family, there's no shame in it." Waving his hand, Xiao Zhan turned and walked towards the front courtyard.
"Damn it, I still have to deal with those old geezers. Isn't it just spending forty thousand gold coins? It's not like I'm stealing money from your coffins!" Xiao Zhan's muffled curses drifted through the night.
Watching Xiao Zhan disappear into the darkness, Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and whispered with a smile, "Don't worry, Father, I'll use the truth to shut these guys up. Three years ago, I could make them look up to me; three years from now, I naturally can too!"
After standing at the doorway for a moment, Xiao Yan put away the small white jade bottle, glanced towards the corner of the wall, and said playfully, "Girl, is it fun to eavesdrop on others?"
"Xiao Yan *gege*, you're really perceptive..." From the corner of the wall, a young girl in a purple dress appeared, lifting her head, a brilliant smile blooming on her beautiful face.
Seeing the girl smile, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly.
"Xiao Yan *gege*, where did you go this afternoon?" With light steps, Xun'er approached, asking with a smile.
"Just went out for a casual stroll."
"Really?" Her eyes, like autumn water, scrutinized him from head to toe. Xun'er suddenly took another step closer, stood on her tiptoes slightly, and wrinkled her nose lightly: "There's a woman's scent."
"Ahem, don't joke around. Where would a woman's scent come from?" His youthful face flushed slightly, but luckily it was dark, and the girl couldn't see it too clearly.
"Hehe." Seeming to enjoy Xiao Yan's embarrassed look, Xun'er giggled for a moment. After a moment, her laughter stopped, and she said softly, a hint of seriousness in her voice: "I also heard what Uncle Xiao said earlier. I believe in Xiao Yan *gege*, and... if you truly want to go to the Cloud Mist Sect later, Xun'er can help..."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan blinked and stared at the girl's beautiful face.
Under his unreserved gaze, a blush slowly bloomed on Xun'er's elegant face, and she complained in a low voice, "Xiao Yan *gege*, what are you looking at..."
"Hehe, Xun'er blushes too, that's truly rare." After a moment, Xiao Yan suddenly laughed and said.
Xun'er glared at Xiao Yan, thinking to herself, "Who told you to look at me like that?"
"Alright, alright, have a little faith in Xiao Yan *gege*. Though the Cloud Mist Sect is powerful, I'm still young. What I have is time. If Yun Yun teaches women like Nalan Yanran, then it can't be that great anyway." Xiao Yan ruffled the girl's hair and said with a smile.
"Alright, it's late. Go get some rest."
Watching the young man wave his hand, Xun'er shook her head helplessly, could only nod, and then, under his gaze, slowly disappeared into the darkness.
Walking past a corridor, the sounds of Xiao Zhan and several elders arguing suddenly erupted from a room, and the subject of their argument was precisely the use of those forty thousand gold coins.
Her footsteps halted, her pale eyebrows furrowed, she let out a soft sigh. Her slender fingers clasped together, and a purple-gold card appeared in her hand.
Her fingertip brushed against the purple-gold card, and the card transformed into a stream of golden light, shooting into the endlessly arguing room.
Casually glancing at the suddenly silent room, Xun'er said indifferently, "The money for the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid will be paid by me. There are one hundred thousand gold coins in the card. Elders, there's no need to make things difficult for Uncle Xiao anymore."
Silence filled the room. After a moment, the sound of several elders responding with wry laughter finally emerged.