Contrary to Nalan Yanran's expectant mood, after she finished speaking, the youth in front of her began to tremble violently. He slowly raised his head, his delicate, youthful face now contorted into a terrifyingly fierce expression.
Although he had endured constant ridicule for three years, Xiao Yan still had his limits. Nalan Yanran's high-and-mighty attitude had just trampled upon the last shred of dignity remaining in his heart.
"Ah..." Startled by the youth's fierce appearance, the young girl took a step back. The handsome young man beside her drew his longsword, staring coldly at Xiao Yan.
"I... really want to kill you!" Gritting his teeth, his voice dripping with chilling intent to kill, Xiao Yan clenched his fists tightly, a furious fire burning in his pitch-black eyes.
"Yan'er, do not be impudent!" Xiao Zhan, sitting in the seat of honor, was also startled by Xiao Yan's behavior and hastily barked. The current Xiao clan could not afford to offend the Yunlan Sect.
Clenching his fists tightly, Xiao Yan lowered his head slightly. After a moment, he slowly raised it again. However, his previously terrifying expression had now turned into one of calm...
Over the past three years, though he had suffered endless discrimination and ridicule, it had also forged in him a capacity for forbearance far exceeding that of ordinary people.
The Nalan Yanran before him was highly favored by the Yunlan Sect. If he did anything to her now, it would likely bring endless trouble to his father. Therefore, he had to endure!
Seeing the youth in front of them suddenly restrain his inner emotions, Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran suddenly felt a chill in their hearts...
"If this kid remains a useless waste in the future, it won't matter. But if he truly gains power, he will definitely be a dangerous character..." Ge Ye thought to himself solemnly.
"Xiao Yan, although I don't know why my actions have made you so angry, you... should still dissolve the engagement!" Exhaling softly, Nalan Yanran calmed herself from her fright and said with a serious face.
"Remember, this visit to the Xiao clan was personally authorized by my master, the Sect Leader of the Yunlan Sect!" Nalan Yanran licked her lips and raised her head, saying with a hint of helplessness, "You can view this as a threat, but you also know that this is just the reality of the world. There is no absolute fairness. Even without comparing, you are well aware of the gap between us..."
"There is basically no hope..."
Hearing the young girl's words, which sounded like a divine judgment, a cold sneer played on the corners of Xiao Yan's lips. "Miss Nalan... You should know that on the Douqi Continent, a woman breaking an engagement brings immense humiliation to the other party. Haha, I have thick skin, so it doesn't matter to me. But my father! He is the leader of a clan. If he agrees to your demand today, how will he manage the Xiao clan in the future? How will he have the face to live in Wutan City?"
Looking at the youth's face, which was filled with rage, Nalan Yanran frowned slightly. Glancing toward the seat of honor, she saw Xiao Zhan's face, which seemed to have aged suddenly. Feeling a pang of guilt in her heart, she bit her lip gently and pondered for a moment. Her lively eyes darted around before she suddenly said in a soft voice, "Today's matter was indeed a bit rash on my part. Today, I can temporarily withdraw my request to dissolve the engagement. However, you must agree to a pact with me!"
"What pact?" Xiao Yan asked, his brow furrowing.
"Today's request, I can postpone it for three years. Three years from now, you will come to the Yunlan Sect to challenge me. If you lose, I will dissolve the engagement in front of everyone. By then, you will have already undergone your clan's coming-of-age ceremony. So even if you lose, it won't make Uncle Xiao lose too much face. Do you dare to accept?" Nalan Yanran said indifferently.
"Haha, losing then indeed won't ruin my father's reputation, but for myself, I would probably have to carry the humiliation of defeat for the rest of my life. This woman... is truly vicious!" Laughing with bitter indignation in his heart, Xiao Yan's face was filled with mockery.
"Miss Nalan, you are not unaware of Yan'er's situation. What are you asking him to challenge you with? What is the point of insulting him like this?" Xiao Zhan slammed his hand on the table, extremely furious.
"Uncle Xiao, in this matter of breaking the engagement, one side must bear the responsibility. If it weren't to preserve your face, Yanran would have forcefully dissolved the engagement right now and announced it to the public!" Having been interrupted several times, Nalan Yanran also grew somewhat impatient. She turned her head to look at Xiao Yan and barked coldly, "Since you don't want Uncle Xiao to lose face, then accept the agreement! Three years from now or right now—which do you choose?"
"Nalan Yanran, you don't need to put on such a domineering attitude. You want to break the engagement because you think I, Xiao Yan, am a piece of trash who is unworthy of a proud daughter of heaven like you. To be honest, aside from your looks, nothing else about you even catches my eye! The Yunlan Sect is indeed powerful, but I am still young. What I have is time. I became a Dou Zhe at the age of eleven. And you, Nalan Yanran, how many stages of Dou Qi did you have at eleven? Yes, right now I am trash. But if I could create a miracle back then, what makes you think I can't create another one in the future?" Confronted by the young girl's aggressive aura, the previously silent Xiao Yan finally erupted. His face was cold, and his words left everyone stunned. No one could have imagined that this usually quiet youth could speak such sharp and powerful words.
Nalan Yanran's lips twitched. Although she was so angered by Xiao Yan's assessment that her face stiffened, she could not deny that his words were the truth. Even if he was currently trash, the fact that he had become a Dou Zhe at the age of eleven was an undeniable reality, whereas Nalan Yanran at that time only had eight stages of Dou Qi...
"Miss Nalan, for the sake of Old Master Nalan, Xiao Yan has a few words of advice for you: Thirty years East of the River, thirty years West of the River, do not look down on the young and poor!" Xiao Yan's cold words made Nalan Yanran's body tremble.
"Good! What a brilliant 'do not look down on the young and poor'! The son of Xiao Zhan is indeed extraordinary!" From the head seat, Xiao Zhan's eyes shone brightly as he slammed both hands onto the table, causing the tea to spill.
Gritting her teeth as she stared at the sneering youth before her, Nalan Yanran—who had been pampered and adored year after year and had never been lectured by a peer—was instantly so enraged that her head spun. Her youthful voice grew somewhat shrill: "What right do you have to lecture me? Even if my talent wasn't as good as yours in the past, right now, you are nothing but trash! Fine, I, Nalan Yanran, will wait for the day you become stronger than me. I can postpone dissolving the engagement today, but three years from now, I will be waiting for you at the Yunlan Sect to see just how far you have come! If you can defeat me, I, Nalan Yanran, will serve as your maidservant for the rest of my life, obeying your every command!"
"Of course, if you are still a useless waste three years from now, then you had better obediently hand over the annulment agreement!"
Looking at the young girl's arrogant expression, Xiao Yan sneered, "There is no need to wait three years. I don't have the slightest bit of interest in you!" With that, without even glancing at Nalan Yanran's ice-cold face, he turned around, strode to the table, and picked up a brush to write.
The brush stopped, the writing complete!
With his right hand, Xiao Yan drew the short sword from the table. The sharp blade sliced across his left palm, leaving a bloody gash...
Pressing his blood-stained hand onto the white paper, he left a glaring, bloody palm print!
Softly reading over the agreement, Xiao Yan let out a cold laugh. Walking up to Nalan Yanran, he slammed the paper down onto the table.
"Don't think for a second that I, Xiao Yan, care about having a genius wife like you! This paper is not an annulment agreement, but a letter of divorce from this young master, expelling you from the Xiao family! From this day forth, you, Nalan Yanran, have absolutely nothing to do with my Xiao family!"
"You... you dare to divorce me?" Looking at the document on the table, Nalan Yanran's eyes widened in utter disbelief. With her beauty, talent, and background, she was actually being cast out by a useless waste from a minor clan? This sudden turn of events felt completely surreal to her.
Coldly observing Nalan Yanran's shocked expression, Xiao Yan suddenly turned around, knelt before Xiao Zhan, and bowed deeply. He bit his lip tightly, stubbornly remaining silent...
Although he had nominally expelled Nalan Yanran from the clan, outsiders would never see it that way once word got out. Those who didn't know the truth would assume Nalan Yanran had used her powerful background to force the Xiao family into calling off the marriage. After all, with her talent, beauty, and background, she was far out of a useless young master's league. No one would believe Xiao Yan had the sheer audacity to divorce the future leader of the Yunlan Sect. Consequently, Xiao Zhan would still have to endure endless ridicule...
Looking at Xiao Yan kneeling on the ground and understanding the deep guilt his son felt, Xiao Zhan smiled warmly and said, "I believe my son will not be a useless waste for his entire life. When the truth finally comes to light, those baseless rumors will crumble on their own."
"Father, three years from now, Yan-er will personally go to the Yunlan Sect to wash away today's humiliation for you!" With tears welling in his eyes, Xiao Yan kowtowed heavily once more, then immediately stood up and strode out of the hall without a single backward glance.
As he passed Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan's footsteps paused. His youthful voice rang out, clear and ice-cold.
"Three years from now, I will come for you!"
Under the shining sun, the youth's shadow stretched out long, lonely and desolate.
Nalan Yanran's mouth parted slightly as she stared blankly at his receding figure. The document in her hand suddenly felt as heavy as a mountain...
"You three, since you have achieved your goal, please leave." Watching his son depart, Xiao Zhan's expression turned indifferent. Inside his sleeves, his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
"Uncle Xiao, Yanran apologizes for today's events. If you have time in the future, please visit the Nalan family as our guest!" Bowing to the cold-faced Xiao Zhan, Nalan Yanran had no desire to linger. She turned and walked out of the hall, with Ge Ye and the handsome young man quickly following behind her.
"Take your Qi Gathering Powder with you!" With a flick of his sleeve, Xiao Zhan coldly swept the jade box off the table, sending it flying outward.
Ge Ye reached back and caught the box securely. With a bitter smile, he stored it away in his storage ring.
"Young lady of the Nalan clan, I hope you will not regret today's actions in the future. Furthermore, do not think that having the Yunlan Sect as your backer allows you to act with impunity. The Dou Qi Continent is vast, and there are many who are stronger than Yun Yun..." Just as Nalan Yanran and her two companions were about to step out the door, a young girl's soft voice, carrying a trace of coldness, suddenly rang out.
The three of them stopped in their tracks, their expressions shifting slightly as they looked toward the purple-clothed girl in the corner, who was gently turning a page of her book.
Sunlight streamed through the window, enveloping the young girl perfectly. From afar, she resembled a blooming purple lotus—pure, beautiful, and untouched by a single speck of dust...
Seemingly sensing their gazes, the girl raised her head. Within her eyes, which were as clear as autumn water, a tiny golden flame suddenly flickered to life...
Upon seeing the golden flame in the girl's eyes, Ge Ye's body shuddered violently. A look of sheer terror washed over his aged face. His withered hands hurriedly grabbed Nalan Yanran and the young man, and they practically fled the hall in panic...
Ge Ye's sudden flight left everyone in the hall, save for a select few, looking at one another in utter bewilderment...