Chapter 17

"Xiao Yan, big brother."

The young girl stood before Xiao Yan, her delicate and fair little hands clasped behind her back, her body slightly leaning forward. Her beautiful, large, watery eyes curved into a beautiful crescent, filled with laughter, and a faint dimple appeared on her pretty little face, making her look incredibly adorable.

Xiao Yan's gaze shifted from the scroll, and he smiled as he glanced at the girl before him. Then, his gaze swept across the hall, meeting the fiery gazes of the others, and he said somewhat helplessly, "Little girl, I know you have a lot of charm, but you don't need to use me as a shield, do you?"

"Hehe." She giggled softly, then sat down beside Xiao Yan, lazily stretching her body. The curves of her figure were prominently displayed under her tight-fitting clothes. She casually picked up a scroll from the bookshelf behind her, her gaze lingering on Xiao Yan for a moment before she smiled lazily and said, "Big brother Xiao Yan, have you reached the fourth level of the Combat Qi?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan, who was buried in the scroll, raised an eyebrow. The ten levels of Combat Qi were all in the initial stage, and the subtle and weak fluctuations of Combat Qi were hard to detect. Therefore, without using Combat Qi or a testing stone, it was generally difficult to accurately determine how many levels one had reached. Now, just by a casual glance, Xun'er had revealed Xiao Yan's true level, which was indeed surprising to him.

"What is this girl's identity? The combat technique she used in the battle with Xiao Ning was clearly an advanced one. This golden Combat Qi technique is not something the Xiao family possesses..." Several thoughts flashed through his mind. Xiao Yan turned his head and looked deeply at the girl who was smiling sweetly, shrugged slightly, and nodded gently, "Fourth level."

Seeing Xiao Yan nod, Xun'er's smile became even more pronounced, and she said softly, "I guess it's related to the half-month of seclusion and hard training you've been through, right?"

"Uh-huh." He nodded lightly, not denying it, and shifted his gaze back to the scroll, casually asking, "Why did you have the leisure to compete with them today?"

"Out of boredom." Mimicking Xiao Yan, she shrugged her shoulders and smiled, her gaze turning to the young man, with a hint of resentment, "Ever since last time, big brother Xiao Yan hasn't visited Xun'er for half a month. Are you afraid Xun'er will ask you for money?"

Xiao Yan was taken aback, feeling somewhat awkward, and he smiled bitterly, "The Chengren Ceremony is next year, can I not focus on my cultivation?" He raised his head and looked at the girl's slightly wrinkled nose, then reached out and affectionately patted Xun'er's little head, soothing her gently, "I'll definitely make time to be with Xun'er in the future."

Hearing Xiao Yan's promise, Xun'er's face relaxed slightly, and she continued to whisper and laugh in Xiao Yan's ear, her intimate demeanor making all the young men in the hall envious to the point of red eyes.

Looking at the two people chatting and laughing under the bookshelf from a distance, Xiao Ning's lips twitched, and his face turned quite ugly. His fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly...

As the grandson of the family's Great Elder, Xiao Ning had always had a strong sense of superiority. He had already firmly decided in his heart that Xun'er, this unique girl, would be his wife, even though it was just his one-sided wish...

Now, seeing his pre-determined wife chatting and laughing intimately with someone else, it was hard for Xiao Ning not to be consumed by jealousy. Moreover, the person chatting and laughing intimately with Xun'er was the most useless waste in the family.

Anger continued to surge in his eyes. After a moment, Xiao Ning slowly exhaled, a warm smile reappeared on his face, and he tidied up his slightly disheveled clothes. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he walked quickly towards the two people by the bookshelf.

In the hall, everyone watched Xiao Ning approach the two, and they all laughed with a sense of schadenfreude. Of course, this laughter was clearly not directed at Xiao Ning, but at Xiao Yan, who seemed unaware of the situation.

Xiao Yan's gaze swept over the human meridian shapes on the scroll, and he silently memorized the acupoints and meridian paths for the Rock-Crushing Palm.

He took a light breath, and his lowered brows suddenly furrowed. His sensitive soul perception allowed him to clearly know the actions of everyone in the hall, including the approaching Xiao Ning.

"This girl is also a troublemaker." He sighed softly and slowly put away the scroll in his hand.

"Ha ha, Cousin Xiao Yan, are you here to learn combat techniques? Do you need me to find you some high-level ones? Some things might be beyond your reach." Standing in front of Xiao Yan with a smile, Xiao Ning said in a gentle voice.

Xiao Yan rolled up the scroll in his hand, placed it on the bookshelf, and shook his head slightly, saying indifferently, "Thank you for your concern, but I don't need it for now."

"Oh, ha ha, I almost forgot... Cousin Xiao Yan's Combat Qi is still at the third level, so it's indeed hard to learn high-level techniques." He rubbed his forehead, seemingly realizing something, but the mockery on his face was not well hidden.

Xiao Yan sighed lightly. This was him asking for trouble...

The corners of his mouth curled up in a bitter smile, and he said somewhat helplessly, "I know you're saying this to get Xun'er's attention, but I have to say, you're very immature..."

Xiao Ning's smile gradually faded as he was harshly criticized by Xiao Yan. He hadn't expected that the usually quiet Xiao Yan would suddenly have the courage to argue with him. His face turned dark, and he sneered, "It seems Cousin Xiao Yan has quite a few prejudices against me? How about we have a little match? I want to see how much you've improved over the years."

"Do I need to fight you?" Xun'er put down the scroll in her hand, raised her face, and her beautiful, large, watery eyes were filled with a hint of coldness.

His eye twitched, and seeing Xun'er stand up for Xiao Yan, Xiao Ning's jealousy intensified. He glared at him fiercely and sneered, "You just know how to hide behind a woman?"

"Why didn't you dare to talk to me like this three years ago?"

Xiao Yan stood on tiptoe and took another scroll from the shelf, blowing off the dust, and said indifferently.

It had to be said that Xiao Yan's calm and composed demeanor, when seen by those who disliked him, was truly very stifling.

His teeth clenched together, making a grinding sound. Although he was already furious, Xiao Ning didn't dare to really attack Xiao Yan. No matter how low Xiao Yan's cultivation talent was, he was still the son of the clan leader.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Ning glanced at Xiao Yan coldly, lowered his head slightly, and whispered menacingly in his ear, "Xiao Yan, you are no longer the cultivation genius you were three years ago. Now, you are just a waste. Xun'er is not someone you can match. If you know what's good for you, leave her as soon as possible. Otherwise, although I can't attack you on a regular basis, at the Chengren Ceremony next year, you must accept a challenge from a clan member. If you don't want to become disabled, I advise you to leave early and hide in a remote place, living out the rest of your life in peace!"

Hearing this threat, the corners of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched, and he slightly tilted his head, looking at Xiao Ning with an extremely strange gaze. Then, he rolled his eyes, picked up the scroll in his hand, and turned to leave.

Seeing Xiao Yan's actions, Xiao Ning thought he had conceded. However, before he could feel relieved, the young man's casual words made his face turn ashen.

"Sure, okay, in a year... I'll be waiting for you to beat me into a cripple."