Chapter 4

In the grand hall, Xiao Zhan and the three elders were having a rather enthusiastic conversation with the unfamiliar old man. However, it seemed as if the old man had something difficult to say, and every time he was about to speak, he would swallow his words in frustration. Whenever this happened, the delicate young lady beside him would glare at the old man in annoyance.

Xiao Yan listened for a while and then shook his head in boredom.

"Brother Xiao Yan, do you know their identities?" Just as Xiao Yan was about to doze off out of boredom, Xun Er, who was sitting beside him, flipped through the ancient book and asked with a smile, her eyes fixed on the page.

"You know?" Curious, Xiao Yan turned his head and asked in surprise.

"Did you see the silver sword with a cloud pattern on their sleeves?" Xun Er smiled and said.

"Oh?" His heart stirred, and Xiao Yan turned his gaze to the sleeves of the three men, indeed finding a silver sword shaped like a cloud.

"Are they from the Yunlam Sect?" Xiao Yan asked in surprise.

Although he had not gone out to train, Xiao Yan had read about this sword sect in some books. The city where the Xiao family resided was called Wutan City, which belonged to the Jia Ma Empire. Although this city had risen to the ranks of major cities in the empire due to its advantageous location near the Beast Mountain Range, it was still at the bottom of the list.

The Xiao family was quite influential in Wutan City, but they were not the only ones. There were two other major families in the city whose strength was on par with the Xiao family. The three families had been openly and secretly competing for decades without a clear winner.

If the Xiao family was a dominant force in Wutan City, then the Yunlam Sect that Xiao Yan mentioned might be considered a dominant force in the entire Jia Ma Empire! The gap between them was like a chasm, no wonder even his usually stern father spoke with great respect.

"Why are they here in our family?" Xiao Yan asked in confusion.

Xun Er's delicate finger paused, and she fell silent for a moment before saying, "Perhaps it has something to do with Brother Xiao Yan..."

"Me? I haven't had any interaction with them at all," Xiao Yan said, shaking his head in denial.

"Do you know the name of that young lady?" Xun Er glanced at the delicate young lady across from them.

"What?" His eyebrows furrowed, Xiao Yan asked.

"Nalan Yanran!" Xun Er's face showed a hint of oddity as she glanced at Xiao Yan, whose body had stiffened.

"Nalan Yanran? General Lionheart Nalan Jie's granddaughter, Nalan Yanran? The... the fiancée I was betrothed to in the womb?" Xiao Yan's face hardened as he said.

"Hehe, Grandfather and Nalan Jie were close friends. When you and Nalan Yanran were born at the same time, the two old men arranged this marriage. However, unfortunately, Grandfather died from severe injuries in a battle with an enemy three years after your birth. As time passed, the relationship between the Xiao family and the Nalan family gradually became distant..." Xun Er paused, then looked at Xiao Yan's wide eyes and couldn't help but laugh. "Nalan Jie is a stubborn old man who values his promises. He personally agreed to the marriage, so even though Brother Xiao Yan's reputation has been poor in recent years, he has never sent anyone to break the engagement..."

"This old man is indeed stubborn in a lovable way..." Hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.

"Nalan Jie has absolute authority in his family. No one dares to oppose his words. Although he loves his granddaughter Nalan Yanran very much, it would be difficult for him to break the engagement..." Xun Er's beautiful eyes curved into a playful smile. "However, five years ago, Nalan Yanran was personally taken as a disciple by the Yunlam Sect's leader, Yun Yun. Over the past five years, Nalan Yanran has shown exceptional talent in cultivation, and Yun Yun has doted on her immensely... When someone gains the power to change their fate, they will try every means to get rid of things they dislike... Unfortunately, your engagement to Nalan Yanran is the thing she dislikes the most!"

"Are you saying she's here to break the engagement?"

Xiao Yan's face changed, and a surge of anger welled up inside him. This anger was not because of Nalan Yanran's discrimination. To be honest, although the young lady across from him was beautiful, Xiao Yan was not a lecher who would be controlled by his desires. Even if they couldn't become a couple, Xiao Yan would at most feel a bit of regret as a man. However, if she publicly proposed to break the engagement to his father, his father's face as the clan leader would be completely ruined!

Nalan Yanran was not only beautiful and charming but also of high status and exceptional talent. Anyone who mentioned this matter would think that Xiao Yan was a toad aspiring to eat a swan, only to be trampled underfoot by the swan.

If this happened, not only Xiao Yan but even his father would become a laughingstock, losing all dignity.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath of the cold air, and the hand hidden in his sleeve clenched tightly. "If I were a Fighter now, who would dare to trample on me?"

Indeed, if Xiao Yan had the strength of a Fighter, even with the Yunlam Sect backing Nalan Yanran, she wouldn't dare to act this way. A Fighter at the age of fifteen, hah, in the long history of the continent, there were only a few such individuals, and they had all become towering figures in the cultivation world!

A delicate hand quietly slipped through the sleeve and gently pressed on Xiao Yan's clenched hand. Xun Er said softly, "Brother Xiao Yan, if she really acts this way, it will only be her loss. Xun Er believes that one day, she will regret her shortsightedness!"

"Regret?" Xiao Yan sneered, his face full of self-mockery. "Do I have the qualifications now?"

"Xun Er, you seem to know a lot about them. Some of the things you mentioned might even be unknown to my father. How did you find out?" Xiao Yan waved his hand, and his tone suddenly changed.

Xun Er was taken aback but remained silent with a smile.

Seeing Xun Er's evasive attitude, Xiao Yan could only pout in frustration. Although Xun Er also had the surname Xiao, she had no blood relation to him. Xiao Yan had never met Xun Er's parents, and whenever he asked his father, his father would immediately close his mouth, clearly wary and even... afraid of Xun Er's parents!

In Xiao Yan's mind, Xun Er's identity was extremely mysterious. No matter how he tried to ask indirectly, this little girl would cleverly remain silent, leaving Xiao Yan with no way to get any information.

"Sigh, forget it, I don't care. If you don't want to say, then don't say..." Xiao Yan shook his head, and his face suddenly darkened. The old man, who had been receiving constant signals from Nalan Yanran, finally stood up...

"Hehe, using the Yunlam Sect to pressure my father? Nalan Yanran, you truly have good tactics..." A cold, angry laugh echoed in Xiao Yan's heart.

(Please brothers, add to your collection and recommend. Potato thanks you ^_^)