Chapter 13: A Three-Year Pact—Never Underestimate a Young Man in Hardship!
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The Xiao family hall fell utterly silent.
One stunned gaze after another turned toward Hun Cang.
Having deliberately restrained himself, Hun Cang directed his pressure only at the young man from the Misty Cloud Sect.
Otherwise, not a single person in the hall would have remained seated.
“Please, my lord, stay your hand. Mo Li did not mean to offend you.” Sweat appeared on Ge Ye’s forehead, yet he had no time to wipe it away.
Hun Cang snorted coldly and withdrew his Dou Qi wings.
“If I had not considered that I was in my second brother’s home and did not wish to stain the floor, he would already be dead.”
At those words, Xiao Yan thrust out his chest, his face filled with pride.
Did you hear that? All of you, listen carefully!
His big brother really cared about him!
Seeing Xiao Yan’s smug expression, the jealousy in the eyes of some of the Xiao family’s younger generation nearly became tangible, spilling from their eyes.
Their hearts ached with bitterness.
Why the hell had such good fortune not fallen upon them?
Ge Ye helped the young man to his feet and made him apologize.
“I’m sorry.”
Having confirmed Hun Cang’s strength, the young man no longer dared to act recklessly.
If he truly provoked a Dou Emperor and was killed, the sect would not react in the slightest.
Everyone knew perfectly well which mattered more: a Dou Practitioner or a Dou Emperor.
Hun Cang did not spare him another glance. Instead, he turned to Xiao Yan.
“Second brother, if anyone else has bullied you, tell big brother today. I’ll teach them a lesson for you.”
This big brother was worth acknowledging after all… Xiao Yan was so moved he nearly burst into tears.
When Xiao Yan’s gaze swept toward the three elders, their faces collapsed, and they nearly cried as well.
Please, spare us!
Kneeling before so many of the Xiao family’s juniors and apologizing to Xiao Yan would be unbearably humiliating.
Xiao Yan had merely wanted to frighten them. After one glance, he withdrew his gaze.
He smiled. “Big brother, I’m not as miserable as you think. At the very least, I’m still the Xiao family’s heir.”
At that moment, Xiao Zhan cast his son a meaningful look.
“Yan’er, your big brother has come to visit. Take him around the house.”
The main purpose of today’s gathering was still to deal with the matter of the marriage between Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan.
It was a family disgrace.
Naturally, Xiao Zhan did not want too many outsiders learning about it.
Xiao Yan understood immediately and was just about to speak when Hun Cang said, “Second brother, don’t you still have unfinished business here? I have nothing else to do. I can wait.”
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As expected of a fellow traveler… He had not lost his taste for watching the spectacle.
Xiao Yan silently grumbled to himself, then spread his hands beneath his father’s gaze.
Sometimes, when someone was merely being polite, one could not take their words literally.
Otherwise, it would make one seem as though one were taking advantage of their kindness, and that would be the end of it.
Hun Cang was a genuine Dou Emperor. Xiao Yan did not dare make excessive demands of him. If he truly angered him, the hard-won brotherly relationship they had established might end up like a tiny boat of friendship caught in a storm.
“Miss Nalan, let us continue our earlier conversation.”
Xiao Yan straightened his collar, walked over to Nalan Yanran, and looked down at the young woman seated in the chair.
Nalan Yanran glanced at Hun Cang’s indifferent expression. Ignoring Ge Ye’s repeated tugs at her sleeve, she said firmly, “Xiao Yan, I am determined to end this engagement today! No matter who is standing behind you, no one can stop me!”
The instant her voice fell, Ge Ye nervously looked toward Hun Cang.
Hun Cang adjusted his posture but showed no intention of speaking.
As if. He had no desire to alter the course of the story.
Following the original plot would make it easier for him to control Xiao Yan’s future path of growth.
That way, his own actions would be much more convenient. All he needed to do was seize Xiao Yan’s opportunities ahead of time, then pass them on to him and collect the system’s rewards.
Xiao Yan gave a cold laugh.
“I already told you that I have no interest in you either. It is not that our engagement cannot be dissolved. We will wait two years. When the time comes, I will personally go to the Nalan family and explain everything to your grandfather.”
“Impossible.” Nalan Yanran rejected him at once.
The smile vanished from Xiao Yan’s face. He said bitterly, “Nalan Yanran, what exactly do you mean? Must you make my Xiao family lose all face in Wutan City?”
A trace of grievance flashed across Nalan Yanran’s face, but she retorted without yielding.
“Is your Xiao family the only one with dignity? Does my dignity not count as dignity?”
Xiao Yan was startled. “What do you mean?”
“I, Nalan Yanran, am known throughout the Jia Ma Empire as the future successor of the Misty Cloud Sect. If other people learned that I still had a marriage contract, and that the person I was betrothed to was someone who had cultivated for fifteen years yet possessed only three segments of Dou Qi, what would they think of me? How would they look at me? Would they secretly laugh at me?”
Nalan Yanran raised her voice.
If Xiao Yan had been even remotely normal—not necessarily powerful, just not a laughingstock whenever his name was mentioned—she would never have brought up this matter now.
To become the future head of the Misty Cloud Sect, becoming the Sect Master’s personal disciple was only one part of it. Her own reputation was equally important.
Nalan Yanran did not want to become Sect Master in the future only to have people bring up, every time they mentioned her, the fact that she had once been engaged to a useless man with three segments of Dou Qi.
Thump, thump, thump!
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Xiao Yan staggered backward several steps as though struck by lightning.
He stared fixedly at Nalan Yanran, unable to accept what he had heard.
Was he really that worthless?
He had become a Dou Practitioner at the age of eleven! He was the fastest person in the Xiao family’s history to reach that level in a hundred years!
If it had not been for that damned ring… how could he have fallen into his present state?
Suddenly, his shoulder grew heavy. Xiao Yan turned and saw a hand resting upon it.
“Big brother…”
Hun Cang patted his shoulder twice, signaling him to remain silent for now.
“You are Nalan Yanran, Yun Yun’s disciple?” Hun Cang asked.
Seeing Hun Cang step forward, Nalan Yanran felt a trace of panic inside, but she did not reveal it. She nodded.
“Yes. What advice does a Dou Emperor have for me? If you intend to speak about the engagement, I still hope you will abandon the idea. Unless I die… no one can change my mind today!”
Hun Cang smiled lightly and shook his head.
“I have no interest in using force to oppress others.”
“Then what is it you wish to say, my lord?” Nalan Yanran asked.
Hun Cang ignored her and instead looked at Xiao Yan.
“Second brother, what do you want? Don’t be afraid. With big brother supporting you, even if you want to consummate your marriage with her today, I guarantee there will be no problem. As for this Yun Yun, you need not worry. I will deal with her.”
Big brother really was direct… Xiao Yan was somewhat embarrassed.
Looking at Nalan Yanran’s deathly pale face and the fear in her eyes, he shook his head.
“Big brother, I’m only unwilling to accept this. I became a Dou Practitioner at eleven. If it had not been for that… sigh. If that incident had never happened, how could I have ended up being humiliated like this today?”
Xiao Yan clenched both fists.
Hun Cang thought for a moment.
“Then I have an idea. Tell me, would this work?”
“Please, speak.” Nalan Yanran looked at Hun Cang with some apprehension, seemingly frightened by his earlier remark about consummating the marriage.
Hun Cang said, “Why don’t the two of you make a three-year pact? Three years from now, my second brother will go to the Misty Cloud Sect and challenge you. Win or lose, this engagement will be considered terminated. How does that sound?”
“Him?” Nalan Yanran glanced at Xiao Yan with disdain.
Xiao Yan clenched his fists even tighter.
Hun Cang smiled faintly.
“Nalan Yanran, I will give you one sentence today: Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Do not look down on a young man merely because he is poor. Do not underestimate my second brother.”
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