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On Cloud Mist Mountain, as Xiao Yan departed, the remaining guests also dispersed one by one.
Aside from Jia Xingtian, whose face was grim and brows furrowed with worry over Yunlan Sect gaining another young prodigy, everyone else was discussing the scenes that had just unfolded.
Xiao Yan had provided them with too many controversial topics.
For example, who was the young lady mentioned by the mysterious Dou Emperor Ling Ying? Who possessed such immense power to dispatch a Dou Emperor expert to protect someone else?
Another example: what exactly did Xiao Yan give to have Queen Medusa protect him twenty-four hours a day? Would anything else happen during this close protection, perhaps truly "intimate" contact?
Of course, the hottest topic was naturally the romantic entanglement between Yun Yun, the current Sect Master of Yunlan Sect, Xiao Yan, and Nalan Yanran.
What was the truth of the Three-Year Agreement? Did Nalan Yanran go to the Xiao Family to annul the engagement, or did Xiao Yan hook up with Yun Yun and look down on this Young Sect Master, so he annulled the marriage first?
Previously, in the beginning, Wu Tan City also had two versions circulating, but because Nalan Yanran had better talent and more influence, people mostly believed the engagement annulment version.
Now, the situation had reversed. Xiao Yan displayed powerful talent and strength, and the forces behind him seemed no smaller than Yunlan Sect, so the annulment version gradually became mainstream.
In the past, when Xiao Yan walked on the streets of Wu Tan City, people would point and say, "Look, that's the Xiao Family's good-for-nothing who was rejected by the Nalan Family."
From now on, once today's events spread further, it would be Nalan Yanran walking on the streets of the Imperial Capital, with people pointing and saying, "Look, the Young Master of the Xiao Family took a liking to her teacher, so he wrote a divorce letter and divorced her."
After the outsiders had all left, Yun Shan said to Yun Leng, "The prestige of Yunlan Sect cannot be raised by such means. Go to the Medicine Hall and get a fifth-grade healing medicine. From now on, before doing anything, first consider the rewards of success and the losses of failure. Do not be blindly optimistic."
"Yes." Yun Leng retreated.
Yun Shan glanced at Yun Yun and softly said, "Good judgment."
After speaking, he flew into the sky and swept towards the back mountain of Yunlan Sect.
Leaving Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran, the two stared at each other.
After a long while, they suddenly spoke in unison:
"Teacher."
"Yanran."
...After a moment of silence, they both said together, "You first."
Yun Yun sighed and softly said, "Alas, never mind, let's not talk about it. Perhaps we both need to calm down and think carefully."
Nalan Yanran said with a hint of sadness, "Teacher, I wish you both well..."
Yun Yun was slightly stunned: "Yanran, you don't object?"
Nalan Yanran smiled bitterly: "What right do I have to object?"
After a pause, she suddenly said, "Teacher, I want to enter the Gate of Life and Death."
Yun Yun's expression turned serious: "Yanran, you should know the dangers involved. Those qualified to enter the Gate of Life and Death are the most elite disciples of my Yunlan Sect, but less than thirty percent of them manage to come out alive."
Nalan Yanran's face showed a hint of stubbornness. She said, "I'm not reconciled. With such a huge gap between us, if I don't even dare to take this small risk, how can I ever catch up?"
"You, towards him..."
"It's not about feelings, just unwillingness to admit defeat. Being left so far behind by a peer is something I find hard to accept..."
Yun Yun thought for a moment and replied, "Most disciples who emerged from the Gate of Life and Death in the past were at the peak of Dou Spirit to the early stages of Dou King, but even Yun Leng was defeated by him."
"I still want to go. At least, I can narrow the gap a little."
Yun Yun nodded: "Since you insist, then I won't object..."
...
That night, a bright moon hung high in the sky, casting down a cold moonlight. The evening breeze swept by, bringing waves of coolness.
Deep within Cloud Mist Mountain, Yun Shan stood on the edge of a cliff, looking down at the sprawling, seemingly endless mountain forest below. His gaze was deep, and the wind rustled his moon-white robes.
Beside him, a young man also dressed in moon-white robes sat on a large bluestone, his legs dangling casually. He adjusted the monocle over his right eye, a smile on his lips:
"Tsk, what a good show that was... This is very interesting. By the way, have you been to the Gate of Life and Death yet? Are there any interesting things there?"
Yun Shan replied without hesitation: "I went long ago. There's nothing special, just the inheritances left by successive Sect Masters of Yunlan Sect... some cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, insights, and so on.
"The Gate of Life and Death is actually a space sealed by Yun Potian. The danger mainly comes from the magical beasts living inside, and the trials set up in the various inheritance caves."
"Kekeke..." A familiar laugh came from afar. Before the person arrived, the laughter already echoed through the mountains.
A figure completely shrouded in black mist, whose face was unclear, and even whose limbs appeared blurry, appeared before Yun Meng and Yun Shan.
"I've heard about the events on your Cloud Mist Mountain. This doesn't look like you're trying to make enemies with the Xiao Family."
"Protector, don't be impatient. You of the Soul Hall have your concerns, and we of Yunlan Sect naturally dare not act recklessly. We can fully support the local forces in Wu Tan City, instigate them to act, and then, under their cover, secretly make our move." Yun Meng said with a light chuckle.
"Hmm? Who is this kid? Is it alright for him to know about our connection?" Protector Wu looked at Yun Shan.
Although he couldn't see what was beneath the black mist, Yun Shan could feel a gaze falling on him. He replied:
"This is my closed-door disciple, Yun Meng. In a while, I will go into seclusion to break through that Barrier. If you need anything from my Yunlan Sect during that time, you can contact him."
"It seems you trust him greatly..." Protector Wu looked at Yun Meng.
"Protector, currently, Yunlan Sect's image in the Jia Ma Empire is still relatively positive. But some things in the shadows always need someone to handle... You can understand it as me being the 'Shadow of Yunlan,' specifically doing dirty work." Yun Meng said with a smile.
"Jie jie, you're quite bold, kid. You dare to say that working for my Soul Hall is dirty work right to my face?" Protector Wu exerted a trace of pressure towards Yun Meng.
The latter's face turned pale, and he let out a muffled grunt, then looked at Protector Wu with an unchanged expression.
"Hmph, that composure is quite good." Protector Wu said indifferently.
Yun Meng bowed slightly, "Thank you for the compliment, Protector. Then, could you give me some time to tell you about this operation targeting the Xiao Family?"
"Speak."
Yun Meng slowly began: "In Wu Tan City, besides the Xiao Family, there are two other families of comparable strength, namely the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Clan. Especially the Jia Lie Family, who have always been at odds with the Xiao Family.
"About two years ago, the Jia Lie Family hired a first-grade Alchemist, Liu Xi, to refine healing medicines, in order to strike at the Xiao Family's businesses."
Hearing this, Protector Wu felt an unreal sense of disillusionment. Within the Soul Hall, besides some experts recruited from outside, there were also some direct descendants of the Soul Clan.
Protector Wu, being entrusted with such an important task as dealing with the Xiao Family, was naturally a direct descendant of the Soul Clan and understood some of the Xiao Family's background, knowing that this family, a thousand years ago, was one of the most powerful families that even the Soul Clan feared.
But from Yun Meng's mouth, a mere first-grade Alchemist could strike at the Xiao Family. How lamentable this was.
Yun Meng continued: "The Alchemist Liu Xi died in Wu Tan City, likely at the hands of the Xiao Family. He had a third-grade Alchemist master.
"I will have Yun Leng contact this third-grade Alchemist, and have this Alchemist secretly contact the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Clan, ordering them to jointly eliminate the Xiao Family. Your Soul Hall's personnel can act together under the guise of being this Alchemist's subordinates.
"This way, the extermination of the Xiao Family will, on the surface, appear as the Jia Lie Family colluding with the Ao Ba Clan to jointly eliminate a competitor.
"If someone investigates the truth, they will find that the mastermind behind it is an Alchemist seeking revenge for his disciple.
"One layer deeper, it will involve Yun Leng. And Yun Leng's motive is to retaliate against Xiao Yan for injuring him and making him lose face.
"If the investigation continues to go deeper, it will be discovered that Yun Leng is merely a pawn, and the true mastermind is my teacher.
"He worries that after Xiao Yan marries his senior sister, Yunlan Sect might change its surname to Xiao in the future, so he exterminates the Xiao Family to sever Xiao Yan's ties and make him wholeheartedly dedicate himself to the development of Yunlan Sect.
"I don't think anyone will be able to investigate this final layer... There were too many opportunities to sever connections before this.
"As for Xiao Yan, who is currently out traveling, I don't think we'll need to do anything. It's quite normal for him to die quietly from some random accident... Or, three years from now, my teacher can kill him during a battle."
Looking at the smiling Yun Meng, Protector Wu couldn't help but gasp, feeling a hint of apprehension towards this young man who only possessed Dou Grandmaster strength.
After a long while, he said with a strange tone, "You... are too cautious."
"Better safe than sorry." Yun Meng replied with a faint smile.
"Then let's do as you say." Protector Wu nodded.
He suddenly felt that their Soul Hall's methods were still too crude, leaving many traces in various places.
However, on second thought, it seemed unnecessary to be so troublesome. Under normal circumstances, leaving some traces was irrelevant, and even if discovered, it wouldn't have a significant impact.
It was only because the target this time was the Xiao Family that greater caution was required.
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