Chapter 5: Bad News, I've Become the Substitute
Seeing the shock in Nalan Yanran's eyes, Xiao Yuan felt no stir in his heart. Although this proud daughter of Yun Lan Sect was indeed beautiful and had good talent, in front of him, who now possessed the ability to cultivate, she had almost no advantage.
However, she was still a guest, and since both his elder brothers were not home, Xiao Yuan, as the third young master, naturally knew the proper etiquette. He smiled at Nalan Yanran, who had just snapped out of her daze.
Nalan Yanran had originally wanted to keep a cold expression, but when she saw Xiao Yuan's charming smile on his handsome face, her heartbeat unexpectedly quickened. The previously cool and aloof expression on her face was replaced by a blush, which immediately caused the young men around her to cast heated glances in her direction.
"Father, three elders!"
Xiao Yuan stopped and bowed, and Xiao Yan followed suit, both of them almost in perfect synchronization as they respectfully saluted the four people on the stage.
"Hehe, Yuan'er, Yan'er, you're here. Please, sit."
Looking at his two tall sons, Xiao Zhan smiled and nodded, gesturing for them to sit.
"Yes, Father!"
Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan responded in unison. Then, Xiao Yuan led Xiao Yan to the right-hand side.
There, there was only one seat, in front of Xiao Xun'er, and it was reserved for family elders with influence in the clan.
That seat was reserved for Xiao Yuan.
Although Xiao Yuan's peers sometimes looked down on him in terms of cultivation, after three years of managing the marketplace, the elders of the family did not dare to neglect him. It was said that the middle-level marketplace he managed would soon be upgraded to a high-level marketplace after the upcoming assessment.
Currently, a quarter of the total revenue from the Xiao family's marketplace came from the middle-level market Xiao Yuan oversaw.
If he wasn't lacking in seniority and unable to cultivate, his position might have been even higher.
However, Xiao Yan was quite unlucky. Once a genius, now reduced to a waste, he still shamelessly received cultivation resources from the family, yet his strength made no progress, causing his reputation in the clan to be extremely poor.
Because of this, there wasn't even a seat for Xiao Yan in the hall.
"Xiao Yan, come sit here!"
Seeing Xiao Yuan's reminder with his eyes, Xiao Xun'er immediately understood and smiled.
This kind of unspoken understanding had developed since three years ago when Xiao Yan's strength began to decline, and he faced much criticism and exclusion.
In a sense, Xiao Yuan was Xiao Xun'er's wingman.
After all, only like this could he rightfully take large amounts of start-up funds from the little rich girl.
Xiao Yan, of course, immediately understood his situation. Originally, he followed behind his third brother, worried that his third brother would, as usual, leave the seat for him and then casually glance at the elders with less influence in the clan, signaling for them to leave and make room for him.
But now, sitting beside Xiao Xun'er wasn't so bad.
"You go sit next to Xun'er, I don't want to make a scene with the guest here."
Hearing Xiao Yuan's soft reminder, Xiao Yan softly agreed. After Xiao Yuan took his seat, he moved past him and sat beside Xiao Xun'er, smiling lightly: "You just saved me again."
Hearing their whispers from behind, Xiao Yuan smiled. This fool hadn't yet realized that every time Xun'er was here, he always had a reason not to help him?
As for their subsequent conversation on nourishing the meridians, Xiao Yuan wasn't very concerned. After all, it was a method that Xiao Yuan had first experienced—more accurately, he had been Xiao Yan's test subject.
After all, the inability to cultivate fighting energy was rare in Dou Qi continent, and because they were twin brothers, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan had always been close.
So when Xiao Yan's cultivation talent appeared, Xiao Yan had tried it out on Xiao Yuan first, but the results weren't ideal. The second time Xiao Yan tried, Xiao Yuan stopped him from wasting his time.
He would have been better off using that time to cultivate more fighting energy to help Yao Lao absorb it. If Yao Lao had had powerful strength from the start, then Yun Lan Sect wouldn't have been a big deal!
It was a pity, though, that the old man was awake now but had no intention of making a move.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yuan noticed that the elderly stranger seemed to have something difficult to say, always showing a look of hesitation.
Honestly, if it were a pretty young woman, it might have been somewhat charming to look at.
But an old man acting so awkwardly was truly repulsive.
On the other hand, Nalan Yanran didn't rush him. Instead, she occasionally glanced at Xiao Yuan, her eyes flickering with a hint of conflict.
Before arriving, she had heard that Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan were brothers, one with no cultivation talent, only a pretty face; the other's cultivation talent had regressed, and he was now practically useless.
As for herself? She was a proud daughter, with excellent talent, and now she was a Three-Star Dou Master. Moreover, she had joined the Yun Lan Sect as the only disciple of the sect leader, Yun Yun.
In Dou Qi Continent, strength was supreme, and she had never been satisfied with the arranged marriage. She didn't want to willingly marry a useless stranger.
Although he was handsome, handsomeness couldn't be used for fighting!
But she couldn't blame anyone. When the marriage contract had been set, the elders of both families had expected their children to grow up as childhood sweethearts. With such a relationship, the engagement would have been a beautiful thing, strengthening the bond between the families.
Who could have expected that when Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan were three years old, their grandfather had died from injuries sustained in a battle with their enemies? Without the support of the family's top powerhouse, the Xiao family had to move to Wutan City.
At that time, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan were still young, so they didn't really discuss the engagement with them. They only vaguely knew about it. Xiao Yuan thought the fiancé was Xiao Yan, while Xiao Yan thought it was Xiao Yuan.
So neither of them cared much about the engagement.
As the families gradually lost contact, the requirement of childhood sweethearts was no longer met, and Nalan Yanran reached the rebellious age. Additionally, with her strong personality and her own standards for a future partner, she naturally wouldn't marry a useless man.
Despite being stunned by Xiao Yuan's appearance when she saw him in person, Nalan Yanran hesitated over the thought of breaking the engagement. However, after an internal struggle, she made her decision.
She had worked hard for years to enter Yun Lan Sect, to become a disciple of the sect leader, and to control her own fate. If she gave all that up just because of someone's good looks, then all her efforts would have been in vain.
This marriage must be annulled today!
At that moment, Xiao Yan, who had learned the purpose of Nalan Yanran's visit from Xiao Xun'er, was a bit upset: this Nalan Yanran was being too much!
But soon, Xiao Yan started looking at Xiao Yuan's back with some concern.
If the woman wanted to annul the marriage, she could have come over and privately discussed it. He was sure there would be a perfect solution, as he understood his third brother's personality and thoughts.
However, if she really tried to forcefully annul the marriage in such a public setting, using Yun Lan Sect's influence, the situation would be completely different.
That wouldn't just be an annulment; it would be a slap in the face of Xiao Yuan's father and the clan leader, Xiao Zhan.
Everyone knew that when it came to matters concerning his family, Xiao Yuan was like a living Shura.
Unbeknownst to them, Xiao Yuan, sitting in front, felt a sudden sense of bewilderment after hearing their conversation. Although it seemed reasonable for him to bear this engagement as the third brother, wasn't that making him the substitute?
How could he give Xiao Yan more strength now?
Meanwhile, under Nalan Yanran's subtle signal, the elderly stranger finally stood up.
(END CHAPTER)
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