Chapter 135: Mu Zhan — A True Man Knows When to Yield. If You Don't Call Him Brother Now, You Won't Get Another Chance
As expected, Xiao Yan passed the second round of the assessment without any trouble.
After burning his first batch of ingredients, he realized the problem with the Thick Earth Ganoderma and then stunned the entire audience by refining and merging the remaining eight ingredients simultaneously—completing the pill before even the gray-robed man could.
Watching Xiao Yan's final pill collection technique, Yao Lao couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
This kid was indeed a natural-born alchemist.
Even Xiao Yuan, though unfamiliar with that particular pill-collecting technique, felt a wave of excitement.
This kind of last-minute turnaround at a major tournament was the stuff of novels—and seeing it firsthand still made his blood boil.
His younger brother Xiao Yan truly had the bearing of a future Dou Emperor!
Then Xiao Yuan turned to glance at Fa Ma. Earlier, in both shock and frustration at Xiao Yan's boldness, the man had slammed the railing hard enough to shatter it.
Now, Fa Ma's face was practically glowing with delight—his mood switching as fast as flipping a page.
Quite entertaining, really.
"Excellent!"
Xiao Yuan was the first to cheer.
He had to—this was his little brother, after all. If he didn't applaud, who would?
Ya Fei's eyes also sparkled with admiration. Judging by the reactions of Fa Ma and the other alchemists, Xiao Yan's move had been incredibly risky.
But she had always been good at reading people. Xiao Yan might not be quite as composed as Xiao Yuan, but he was definitely not reckless.
The fact that he dared do it meant he had full confidence in himself.
Now that she and Xiao Yuan were together, Xiao Yan was effectively her future brother-in-law. These two brothers were destined to stand atop the Jia Ma Empire—perhaps even the entire continent.
As Xiao Yuan's woman, she didn't want to be just the head of a noble family in the empire.
From both a personal and political standpoint, it was crucial to bring Xiao Yan fully into the fold.
Xiao Yan usually listened to Xiao Yuan without question, but it wouldn't be right to let him handle this. The family needed to show its own sincerity.
If they were truly brothers, Xiao Yan couldn't be the one getting shortchanged.
Besides, whatever losses the family suffered now would be repaid a hundredfold in the future.
She trusted Xiao Yuan—and her own judgment.
Instinctively, she looked to Hai Bodong and Mittel Tengshan—the heads of the family.
She noticed the two elders exchanging meaningful glances. Clearly, they were thinking the same thing.
If the Mittel Clan had another woman as accomplished as Ya Fei, they might have asked Xiao Yuan and her to match her with Xiao Yan already.
Not far off, Princess Yao Ye also seemed lost in thought. The Xiao brothers were truly extraordinary: one was terrifying in battle, capable of overwhelming even her Dou Huang grandfather, and the other was a top-tier alchemist. Together, they were a force the Jia Ma Empire could not ignore.
They must be befriended.
Elsewhere, even Nalan Yanran was shaken by Xiao Yan's performance—perhaps even a little moved. But she knew he had no affection for her now, especially after she had once come to cancel their engagement.
Just thinking about that gave her a headache.
Why hadn't their talents awakened sooner?
As the second round ended, dusk had already arrived. The crescent moon peeked over the horizon, bathing the glowing capital in its soft light.
Watching those who failed the assessment shuffle away in defeat, Fa Ma showed no sympathy.
"Everyone, that concludes today's portion of the tournament. Please rest well tonight. Tomorrow will be the final round—the one that determines the champion. Don't let anything stop you from attending. Missing it would be a lifelong regret."
At Fa Ma's announcement, the crowd—including Xiao Yan—let out a collective sigh of relief. These two rounds had been exhausting.
After storing away his cauldron, Xiao Yan glanced up and saw the gray-robed youth walking off. Just before leaving the square, the young man shot him a cold, meaningful look.
Xiao Yan frowned slightly, rubbed his temples, then followed the crowd out of the square.
Once outside, he took a deep breath of fresh air, letting his nerves settle a little. Some girls in the crowd were staring at him with sparkling eyes, but he merely smiled wryly.
Just as he was about to leave, he saw Xiao Yuan and Ya Fei approaching.
"Brother, Sister-in-law."
Even though Ya Fei wasn't married in yet, Xiao Yan had already adjusted how he addressed her.
"Not bad at all. But in that second round, you still made a few mistakes. Once the finals are over tomorrow, we'll go over them together."
Xiao Yan blinked, then quickly realized that this was also Yao Lao speaking through Xiao Yuan. He nodded, "Got it."
"Come on, I know you want to rest, but we have something else to do first."
Xiao Yuan smiled and led Xiao Yan toward the capital's eastern gate.
"Huh? What is it?"
Xiao Yan followed, puzzled. But he trusted that his brother had a reason.
"Hehe, you'll find out when we get there."
Xiao Yuan grinned mischievously.
When the three of them arrived at the gate, they saw a familiar figure standing guard.
The man's face stiffened at the sight of them but stepped forward anyway.
"Mu Zhan? What are you doing here?"
Xiao Yuan asked in surprise.
"Cough, I was assigned to guard duty. As for why... well, I'm sure you can guess."
Mu Zhan scratched his head awkwardly.
Clearly wanting to change the subject, he added, "What brings you guys here?"
"Oh, we're here to pick someone up."
Xiao Yuan smiled.
"Then don't stand around here. Come on up to the gatehouse. The Mu Clan's reputation still carries some weight!"
Mu Zhan offered with surprising enthusiasm.
Xiao Yan and Ya Fei were visibly surprised.
They never expected the famously arrogant Mu Zhan to be so accommodating.
But Xiao Yuan already had an idea. Mu Chen had likely lectured Mu Zhan thoroughly behind the scenes. Whatever was said, the result worked out nicely for him.
"Alright, we won't stand on ceremony then."
Xiao Yuan nodded and followed him up.
"Cough, Brother Xiao, I heard you sparred with Elder Jia—and he even took a loss?"
Mu Zhan asked quietly as they climbed the stairs, eyes gleaming.
"Tch, don't believe everything you hear. Elder Jia went easy on me."
Xiao Yuan didn't want to brag about singeing Jia Xingtian's beard off, so he played it down.
"Come on! My grandpa told me himself—it's gotta be true. Anyway, I was rude to Sister Ya Fei that day. Since she's here, let me apologize. I might be rough around the edges, but I respect strength. And you, Brother Xiao, are the real deal. Looks like we had to fight to become friends, haha!"
Mu Zhan bowed deeply to Ya Fei.
Ya Fei was briefly stunned but quickly smiled and nodded in return.
Xiao Yan, watching, didn't comment. Honestly, if that incident had happened outside the capital—outside Nalan territory—his brother might've erased Mu Zhan from existence.
To friends and family, his brother was an angel.
To enemies?
A demon, plain and simple.
Seeing Ya Fei's response, Mu Zhan exhaled in relief. Ever since learning how terrifying Xiao Yuan's strength was, he understood why the clan leader was so cautious. With Hai Bodong backing Xiao Yuan, they could wipe out the Mu Clan overnight.
Not to mention Xiao Yuan's terrifying potential.
At this rate, in five to ten years, he'd stand at the very top of the Jia Ma Empire.
They couldn't afford to offend someone like that.
If calling him "brother" now meant building goodwill, Mu Zhan was more than happy to do it. Once Xiao Yuan reached Dou Huang, he'd be far too high to approach.
As a noble clan heir, Mu Zhan understood social positioning well.
Most people in the capital weren't even worth the effort.
But Xiao Yuan?
Yeah, he wasn't going to pretend in front of this guy again. Being remembered by someone like him could be fatal.
Also, Xiao Yuan had a point…
"Well, this is the best vantage point. You can wait here. I've got to get back to my post."
Seeing they didn't intend to chat further, Mu Zhan tactfully took his leave with his soldiers.
"Some noble brats do have their merits," Xiao Yan remarked quietly.
"Hehe, for the Mu Clan to rank among the capital's top three families, they couldn't possibly raise a complete fool. Mu Zhan may be hot-headed, but he knows the rules."
Ya Fei nodded.
"Besides, the Mu Clan has a strong military presence. Our Xiao Clan is still stationed here in the empire, and we're leaving for the academy soon. We can't afford to create more messes. Better to make friends than enemies."
Xiao Yuan agreed.
The Mu Clan wasn't like the Mo Clan—upstart tyrants from the northeast. No legacy, terrible reputation. Once they slipped, everyone turned on them.
Xiao Yuan didn't even need to finish them off—old enemies would do it for him.
But the Mu Clan had centuries of connections, perhaps even more than the Nalan Clan. Without Nalan Yanran joining Misty Cloud Sect, the Nalan family might be the weakest of the three.
Their web of influence spanned the empire.
It would be foolish to turn them into enemies over something trivial.
"Hehe, giving someone a lesson is one thing. Killing them—or worse—over a small slight? That'd make me the wicked temptress, wouldn't it?"
Ya Fei laughed.
Seeing the couple about to start another round of flirting, Xiao Yan quickly changed the subject.
"Brother, now that we're here, can you finally tell me who we're waiting for?"
Xiao Yuan smiled mysteriously and looked at him.
"What? You still haven't guessed?"
Clip-clop!
From a distance, the sound of horses echoed steadily.
Several riders appeared on the horizon.
"Wait… if you brought Sister-in-law… then we're picking up someone we both know. From Wu Tan City? Could it be… Master Gu Ni?!"
Xiao Yan asked solemnly.
"…?"
"…My brother, that wasn't even funny."
Xiao Yuan rolled his eyes.
"Pfft! You two are too much!"
Ya Fei laughed, covering her mouth.
The brothers exchanged looks and laughed along. Xiao Yuan hugged Ya Fei close, and the three of them leapt down from the wall.
Beyond the gate, the riders drew nearer. The man in front, though travel-worn, had bright, spirited eyes—no sign of fatigue.
Seeing him, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan whispered in unison:
"Father!"
(END CHAPTER)
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