. Wutan City, Xiao Family.
Since the fall of Jialiebi, their family's market has been entirely controlled by the Xiao and Aoba families. From then on, there were only two major families in Wutan City.
The Xiao family has also been thriving, but they are sometimes threatened by the Aoba family. However, Xiao Zhan, as the head of the Xiao family, always intervenes to deter them.
"Hehe, Xun'er, how long do you plan to stay this time?"
The speaker was a middle-aged man dressed in a luxurious gray robe. He walked with a powerful stride, exuding a sense of authority. His thick eyebrows added to his imposing presence.
This man was none other than Xiao Zhan, the head of the Xiao family and Xiao Yan's biological father!
Standing before him was a girl dressed in a purple dress, with a cool and aloof temperament, like a pure lotus flower in the mortal world. Her
slender waist was like a willow leaf, so delicate that it could be grasped in one hand. Her long black hair was casually tied with a light purple ribbon, flowing smoothly down her beautiful curves to her waist.
Two tiny green bells hung from her fair wrist, making her look like a figure from a painting.
"Uncle Xiao, what brings you here?" Xiao Xun'er said gently. "I came back to see if Brother Xiao Yan had returned."
Mentioning Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan shook his head helplessly. "We haven't heard from Yan'er for a year. It's said he went to the Monster Mountain Range… but I don't know his exact situation."
He sighed. Of all his sons, Xiao Yan was the one he worried about the most. He had experienced so much at such a young age, and then, because Nalan Yanran came to annul the engagement, a three-year agreement was made.
Yan'er carried too much burden.
And he, as his father, could do nothing to help him…
Xiao Xun'er comforted him, "Uncle Xiao, don't worry, Brother Xiao Yan will be alright. I believe in him."
"I hope so,"
Xiao Zhan replied with a strange expression. Just as he was about to say something more, a disciple from the clan rushed in.
"Clan leader! It's terrible! The Yunlan Sect people are here again!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhan couldn't help but gasp. These guys are never going to stop! They just made a three-year agreement not long ago, and now they've come knocking again. Do they really think the Xiao family is a pushover?!
Xiao Xun'er also frowned slightly and subconsciously asked, "Who came?"
"A man and a woman. The man is handsome, and the woman is beautiful. Moreover, they claim to be Yun Yun, the sect leader of the Yunlan Sect."
Upon hearing the name 'Yun Yun,' Xiao Zhan's body trembled. He hadn't expected that Yun Yun, the sect leader of the Yunlan Sect and one of the top ten powerhouses of the Jia Ma Empire, would actually come to the Xiao family.
Did they want to unilaterally break the agreement?
While Xiao Zhan was at a loss, Xiao Xun'er comforted him, "It's alright, Uncle Xiao. Let's go take a look. Xun'er is here."
Xiao Zhan nodded. Indeed, with this girl around, even Yun Yun, the sect leader of the Yunlan Sect, wouldn't dare to underestimate them.
Inside the Xiao family's main hall.
Yun Yun sat elegantly in her chair, while Jiang Cheng was still drinking tea and reading, looking somewhat like a bookworm. However, for Jiang Cheng, this was a way to improve his strength.
A short while later, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Xun'er, and several elders of the Xiao family arrived. Upon seeing Yun Yun, the sect leader of the Yunlan Sect, they bowed and greeted her, "Greetings, Sect Leader Yun. May I ask what brings you to the Xiao family?"
Yun Yun slightly raised her eyebrows, stood up, and gestured with her left hand, saying gently, "This gentleman is looking for your Xiao family. I'm merely accompanying him."
"Oh?" Xiao Zhan remained calm and composed. As long as it wasn't the Yunlan Sect causing trouble, everything else was trivial.
"May I ask what brings you here, young man?"
"I want something from the Xiao family," Jiang Cheng replied softly.
"Something?"
The elders exchanged glances, their gazes deep. Their Xiao family was merely a fallen clan, their only worthwhile possession being a Xuan-rank fighting technique, and even that was passed down through generations. Such a thing was probably beneath their notice.
Xiao Zhan was also somewhat bewildered, and subconsciously asked, "Young man, what is this thing you speak of?"
"A jade pendant."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xun'er, standing behind Xiao Zhan, visibly changed her expression, turning sharply to stare at Jiang Cheng, who sat in his chair seemingly unconcerned.
"A jade pendant..."
"I don't know..."
"The Xiao family's jade pendant is a piece of jade that only the patriarch is entitled to possess."
Jiang Cheng gently put down the book in his hand, turning his head to look at Xiao Xun'er's nervous expression. Looking at this girl up close, she was truly beautiful; no wonder Xiao Yan doted on her so much.
Xiao Zhan swallowed hard, feigning deafness, and said, "Little brother, what do you mean by that? We don't have that jade pendant. Are you mistaken?"
Seeing that the other party wouldn't admit it, Jiang Cheng quickly stepped in front of Xiao Zhan and gently placed his right hand on his forehead.
At that moment, chaotic memories flooded into the system like a tidal wave, and all the events Xiao Zhan had experienced over the decades appeared like a movie.
In the face of absolute power, concealment was useless. After a simple probe, the location of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade was found.
Thump thump thump...
Xiao Zhan staggered back several steps, his eyes filled with panic. He had just felt as if his soul had been controlled, and he was completely unable to resist.
Jiang Cheng waved his right hand, and a special box embedded in the stone flew out quickly. The box was very exquisite, with dragon and phoenix totems carved around it, and it faintly exuded an ancient aura.
Xiao Zhan could no longer sit still. He snatched the box containing the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade, clutching it tightly to his chest, and whispered, "Senior, you mustn't!"
Jiang Cheng, mindful of avoiding bloodshed, didn't attack Xiao Zhan. Instead, he said gently, "Clan Chief Xiao, keeping this will only bring disaster. Keeping it on your person will lead to the Xiao family's destruction."
"Ridiculous." Xiao Xun'er stepped forward, asking three questions in quick succession: "How could the Xiao family perish? Who are you, sir? What is your relationship with those forces? How do you know about the Xiao family's jade?"
"You are not qualified to know my identity. Perhaps only when your father or the elders of your clan arrive will you find out. You are not worthy."
Jiang Cheng casually took out two martial arts manuals and placed them steadily on the table. "Clan Chief Xiao, I, Jiang Cheng, dislike fighting and killing. I prefer doing business. I really like the Xiao family jade tablet. Here are two low-level Earth-rank martial arts manuals, very suitable for your Xiao family."
Upon seeing the two low-level Earth-rank martial arts manuals, the elders of the Xiao family stared wide-eyed. They hadn't expected the young man before them to be so generous, even offering Earth-rank martial arts manuals—how extravagant!
"Uncle Xiao, no, these jade tablets are of extraordinary significance, far surpassing martial arts manuals. If Uncle Xiao trusts me, you can keep them with me."
Xiao Zhan was caught in a dilemma, unsure how to resolve this situation.
(End of Chapter)