"Ahem... Her name is Nalan Yanran."
"Nalan Yanran? Nalan Yanran, the granddaughter of Old Master Nalan?"
Xiao Zhan was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with joy as he instantly remembered the marriage arrangement made by the older generation of both families.
He quickly gave the girl a gentle smile: "So it's my niece Nalan. Uncle Xiao hasn't seen you for many years. Please don't blame me for not recognizing you."
The sudden scene before them startled everyone in the hall. The three elders exchanged glances and their brows furrowed.
Apart from Xiao Ning, none of them knew what had happened. It turned out that back then, Xiao Yan's grandfather and Nalan Yanran's grandfather had arranged a marriage between the two young people.
"Uncle Xiao, I have not been able to come and pay my respects. I am the one who should apologize. How could I possibly blame you, Uncle Xiao?"
Nalan Yanran smiled sweetly.
"Hehe, niece Nalan, I had heard before that you had been taken in by Lady Yunyun. I thought it was just a rumor, but I didn't expect it to be true. My niece is truly talented!"
Xiao Zhan smiled and praised.
"Yanran was just lucky!"
Nalan Yanran smiled faintly, somewhat overwhelmed by Xiao Zhan's enthusiasm, and gently tugged at Ge Ye beside her under the table.
"Hehe, Clan Chief Xiao, the matter I am requesting today is related to Yanran, and it was even requested personally by the Sect Master!"
Ge Ye chuckled softly, his expression becoming slightly solemn when he mentioned the title of sect leader.
Xiao Zhan's expression changed slightly, and he instantly suppressed his smile.
Yun Yun, the sect leader of Yunlan Sect, is a big figure in the Jia Ma Empire. He is just a small family patriarch in a rural town, but he is someone that no one can afford to offend.
But with her strength and influence, what could she possibly need the Xiao family's help with?
I heard from Ge Ye that it's related to Nalan's niece. Could it be...?
A possibility instantly flashed through Xiao Zhan's mind. His lips twitched involuntarily, and his large hands trembled slightly. Fortunately, the sleeves concealed the tremors, so they went unnoticed.
He forcibly suppressed his anger and said in a trembling voice, "Mr. Kuzue, please speak!"
"cough…"
A hint of embarrassment suddenly appeared on Ge Ye's face, but remembering the sect leader's affection for Nalan Yanran, she could only grit her teeth and smile:
“Clan Chief Xiao, as you know, our Yunlan Sect has strict rules, and the Sect Master has high expectations for Yanran. She is now basically being groomed as the next Sect Master of Yunlan Sect.”
"Due to certain special rules, a sect leader's successor cannot have romantic entanglements with men before becoming the official sect leader, therefore..."
"After questioning Yanran, the Sect Master learned that she was engaged to the Xiao family, so... so the Sect Master would like to ask the Xiao Clan Chief to... dissolve this engagement."
Kuzuha awkwardly revealed the purpose of his trip.
"Click!"
The jade teacup in Xiao Zhan's hand instantly turned into a cloud of powder.
The atmosphere in the hall immediately became deathly silent, and the three elders sitting above were also deeply shocked by Ge Ye's words.
However, a moment later, their gazes toward Xiao Zhan were now tinged with mockery and ridicule.
"Hey, with your engagement forcibly dissolved at our doorstep, let's see what prestige you, as the clan leader, will have left to manage this vast Xiao family!"
The Xiao family members were unaware of this matter, but after hearing Ge Ye and Xiao Zhan's conversation, they immediately realized what was going on. Their expressions became quite interesting, and they all cast mocking glances at Xiao Yan in the corner.
Looking at Xiao Zhan's extremely gloomy face, Nalan Yanran suddenly felt guilty and dared not look up, her hands tightly clenched together.
"Clan Chief Xiao, I know this request is somewhat unreasonable, but please, for the sake of the Sect Master, dissolve the engagement!"
Ge Ye sighed helplessly and said softly.
Xiao Zhan's face was filled with rage. He clenched his fists, and light blue battle qi gradually covered his entire body, finally vaguely gathering on his face to form a phantom lion head.
The Xiao family's top-tier martial art: Raging Lion's Fury!
Rank: Intermediate Xuan Rank!
Seeing Xiao Zhan's reaction, Ge Ye's expression became extremely solemn. He took a step and, with a "whoosh!" sound, blocked Nalan Yanran's path.
His eagle-claw-like hands suddenly clenched, and cyan battle qi gathered in his claws, emanating a fine yet sharp sword aura.
The profound martial art of the Yunlan Sect: the Azure Wood Sword Technique!
Rank: Low-level Xuan!
As the two men's momentum surged, the faces of the weaker youths in the hall turned pale, and they felt a tightness in their chests.
Just as Xiao Zhan's breathing became more rapid, the three elders' stern shouts, like thunderclaps, rang out in the hall: "Xiao Zhan, stop now! Don't forget, you are the patriarch of the Xiao family!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhan's body stiffened abruptly, and his fighting spirit slowly receded until it completely disappeared.
"So this is what a Grand Dou Master is? Judging from the energy within his body, it's far inferior to that of a True Immortal, yet the power of his attacks is extraordinary!"
"Perhaps this is what makes different worlds different?"
"The world here is rich in spiritual energy, so these martial arts practitioners can draw upon it, making their attacks countless times more powerful than those of martial artists in the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber world!"
"Is this how combat techniques came about?"
"Indeed, different worlds have different rules!"