Chapter 10: Do Not Bully a Young Man in Poverty!
Nalan Yanran had never imagined she would lose, so the conditions she proposed didn't mention what would happen if the other party won.
In fact, not only her, but even the Xiao Family members who were unwilling to turn their backs on their own at this moment probably never considered that Xiao Yan could win. They only thought that the condition she offered would save the Xiao Family some Face.
"Young Miss Nalan, you're not unaware of Yan's situation. What do you expect him to challenge you with? Do you want him to go to the Yunlan Sect and be publicly humiliated by you again?!" Xiao Zhan slammed his palm on the table, rising in anger.
"Uncle Xiao, breaking off an engagement is something someone must take responsibility for. If it weren't to preserve your Face, Yanran would forcefully dissolve the engagement right now and make it public!"
Having lost Face several times, Nalan Yanran finally grew impatient. She turned to Xiao Yan and coldly demanded, "Since you said earlier that you don't want Uncle Xiao's Face to be damaged, then accept this challenge. Do you dare or not?"
"Heh heh... Do you really think I, Xiao Yan, care for a Genius wife like you?"
He was still a Young Man with a Young Man's Heart-Nature. Even if his self-control was deep, he still had his own bottom line. And now, Nalan Yanran, by repeatedly touching his bottom line, finally succeeded in igniting Xiao Yan's rage to an uncontrollable degree.
The Young Man no longer spoke. He strode forward, picked up an ink brush, and freely wrote a few lines of elegant characters.
With a "bang!" he slapped the ink brush on the table, then abruptly drew out the short sword placed on the table.
Without any hesitation, the cold gleaming blade sharply cut a bloodied wound in the center of his left palm.
Drops of blood splattered onto the ground along with the short sword, making a crisp sound.
The fresh blood gradually spread across his entire palm. Xiao Yan slammed his hand hard onto the white paper, leaving an extremely glaring blood print!
"Nalan Yanran, things have come to this. You don't need to use the Yunlan Sect's power to pressure me anymore. This challenge, I, Xiao Yan, accept it. Furthermore, for the sake of Old Man Nalan's Face, Xiao Yan has a few words of advice for you—"
His gaze was chillingly cold, but the emotions in his Heart-Nature were as fiery as molten lava, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Do not bully a Young Man in poverty!"
Having said that, Xiao Yan casually flung the blood-sealed contract, the paper slicing through the air, circling leisurely a few times before slowly landing on the ground.
"Good, what a good phrase, 'Do not bully a Young Man in poverty!' My son, Xiao Zhan, is indeed extraordinary!" From the main seat, Xiao Zhan's tiger-like eyes lit up. He slammed his palms heavily on the table, splashing tea.
The Young Man drawing his sword and spilling blood, his Aura was extraordinary, causing everyone present to be shocked and speechless.
For a moment, the hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
Under this strange silence, the once high and mighty Nalan Yanran couldn't help but lower her proud head, her gaze falling upon the blood contract on the ground—
"This divorce letter?"
Looking at the few large characters on the paper, Nalan Yanran felt somewhat dizzy, and her voice became a few shades sharper: "You… you dare to divorce me?!"
She had never dreamed that the dissolution of the engagement, something she had always longed for, would end in such an absurd manner.
As the Young Sect Master of the Yunlan Sect, she, Nalan Yanran, had always been the one bestowing favors, high and mighty. When had she ever expected to have her initiative seized by a down-and-out Young Master from a small Family?
At this moment, she felt no relief or joy, only that the contract on the ground was so heavy, as if it was invisibly filled with mockery towards her.
Coldly watching Nalan Yanran's stunned expression, Xiao Yan suddenly turned around, knelt down on one knee towards Xiao Zhan, who was beside him, and kowtowed heavily. Blood seeped from his tightly bitten lips, yet he stubbornly refused to speak.
Seeing this, the surprise on Xiao Zhan's Face gradually turned into a smile. He looked relieved: "I believe my son will not be a good-for-nothing his entire life. These rumors will certainly refute themselves in the future!"
"Father, three years from now, Yan will go to the Yunlan Sect to personally wash away today's humiliation for you!" With moist eyes, Xiao Yan kowtowed heavily once more, then stood up and left without any further hesitation.
As he passed Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan paused, and extremely cold words popped out of his clenched teeth, one by one:
"Three years from now, I will find you!"
The Young Man's silhouette was stretched long by the sunlight, but as he stepped out of the main door, his figure seemed to be enveloped by an invisible shadow.
No longer clearly visible.
Xiao Yan left the hall with an indifferent expression, his mind elsewhere, his steps faltering. He climbed the Family's back mountain step by step, and calmly looked at the mysterious Young Miss who was already standing at the peak.
"Indeed, you had already foreseen today's events."
At this moment, the mysterious Young Miss had already shed her disguised robes and changed into a pitch-black long dress. Her expression no longer showed the charming and seductive allure of last night; instead, it carried a hint of demonic, eerie smile.
"Even if I gave you a warning beforehand, didn't you still make such an impulsive move, Young Master Xiao Yan?"
Xiao Yan's breathing grew heavier, and he bit his lip tightly, allowing the smell of blood to spread at the corners of his mouth.
Truthfully, that reminder from the other party did indeed temper his anger initially, but Nalan Yanran's words, like cuts from a knife, still made Xiao Yan tremble all over, causing him to involuntarily reveal all his emotions.
"That Nalan Yanran, relying on the Yunlan Sect's power, bullied me for my low strength and made my father endure unimaginable pain and pressure. How could I tolerate that!"
"I will not suffer today's humiliation a second time!" Xiao Yan's voice was hoarse and firm, his gaze filled with unwillingness.
"If that's the case, then I'll ask yesterday's question a second time: Xiao Yan, do you want to become stronger?" The Young Miss's gaze remained profound, and she spoke in a calm tone.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan took a few deep breaths, slowly extended his palm, and presented it to the Young Miss. Blood was still dripping from it, and the open wound, with its turned-over flesh, formed a long, narrow bloodstain.
Then, he clenched his hand tightly, letting sweat and dirty blood seep into the wound, causing a piercing pain.
"Yes!"
Recalling his father's appearance, which had aged several years in an instant, the Young Man's Heart-Nature was filled with an unprecedented desire and unwillingness. Even though he knew the other party surely had ulterior motives, at this moment, he had no other choice.
"Hehe, as expected of someone I value. What great Qi!"
After receiving a satisfactory answer, the Young Miss's expression suddenly changed, and she said charmingly, "Third Young Master, that Nalan Yanran truly doesn't know what's good for her. In the future, you must make her regret it bitterly, kneeling before you as a slave and maid!"
"Uh, a slave and maid?"
"Yes, doesn't Third Young Master hate her? Don't you want her to kneel on the ground and serve you tea and water?"
"This..."
Although he understood the mysterious Young Miss's strange personality, Xiao Yan's Aura still faltered. He quietly swallowed, and said, "Three years from now, if I can truly defeat Nalan Yanran, I, Xiao Yan... will definitely make her bow her head and apologize to my father!"
"As for being a slave and maid, let's skip that. As the Young Sect Master of the Yunlan Sect, if she loses Face, I'm afraid my Xiao Family might find it difficult to move an inch in the Gama Empire."
"But, Third Young Master, didn't you just make her lose Face earlier? That was a divorce letter, you know. I saw her Face turn green."
"...You saw it?"
"How about you take a guess?"
Seeing Xiao Yan's embarrassed expression, the Young Miss chuckled softly and leaned closer to him.
The Young Miss's breath was like orchids, and her warm breath brushed against Xiao Yan's ear, causing a tingling sensation to spread across his neck.
"No background, no trump cards, yet you dare to directly Face Nalan Yanran's provocation. This recklessness, I truly like it very much..."