Chapter 2: Yun Lan (Misty Cloud) Sect

"Hey, have you heard about the big commotion at Ning Chun Tower yesterday?"

"What happened?"

"I heard that Xiao Ning, the grandson of the Xiao Clan's First Elder, got beaten up at Ning Chun Tower! His leg got crippled!"

"What? Someone dared to do that? That's the Xiao Clan!"

"Who did it?"

"I heard... it was two little girls from the Xiao Clan?"

In the bustling market of Wutan City, several residents gathered around, sipping tea and chatting about the gossip from the day before.

Meanwhile, in the Xiao Clan's training ground, Xiao Yan, as usual, was leading the younger generation of the Xiao Clan in physical training.

During the session, Xiao Yan kept glancing at Xiao Ning, who was lying on a wooden chair nearby.

Xiao Ning's neck was in a brace, one arm was bandaged and hanging in a sling, one leg was in a cast, and his face was covered with bruises of various sizes—"miserable" didn't even begin to describe it.

"Uh... Cousin," Xiao Yan approached cautiously, concerned as he looked at Xiao Ning's sorry state. "Are you really okay?"

After all, Xiao Ning ended up like this because of him, and Xiao Yan felt extremely guilty.

"I'm fine, I'm fine~ It's just a minor injury—Ahh!"

Xiao Ning waved his hand nonchalantly, but as he moved, he pulled at his wounds, causing him to grimace in pain. 

Even Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a shiver of fear.

Those two little girls, even though he's their cousin, really didn't hold back!

At that moment, Xiao Yan heard Xiao Ning muttering to himself.

"Those two girls are really keeping a close eye on you. Looks like I'll have to be even more careful the next time I take you there."

Well, there went all of Xiao Yan's worry for his cousin.

His guilt for Xiao Ning instantly vanished.

Even after getting beaten up like this, he still hasn't given up, still thinking about next time—he hasn't learned a thing from his miserable condition.

Well, getting beaten to death would serve him right.

Xiao Yan turned back to the group of younger Xiao Clan members, clapping his hands loudly.

"Alright, everyone stop. It's time for some sparring practice!"

As Xiao Ning watched Xiao Yan, who was directing the training of the Xiao Clan juniors, he sighed deeply in his heart.

Heaven really is unfair...

Back when Xiao Yan hadn't yet fallen from grace, he had voluntarily requested his father to let him lead the training of the Xiao Clan juniors to help them improve.

He always led by example, identifying each person's strengths and weaknesses and helping them improve. 

No matter how weak someone's talent was, he never gave up on them.

He also taught everyone what family meant and what it meant to care for one another.

Because of this, the overall strength of the Xiao Clan juniors far surpassed that of the other two major families combined, and the family's cohesion was several times greater than that of the other families.

After Xiao Yan's powers diminished, he realized he was no longer up to the task and intended to resign from his position as a trainer. 

However, he stayed on after the younger Xiao Clan members jointly requested him to remain.

To them, Xiao Yan was the backbone of their generation, someone irreplaceable!

Xiao Yan also felt a deep warmth from his fellow clansmen.

Since then, Xiao Yan became even more diligent in overseeing their training, and he also trained harder than anyone else.

If he couldn't increase his Dou Qi, he would strengthen his physical body instead!

With that determination, Xiao Yan, though only at 3 Star Dou Zhi, could still hold his own in sparring against his peers—Xiao Ning could only barely match him. 

Only Xiao Xun'er, the prodigy of their generation, could defeat him, and that's only barely

If Xiao Yan's Dou Qi were to return, even Xiao Xun'er wouldn't be his match.

Thinking about this, Xiao Ning felt a pang of sorrow.

Even though Xiao Yan has worked hard to strengthen his body, there is a limit to physical strength.

Without Dou Qi, Xiao Yan would always be outmatched by others—a fact that cannot be denied.

As everyone else's strength gradually increases, this gap will only become more apparent.

Now, Xiao Yan can still rely on his strong physical body to contend with them.

But what about in the future?

When the Dou Qi of his peers grows to a level that Xiao Yan's physical strength can no longer compensate for, he will truly be left behind.

The Xiao Clan members might not look down on him for this, but they will gradually distance themselves from him until Xiao Yan is just another ordinary person to them.

Xiao Ning's sister, Xiao Yu, had worked tirelessly to get into Jia Nan Academy, hoping to find clues there about why Xiao Yan lost his Dou Qi.

However, to this day, there has been no news.

Maybe... this is just fate.

Heaven gave Xiao Yan a brief moment of brilliance, only to take it away at the height of everyone's expectations.

If it were anyone else, facing such a drastic change, they might not have been able to endure it and would have taken their own life.

'Where have those two girls gone?'

Xiao Ning couldn't spot Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er among the Xiao Clan juniors, which puzzled him.

Those two girls often stick to Xiao Yan like glue. 

Xiao Ning was sure that if it weren't for the strict family rules, they would have sneaked into Xiao Yan's bed in the middle of the night!

Given that they follow Xiao Yan everywhere, how could they miss this daily training session that Xiao Yan supervises?

Are they feeling too guilty to come to practice because they beat him up so badly?

No way~

Xiao Ning knew Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er's personalities all too well.

For taking Xiao Yan to Ning Chun Tower, far from feeling guilty, they probably regretted not beating him even more severely!

'They're probably hiding somewhere, plotting how to mess with me again…'

Xiao Ning guessed, then grabbed a nearby crutch and stood up from the reclining chair, calling out to Xiao Yan.

"Xiao Yan, I'm heading back for today."

"Alright, take care on the way."

Xiao Yan reminded him, and Xiao Ning waved a hand in response, hobbling away from the training ground on his crutches.

However, as soon as he left the training ground and entered the Xiao Clan's main courtyard, he heard the sound of gongs and drums, and the crackling of firecrackers from outside, causing him to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

What's going on?

Is there some kind of festival today?

Xiao Ning hobbled over to the Xiao Clan gate and saw a long procession outside. Among the procession, a large banner was held high, emblazoned with the character "Yun."

Yun Lan Sect!

As the most powerful sect in the Jia Ma Empire, Yun Lan Sect was well-known to everyone.

But why would such a powerful sect come to their small Wutan City?

Xiao Ning then noticed an elderly man leading the procession and a young girl following closely behind him.

The girl, though quite attractive, exuded a certain arrogance that made it clear she wasn't easy to get along with.

Soon, Xiao Zhan and the Xiao Clan three elders came out to greet the elderly man and the young girl, ushering them into the reception hall. 

Xiao Ning quietly slipped to the doorway, eavesdropping on the conversation inside.

"Hey! Xiao Ning!"

At the sound of this familiar voice, Xiao Ning's body reflexively tensed, and he turned sharply to see Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er standing behind him.

"Ah... it's you two..."

Seeing these two little troublemakers, Xiao Ning felt all his wounds begin to throb, and his body instinctively moved a bit further away from them.

"Hmph~ You better remember this well. Next time, you won't get off so easily."

Xiao Mei sneered at the fearful Xiao Ning, making him nod repeatedly in response. 

Satisfied, Xiao Mei then turned her attention to the reception hall.

"Are there guests here today?"

"Ah, it's people from Yun Lan Sect," Xiao Ning replied seriously, glancing at the reception hall. "But I have no idea why such a renowned sect would visit our Xiao Clan."

Though he had heard the elders mention how glorious the Xiao Clan once was, with their current power, it was laughable to think they were worthy of interacting with Yun Lan Sect.

Xiao Xun'er's expression suddenly turned grim, her gaze fixed on the arrogant young girl in the reception hall as she spoke softly.

"I remember hearing the Clan Patriarch mention that Xiao Yan's grandfather and the head of the Nalan family were close comrades on the battlefield. When Xiao Yan and his granddaughter were born, the two old men arranged a betrothal between them."

"And that young girl is Xiao Yan's fiancée, the Young Mistress of Yun Lan Sect, and the personal disciple of Sect Master Yun Yun—Nalan Yanran."

Hearing this, Xiao Ning was momentarily stunned, while Xiao Mei immediately shouted in surprise.

"Fiancée?!"

Then, as if realizing she had been too loud, she quickly covered her mouth, only relaxing when she saw that no one in the reception hall had noticed. 

She then anxiously looked at Xiao Xun'er.

"Are they here to fulfill the marriage agreement with Brother Xiao Yan?!"

"No way..."

Xiao Ning's expression darkened, his eyes showing a hint of anger.

"This continent operates on the law of the jungle. We care for Xiao Yan because we've seen his perseverance and know that he is an excellent person despite his loss of Dou Qi. But to outsiders, Xiao Yan is nothing more than a useless waste."

As Xiao Ning spoke, Xiao Mei gradually came to understand, and her expression grew increasingly grim.

"She's here to break off the engagement?!"