Yun Lan Sect
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Chapter 2: Yun Lan Sect
"Hey! Did you hear? There was a big commotion at Ning Spring Pavilion yesterday!"
"What happened?"
"I heard that Xiao Ning, the grandson of the Xiao Family's Grand Elder, got beaten up there! His leg was even broken!"
"What? Someone dared to do that? That's the Xiao family!"
"Who did it?"
"I heard it was two little girls from the Xiao family?"
In the bustling streets of Wu Tan City, several residents gathered around, sipping tea and chatting about the previous day's events.
Meanwhile, at the Xiao family's training ground, Xiao Yan was, as always, leading the younger generation of the Xiao family in physical training.
During this time, Xiao Yan frequently glanced at Xiao Ning, who was lying on a wooden chair beside him.
A neck brace supported his neck, his arm was wrapped in bandages and hung in a sling across his chest, one leg was encased in a cast, and his face bore multiple bruises and scars. There was no better way to describe him than the word "miserable."
"Uh... Cousin," Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Ning's sorry state and leaned in cautiously to express his concern, "Are you really okay?"
After all, Xiao Ning ended up like this because of him, and Xiao Yan felt deeply guilty about it.
"No big deal, no big deal~ It's just a small injury—ahh!"
Xiao Ning waved his hand dismissively, but the movement pulled at his injuries, causing his mouth to twitch in pain, making Xiao Yan recoil in fear.
Those two little girls—after all, he's their cousin, yet they were so ruthless!
At this moment, Xiao Yan caught Xiao Ning mumbling to himself.
"Those two girls are really keeping too close an eye on you. Looks like I'll have to be even more careful next time I bring you along."
Well, any guilt Xiao Yan felt for his cousin immediately vanished.
Despite being beaten to such a state, he still hadn't given up his schemes and was even planning a "next time." Clearly, he hadn't learned a lesson at all.
In that case, he deserved it.
Turning around, Xiao Yan returned to the younger generation of the Xiao family, clapping his hands heavily.
"Alright, everyone, stop! It's time for combat training!"
As Xiao Yan took charge of the group, Xiao Ning, leaning on his reclining chair, sighed deeply in his heart.
Heaven is truly unfair.
Back when Xiao Yan was still at his peak, he voluntarily took on the responsibility of leading the younger generation of the Xiao family in training to improve their strength.
He led by example, tirelessly identifying each individual'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 the meaning of family and human connections.
As a result, the Xiao family's younger generation had an overall strength that even the combined efforts of the other two major families couldn't rival. Their unity and cohesion far exceeded that of the other families.
When Xiao Yan faced setbacks and recognized his diminishing abilities, he initially intended to resign from his role as their coach. However, he chose to stay at the unanimous request of the younger generation of the Xiao family.
To them, Xiao Yan was the backbone of their generation—someone irreplaceable!
In return, Xiao Yan felt warmth and support from his family.
From that point on, Xiao Yan took his role even more seriously, dedicating himself to physical training more than anyone else.
"If my Dou Qi can't recover, then I'll strengthen my body!"
With such determination, even though Xiao Yan was only at the third stage of Dou Disciple, he could hold his own against anyone in his generation during combat training. Even Xiao Ning could barely fight him to a draw, and only Xiao Xun'er could consistently defeat him.
If Xiao Yan's Dou Qi were to recover, even Xiao Xun'er wouldn't be a match for him.
Thinking of this, Xiao Ning couldn't help but feel a bit melancholic.
Although Xiao Yan had worked hard on his physical training...
The human body ultimately has its limits.
Without the boost of Dou Qi, Xiao Yan would always be at a disadvantage, unable to escape being overshadowed by others.
As their strengths grew, this gap would only become more apparent.
Right now, Xiao Yan could rely on his resilient body to hold his own against opponents with relatively weak Dou Qi.
But what about the future?
When his peers' Dou Qi levels reach a point beyond what Xiao Yan's physical strength could compensate for, he would truly become irrelevant.
While the Xiao family would never look down on him because of this, they would inevitably grow distant, and Xiao Yan might eventually fade into obscurity.
Xiao Ning's elder sister, Xiao Yu, had gone through great effort to get into Jia Nan Academy, hoping to find clues about restoring Xiao Yan's Dou Qi.
However, so far, there had been no progress.
Perhaps this was destiny.
The heavens had given Xiao Yan extraordinary talent for a fleeting moment, only to cruelly take it away at the height of his potential.
If anyone else had faced such a dramatic fall, they might not have been able to bear it and might have ended their life.
(Speaking of which, where are those two girls?)
Xiao Ning scanned the younger generation of the Xiao family but didn't see Xiao Mei or Xiao Xun'er, which puzzled him.
Those two girls practically clung to Xiao Yan every day. Xiao Ning was sure that if it weren't for the strict family rules, they would probably sneak into Xiao Yan's room at night!
It was hard to imagine them missing one of these daily training sessions supervised by Xiao Yan.
Could they be avoiding today's training because they felt guilty about beating him up so badly?
Don't be ridiculous~
Xiao Ning knew Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er's personalities too well.
After what happened at Ning Spring Pavilion, forget feeling guilty; they'd probably regret not hitting him harder!
(They're probably off somewhere scheming how to mess with me again.)
Xiao Ning guessed as he grabbed a crutch and stood up from his recliner. He turned to Xiao Yan and said:
"Xiao Yan, I'm heading back for today."
"Alright, take care on your way."
Xiao Yan gave a word of caution, and Xiao Ning waved his hand lightly, limping out of the training ground with his crutch.
However, just as he stepped into the Xiao family's courtyard, he heard a commotion outside the family gate—firecrackers and drums echoing loudly. Xiao Ning raised an eyebrow in confusion.
What's going on?
Is there some kind of festival today?
Using his crutch, Xiao Ning made his way to the family gate and saw a long procession outside. Among them, a large banner bore the bold character "Yun Lan Sect".
Yun Lan Sect!
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As the most powerful sect in the Jia Ma Empire, Yun Lan Sect was a name everyone in the empire recognized.
But why would such a prominent sect come to a small place like Wu Tan City?
Xiao Ning's eyes fell on an elder at the front of the procession, followed by a young girl.
The girl had an outstanding appearance but carried an air of arrogance, clearly not easy to get along with.
Soon, Xiao Zhan and three elders of the Xiao family came out to greet the elder and the young girl, ushering them into the reception hall. Xiao Ning, however, quietly slipped toward the hall's entrance, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Hey! Xiao Ning!"
The sudden voice made Xiao Ning's body stiffen. Turning around quickly, he saw Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er standing behind him.
"Ah, aren't these the two young ladies..."
Seeing these two troublemakers, Xiao Ning felt his injuries ache all over again. Instinctively, he stepped back a little.
"Hmph~ You'd better learn your lesson. Next time, we won't go so easy on you," Xiao Mei sneered.
Xiao Ning nodded repeatedly, his fear evident. Xiao Mei, satisfied with his reaction, turned her gaze toward the reception hall.
"Guests today?"
"Ah, people from Yun Lan Sect," Xiao Ning replied, his expression serious. He glanced at the reception hall. "But why would such a renowned sect visit the Xiao family?"
Although he'd heard stories from his elders about the Xiao family's glorious past, with their current status, they didn't even qualify to carry Yun Lan Sect's shoes.
Hearing this, Xiao Xun'er's expression darkened. Her gaze settled on the arrogant young girl in the reception hall as she spoke slowly:
"I heard from Uncle Xiao Zhan that Xiao Yan's grandfather and the patriarch of the Nalan family were close comrades on the battlefield. When Xiao Yan and the Nalan family's granddaughter were born, the two old men arranged a marriage between them."
"And that girl," Xiao Xun'er continued, "is Xiao Yan's fiancée, Nalan Yanran, the personal disciple of Yun Lan Sect's leader and their young sect leader."
Xiao Ning froze at this revelation, while Xiao Mei immediately exclaimed in shock:
"Fiancée?!"
Realizing her voice was too loud, Xiao Mei quickly covered her mouth. After confirming that no one in the reception hall noticed, she turned anxiously to Xiao Xun'er.
"Does this mean they've come to fulfill the marriage contract with Cousin Xiao Yan?!"
"That's impossible," Xiao Ning interjected, his expression darkening with a hint of anger.
"The basic rule of this continent is survival of the fittest. While we value Xiao Yan for his character, his accumulation over the years, and our daily interactions, outsiders will simply label him as a useless trash."
Xiao Ning's words made Xiao Mei realize the situation. Her face turned grim as she voiced her suspicion.
"They're here to annul the engagement?!"
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(Chapter End)
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