Jinyang City, compared to the royal capital of the Pan Kingdom, was far less prosperous. One cause was due to the instability because of the three powers fighting for control over the city; the Yan Clan, the Xie Clan, and the Guang Clan. This resulted in the city's power not being unified and wasting the overall potential of the city.
When Tianyi and the group arrived, it was already late, and thus, they could only find lodging before setting out to do what they came for. The next day Tianyi followed Lanyue and Elder Peng to visit the Yan Family Manor.
“Little Brother Tianyi, you really don’t need to come,” Lanyue said with a sigh.
“Big Sister, I’ve already looked around. There’s nothing really that interests me. Extremely disappointing.” Tianyi said. “Except the auction held by the Yi Auction House that’s coming up, there’s nothing else that catches my eye.”
Lanyue could only sigh at the gossipy shine in Tianyi’s eyes. “I really shouldn’t have brought Little Brother Tianyi here. I’m going to let Little Brother Tianyi see a joke.”
“I’m Pan Lanyue. I’m here to see Uncle Yan,” Lanyue said to the guard when they arrived at their destination. Elder Peng just sat back and watched. Tianyi, however, observed the recognition from the guard’s eyes.
“So it’s Princess Lanyue, please excuse us for a moment from any discourteous actions.” Saying so, one of the two guards entered the gates.
The group of three did not have to wait long as a jovial middle-aged man soon appeared. “Hahaha, Yue’er, what brought you to a little place like Jinyang City? Come in, come in.”
“Uncle Yan,” Lanyue said. However, her tone was neutral, a far cry from the enthusiasm of the Patriarch of the Yan Clan exhibited.
Tianyi observed the middle-aged man. Although he seemed to be a bit frail, the heavy qi that resembled heaven and earth did not lie. This was a Spiritual Crucible Foundation Establishment cultivator, just that his Spiritual Crucible did not contain the essence of heaven and earth and seemed more like a mirage.
Tianyi inwardly shrugged but still followed through. As they walked through the beautiful stone path under peach trees, a large gust of wind appeared, causing many blossoming peach flowers to scatter their petals. The pink petals contrasted beautifully against surroundings like phantoms of a different world.
It was mesmerizing. Tianyi especially thought so. However, Pan Lanyue could be said to be average in the eyes of Tianyi, who had seen many beautiful women in the Buzhou Immortal Sect, the scattering petals against her inky black hair created a picturesque scenery, a painting of a beauty in spring.
However, Tianyi suddenly had an ominous premonition.
“Please, have a seat.” The Patriarch of the Yan Clan said inside the main hall, while he sat at the head. He motioned for Elder Peng to sit on the highest seat beside him, recognizing him as someone from the Royal Pan Clan instead of the Fleeting Mist Sect.
The members of the Yan Clan who had assembled inside were staring at the trio. First, they all stared at Elder Peng. Although he didn’t deliberately release his aura, the invisible pressure of his Spiritual Core was still enough to silently weigh down all the people in the hall. Then there was Pan Lanyue. Many who did not recognize her were blown away by her beauty.
However, the one they glued their eyes to after a single glance was Xi Tianyi. Nevermind his apparent Qi Gathering eighth stage cultivation at his young age, just his face was apparent enough to draw their gazes away. A doll-like face with milky white skin, but the most mesmerizing feature of his were those eyes of his. Many young ladies of the Yan Clan near Tianyi's age couldn’t help but redden their faces as they secretly looked at Tianyi. Ah, the first crush on these little girl's hearts.
Tianyi sat down on one of the guest seats, and one of the servant girls gave him a cup of tea, which he received. He then looked up to see Lanyue and Elder Peng still standing with a serious expression on their faces.
Tianyi awkwardly held the teacup to his lips. “This... I sat down, but they haven’t…”
Not just Tianyi, but even the Patriarch of the Yan Clan finally felt something was off. “Yue’er, this is…?”
Elder Peng stood forward. “I am Elder Peng of the Fleeting Mist Sect.”
The Patriarch of the Yan Clan had a foreboding feeling as he straightened his posture at those words. Even the other people in the room were drawn to those words.
Fleeting Mist Sect! The true lords of the region, even the Pan Royal Family, could only bow before them.
“We’ve come here for a single purpose. Pan Lanyue is a talented seed, we do not want needless emotions and commitments to weigh down her future, and thus we’ve come here to null the engagement of Pan Lanyue and your son.”
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All the Yan clan members in the main hall who heard this froze.
“This... this... It was a promise made between the king of the Pan Kingdom and me back in our youth. Shouldn’t your father have brought this up?” Patriarch Yan finally said.
Tianyi ignored the commotion and just pressed his lips together as he drank the tea that could not be said to be too pleasant. “Not even spiritual tea. Why did I feel so bored that I wanted to join in on this? Ugh, as they say, curiosity killed the cat.”
Tianyi turned his attention away, trying to pay attention to anything but the ongoing conversation between the two men. He even began to count the number of grains on the wooden ceiling, but his ears couldn’t help to perk up.
“Does your heart not feel guilty? Rumor has it that your youngest son was a genius who reached the seventh stage of the Qi Gathering Realm at the age of twelve. If this continued, then our Fleeting Mist Sect could still accept it. But four years ago, that genius son of yours suddenly lost all his cultivation and could no longer cultivate. A cripple!”
At this, Tianyi’s lips began to twitch. A former genius who suddenly can’t cultivate, and then his fiance comes to break the engagement. But from his broken engagement, the former genius rises up like a phoenix, surpassing his former self and becoming an even greater genius. A great hero that all forces will try to suppress, but the hero will continue to overcome each trial before becoming the strongest under the heavens. Tianyi really couldn’t help but recall all those cultivation novels he read back on Earth.
“If Miss Pan had been engaged to your elder sons, while they may not be fitting, we would not have such a reaction. However, Miss Pan’s current engagement is not suitable. Best be that engagement is annulled, each going their own way. They are people of two different worlds, after all.”
Sure enough, after a few more back and forth, that “cripple” son rushed forward, his face full of righteous fury.
Tianyi couldn’t help but sense the third stage Qi Gathering realm cultivation. His eyes twitched at this point. “Sure enough, a phoenix rising from the ashes.”
“You do not wish to marry me, then I, Yan Nie, will tell you, Pan Lanyue, I do not wish to marry you either!” At the indignant words, Pan Lanyue could still accept as she was the one who wanted to break the engagement, so naturally, she would feel guilty. “Just because you suddenly desire to be with someone else, you do not need to use the excuse of my loss in cultivation as a wool to blind everyone's eyes!”
“Yan Nie, what nonsense are you blathering!” Finally, Pan Lanyue couldn’t resist anymore and rebuked Yan Nie.
“Nonsense?” Yan Nie made a mocking laugh as he suddenly pointed at Tianyi. “Just say that you found a better genius than me to marry!”
Tianyi's twitching face just froze. “This...this… is really minding my own business but still but getting shot in the crossfire.”
“Nonsense!” Elder Peng couldn’t resist any longer either. If they angered Tianyi, although nothing may happen, it was equally possible that Tianyi may influence Elder Shan from aiding their Sect Master from ascending to the Nascent Soul Realm. “Little Friend Tianyi is a disciple of the Buzhou Immortal Sect accompanying his sect elder. There is no other relationship!”
Buzhou Immortal Sect, those words resounded like thunder into their ears. As part of a region with not even a cultivator that ascended to the Immortal Realm, the Buzhou Immortal Sect was like an Immortal Emperor that they would never come into contact within their lives.
The atmosphere was tense as they realized just who Tianyi was, and wary glances were sent his way. This was like treating Tianyi as a mortal emperor. When an emperor became angry, the officials are the ones to bear the brunt of it. But Tianyi just calmly sipped his tea as if this had nothing to do with him.
And indeed, this had nothing to do with him at all! He was just an innocent bystander in all of this!
The conversation went back and forth before an agreement was made. In ten years, a duel between Yan Nie and Pan Lanyue would be held. Whoever wins will have to apologize to the other. It wasn’t a simple apology but one that represented their clan's and sect's reputation on the line.
It was when Tianyi, Elder Peng, and Lanyue were about to leave that a youth appeared. His features were exquisite, although it was on a lower level than Tianyi’s features, but still fine nonetheless. He held Yan Nie’s shoulder and then gave a meaningful look at Lanyue.
“Miss Pan, this decision in the future don't regret it.” The youth’s voice was clear and tender and pleasing to the ears.
“I will never regret my decision.” Lanyue solemnly said as if reciting a vow.
Tianyi, however, was occupied by other thoughts. “Hey... isn’t it supposed to be a female childhood sweetheart that would come and comfort the protagonist while he is down and become the true love? Why did the female sweetheart suddenly become a male childhood sweetheart?”
Tianyi couldn’t help but think of a scenario. The genius from the Buzhou Immortal Sect was originally drawn and had good feelings towards Pan Lanyue that would eventually blossom into love. But after witnessing Yan Nie’s heroic actions and genius, maybe even having been saved from him, he would soon change the target of his love to the brave Yan Nie, eventually sacrificing his chrysanthemum to him.
At this, Tianyi instantly stopped his chain of thoughts as a shiver ran up through his spine. “This couldn’t be… a world where the protagonist is homosexual, right?” He had nothing against homosexuals. Although it would be awkward, he did not disprove of the love between two members of the same gender. But love is love. He even supported it as long as they weren't too flirty in front of his eyes.
But the prerequisite was that he was not dragged into the equation. He would have rather been treated as the mini-boss who, in an effort to please Lanyue, went to find trouble with Yan Nie and then offered his life and treasure to the protagonist as a stepping stone. Just that, ignoring whether he would fall, his mother was the final boss of final bosses, so his status as a mini-boss for Yan Nie was questionable.
Neither of those options sounded good. Just that one was better than the other. “Should I just slap him dead now?” Tianyi silently mumbled to himself.
“Little brother Tianyi, sorry you had to be dragged into this,” Lanyue said as she watched Tianyi deep in thought. “When you grow up, you’ll understand people’s feelings.”
The corner of Tianyi's lips couldn't help but twitch madly.