"Xiao Yan is my fiancé," said Nalan Yanran firmly to Ya Fei. The doubts in Ya Fei's heart immediately dissipated.

Ah... so that's how it is.

Ya Fei narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly.

She's here to declare war with me, huh?

Immediately, Ya Fei replied with a calm tone.

"And then?"

!!!

Nalan Yanran had considered various possible responses from Ya Fei, but she never expected her to use such a knowingly rhetorical question to counter her. Nalan Yanran's expression twisted slightly, caught off guard by Ya Fei's act of feigning ignorance.

After all, she was still a young girl, and there was a stark contrast between her mentality and her way of dealing with people compared to Ya Fei, who had been navigating between major clans as a businesswoman.

There was a considerable gap in their level.

Facing this mature woman, Nalan Yanran couldn't maintain her composure any longer and waited for Ya Fei with a hint of anger, making her intentions clearer.

"He is my fiancé, Nalan Yanran's fiancé! The future son-in-law of the Nalan Clan! The husband of the future Sect Master of the Yun Lan (Misty Cloud) Sect!"

"So, as the future successor of the Miteer Family, I sincerely hope that you show some self-restraint!"

Facing Nalan Yanran, who was on the verge of rage, Ya Fei maintained her calm demeanor, lightly touching her cheek with slender jade-like fingers, and spoke.

"So, why do you emphasize this point?"

Ya Fei appeared once again as if she didn't understand, but then seemed to remember something.

"Speaking of which, the Yun Lan (Misty Cloud) Sect came to the Xiao Clan in great numbers not too long ago, and at the time, I was wondering what it was about," Ya Fei paused and looked at Nalan Yanran with a slight smile. "Later, I heard from an acquaintance that the group was led by Elder Ge Ye of the Yun Lan (Misty Cloud) Sect, and the Young Sect Master of the sect was also among them. I was initially curious why the Yun Lan (Misty Cloud) Sect approached the Xiao Clan."

As she spoke, Ya Fei raised an eyebrow lightly.

"If you are Xiao Yan's fiancée, then I understand it to some extent."

"The following is just my personal speculation, so please don't take offense, Miss Nalan," Ya Fei bent down slightly, leaning closer to Nalan Yanran's ear, and spoke with her lips slightly moving.

"At that time, you were probably there to force the Xiao Clan to break off the engagement, right?"

!!!

Nalan Yanran's heart trembled, and her expression became unpleasant.

As Ya Fei said, she had made such a big fuss when she came to the Xiao Clan precisely to forcefully pressure them into canceling the engagement between Xiao Yan and herself. This fact was known to anyone who was aware of the engagement.

And Ya Fei's guess was not unfounded. Xiao Yan was widely known as a waste back then, and he was a world apart from Nalan Yanran, who had an immeasurable future as the proud daughter of heaven. It was only natural for anyone with a normal mindset to feel dissatisfied with having a waste as their life partner and consider breaking off the engagement.

Nalan Yanran took a step back abruptly, defending herself.

"I-I didn't know that Xiao Yan was him! If I had known in advance, I would never have come to break off the engagement!!!"

(What have I brought upon myself~)

Ya Fei chuckled softly.

Speculation was still just speculation, and as long as Nalan Yanran vehemently denied it, no one would take the matter of canceling the engagement seriously.

And now, Nalan Yanran's words completely confirmed it. She had indeed come to the Xiao Clan with the intention of breaking off the engagement.

Then, Ya Fei furrowed her brows lightly.

According to Nalan Yanran's words, she had already known Xiao Yan before coming to the Xiao Clan?

Setting aside this doubt for now, Ya Fei held her jade-like arm and looked at Nalan Yanran with a seductive smile.

"Miss Nalan, after being involved in family affairs for so many years, I've learned the most important thing."

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"In all matters, actions speak louder than intentions. It doesn't matter how someone feels in their heart; what matters is how they act."

"Don't you agree, Miss Nalan~"

Ya Fei's words hit Nalan Yanran's chest like a heavy hammer.

Ya Fei was right. No matter how she tried to explain, the fact remained that she had come to the Xiao Clan with the intention of breaking off the engagement. There was no denying it.

If she hadn't seen Xiao Yan that day, she would have forced the Xiao Clan to annul the engagement.

At that time, she was just one step away from irreversibility.

Nalan Yanran's mood visibly sank.

However, what Nalan Yanran didn't expect was that Ya Fei suddenly spoke up.

"Hehe~~~ Alright, I won't tease you anymore."

"Eh?"

Nalan Yanran raised her head in a daze, staring at Ya Fei whose attitude had suddenly changed.

"It's just that you were a bit too arrogant earlier, which annoyed me a little. So I just played a small trick on you. I hope you won't take it to heart~"

Saying that, Ya Fei looked towards the venue of the coming-of-age ceremony and spoke softly.

"I hope you remember that Xiao Yan cannot be bound by a mere marriage contract."

"Perhaps you believe that this is your trump card, your ultimate weapon. But if you truly like him, you shouldn't use it to threaten him."

Upon hearing Ya Fei's words, Nalan Yanran immediately retorted.

"I-I didn't..."

But halfway through her sentence, Nalan Yanran suddenly froze, recalling the three-year agreement made in the reception hall when she first came to the Xiao Clan.

Did she... really not use the marriage contract to threaten Xiao Yan?

"Nalan, as an elder, let me give you some advice," Ya Fei looked at Nalan Yanran and spoke slowly.

Put away your arrogance, put away your self-righteousness."

"Setting aside family background, are you truly worthy of Xiao Yan?"

"Matching backgrounds is indeed a universal truth, and I agree with that."

"But have you really considered the reasons behind matching backgrounds?"

"Think about it carefully."

After saying that, Ya Fei walked away, leaving behind one last sentence before leaving.

"Oh, and what I said earlier about actions speaking louder than intentions wasn't entirely meant to strike you. You can also take it as a compliment."

After Ya Fei had been gone for a while, Nalan Yanran remained stunned in place, with Ya Fei's words echoing in her mind.

Her gaze turned towards the venue of the coming-of-age ceremony, and she walked there dazedly.

Coincidentally, the person standing on the stage was Xiao Yan, and the testing stele in front of him shimmered with dazzling golden characters.

One-Star Dou Zhe (Battle Practitioner, 2nd Level) !

Nalan Yanran's pupils contracted. Although she had already sensed something when she saw Xiao Yan yesterday, it wasn't until this moment that she confirmed it for sure.

In just a little over three months, Xiao Yan had gone from a three-tier Dou Zhi (Battle Disciple, 1st Level) to a one-star Dou Zhe (Battle Practitioner, 2nd Level) ! Even Nalan Yanran, the renowned pride of heaven, couldn't compare at all!

And what happened next completely shocked Nalan Yanran.

All of the young members of the Xiao Clan had actually reached the level of Dou Zhe (Battle Practitioner, 2nd Level) !

Even Xiao Xun'er's strength had reached the level of a three-star Dou Zhe (Battle Practitioner, 2nd Level) !

Nalan Yanran couldn't believe what she was seeing.

She herself was only a two-star Dou Zhe (Battle Practitioner, 2nd Level) .

But Nalan Yanran's shock was far from over.

In order to make the coming-of-age ceremony more interesting, Xiao Zhan had also set up a draw to determine the sparring matches.

In other words, real combat.

After the young members of the Xiao Clan finished drawing lots, the first person to take the stage was none other than Xiao Yan.