"Young Lord, I have already relayed your instructions to Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma. Both of them have agreed to all the conditions and promised to help you collect those medicinal herbs for free!" In Chen Yang's courtyard, Hai Bodong first reported on the official business.
"I can rest easy with Old Hai handling things." Chen Yang nodded with a smile. If one were to talk about reliability on this Fighting Qi Continent, Hai Bodong would rank in the top tier, so Chen Yang felt at ease letting him handle matters.
"Additionally, there is another matter. Nalan Yanran of the Nalan Family somehow found out where Xiao Yan is staying and wishes to see him. I have heard a bit about their Three-Year Agreement, so I suspect Nalan Yanran might have an ulterior motive. Therefore, I have come to ask for your opinion!" Hai Bodong continued.
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: for Taiwan novels, visit Chaozan]
"Nalan Yanran? I didn't expect them to be so fast." Chen Yang chuckled. For Nalan Yanran to return so quickly, she must have been flown back by Yun Yun. At this moment, Yun Yun was likely at the Nalan Family residence.
Thinking of this, Chen Yang waved his hand. "Nalan Yanran knows I am with the Mittel Family, so she knows Xiao Yan is here. They already met yesterday. Go ask for Xiao Yan's opinion and see if he wants to see her or not!"
Hai Bodong nodded upon hearing this. Although he didn't know what had happened during Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran's meeting yesterday, it likely hadn't ended too poorly; otherwise, Nalan Yanran wouldn't have come to seek an audience with Xiao Yan.
With a few leaps and bounds, Hai Bodong landed in Xiao Yan's courtyard. At this time, Xiao Yan had just finished refining a batch of fourth-grade pills. After several failed attempts last night, Xiao Yan had rested for the night. Upon waking up this morning and hearing the magpie-like chirps in the courtyard, Xiao Yan felt a sudden flash of inspiration. He started the cauldron again, and the refinement went surprisingly smoothly.
Xiao Yan's Soul Power sensed someone in the courtyard, so he put away his Medicine Cauldron and walked out of the room. Seeing that the visitor was Hai Bodong, Xiao Yan hurriedly cupped his hands. "Old Hai!"
Hai Bodong cupped his hands in return. "Brother Xiao Yan, half an hour ago, Nalan Yanran of the Nalan Family came to request a meeting. The Young Lord instructed that whether to see her or not is entirely up to you, so I have come specifically to ask for your opinion."
Xiao Yan was stunned. He knew Yun Yun was with Nalan Yanran, so their speed in returning to the Imperial Capital shouldn't be slow, but he hadn't expected Nalan Yanran to come looking for him as soon as they arrived.
"Did Nalan Yanran say why she's looking for me?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.
"I didn't see her personally; I only instructed Teng Shan to welcome her into the main hall. If you don't want to see her, I can go and inform her!" Hai Bodong said.
"Forget it, I'll go see her. After all, she is my sister-in-law's Disciple!" Xiao Yan shrugged, straightened his alchemist robe, and strode out of the courtyard.
Hai Bodong froze for a moment. What Xiao Yan just said was...'sister-in-law's Disciple', right?
It was common knowledge that Nalan Yanran was Yun Yun's Disciple, and Yun Yun had become Xiao Yan's sister-in-law... Hiss!!!
Hai Bodong instantly sucked in a breath of cold air, while also secretly marveling. He hadn't expected his Young Lord to have actually won over the Sect Master of Yun Lan Sect.
Counting his own Mittel Family, as well as the Alchemist Guild and Jiama Royal Family that had already yielded, the Jia Ma Empire—while appearing on the surface to be a conflict between the Cloud Mist Sect and the Royal Family—had actually already been unified by Chen Yang.
"Tsk tsk..."
...In the main hall of the Mittel Family, Nalan Yanran sat in a chair with some anxiety, occasionally glancing toward the door. She was like a young person experiencing their first love—both longing to see her beloved and afraid of not knowing what to say when they met.
To the side, Teng Shan had sent a maid to attend to Nalan Yanran, and he was also curiously observing this eldest miss of the Nalan Family who had left behind legends in the Imperial Capital.
After about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, two figures appeared at the entrance of the hall. The youth walking on the left was precisely the Xiao Yan that Nalan Yanran had been 'thinking of constantly'.
"For Miss Nalan to visit me in person, I wonder what important matter you have?" Xiao Yan looked at Nalan Yanran and asked with a calm expression.
Nalan Yanran had already stood up the moment Xiao Yan spoke his first word. Her tall figure and exquisite beauty made the maid nearby feel inferior.
"You may leave!" Hai Bodong looked at the maid and waved his hand.
"Yes!" The maid bowed and withdrew from the hall.
Seeing that only the three of them remained in the hall, Nalan Yanran relaxed considerably. However, when she saw the Third-Grade Alchemist badge on Xiao Yan's chest, a wave of bitterness washed over her. After a brief silence, she parted her red lips and said, "I heard from Teacher that you possess a Heavenly Flame, is that correct?"
Xiao Yan walked over and sat down opposite Nalan Yanran, gesturing for her to sit as well, then nodded. "Yes!"
Nalan Yanran did not sit; instead, she took two steps forward, maintaining a distance that allowed him to see the look in her eyes clearly. "I... my grandfather has been afflicted by a special poison called branding poison. Only an Alchemist with a Heavenly Flame can cure it."
At this point, Nalan Yanran looked at Xiao Yan with a hint of expectation in her eyes. "In the entire Jia Ma Empire, only you possess a Heavenly Flame. I want to beg you to save my grandfather!"
Nalan Yanran had used the word "beg".
Xiao Yan did not immediately give an answer but looked toward Hai Bodong. Seeing this, Hai Bodong nodded. "Nalan Jie of the Nalan Family fought a highly venomous Fifth-Tier Magical Beast, an Iron Branding Poisonous Python, a few years ago. However, a Dou Wang level expert combined with Medicinal Pills should have been able to suppress the branding poison. Presumably, Nalan Jie's anger over your situation caused the branding poison to gain the upper hand!"
Hai Bodong had only heard about these things from Teng Shan after returning to the Imperial Capital. After all, there were only a few major families in the Jia Ma Empire, and the affairs of Dou King experts were limited; even if Hai Bodong didn't pay attention, he would hear about them soon enough.
"I..." Nalan Yanran looked ashamed. Although she didn't regret her initial decision to annul the marriage, her grandfather had indeed suffered a relapse because of her. And now, she had to come and beg this youth she had hurt... "So that's how it is!" Xiao Yan nodded and, after a brief consideration, made a decision.
"Xiao Yan, if you can save my grandfather, I will agree to any condition, even if I have to be your slave or maid, I will have no complaints!" Seeing that Xiao Yan's expression hadn't changed much, Nalan Yanran thought he was going to refuse and hurriedly stepped forward to speak.
Xiao Yan looked Nalan Yanran up and down carefully twice and sneered, "You certainly have a vivid imagination!"
"Pfft!" Hai Bodong had been drinking tea, but Xiao Yan's remark caused him to spit it out. "Cough, cough, cough. Sorry, please continue, continue..."
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"