Chapter 142

"That is true; a Second-Grade Alchemist like you wouldn't be short on gold coins!" Xiao Zhan smiled and did not force him to take it.

Seeing Xiao Zhan take back the card, Xiao Yan smiled. Between father and son, there was no need for tedious, polite formalities. Just like when Xiao Yan took the gold coins Xiao Zhan gave him—there was no fake politeness because Xiao Yan needed them at the time, so he accepted them directly.

"Is the force you offended from the Empire?" Xiao Zhan asked in a low voice.

"You could say that! But it doesn't really count as offending them. Even if they knew, they wouldn't dare act recklessly; I'm just afraid they might use you all to threaten me," Xiao Yan nodded.

"Hmm, then you should stay in the family for this period and try to keep a low profile! Once you finish the Adult Ceremony, go find your eldest brother or go to Jia Nan Academy for further studies. With your strength, it will be hard to improve any further by staying in Wutan City," Xiao Zhan said.

"I returned to the family this time with the intention of finishing the Adult Ceremony, then applying to Jia Nan Academy, and then continuing to go out for training," Xiao Yan nodded and smiled.

"However, you must be careful! Xiao Yu has returned, and since she discovered you beat her younger brother and injured him, she has been looking to settle the score with you!" Xiao Zhan said with a playful smile.

"Sigh! You are too weak! You kicked me, yet you ended up unable to stand yourself," Xiao Yan sighed helplessly.

But asking Xiao Yan to go directly to find Xun Er, Xiao Yan couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, the look in their eyes when they left Xiao Yan was enough to cut him to pieces.

"Did you come here specifically to find me to vent your anger for your brother? Is there nothing else?" Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Yu, who was half-squatting on the ground and unable to stand, and said helplessly.

"I didn't expect you to have gained so much from your training trip this time!" Xiao Zhan said in surprise.

Let Xiao Yan give up on Xiao Xun'er? That was simply impossible. The effort and sweat Xiao Yan had put in to be with Xun Er were things even Xiao Yan himself didn't know the extent of.

"You little bastard, you've finally returned. It was in vain that I took such good care of you before, and this is how you repay me. You beat my brother into a serious injury, leaving him lying in bed for several months," Xiao Yu cursed angrily.

"Bang!" After a muffled sound, Xiao Yan did not move a single bit, standing there without the slightest reaction.

Xiao Yan watched a pair of snow-white, long legs strike toward him, his eyes widening, forgetting to resist for a moment.

"Hmph! That's because your brother was asking for it! I had already held back, yet he still dared to attack. Just letting him lie in bed for a few months was already out of respect for you." Because of the matters with Xun Er and Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Yan was in a very bad mood, so naturally, his words were not as polite.

"This was all just a matter of luck!" Xiao Yan smiled and said.

"Since you just returned, you should go get some good rest! I won't disturb you any further," Xiao Zhan said with a smile.

"It's fortunate you held back some strength just now, otherwise your leg would probably be broken right now," Xiao Yan curled his lips and said.

Xiao Yan waited blankly in front of his room for a long time, wanting to see if Xun Er would come to find him.

But let Xiao Yan give up on Xiao Yi Xian? That was also very difficult. Although Xiao Yan hadn't spent a very long time with Xiao Yi Xian, being with her allowed Xiao Yan to experience the feeling of being back home in his hometown before he traveled through time.

Xiao Yan nodded, and after letting Hei Yu stay on the back mountain, he went down the back mountain with his father, Xiao Zhan, and headed toward his residence.

After returning to his room, Xiao Yan took a bath, washed the bloodstains off his body, and then lay directly on the bed, thinking about how to resolve the situation with Xun Er and Xiao Yi Xian.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Xiao Yan said speechlessly.

"Xiao Yu?" Xiao Yan smiled slightly upon hearing this name. Because Xiao Yan had never peeked at her bathing when they were young, their relationship was naturally still quite good.

"Xiao... Xiao Yu!" Xiao Yan was stunned the moment he saw the person who had arrived.

"The Clan Head asked me to call you to the main hall to eat the New Year's Eve dinner together," Xiao Yu said, taking a deep breath.

Seeing that Xiao Yan actually did not fight back, the anger in Xiao Yu's heart dissipated quite a bit, and she withdrew some of her strength.

"I... I can't walk!" Xiao Yu covered her leg and said, blushing.

After walking into the room, he found it very clean and tidy. Having not been home for a year, the room remained exactly the same, without the slightest change.

"You..." Xiao Yu still wanted to retort, but her leg caused another sharp pain, making her clench her teeth in agony.

That kind of wild, mountain life was something Xiao Yan still found hard to forget to this day.

"This is a magical beast that hatched by accident; its strength is currently at the Third Rank," Xiao Yan pointed at Hei Yu and introduced it.

But Xiao Yu was different; she covered her long legs, half-squatting on the ground, grimacing in pain, her face pale enough to be frightening.

Later, when Xiao Yan lost his cultivation talent, besides Xiao Xun'er helping Xiao Yan out of a tight spot, Xiao Yu had also helped Xiao Yan several times.

"Hehe, is this your mount? Why does the aura it exudes feel stronger than mine?" Xiao Zhan looked naturally at Hei Yu beside Xiao Yan and said with a smile.

"Sigh! It's difficult!" Xiao Yan sighed, feeling somewhat at a loss. He was very afraid now that when he opened his eyes tomorrow, a girl would say something like, "I want to quit, I wish you both happiness."

"If I didn't strike heavily, how could he learn his lesson?" Xiao Yan said speechlessly.

"There's no need for thanks!" Xiao Yan said irritably.

Xiao Yan paced back and forth in his room, anxious and not knowing what to do.

"Then giving him a lesson would have been enough, why did you have to strike so heavily!" Xiao Yu knew Xiao Yan's words made sense, but she still said stubbornly.

"I'll teach you a lesson first, you bastard!" Seeing that Xiao Yan didn't have a shred of apology, Xiao Yu also became angry.

After speaking, Xiao Yu directly raised her leg and kicked toward Xiao Yan.

"So, am I supposed to thank you?" Xiao Yu sneered.

Xiao Yan wasn't in a hurry to eat; he was thinking that Xun Er and Xiao Yi Xian would also go there, which was why he was so anxious.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yan was disappointed. Until it turned dark, Xiao Yan did not wait for Xun Er's arrival. The Xun Er who missed him every day had disappeared!

"Sigh!" Xiao Yan let out a deep sigh, having no choice but to close the door and continue lying on the bed to contemplate life.

"I won't hold you accountable for this matter. Although you feel sorry for your brother, one must be punished for doing wrong. He played dirty during the family competition, and I only let him lie in bed for a few months. If he had played dirty outside, it would have been the Xiao family's reputation that was lost, and he would have died directly," Xiao Yan said indifferently.

Xiao Yan couldn't bear to give up either of these two girls.

"Bang!" With a loud noise, the door was suddenly kicked open by someone.

"You... why are you so hard! Did you stuff something inside?" Xiao Yu was in so much pain she was about to cry; she felt as if she had just kicked a piece of steel.

It was precisely because of these few times Xiao Yu helped that Xiao Yan had held back a bit when competing against Xiao Ning.

Hearing the noise, Xiao Yan did a carp leap, instantly jumping up from the bed, wanting to know who had the guts to kick his door.

He saw it was a woman, extremely beautiful in appearance, with a graceful and curvaceous figure, especially those long legs, which simply made it impossible for one to look away.

However, Xiao Yan needed to keep a low profile in everything he did now, so he didn't directly use his Exotic Fire to help her heal. For this kind of bruise, applying some healing medicine was perfectly fine, and the Xiao family was not short on healing medicine.

Dear book friends,

At this beautiful moment of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, may your New Year's Eve be filled with laughter and warmth, and may the company of family make every moment shine with the radiance of happiness. In the new year, may your life be as brilliant and colorful as dazzling fireworks; may your work be as full and fruitful as dumplings; may your mood be like rice cakes, rising higher with every step.

Let the troubles of the past drift away with the wind, and let the hope of the future illuminate the path ahead. May you be healthy and safe in the new year, may everything go as you wish, may all your dreams set sail, and may all your efforts blossom and bear fruit. Let us join hands to welcome a better tomorrow and create a new year filled with love and harmony together!

(End of chapter)