Battle Through the Heavens: The Rock King Emperor's Leisurely Wanderings in the Mortal World

Chapter 59 You actually hit me!

Gama Holy City, Nalan Family.

In the Nalan family mansion in the holy city of Jiama, the atmosphere was slightly tense. Nalan Yanran suddenly reached out and snatched the letter from her grandfather Nalan Jie's hand, her movements swift and decisive. Then, with a forceful tearing of her hands, she ripped the letter to shreds, the paper scraps falling like snowflakes.

"Grandpa! Can't you stop being so stubborn? That good-for-nothing's cultivation has regressed for three years already, and the timing of his recovery is too suspicious. Why did he recover so suddenly, right after I went to the Xiao family to annul the engagement? Isn't that ridiculous?" Nalan Yanran frowned, her face full of anger as she shouted, her voice filled with barely concealed rage and bewilderment.

"You brat! You brat!" Nalan Jie's lips trembled slightly with anger, his eyes filled with disappointment and helplessness. "Even if you look down on the Xiao family, Xiao Zhan is still your elder. My relationship with his father, Xiao Lin, was one of life-and-death camaraderie, like brothers. If it weren't for Xiao Lin, I would probably be dead by now. How could you exist, and how could the Nalan family exist today?"

His granddaughter is outstanding in many ways and very filial. However, she can be a bit stubborn at times, insisting on doing things even when she knows they are wrong and refusing to change her mind easily.

Nalan Jie wasn't entirely disregarding his granddaughter's future for the sake of his promise. When he learned that Xiao Yan, the former genius of the Xiao family, was experiencing a decline in strength, he began to devote himself to finding elixirs that could restore Xiao Yan's Dou Qi. To this end, he didn't hesitate to use his extensive network of connections and endured considerable pressure from favors.

Deep in Nalan Jie's heart, he secretly pondered: even if he ultimately failed to find a good way to restore Xiao Yan's Dou Qi strength, he should still let the two children meet first. He wanted to see if they still got along well and if they could spark some affection between them.

Back when they were young, their paths crossed. They played together at the alley entrance, and played hide-and-seek under the trees. Their silvery laughter still seems to echo in their ears. Those times were full of joy and warmth.

Back then, Nalan Yanran would always sweetly call Xiao Zhan "Uncle," and she would affectionately call her betrothed boyfriend, Xiao Yan, "Brother Xiao Yan." Those calls were full of childlike innocence and affection.

Unfortunately, due to limitations in their own strength, the Xiao family was unable to maintain their foothold in the capital of the Jia Ma Empire. Left with no other choice, they had to move the entire clan away from the bustling capital to a remote and cramped place like Wutan City.

Perhaps if they had taken advantage of their location, and if Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran had been able to build on their pure friendship from childhood, their relationship wouldn't have become so strained and awkward. After all, according to worldly standards, they should have been recognized as childhood sweethearts by both families.

However, all of this was ultimately just a plan, as illusory as a mirage. In Nalan Jie's mind, if the two children eventually met but still felt no affection for each other, he would willingly offer generous resources as compensation to the Xiao family for a peaceful termination of the engagement. As for the annulment of the engagement, he would definitely discuss it privately with Xiao Zhan, and the compensation matters would naturally be quietly entrusted to Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan.

What truly angered Nalan Jie was not just that she chose to annul the engagement without his permission, but that while her idea was good, her actions were inappropriate.

Her actions were tantamount to adding another layer of hardship to the already struggling Xiao family, and might even shake Xiao Zhan's position as the head of the Xiao family.

If Xiao Zhan is surrounded and forced to step down, Xiao Yan's already declining strength will likely be completely ignored by the family.

The Grand Elder seized the opportunity to rise to power, transforming the branch into the main branch, while Xiao Zhan and his son Xiao Yan were relegated from the main branch to a branch. The brothers Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were away fighting for their fortunes, not within the Xiao family. Without Zhong Li's intervention, the aforementioned scenario would likely have occurred, and in that case, only Xiao Yan and his son Xiao Zhan would have been harmed.

Looking at Nalan Yanran, who still had a stern face when facing her grandfather, Nalan Jie felt that the affection between the two generations that usually overflowed in his heart had vanished without a trace, as if invaded by frost.

A crisp and powerful slap, like a thunderclap, suddenly rang out in the silent space, striking Nalan Yanran's face hard.

"You brat! How dare you be so disrespectful to your Uncle Xiao?! He's already been humiliated by you in front of the entire clan, and you still won't let it go? My old face, and the reputation I've painstakingly built up over the years, have been completely ruined by your reckless behavior in Wutan City. What more do you want? Isn't this farce big enough? Do you want to cause a scene at the Nalan family's residence? Or even in the capital of the Jia Ma Empire?"

Nalan Jie bent down, scooped up the letter that Nalan Yanran had torn to shreds, then slowly straightened up, swaying gently in front of her, and said, "Your grandfather has already lost all face in the Xiao family, becoming that ungrateful, treacherous beast who kicks someone when they're down. But Xiao Zhan still writes to me, expressing concern for my situation and sharing his joy at Xiao Yan's recovery, without mentioning your annulment of the engagement at all. Not mentioning such an important matter, isn't it to save face for me? Oh dear!" Nalan Jie slapped his thigh, "You child, why are you so impulsive?"

Nalan Jie rambled on and on, but clearly, Nalan Yanran hadn't listened to much of it. She covered the side of her face that had just been slapped, tears streaming down her face, and cried out:

"Grandpa, how could you hit me!"

Nalan Jie was furious. He clenched his teeth and angrily raised his other hand, as if to slap Nalan Yanran on the other cheek.

However, in an instant, his anger flared up, and the insidious poison in his body, like a bone-deep carbuncle, seized the opportunity to flare up. In an instant, a sharp pain struck, so painful that Nalan Jie's hand froze in mid-air, unable to move an inch for a long time.

Nalan Yanran closed her eyes tightly, filled with fear as she awaited the expected second slap, but time seemed to stand still, and nothing happened.

After a long while, Nalan Yanran slowly opened her eyes. What came into view was Nalan Jie's large hand hanging in mid-air. No, to be precise, Nalan Jie himself seemed to be frozen in place as if he had been put under a spell.

Just one second later, Nalan Jie, having lost his support, fell straight backward.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Witnessing this scene, Nalan Yanran's heart leaped into her throat, and panic overwhelmed her like a tidal wave. She cried out for her grandfather with all her might, her voice filled with terror and helplessness.

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At this moment, Nalan Jie seemed to be bound by an invisible force, almost losing control of his body. He tried to struggle to move his arm, but it felt as if it had been invaded by frost, hard and exuding a bone-chilling cold. Only his eyes could still move a little.

Nalan Jie's eyes burned with rage as he glared fiercely at Nalan Yanran. He wanted to slap her again, but his body seemed frozen in place, and he couldn't bring himself to do it.

……

(End of this chapter)