"Hold on!" Amid the chaos in the hall, Lan Jie pushed through the crowd and hurried to this side, his face grim as he barked the order. His footsteps stopped beside Lan Yanran. First, he turned to Xiao Yan and asked, "Young friend, are you all right?" Xiao Yan shook his head, indicating he was unharmed. Seeing that Xiao Yan was fine, Lan Jie exhaled in relief—after all, if anything had happened to him, he'd be in serious trouble. Gazing at the young, composed face, Na Lan Jie once again held him in higher regard. Though the battle here had only lasted a brief moment, Na Lan Jie had naturally become aware of it the very instant it erupted—yet he had arrived only now, clearly intending to observe Xiao Yan's combat prowess from the sidelines. After all, many alchemists might be exceptionally skilled in their craft, yet falter completely when it came to actual combat. Na Lan Jie himself had seen such individuals before. "This youngster," he mused, "not only possesses an outstanding talent for alchemy, but is also remarkably strong in battle. The sharpness of his movements clearly indicates someone who has truly faced and overcome fierce engagements." "Internally, he murmured a quiet admiration. Narang Jie turned his gaze toward the wooden warrior, his face darkening as he snapped, "Wood War, I never expected that after two years of training, not only would your impetuousness remain unyielding, but it would grow even more arrogant. This is Narang's domain, not yours. Even if Wood Chen, the old man, were here, he wouldn't dare treat me, Narang Jie, so disrespectfully!" "Heh, Grandfather Narang, please don't be so harsh. My nephew merely wishes to assess this friend's skills and has no intention of causing any disturbance here. As for the damages to the items, I'll have them fully replaced right away," said Wood War, though naturally proud, mindful not to overstep his bounds before Narang Jie, a figure of comparable seniority. "Hmph. You're lying—your words will go straight to the ghosts!" "Hmph," Lan Jie stared straight at Mu Zhan, his voice steady and firm. "Mu Zhan, I'm going to make this clear now. Xiao Xiao, the guest of our Lan family, is a special honor to us. I don't want him harmed in any way. Though your family has many fiery individuals, our Lan family isn't one to be taken lightly!" Lan Jie was well aware of Mu Zhan's temperament. Having failed in his confrontation with Xiao Yan today, Mu Zhan might very well escalate the matter and bring in family members to intervene in the future. To ensure Xiao Yan's safety and to strengthen his goodwill toward the Lan family, Lan Jie had publicly delivered this bold statement that had caused many present to quietly shift in their seats. "What's going on?" Wood War murmured to himself as another elderly voice rang out from outside the crowd. A slender figure, seemingly ghostly, flickered through the crowd with several strange movements and materialized right beside Xiao Yan. The crowd turned to see it was Mi Ter Tengshan, the one who had been called away earlier. "Wood War?" Mi Ter Tengshan scanned the scattered mess on the ground. When his eyes landed on Wood War, he was momentarily stunned. Then, glancing back at the figures standing together—Yafi and Xiao Yan—he instantly grasped the situation. His face immediately grew stern, like Nalan Jie's, and he fixed a fierce gaze on Wood War, shouting angrily, "Since you've returned, you've been causing trouble! Do you think I'll let Wood Chen, that old coot, send you back to the border for another training assignment?" "Uh... Elder Mi... I didn't know you were here too." Seeing the man, the bold Mu Zhan instantly felt a chill run down his spine. Back when he had left the Imperial Capital to go to the frontier, the very reason he had done so was that his arrogance had angered Mitel Tengshan, ultimately forcing the Mu family to send him off to the empire's frontier. Thus, now upon seeing Mitel Tengshan, Mu Zhan felt a certain sense of apprehension, and he awkwardly smiled. Miter Tengshan hummed softly, glanced at Nalan Jie beside him, and slowly said, "I'd like to give you a warning—after you leave here, don't go looking for Rock Jiao's trouble anymore. He's a friend of my Miter family. If you truly cause any trouble, don't be surprised if I, an old man, grow angry. At that point, even Mu Chen won't be able to protect you." Though he wasn't entirely certain about Xiao Yan's exact strength or his background, when he delivered these words, he spoke with complete confidence. A proud, senior Duohuang-level warrior willingly serving as a bodyguard to Xiao Yan—this alone revealed the immense potential hidden within this seemingly ordinary young man. Within just two minutes, Mu Zhan had received serious warnings from two of the three major families. The situation was not only astonishing to Mu Zhan himself, but also deeply surprising to the onlookers surrounding them. If it came as no surprise that Xiao Yan could help Na Lan Jie eliminate the scorching poison, and that Na Lan Jie had thus made such steadfast efforts to support him—after all, their lives were entirely in his hands—then it did come as a bit of a surprise that someone they had only recently met, Mi Ter Teng Shan, would so readily and decisively make such a significant commitment. After all, behind the wood family stood the entire Wood Clan, whose influence was no less substantial than that of the Mi Ter family. Moreover, when it came to sheer numbers of strong individuals, the Wood Clan actually surpassed the Mi Ter family considerably, since the Mi Ter family was primarily a commercial one, unlike the Wood Clan, which was a martial dynasty. Of course, here the term "strong" refers specifically to mid-tier strength, not to the top-tier power exemplified by Mi Ter Teng Shan. After all, such elite levels aren't easily achieved merely through a martial culture—they largely depend on individual cultivation potential, and in this regard, both families are quite comparable. "Hmph, the lucky one..." Among the crowd, Li Lin's brows furrowed slightly as she watched the two senior figures supporting Xiao Yan, her lips curling into a cold smile. Beside her, Princess Li, her brows knit together, glanced through the crowd toward Xiao Yan, murmuring softly, "It seems he must have something of great value to both families. Otherwise, Mitel Tengshan and Grandfather Nalan would never have risked offending the Mu family to speak up for him so wholeheartedly." "Such a mysterious fellow... Too bad." With a regretful shake of her head, the princess recalled Xiao Yan's demeanor toward her, and smiled faintly in sympathy. She hadn't realized that, in her own hesitation, she had missed such a truly outstanding individual. If either Emperor or her sister knew, they would surely scold her severely. He tugged at his lips, his smile on Mu Zhan's face looking quite strained. After a long pause, under the watchful eyes of Nalan Jie and Mitel Tengshan, he sighed and spread his hands helplessly, saying, "Both of you elders, I've already explained that today was just a misunderstanding. Well, as long as this friend doesn't come bothering me in the future, I won't bother him either. That'll be my way of showing face to both of you." Nalan Jie nodded calmly, turned to the hall, and clapped his hands, smiling, "Everyone, please continue. This is just the usual fuss between the younger ones—just treat it as a delightful performance, shall we? Hehe." Hearing Nalan Jie's words, the onlookers nodded in agreement and smiled politely before gradually dispersing, seeking out familiar faces and continuing to drink and chat. "Hehe, old man, you really never miss an opportunity to win someone's favor, do you?" Mitel Tengshan said softly, leaning close to Nalan Jie. "Hmph. Old man, it seems you've really decided to compete with us for people," Narang Jie glanced coldly at Mitel Tengshan. "Such talent moving to another household—what a headache that must be..." Mitel Tengshan chuckled lightly. "I must say, I think Lady Ya and Xiao Jiao have quite a good rapport, don't you think? Though, Miss Yanran seems reluctant to approach Xiao Jiao, doesn't she? Hehe—after all, their positions are quite different. But isn't that where you'll suffer the most?" The dry skin of Narang Jie's face twitched slightly. With a glance toward Lady Ya, who was carefully examining Xiao Jin for any battle injuries, and then to his granddaughter standing aside, her face as composed as ever, he finally sighed and shook his sleeve with a touch of frustration. "You truly are investing a lot." "Average, really," Mitel Tengshan smiled proudly, taking a long sip of his red wine and finishing it off. … "Alright, I'm really fine. That guy might be persistent, but this warm-up battle hasn't done me any real harm." Shaking his head with a wry smile, Xiao Yan gazed at the steadily assessing Yafei. Upon hearing Xiao Yan's calm, unharmed tone, Yafei finally exhaled in relief, her long, narrow eyes filled with astonishment as she studied him intently. "Little one, I remember when you left Wutan City, you had only just broken through to the Battle Rank, hadn't you? How much time has passed—yet you're now able to hold your own against Mu on equal terms?" Xiao Yan smiled, knowing that after such rigorous training, achieving this level of performance was entirely expected and quite normal. "Miss Nalan, thank you so much for your timely intervention..." Yafei stepped forward two paces and approached Nalan Yanran, offering Xiao Yan a warm, grateful smile. "Mr. Yanxiao is a guest of the Na Lan family, so naturally I have to step in. Yet, considering Mr. Yanxiao's strength, I feel my actions might be somewhat excessive..." Na Lan Yanran glanced at Xiao Yan, who had grown increasingly cold since the moment he saw her. This stark contrast in treatment—so different from the warm reception she had received from the Yafu—left her quite puzzled. "Yafu, it's been two years since we last saw each other—don't treat me like this!" Wood Zhan, standing by, noticed that Yafu had never once looked her way, and sighed with a wry smile. "Master Wood, how could I possibly dare? Your temperament is simply beyond what Yafu can endure. I hope you'll refrain from speaking anything in the future that might harm Yafu's reputation. I've never agreed to any engagement, nor have I ever become your wife!" Yafu glanced at him coldly, and laughed with a sharp tone. After speaking, Yafei stepped back toward Xiao Yan, taking his sleeve and gently saying, "Let's go to a different place..." Xiao Yan glanced at Yafei's warm expression, then at Mu Zhan, whose face had turned slightly pale with anger, and nodded slightly. He allowed Yafei to lead him toward the other side of the adjacent hall. "Damn youngster!" Mu Zhan's eyes were fixed on Xiao Yan's back as he sharply waved his hand, then turned to Nalan Yanran and said, "Yanran, just what is this boy's background? Don't keep it from me. We've shared countless childhood memories—how could he not know this?" "Looking at Mu Zhan's fierce and wrathful expression, Nalan Yanran shook her head helplessly and said, 'Honestly, I still don't know much about Rock Xiao's true background. However, his skill in preparing medicinal concoctions is truly exceptional—my grandfather's scalding toxin, which even the ancient He River elder couldn't treat, has been completely eliminated by him.' 'That's all I know. Just don't bother him in the future, otherwise, I suspect you'll end up with your own share of troubles.' Nalan Yanran added, then turned and slowly walked into the hall, leaving Mu Zhan standing there, gritting his teeth in growing frustration. 'Whatever your true identity may be—just don't let me catch you doing it again!' he muttered fiercely, biting down on his words.