BTTH : Emperor Yang

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Nalan Yanran

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**

”This is the Imperial Guardian, Jia Xingtian,” Qie Mi Er whispered an introduction to Wei Yang.

Wei Yang gave a slight nod, looked toward Jia Xingtian, and offered a faint smile and a respectful nod. ”Elder Jia.”

Jia Xingtian responded with a hearty smile, completely unbothered by Wei Yang’s calm demeanor. After all, one can’t rush a hot meal.

Looking over at Hai Bodong and Fa Ma, he laughed aloud. ”Who would’ve thought the three of us would gather here again? Truly fate.”

”It is quite the coincidence,” Fa Ma chuckled with deeper meaning in his tone. ”Old monster, I didn’t expect you to show up for the tournament today. I remember you not being fond of this kind of competition.”

”I’ve been reclusive for decades now—no harm in coming out to watch once in a while,” Jia Xingtian laughed, turning his head toward Xiao Yan, offering a courteous and friendly greeting.

Xiao Yan immediately stood up and returned the gesture respectfully.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Xiao Yan, Jia Xingtian deliberately pointed out that the eldest princess, Yao Ye, was responsible for security at the tournament, commanding an army of fifty thousand troops.

As he said this, he casually glanced at Wei Yang—his meaning clear: Yao Ye was no mere ornament.

Wei Yang looked down and studied the lines on his palm, seemingly uninterested.

After a bit more small talk, the group each found seats and settled in.

On the vast plaza below, more and more alchemists began entering as time passed.

From the spectator stands, it was a sea of black-haired heads—countless people packed tightly together, impossible to count.

Energetic young women occasionally let out sharp, enthusiastic screams to cheer for the newly arrived alchemists, their voices ringing with adoration and excitement.

The number of people in the VIP section was also increasing steadily. Most of them were influential figures within the empire or their close relatives.

At that moment, a new group approached the front row, causing a small stir among the back rows.

These newcomers were from the three great noble clans of the imperial capital.

The commotion, however, wasn’t caused by the clans themselves, but rather the two young women walking at the center—Nalan Yanran and Ya Fei.

The two women had different temperaments but were equally stunning, like blooming flowers. Walking side by side, they naturally drew all eyes their way. It was no wonder that the young noblemen seated in the back row were so stirred up.

The group followed the aisle all the way to the front row, exchanging smiles and greetings with acquaintances.

Soon, the leaders of the Nalan, Mittel, and Mu clans—Nalan Jie, Mittel Tengshan, and Mu Chen—led their people directly toward Wei Yang.

After greeting Fa Ma, Jia Xingtian, and Hai Bodong, the three then stepped in front of Wei Yang.

With slight bows and respectful tones, they said, ”Nalan Jie, Mittel Tengshan, Mu Chen—greetings, Mister Wei.”

”No need for formalities. Please, have a seat,” Wei Yang replied with a nod, his tone calm and seemingly indifferent.

The three Clan Heads took no offense, simply cupping their fists before leading their people to find seats.

After all, this gathering included many of the real

top figures. Though all three were Dou Wang-level experts, they barely qualified to be present. Just being able to exchange a few words and show their faces was already a good opportunity.Ordinary Dou Wangs didn’t even qualify to come forward and greet people here.

Even though the Ten Great Clans of the Jia Ma Empire all had Dou Wang experts, only the three noble clans of the capital had the qualifications to step forward and greet these figures.

The other seven clans, standing further back, could only watch eagerly but dared not approach.

Without an explicit invitation, charging in unannounced—if the other party chose to ignore you—that would be a true embarrassment. Worse yet, it might even draw their disdain.

Dou Wang was indeed an awkward position.

Most of the time, a Dou Wang was considered lofty and powerful—but in settings like this, they were bottom-tier.

At that moment, Ya Fei snuck over with Nalan Yanran in tow.

She winked mischievously at Xiao Yan, who sat to the side, before turning to Wei Yang and giggling. ”Mister Wei, this is Miss Nalan Yanran. She’s admired you for a long time and has always wanted to meet you in person.”

The surrounding big shots in the front row instantly perked up their ears. Though they continued their idle chatter, the corners of their eyes were firmly fixed in this direction.

Wei Yang lifted his gaze toward the two women. His expression didn’t change, but his eyes eventually rested on the slightly nervous Nalan Yanran.

It had been three years. The once slightly green but beautiful girl had grown even more radiant and elegant.

Unconsciously, his gaze shifted toward Xiao Yan sitting nearby.

Xiao Yan sat quietly, eyes closed as if resting, but the way his fists slowly clenched made it obvious—he was far from calm inside.

Nalan Yanran’s expression also turned somewhat complicated as she glanced at Xiao Yan.

The big shots nearby stopped pretending, openly turning their gazes this way, eyes gleaming with interest.

Some even looked toward Nalan Jie, with expressions that were hard to read—perhaps mocking, perhaps playful.

Nalan Jie sighed softly and closed his eyes, pretending not to see. But his heart was surging with emotions.

Three years ago, when Nalan Yanran had gone to Wu Tan City to break off her engagement, it would be a lie to say he didn’t know about it beforehand.

He had merely pretended not to.

But wasn’t that itself a form of silent approval?

Yet not long ago, this very boy—who was once rejected by his granddaughter—had cured him of a deadly poison.

Now that Yan Xiao had revealed himself to be Xiao Yan, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots.

Only three years had passed, and not only had he regained his cultivation talent, he had even become a gifted alchemist with remarkable talent.

Regret?

Perhaps.

...

Nalan Yanran quickly withdrew her gaze, no longer paying any attention to Xiao Yan. Instead, she turned her eyes toward Wei Yang once again.

She smiled lightly and spoke with respectful tone, ”Mister Wei, we met three years ago. I wonder if you still remember me?”

She truly hadn’t expected that the handsome young man she had once seen at the Xiao clan three years ago would transform into a renowned sixth-tier alchemist, famous across the Imperial Capital.

”I didn’t expect that, at your current age, Mister Wei, you would already be an alchemist master. When I first heard about it, I couldn’t believe it... I must say, I deeply admire your abilities,” Nalan Yanran praised, her eyes filled with respect and admiration.

The gazes of several powerful figures present became a little ambiguous. Some of them glanced subtly at Nalan Jie, narrowing their eyes slightly.

Well now, quite the schemer, aren’t you...

”You flatter me,” Wei Yang’s eyebrow twitched slightly, a little exasperated. He really didn’t want to deal with Nalan Yanran.

Your ex-fiancé is standing right next to you. It’s bad enough you’re ignoring him, but now you’re coming to flirt with me in public?

Do you take Xiao Yan for dead?

Even a monk would get angry at this!

Don’t drag me into your mess, damn it.

And seriously, what kind of occasion is this?

If you want to reminisce, can’t you find a better time and place?

Besides, back then I was merely a guest at the Xiao family. I was just a bystander and witness. There’s really no connection between us, okay?

And that Ya Fei...

Wei Yang frowned slightly as he glanced over at Ya Fei.

This woman is becoming more and more brazen.

And she seemed to have lost her sense of propriety. Where did all that usual cleverness go?

At this moment, Wei Yang was already beginning to feel a hint of dissatisfaction—perhaps even a trace of resentment—toward Ya Fei.

She clearly doesn’t know her place anymore.

On the side, the veins on Xiao Yan’s forehead were faintly bulging.

Ya Fei’s heart skipped a beat when she noticed this. She realized she had gone too far.

The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.

”Ahem.” At this moment, Hai Bodong, sitting not far away, let out a light cough.

Mittel Tengshan also snapped out of his daze and quickly gave a soft reprimand, ”Ya Fei, get back here!”

A trace of bitterness and grievance flickered in Ya Fei’s eyes. She glanced at Wei Yang, lightly bit her red lip with her pearly teeth, bowed slightly, and said with a tremble in her voice, ”Mister Wei, sorry for disturbing you.”

She knew she had pushed too hard and had only ended up shooting herself in the foot.

Nearby, Nalan Yanran’s expression also dimmed. She bowed slightly and said, ”My apologies, Mister Wei. I was being presumptuous.”

Wei Yang gave a helpless smile. At this point, he had no desire to say anything further. He simply waved his hand, signaling for them to leave.

If you were going to go, you should’ve just left quietly. What’s the point of saying all this nonsense?

Originally, we could’ve laughed it off and moved on like nothing happened.

But now, thanks to you two, you had to apologize all formally in front of everyone? Just unnecessary. Seriously, unbelievable.

In front of everyone like this—what kind of position are you putting Xiao Yan in?

The expressions of several influential figures also furrowed into frowns.

This was just too harsh—a complete public slap in the face. Not even the slightest bit of mercy.

”Ugh...” Realizing what had happened, Ya Fei gave a bitter smile. She knew she had once again taken the lead in messing up. She practically wanted to slap herself right then and there.

She tugged on Nalan Yanran’s sleeve, pulling her to leave as quickly as possible.

At this point, anything they said would only make it worse. The more they tried to explain, the worse it got. It was better to shut up.

However, Nalan Yanran seemed to have stubbornly dug in her heels. She hadn’t realized the situation at all—or maybe, in her heart, she had never once considered or cared about Xiao Yan’s feelings in the first place.

As she walked past Xiao Yan, she paused in her steps and softly spoke:

”Should I call you Mister Yan Xiao now, or would it be more appropriate to call you Xiao Yan?”

Wei Yang’s face twitched.

Several of the powerhouses around also couldn’t help but twitch the corners of their mouths.

Meanwhile, over on Nalan Jie’s side, his face had already turned pitch black.

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Support me at patreon for 60+ advanced Chapters :

/YaoIk