talk of marriage alliance

Xiao Xun Er saw that Yang Hao had not yet been released and smiled bitterly, "Please forgive Yang Hao for his offense, Brother Shen. This is a token of apology for you!"

A storage ring floated from her palm and landed in Shen Wen's hand.

Shen Wen waved his hand, and the Space Power on Yang Hao vanished.

"Help him leave!" Xiao Xun Er looked at the remaining Black Annihilation Army and said coldly.

Yang Hao was helped up by two members of the Black Annihilation Army. His sternum throbbed with pain, his internal organs were injured, and the blood at the corner of his mouth had not yet dried.

That face, originally soft and handsome, was now pale with a hint of lividity. The gaze he directed at Shen Wen was a mixture of humiliation, resentment, and a lingering trace of terror.

Xiao Xun Er's arrival allowed him to barely maintain the last shred of his sanity.

His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something.

In the end, he just gritted his teeth tightly and, supported by his subordinates, stumbled out of the courtyard gate.

The rest of the Black Annihilation Army followed closely behind, and the tense atmosphere in the courtyard finally dissipated somewhat with their departure.

Only the mess on the ground and the lingering ripples of energy in the air remained.

Xiao Xun Er moved with light, graceful steps, walking across the shattered bluestone slabs to the front of the main hall.

She looked into the hall and saw that Shen Wen had already sat down on a sandalwood chair.

She sighed softly, stepped into the hall, and took a seat opposite Shen Wen.

The hall was silent for a moment. Sunlight filtered in from outside the window, illuminating the tiny specks of dust in the air.

"Brother Shen," Xiao Xun Er broke the silence first. Her voice was clear but carried an inescapable sense of helplessness, "Today's matter was due to my lack of consideration, and I have caused you trouble."

Shen Wen looked at her, tapped his fingertips lightly on the back of the chair, and said in a flat but direct tone, "I think, Young Miss Xun'er, you need to give me an explanation."

A bitter smile appeared on the corners of Xiao Xun Er's lips. She gathered her thoughts slightly before speaking slowly, "Yang Hao and the others came here this time, ostensibly to take me back to the clan, but... there is another arrangement within the clan that I have only just learned about."

She paused, then looked straight at Shen Wen, "The elders in the clan seem to have the intention... to pair me up with you."

Shen Wen's brows furrowed suddenly.

Xiao Xun Er continued, "Besides being ordered to take me back, Yang Hao was also secretly tasked with testing you. They wanted to know your true strength, your Heart-Nature, and even... whether you have any intentions toward me."

She shook her head, her smile deepening with helplessness, "The way the clan does things is sometimes just like this. They see that you are only nineteen and already a Grade 8 Alchemist, a Dou Zong, and can trigger the Eight-Colored Pill Thunder... This level of talent and potential is enough to make any faction tempted. And I..."

She did not finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear. As a daughter of the ancient clan with peerless talent, her marriage was never just her own personal affair; it was a bargaining chip involving the clan's interests and future layout.

Shen Wen's brows did not unfurl; instead, he asked a critical question, "Did they not investigate carefully? During this period, apart from those two transactions, you and I have had no other contact. On the contrary, you and that brat Xiao Yan..."

At the mention of Xiao Yan, the look in Xiao Xun Er's eyes softened slightly, but it was immediately covered by the helplessness of reality.

"That is the problem," she said in a low voice, "They perhaps did not deeply investigate the specific interactions between you and me. Or perhaps, even if they know that I am close to Brother Xiao Yan, in their view..." She paused for a moment, her voice becoming softer, "The possibility of you and me, Brother Shen, is likely greater than that with Brother Xiao Yan."

Although her heart was with Xiao Yan and she firmly believed that Xiao Yan would one day soar through the Nine Heavens, she had to objectively admit that, as of now, there was a visible gap between the strength, status, and potential displayed by Shen Wen and that of Xiao Yan.

In the eyes of some elders of the ancient clan who focused on practical interests and Bloodline power, if they really had to choose someone for a marriage alliance, Shen Wen, who had reached the peak of the continent's Alchemist level at only nineteen, was undoubtedly a "weightier" choice than Xiao Yan, who was still growing and whose future was uncertain.

"Furthermore," Xiao Xun Er added, her tone complex, "A Grade 8 Alchemist this young... I fear even my father would have to carefully weigh the pros and cons."

Shen Wen listened silently for a moment. In the hall, there was only the rustling sound of the breeze brushing against bamboo leaves outside the window. He was not angry, just feeling that it was somewhat absurd. The ancient clan's calculation was clever, but it was a pity that they had aimed in the completely wrong direction.

"I have no intention of getting involved in the internal affairs of the ancient clan, nor do I have those kinds of feelings for you. Let today's matter end here. If anyone from the ancient clan comes to disturb me again because of this, it will not be resolved as simply as it was today."

Xiao Xun Er nodded gently; she could see the seriousness and the bottom line in Shen Wen's words. "I understand. After I return to the clan, I will explain it to my father."

She stood up and bowed slightly to Shen Wen, "My apologies again, Brother Shen. Farewell."

She turned around, the green hem of her garment tracing a shallow arc, and left the courtyard with a steady gait.

After Xiao Xun Er left, the courtyard quieted down for a moment, with only the faint sound of the wind blowing through the bamboo leaves. Shen Wen glanced at the apology in the storage ring; they were almost all medicinal ingredients for the zong ji pill, at least ten portions. She was indeed a Young Miss; truly generous.

Cao Ying walked to Shen Wen's side, her eyes curving into crescents with a touch of teasing amusement, "Husband, are you truly not interested in this Young Miss of the ancient clan? With her looks, talent, and deep background, if you were to agree, I wouldn't be unable to give up the position of the main wife."

Her tone was light, half-serious and half-joking, "Besides, if you could really form a marriage alliance with the ancient clan, wouldn't things be much more convenient in the future?"

Shen Wen glanced at her and shook his head. "Not to mention that Xiao Xun Er does not have the same feelings for me as she does for Xiao Yan," he said in a calm tone, with his consistent clarity, "I also have no intention of breaking up other people's fate."

He paused and continued, "More importantly, if I really relied on the ancient clan, things might not necessarily be more convenient. When the time comes, having to look at others' faces everywhere and listen to their commands, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying's smile slightly receded, and a flash of understanding passed through her eyes.

Shen Wen looked out the window, his gaze deep and distant, "Currently, the eyes of the Hun Clan are not fully on me, but once I get too deeply involved with the ancient clan, I will inevitably be dragged into the undercurrents between the two clans. The Hall of Souls is already a behemoth, if I were to face the Hun Clan directly..." He shook his head, "That would be the real trouble."

Cao Ying nodded gently and stopped joking. She understood what Shen Wen meant. It looked like climbing a high branch, but in reality, it could attract an even more dangerous whirlpool.

Shen Wen did not speak again, but a strong sense of urgency surged in his heart. The Black Annihilation Army's visit today clearly sent a signal. The ancient clan had begun to take notice of him.

"Still too slow..." Shen Wen whispered silently. Whether for himself or for the people around him who needed his protection, his current strength was far from enough.

A Three-Star Dou Zong was still too weak, even if he could now use various means to even kill a Dou Zun. But a Dou Zun was merely a subordinate among the eight ancient clans. At the very least, he needed to be able to deal with a Dou Sheng to truly have the confidence to face these eight ancient clans.

"The way to increase my strength faster now is probably to dig into my own Physique, Cultivate the Azure Dragon Body, and Cultivate the Great Origin Technique..."

Shen Wen calculated for a moment; in fact, there was still room for his strength to grow rapidly, but he had been deducing Medicinal Pills during this period.

"I will first Cultivate the Great Origin Technique well, and then I can probably go to the Tianxin Empire to resolve that branch hall."