The Xiao Clan had not been this lively in years.
Servants hurried through the courtyards carrying tea and refreshments while disciples gathered in small groups, each claiming to know why the Yunlan Sect had suddenly paid them a visit.
“The Young Sect Master came personally.”
“I heard Elder Ge Ye is accompanying her.”
“Do you think they’re here to support Xiao Yan?”
“Support him?
Have you lost your mind?”
Rumors spread faster than wildfire.
Xiao Feng walked through the clan with a warm steamed bun in one hand, listening to the conversations without joining any of them.
Everyone thought they were guessing.
He already knew the answer.
History had a funny habit of announcing itself quietly.
When people finally realized they had witnessed it, years had already passed.
He finished the last bite of the bun just as the assembly hall came into view.
Most of the younger generation had already gathered outside.
Xiao Ning stood with a few followers, wearing the satisfied smile of someone expecting entertainment rather than a meeting.
Xiao Feng ignored him.
His attention was caught by another familiar figure.
Xiao Yan.
Dressed in plain black robes, standing slightly apart from everyone else.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm people wore after exhausting every possible worry.
“Cousin.”
Xiao Yan noticed him first.
“Cousin Xiao Yan.”
The two exchanged a nod.
Neither had ever been particularly talkative, yet being around one another was oddly comfortable.
Perhaps it was because both of them knew what it felt like to become the target of whispered conversations.
After a moment, Xiao Yan spoke.
“I don’t think this visit is good news.”
Xiao Feng looked toward the great hall before answering.
“I’ve discovered that whenever people say ‘don’t overthink it,’ it’s usually time to start overthinking.”
Xiao Yan blinked.
“…That’s strangely convincing.”
“It usually is.”
A faint smile appeared on Xiao Yan’s face.
Not much.
Just enough to ease the tension for a heartbeat.
Inside the assembly hall, Clan Leader Xiao Zhan welcomed the guests with all the courtesy expected between major factions.
Elder Ge Ye sat opposite him.
Beside the elder sat a young woman in white.
Elegant.
Confident.
Beautiful enough to draw the attention of nearly everyone present.
Nalan Yanran.
She maintained her composure, but her thoughts were anything but calm.
Her fingers unconsciously brushed against the golden diary hidden inside her sleeve.
The young man standing outside…
That was Xiao Feng.
Nothing about him stood out.
He wasn’t surrounded by admirers.
His cultivation was mediocre.
He wasn’t trying to attract attention.
If she had passed him on the street a week ago, she would have forgotten his face before reaching the next intersection.
Yet this ordinary youth somehow knew secrets that should have died with ancient eras.
The contrast was unsettling.
Tea was served.
Pleasantries were exchanged.
The atmosphere remained polite until Elder Ge Ye finally set his cup down.
His sigh was almost inaudible.
“Clan Leader Xiao…”
“There is a matter entrusted to us by the Yunlan Sect.”
Xiao Zhan gave a slow nod.
“Please.”
Ge Ye hesitated.
Even for someone of his status, these words were unpleasant to deliver.
“Our Young Sect Master…
wishes to dissolve the engagement.”
The hall fell quiet.
Not because everyone was shocked.
Most of them had already guessed.
Hearing it spoken aloud simply removed the last trace of hope.
Several elders exchanged dark looks.
The younger disciples outside immediately began whispering again.
“So it really is the engagement.”
“The Yunlan Sect actually came all this way…”
“They’re humiliating the clan.”
Xiao Feng rubbed his forehead.
People really loved making things worse with commentary.
Xiao Zhan looked at Nalan Yanran.
“So this is your own decision?”
She stood without hesitation.
“Yes.”
“I wish to choose my own future.”
Her answer was firm.
She didn’t sound cruel.
She sounded certain.
Watching from outside, Xiao Feng sighed inwardly.
That was always the tragedy of this scene.
Neither side believed they were the villain.
One wanted freedom.
The other was forced to bear humiliation.
Both would pay for today’s decision.
At last…
Xiao Yan stepped forward.
Every gaze turned toward him.
Even the whispers outside disappeared.
He looked directly at Nalan Yanran.
“If ending the engagement is what you truly want…”
“I agree.”
The answer caught more than a few people off guard.
Ge Ye had prepared several arguments.
None of them were needed.
But Xiao Yan wasn’t finished.
His voice became steadier.
“Today’s humiliation…”
“I’ll remember it.”
He drew a slow breath before speaking the words that would echo across the continent for decades.
“Thirty years east of the river.”
“Thirty years west of the river.”
“Do not bully the poor because they are poor today.”
The declaration rang through the hall.
No dazzling aura.
No overwhelming strength.
Only the conviction of a sixteen-year-old who refused to let the world decide his worth.
Xiao Feng watched quietly.
Back on Earth, he had read this scene more times than he could remember.
It had always been exciting.
Standing here was different.
Novels often skipped over embarrassment with a few paragraphs.
Reality didn’t.
He could see Xiao Yan’s clenched fists.
Hear the slight roughness in his voice.
Feel the countless eyes judging him.
The famous line wasn’t born from confidence.
It was born from desperation.
And perhaps that was why it inspired so many people.
The meeting ended soon afterward.
The Yunlan Sect departed.
The Xiao Clan exploded into discussion almost before the guests had left the front gate.
Some mocked Xiao Yan’s declaration.
Others admired his backbone.
Most simply enjoyed having fresh gossip.
Xiao Feng quietly slipped away before anyone thought to drag him into the conversation.
Night fell.
After cultivating for several hours, Xiao Feng opened the diary.
He twirled the brush between his fingers.
“So…”
“How should history remember today?”
A moment later, he began writing.
Diary Entry #3
Today’s performance was better than I remembered.
Congratulations, Cousin Xiao Yan.
You’ve officially unlocked the “enemy generator” achievement.
Your reward is:
One future Yunlan Sect.
One Hall of Souls.
Several ancient clans.
A Heavenly Flame scavenger hunt.
And approximately zero peaceful vacations.
…
Jokes aside…
Watching the engagement-breaking ceremony in person made me realize something.
People always debate who was right.
Personally, I think they ask the wrong question.
Nalan Yanran wasn’t wrong for wanting to decide her own future.
Xiao Yan wasn’t wrong for protecting his dignity.
The real mistake was believing there was a way for everyone to leave that hall satisfied.
Sometimes there isn’t.
Some choices hurt no matter how carefully you make them.
Still…
If anyone ever invents a way to reject an engagement without accidentally creating a future Dou Di…
Please write a book.
I’m sure it’ll sell very well.
Xiao Feng put the brush down and laughed to himself.
“That one wasn’t bad.”
The diary disappeared.
A new notification appeared immediately.
Reward Obtained
Azure Sword Canon
As the inheritance poured into his mind, countless sword movements unfolded before his eyes.
They weren’t flashy.
Every strike pursued the same ideal.
The shortest distance.
The smallest movement.
The cleanest victory.
Minutes later, Xiao Feng extended two fingers toward a drifting leaf.
A faint breeze passed.
The leaf continued floating for another few meters before silently separating into two perfectly equal halves.
“…”
He looked at his fingers.
“I was expecting something louder.”
Far away…
Every diary reader finished today’s entry.
The first reactions weren’t shock.
They were laughter.
Even Nalan Yanran couldn’t stop the corner of her mouth from twitching.
“…Enemy generator?”
For the first time since receiving the diary…
She began wondering what tomorrow’s entry would say.