"Especially you, Second Aunt said you betrayed the clan and colluded with evil forces like the Dark Martial Hall, impure and unspeakable... Sigh, in short, they've thrown all the mud at you, and I doubt you could wash yourself clean even if you jumped into the Yellow River. Now the entire Lan clan regards you as a great villain and wants to expel you!"
"They even said they want to annul your marriage with my sister and find another good match for her!"
Ling Fan smiled indifferently, "I never intended to have any dealings with the Lan clan anyway. As for breaking up my marriage with Xueyi, hehe, they'd have to be capable of that first."
Ling Fan didn't take the Lan clan seriously at all.
The strongest in the Lan clan, Old Madam Lan, was merely at the Quasi-Heavenly Origin realm.
With her strength, Ling Fan could stand there and let her attack without budging.
Before the Primordial Qi Unification Art was perfected,
Ling Fan could already kill the early Heavenly Origin realm Dark Martial Hall Master.
Now that the Primordial Qi Unification Art was perfected and his cultivation had entered the Profound Gang realm, his strength had advanced further. The Quasi-Heavenly Origin realm was like an ant before him.
Not long after Lan Junjie arrived,
His father-in-law, Lan Tianxiong, also arrived.
Lan Tianxiong's face was ashen.
He had clearly heard the malicious gossip spread by his Second Aunt.
"Xiao Fan, come, go with me to see Old Madam!"
Lan Junjie clapped his hands and cheered, "I'm going too, Father. It's not that I'm saying this, but we should have confronted these people from the Lan clan long ago. They're always looking down on others with their dog-like eyes, so arrogant, looking down on our family. Hmph, now let them know what they're worth!"
"I, a sixteen-year-old Profound Gang realm genius, and my sister, a mid-stage Profound Gang realm! Our talent is simply terrifying, crushing everyone in the Lan clan in an instant. My brother-in-law is even more so. What genius in this world can compare to my brother-in-law's little finger!"
"What do they call a young master!"
"Heh heh, I guess they never dreamed of it."
Lan Junjie spoke with great animation.
Lan Tianxiong slapped him irritably.
"Stop showing off, you'll get yourself killed!"
Lan Junjie fell silent, but his expression remained very excited.
He just wanted to see the shocked and dumbfounded expressions on the faces of the Lan clan members when they found out his brother-in-law was a young master.
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When Lan Tianxiong, Lan Junjie, and Ling Fan went to seek an audience with Old Madam Lan,
The three found their efforts in vain.
They were informed that Old Madam Lan had left the Lan clan yesterday, and her whereabouts were unknown, likely not within Tianchu City.
Lan Tianxiong's heart immediately filled with unease!
There were only a few days left until Old Madam Lan's hundredth birthday banquet.
At this juncture, Old Madam Lan suddenly left the Lan clan. Was there something so important that she had to go personally?
This matter was too strange.
On the way back, all the members of the Lan clan pointed and whispered at Lan Tianxiong and the other two.
Their words were extremely sharp and sarcastic.
It was as if Lan Tianxiong's family and Ling Fan had done something to betray the Lan clan.
Especially the words directed at Ling Fan.
They said his conscience had been eaten by dogs.
That he was a traitor.
That he was a useless dandy.
That he was not doing proper work.
It was one thing that he wasn't doing proper work.
He was also in league with Liu Han, the leader of the Dark Martial Hall's evil forces, and only pursued crooked paths.
Colluding with outsiders to oppress the members of the Lan clan.
There wasn't a single repeated accusation among his supposed wicked deeds.
If one didn't know better, they would think Ling Fan had committed countless heinous crimes.
Even Ling Fan admired Lan Xueyi's Second Aunt's imagination for being able to concoct so many accusations.
They also said Ling Fan was not worthy of Lan Xueyi.
That he was a toad trying to eat swan meat, shameless.
A person like him was simply not fit to be a son-in-law of the Lan clan.
Ling Fan listened to these words all the way and couldn't help but laugh.
It was utterly ridiculous.
He decided to continue his secluded cultivation.
Contemplating what kind of supreme path to take in the Profound Gang realm.
The Nine Yang Heavenly Gang Art of the True Martial Heavenly Sect.
Or the Ten Thousand Demon Blood Body of the Heavenly Demon Realm's royal family?
Or should he continue cultivating the Pure Yang Furnace Scripture from his previous life?
These cultivation techniques each had their own merits and strengths.
However, Ling Fan was still somewhat dissatisfied.
Having been reborn in this life, he definitely had greater ambitions.
He couldn't just return to his peak and be content.
Instead, he had to cultivate every realm to its absolute strongest, lay an unparalleled foundation, and prepare for his future breakthrough to the legendary Divine Realm.
……
The day before Old Madam Lan's birthday banquet.
Lan Tianxiong waited and waited, and finally, Old Madam Lan returned.
But when he went to seek an audience with Old Madam Lan,
He was directly refused entry.
Lan Tianxiong didn't even get to see Old Madam Lan's face.
He returned to the separate courtyard in dejection.
His unease grew stronger.
Although the Lan clan appeared calm now, beneath that calmness, he felt a hidden undercurrent.
It made him feel that a storm was brewing.
And this storm...
Was directed at their family.
Or rather...
Was directed at his daughter and son-in-law.
He knew Old Madam Lan's personality too well.
Stubborn, domineering.
Self-willed.
Unrelenting until her goal was achieved.
She would never allow any deviation from her wishes within the entire Lan clan.
"Xiao Fan, perhaps..."
Lan Tianxiong found Ling Fan.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally seemed to have made up his mind and said, "You should take Xueyi back to Jiangnan City first. Your mother, your sister, and I will stay here to celebrate Old Madam's birthday."
Ling Fan's eyes were deep and far-reaching.
As if they could see into people's hearts.
He knew exactly what Lan Tianxiong was worried about.
Arranged marriages were a traditional skill of Old Madam Lan and the Lan clan.
If they had such a valuable bargaining chip for an arranged marriage as Lan Xueyi,
The Lan clan and Old Madam Lan would never give up such a great opportunity.
As for how ambitious Old Madam Lan was,
And which level of power she wanted to ally with,
It was still unknown.
But it wouldn't be bad!
At least it would be a first-rate martial arts aristocratic family.
Or...
Perhaps even one of those transcendent powers.
Ling Fan smiled faintly.
He looked around the surrounding courtyard walls.
His divine sense spread out, and the situation around the separate courtyard was completely clear.
"Father-in-law, if you could think of this solution, wouldn't the Lan clan have made preparations in advance?"
Ling Fan smiled faintly.
Lan Tianxiong was shocked beyond belief.
He looked around and said, "Xiao Fan, are you implying that the Lan clan has already placed us under house arrest?"
Ling Fan said, "Around the separate courtyard now, there are three peak Profound Gang realm experts, eleven late-stage Profound Gang realm experts, and nearly a hundred people below the mid-stage Profound Gang realm. Father-in-law, you say the Lan clan has almost drawn out all its elites and deployed heavy troops to guard this place. Who are they trying to monitor?"
What!
Lan Tianxiong was suddenly startled.
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