The sudden appearance of the old Taoist with an overly sleazy smile made Ruan Lan and the other two ladies shake their heads in unison.

"I can predict fortunes in marriage, career, and family. I, Huang San—the greatest fortune-teller under the heavens!"

The old Taoist continued to coax them, "How about I give you a discount? Seven hundred per person will do."

"Not interested!" Yu Xiaoxiao and the others continued to shake their heads.

Why are the easy marks so hard to dupe nowadays?

The old Taoist's heart was filled with regret as he turned to Qian Xiao with a beaming smile. "Young man, looking at your face, you are destined to become a remarkable figure. Why not let me tell your fortune?"

"I have no money," Qian Xiao said, scratching his head.

The old Taoist rolled his eyes. He was about to leave when he suddenly noticed Xu Yiyi hiding behind Xu Lai, and his pupils shrank abruptly.

He scrutinized Xu Yiyi's face carefully, his expression filled with shock and doubt.

"Daddy..." Xu Yiyi, frightened by his stare, hid directly in Xu Lai's embrace.

The old Taoist then turned his gaze to Xu Lai, his expression even more suspicious. "Are you father and daughter? No, something's not right..."

"Hey, what do you mean by that!" Ruan Lan said, her tone full of displeasure.

"May I tell your fortune? For free."

The old Taoist had lost his previous sleaziness, his demeanor utterly serious. In that moment, he even seemed to possess the dignified air of an Immortal.

"No, thank you." Xu Lai shook his head with a smile. He never believed in fate; otherwise, he would not have defied the heavens and led the Human Race to become The First Clan of the Universe.

He particularly agreed with a saying from The Seventh Divine General—Do good deeds without asking about the future.

Xu Lai left with his daughter and Qian Xiao, while Ruan Lan and the other two girls hurried to catch up.

Is it just my imagination? That little girl... she seems to have...

The old Taoist's gaze lingered on the retreating figures of Xu Yiyi and Xu Lai. Before he could finish his thought, he spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood. His face turned pale as he fell to the ground, feeble and listless.

His face filled with horror, he exclaimed, "I can't say it... How could I not be able to say it?!"

Some people's fortunes cannot be read. And some things cannot be spoken of.

In their line of work, attracting karmic repercussions was a light matter, whereas incurring divine retribution—ending up blind or deaf—was quite common. But such a peculiar backlash was something he had never encountered in his entire sixty-year life.

Huang San propped up his weakened body and knelt toward the direction the group had departed, his forehead pressed to the sand, not daring to lift his head for a long time.

「...」

"That man was so strange," Ruan Lan grumbled, still dissatisfied even though they were far away.

"Probably just a swindler," Li Li said.

"Some Taoists do have real skills," Yu Xiaoxiao said with a laugh.

While the three girls chatted, Qian Xiao and Xu Yiyi had already run to the shallow waters by the beach and started a water fight.

"It's cold, and the water's chilly," Ruan Lan reminded them.

"No worries, as long as the kids are happy."

"..."

Ruan Lan was speechless. Xu Lai must have forgotten the last time Ruan Tang made him stand in a corner for this very reason. That incident also led to Xu Yiyi secretly taking photos of Ruan Tang in the bath.

"Yiyi, look what this is!" Qian Xiao excitedly opened his hands, revealing a palm-sized conch shell. It looked exceptionally white under the moonlight, with beautiful patterns.

"Wow," Xu Yiyi exclaimed. "What a beautiful conch shell."

Ruan Lan smiled at Yu Xiaoxiao and Li Li, a nostalgic look on her face. "I remember Grandma saying that if you put your ear to a conch shell, you can hear the sound of the sea. If you're fated, you can even hear a mermaid's call." She added wistfully, "Speaking of which, it's about time I went to visit her."

Hearing Ruan Lan, Qian Xiao pressed the shell to his ear and muttered, "There's no sound at all."

Xu Yiyi, on the other hand, held it to her ear. After a moment, she exclaimed in surprise, "Daddy, there's a sound!"

PFFT.

Li Li and Yu Xiaoxiao exchanged a smile.

Ruan Lan said seriously, "Yiyi, you mustn't lie, okay?"

"There really is! Auntie, if you don't believe me, listen for yourself!" Xu Yiyi handed the conch over.

Ruan Lan took it skeptically and rolled her eyes. "There's nothing."

Xu Yiyi grew anxious and handed it to Xu Lai. "Dad, you listen."

Xu Lai didn't listen. Instead, he patted his daughter's head and smiled. "I believe you."

Xu Lai did indeed believe her.

Even though the conch's aura was restrained, it could not escape Xu Lai's Divine Sense. This was a Demonic Beast that had lived for at least several hundred years and had been fortunate enough to awaken its spirit and step onto the path of cultivation. But it seemed to have been severely injured and was barely clinging to life.

Xu Lai infused a wisp of Spiritual Energy into the conch, instantly healing its injuries. The creature inside was no longer on the verge of death.

The calm sea surface suddenly churned, and waves several meters high rose up as the very sky and earth seemed to change color!

"Yiyi, return the conch to the sea," Xu Lai said.

"Okay," Xu Yiyi said, though she was reluctant to part with it.

Still, she obediently put the talking conch back into the sea. She even gently patted the shell and said softly, "You have to try your best to survive, okay?"

Apart from Xu Lai, no one saw a small head peek out from the conch shell as it submerged into the water. It took a distant look at the people on the shore and then quickly disappeared.

The turbulent waves immediately calmed down.

"Let's break it up. Time for bed," Xu Lai said, checking the time. It was nine o'clock.

"Brother-in-law, the night is young! There's still so much to do," Li Li quickly said.

"That's right," Ruan Lan whispered, leaning close to Xu Lai's ear. "Brother-in-law, we'll take you to a bar to have some fun. Even if you have a romantic encounter tonight, I promise I won't tell my sister."

Xu Lai pursed his lips.

What a nice promise. When the time comes, you'll definitely be the first one to sell me out.

Ruan Lan looked at Qian Xiao and Yiyi. "Have you ever been to a bar?"

They both shook their heads.

Ruan Lan asked again, "Want to go?"

"Mhm, mhm!" They both nodded vigorously, their eyes filled with anticipation.

After all, there was no way Luo Chu and Ruan Tang would ever take the two youngsters to a place like that.

Xu Lai chuckled. "Alright, let's go have a look."

"Yeah!" Ruan Lan high-fived Yu Xiaoxiao and Li Li. They hadn't been to a bar many times themselves; after all, such places could be a bit chaotic.

This time, with Xu Lai around, they could let loose and have fun. Even if they got drunk, they wouldn't have to worry about being taken advantage of!

「Half an hour later.」

「East Sea City's Ninth Bar.」

As soon as they entered, the booming music made Xu Yiyi quickly cover her ears.

As Qian Xiao stared at the scantily-clad women performing bold dances on stage, his face flushed red and he lowered his head.

The adult world is way too intense.

The group found a booth and ordered a large amount of alcohol, other beverages, and a fruit platter. Then the three women each chugged a bottle of beer and headed to the dance floor.

When he thought Xu Lai wasn't looking, Qian Xiao poured his juice into a trash can, then sneakily poured himself a small cup of beer. Just as he was about to take a sip, Xu Lai's gaze swept over him.

"Uncle Xu, I wasn't really going to drink it! I just wanted to taste it! Please don't tell my mom!" Qian Xiao blurted out in a panic.

However, Xu Lai didn't scold him. Instead, he filled Qian Xiao's cup and clinked their glasses. "Feel free."

Qian Xiao was speechless.

I'm still a kid! Xu Lai, you've gone too far!

But seeing Xu Lai down his drink in one go, how could Qian Xiao, the big shot of East Sea, possibly back down?

He took a big gulp!

However...

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