The seafood feast at noon was extremely sumptuous.

Although the quality was far from the ingredients obtained in the Immortal Domain, under Xu Lai's cooking, the taste still made Ruan Tang and Xu Yiyi exclaim in delight.

However, for the next several days, Ruan Tang or Ruan Lan would find a huge pile of seafood stacked at their doorstep every morning. The two women went from relishing the meals at first to feeling numb and developing headaches. Seafood was delicious, but eating it every single day from morning till night—and even for supper—was unbearable. Eventually, they had eaten so much they felt like vomiting. Even opening the window for the sea breeze became a torment.

When Xu Lai went to speak to Beibei about this, she looked up at him, her face full of impatience. "Hah? Was I giving that to you? I was giving it to Yiyi!"

Before Xu Lai could say anything, she grew even more impatient. Stomping a foot on her seashell, she pointed her sword at him. "Shut up! Watch it, or I'll kill you! I'm the number one swordsman in these waters, and countless souls have fallen to my blade!"

The cute girl in a beautiful cheongsam spoke threatening words in an adorable voice. Paired with her current actions, she was the very picture of a delinquent monster.

However, for all her bravado, Xu Lai simply kicked her back into the sea, sending her flying even farther than the tiger shark. As for which ocean she would land in or whether she would encounter danger, that was no longer his concern.

He figured she would need to swim for at least two or three days to return to Haitang Court.

Good. No more seafood for a while.

When breakfast changed to milk and eggs, Ruan Lan was so excited she nearly cried. "You can never get tired of milk and eggs."

Xu Yiyi drank her milk, staring at Ruan Lan with wide, unblinking eyes, which made her aunt feel rather guilty, as she still hadn't delivered on her promise to get her niece two pet rabbits.

"Yiyi, you can't blame your auntie for this," Ruan Lan said, her head aching. "My friend's pet shop was supposed to have pet rabbits in stock, but the delivery truck got into an accident on the way."

An intense stare was Yiyi's only reply.

Ruan Lan forced a smile. She knew she shouldn't make promises to a child if she couldn't keep them, but the situation was special, and she had no choice. She didn't trust other pet shops; what if they bought a rabbit with some disease and it suddenly died? Yiyi would be the one left heartbroken.

"Alright, alright," Ruan Lan said helplessly. "I'll pick you up with your dad this evening, and we'll go check the pet shop again, how about that?"

"Mommy." Xu Yiyi turned to look at Ruan Tang, her expression clearly asking if she could come with them.

Ruan Tang shook her head apologetically. "Yiyi, Mommy might be busy tonight, so I'm not sure if I can make it. Why don't you go with Daddy and Auntie to buy them, okay?"

"Okay then." Though slightly disappointed, the little girl still nodded happily.

While taking Yiyi to kindergarten, Xu Lai sensed that only Tan Chang was lurking nearby.

Usually, there'd be a white-patterned conch around here too... Looks like the 'number one swordsman' will be absent for a few more days. Come to think of it, I haven't even introduced them to each other. I'd better wait for the Sea Demon, Beibei, to return. It would be bad if they mistook each other for enemies and started fighting—a classic case of the flood washing away the Dragon King Temple.

"Uncle Xu," Qian Xiao said mysteriously, clutching a cloud candy. "I have something really important to tell you."

"Hmm?" Xu Lai lowered his head.

Qian Xiao glanced left and right. After confirming no one was nearby except for the boss lady and Xu Lai, he whispered, "Do you believe in aliens?"

"I do."

Strictly speaking, Xu Lai was one himself.

He looked at Qian Xiao's baffled expression and asked, "And?"

There is no 'and'... If you already believe me, what else is there to say?

Qian Xiao hung his head, dejected. "I couldn't sleep last night, and I saw someone flying in the sky. I think it was an alien."

Actually, your mom can fly too. But that sounded a bit like an insult. Besides, Luo Chu had always hidden her identity as a Martial Artist from Qian Xiao, so he decided not to say anything.

Instead, he nodded and said, "Wow, young man, that's a huge discovery."

Qian Xiao chuckled, scratching his head shyly. "It's not that impressive. I just happened to see it, that's all." As he spoke, Qian Xiao's expression turned downcast and he lowered his head. "It's a shame we can't fly."

"Do you really want to fly?" Xu Lai asked suddenly.

Qian Xiao exclaimed excitedly, "Yes, of course! Who wouldn't want to fly?!"

Xu Lai smiled. "Behave yourselves in kindergarten, and maybe when I'm in a good mood someday, I'll take you for a ride on the clouds."

"Ride on the clouds? Doesn't that mean I'd be like the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven?!" Qian Xiao's eyes lit up. He had eaten plenty of clouds before but had never even dreamed of riding on one.

"Daddy, when will you be in a good mood?" Xu Yiyi asked expectantly.

"Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year," Xu Lai shrugged. "It all depends on your behavior."

After Xu Lai left, Qian Xiao's eyes burned with determination. "Boss Lady, let's come up with a plan to get Uncle Xu in a good mood."

"Uh-huh!" Xu Yiyi nodded vigorously.

Sometimes, a child's happiness is just that simple. The hushed discussion of the two little ones echoed in Xu Lai's ears, and he couldn't help but look forward to whatever surprise his daughter was planning for him.

***

The Martial Dao World had been in chaos recently. The annihilation of the Jiang Family was connected to a mysterious and unknown powerhouse. Combined with the recent deaths of several Ninth Grade Great Martial Sects, this had left all High-grade Martial Artists deeply unsettled.

Seventh Grade Martial Artists were not qualified to know about the Outer Realms, while Eighth Grades could barely grasp a few details. However, many Seventh and Eighth Grade Martial Ancestors had vaguely sensed that something was amiss. These people spared no expense to buy Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, hoping to enhance their strength before disaster struck so they could protect themselves and their loved ones. For a time, the price of Spirit Stones, Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, and various other items beneficial to a Martial Artist's cultivation skyrocketed.

Although Tan Chang was a Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor, he was pitifully poor. With no money or connections, he was fortunate to at least have the Spiritual Energy from the Dragon Vein of Mount Haitang, which he could absorb for free.

At that moment, he was hiding in a dark corner of the kindergarten, watching Xu Yiyi and Qian Xiao discuss how to surprise Xu Lai. He couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

It really is better to be a child, so carefree. Not like me. I have far too many things to worry about every day. I'm too exhausted to do anything else, like earn money.

The thought of having to remain this poor for the next ten years while serving as Xu Yiyi's shadow guard sent Tan Chang deep into contemplation.

After a moment, Tan Chang broke into a carefree smile.

Ah, what does it matter? Money is just a worldly possession; you can't take it with you when you're born or when you die. I, Tan Chang, am dedicated to Hua Country, so why should I care about a life of poverty? As long as I can fill my stomach and have time for my cultivation, that's more than enough!

However, just as Tan Chang closed his eyes and prepared to begin his cultivation, he suddenly sensed a faint yet terrifying presence steadily approaching.

Tan Chang's eyes snapped open, his expression growing solemn.

There's a powerful expert nearby! Their Boundary is higher than mine. At the very least, they're a peak Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor... maybe even stronger!

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