"The Supreme Emperor, I offer this secret in exchange for my life!" the Phantom Beast cried out desperately, as if clutching at a lifeline.

A glimmer of hope shone in its terrified eyes. The Supreme Emperor's word was as good as gold; once given, he would never go back on it and kill it.

But Xu Lai said without even raising his head, "I'm not interested."

What a joke. What secret could possibly be more important than eating? Even if the sky were to fall, someone tall would be there to hold it up. Wait... I think I'm the tallest one here.

"There is a Quasi-Emperor's Tomb on Earth!" the Phantom Beast yelled with all its might. "I know its exact location! I will personally take you there if the Supreme Emperor spares me!"

Xu Lai inhaled sharply. "Are you sure it's a Quasi-Emperor?" he asked, shocked.

"Mhm, mhm, mhm." The Phantom Beast nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down its face. Am I going to be saved?

The beast had only discovered this secret in the last century. It had never told anyone, keeping it tightly locked away in its heart and planning to go there once its Boundary was high enough. After all, it was the final resting place of a Quasi-Emperor Realm expert. It certainly harbored countless rare treasures, but it was also fraught with endless danger!

"A Quasi-Emperor, huh." Xu Lai paused, then asked seriously, "Do you know what my Boundary is?"

"The Emperor... Emperor Realm." A terrible feeling suddenly rose in the Phantom Beast's heart.

"As long as you know." Xu Lai yawned and continued sharpening his blade.

BOOM!

The Phantom Beast's mind exploded. It understood the fate that awaited it following Xu Lai's words.

In the eyes of the countless cultivators among the myriad races of the Immortal Domain, its Phantom Beast race was an abomination deserving of a thousand cuts. But in the eyes of the Phantom Beast, the Heavenly Court was far more terrifying, especially Emperor Qingfeng and The Seventh Divine General...

The Phantom Beast struggled frantically, trying to flee, but it was all in vain. No one could escape from an Emperor Realm expert.

Not even a Quasi-Emperor.

"You can't run! You killed Ah Zi, and today I will make you pay with your blood!" Beibei's eyes were bloodshot as she gripped the sword with its blunted edge, poised to strike.

"Here, use this one. This knife is sharper." Xu Lai stood up and handed the freshly sharpened knife to Beibei. "Remember to bleed it out. Its blood will ruin the meat."

Beibei stared blankly at Xu Lai for a moment.

She took the knife. With a tilt of her head, her profile, silhouetted against the sun, appeared incredibly grim to the Phantom Beast—like the most terrifying demon in the Universe.

That day, piercing shrieks echoed continuously from the backyard of Haitang Court for the entire afternoon.

...

「By evening.」

When his wife, daughter, and sister-in-law came home, they were greeted by an enticing aroma that made their mouths water.

"It smells so good!" Ruan Lan sniffed the air and reached out to try a delicacy from the table.

But Xu Lai smacked the back of her hand with his chopsticks. "Go wash your hands."

"Fine, I'll wash them! Why are you so mean?" Ruan Lan pouted, covering her hand.

The evening feast was absolutely delicious. But what surprised Ruan Tang and the others was that Beibei was crying as she ate, as if lost in a sad memory.

Ruan Tang comforted her in a gentle voice, "Life is full of disappointments. If there's anything troubling you, Beibei, you can talk to me."

"I'm fine." Beibei shook her head, her lip trembling. She picked up the bottle of white liquor, which was much taller than she was, and took several large gulps. GLUG, GLUG, GLUG.

Not long after, the drunken Beibei took off the shell from her back. Dressed in a white skirt, she staggered into the backyard and began to dance with her sword under the moonlight.

Beibei was clearly drunk.

She faintly saw a beautiful little girl with bright teeth, sweet dimples when she smiled, and two small horns on her head, clapping and saying:

"Beibei, you're amazing!"

"Beibei, the Demon King Realm surely isn't the end. Once I get past the Demon King Realm, we can go swimming in the Star River together."

"Beibei, don't be afraid. The Star River is just a river, and a river is water. As long as it's water, it falls under the domain of our Dragon Race. I'll have your back then!"

"Beibei, by the time you read this letter, I should have already reached Mount Zijin. There's a great opportunity there, and I'm going to break through to the Demon King Realm. Wait for me!"

"..."

The familiar words echoed in her ears.

Beibei froze, her eyes misty with tears. "Ah Zi..."

Tears blurred her vision, and Ah Zi's face became hazy as well. When Beibei hurriedly wiped her tears away to see more clearly, she saw that the little girl clapping and praising her wasn't Ah Zi, the Dragon Race Princess who had been her companion for so long.

It was Xu Yiyi.

Xu Yiyi was clapping enthusiastically, exclaiming, "Beibei, you're so amazing!"

The familiar words. The similar face. It made Beibei break down in anguish. There are never two identical leaves in the world. She had known all along.

And yet, after Yiyi had saved her that day and released her back into the sea, she had still believed it was fate. That was why the proud Beibei had offered her Soul Blood to a human with no trace of Spiritual Power.

"Beibei, don't cry!" Panic flooded Xu Yiyi's face as she quickly scooped Beibei into her palm.

The drunken Beibei continued to sob and murmur something until she finally curled into a ball and fell asleep.

Seeing how somber the mood had become, Ruan Lan tried to lighten the atmosphere with a joke. "This sea snail is drunk. How about we make a dish called 'Drunken Snail'?"

"..."

No one responded.

Ruan Tang looked at her, her gaze calm.

Ruan Lan's scalp tingled under that stare. She put down her chopsticks and coughed. "I'm full. Good night!"

With that, she dashed back to her room.

Xu Lai looked at Ruan Tang and said comfortingly, "Don't worry. Any pressure that doesn't crush Beibei will only make her stronger."

"Okay." Ruan Tang finally relaxed.

"By the way, honey, how was dinner?"

"Not bad."

"If it's tasty, have some more. This creature is endangered, you know. Every bite is one less in the world."

"..."

Ruan Tang's wrist trembled, and her expression changed drastically. "Don't tell me you cooked Xiao Hei?"

Ruan Tang hadn't seen the round, chubby Xiao Hei since coming home, and she hadn't thought much of it at first. It was understandable that her thoughts would now go astray.

"It's at the doorway, eating bamboo." Xu Lai's face darkened. However deranged he might be, he would never eat Xiao Hei.

After all, the Gold Swallowing Beast tastes terrible.

After dinner, Xu Yiyi took Beibei to her room to rest.

Ruan Tang then looked at Xu Lai and asked softly, "Shall we go for a walk?"

Xu Lai was a little surprised, but he certainly wasn't going to refuse.

The two walked down a small path from the mountain, surrounded by Haitang flowers. The Haitang flowers, which weren't supposed to bloom this season, were now in incomparably beautiful full bloom. They were silent the entire way.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Xu Lai stopped and looked at Ruan Tang's silent figure. He suddenly asked, "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Ever since my parents visited, I've been thinking seriously about our relationship," Ruan Tang said softly, stopping in her tracks.

Xu Lai was taken aback. "And?"

Ruan Tang turned around. From somewhere behind her, a few fireflies appeared, fluttering around her.

She parted her cherry-red lips and said, "I feel that our relationship is strange right now, so..."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.