"Actually, Xu Lai..." Ruan Tang mumbled in her sleep for a while before she could slur out a few words, "is pretty good."

Afterward, Ruan Tang treated Xu Lai as if he were Xiao Hei, hugging him and rambling on for some time, much to Xu Lai's suppressed amusement. Gazing at his wife's radiant face in the moonlight, Xu Lai's lips curved into an irrepressible smile.

Being beautiful is one thing, but how can she also be this adorable?

Xu Lai bowed his head. He gently kissed her forehead, then sat cross-legged and resumed his work weaving the wedding dress.

Although he was one of the Immortal Domain's top experts in Artifact Refining and alchemy, making clothes was not as simple as refining Magic Artifacts or Elixirs. Several hours passed, but Xu Lai was just scratching his head in frustration, making hardly any progress. In fact, it could be said he was getting nowhere.

I've overestimated myself. Even someone in the Emperor Realm isn't omnipotent, Xu Lai sighed. After pondering for a moment, he concluded, I need a design sketch for the wedding dress. Then I can refine the Milky Way into thread and weave it little by little.

Refining the Milky Way might sound simple, but it required an extremely precise technique. The slightest misstep could undo all his efforts. But this wasn't the biggest problem for Xu Lai.

The biggest problem was—the style of the wedding dress.

He knew his wife's figure perfectly, but he was uncertain about her aesthetic preferences for wedding dresses. He couldn't just make dozens for her to slowly choose from, could he? That would be an incredible waste of materials and extremely time-consuming. Although they had tried on numerous wedding dresses last time, and the qipao-style dress Ruan Tang wore in the wedding photos was beautiful, Xu Lai felt there could be an even better option.

But at this moment, Xu Lai couldn't swallow his pride and ask Ni Xing for help; he had just turned down their assistance not long ago. So, he had no choice but to wake his sister-in-law and ask for her opinion.

Ruan Lan was always grumpy when woken up, especially in the middle of the night. With her hair disheveled and her eyes full of resentment, she was about to explode when a delicious fragrance wafted up from downstairs.

Ruan Lan instantly perked up. "Brother-in-law, are you cooking?"

"Yes, and they're all your favorites." Xu Lai smiled. "Midnight is the perfect time for a snack. I even made you bubble tea."

The pearls weren't made of tapioca but were exceedingly precious Spirit Pearls. Deep in the universe, there lived a creature known as the Spirit Clam, and the pearls it nurtured were incredibly delicious. However, Spirit Clams dwelled in the void created by spatial fissures, a perilous place. Even The Supreme Emperor, Xu Lai, didn't dare to venture too deep, so his stockpile was very limited. But to get his sister-in-law to cooperate, he had spared no expense. He had originally intended to save them to please his daughter.

Ruan Lan beamed. "Brother-in-law, you don't have to be so formal with me. Just tell me what you need."

Despite her words, she ran downstairs barefoot and began to feast, her face radiating happiness. The spread included stir-fried pork trotters, deep-sea lobster, garlic-steamed oysters, a top-grade steak, and even dessert and fruit platters. The bubble tea, in particular, was so intoxicating that Ruan Lan drained the cup in one gulp.

Xu Lai asked with a smile, "Was it delicious?"

"Delicious!" Ruan Lan lay on the sofa, feeling that if she were to die at that moment, her life would be complete. She patted her belly and burped contentedly. "I'm full. Time for bed."

Xu Lai was baffled. What happened to 'just tell me what you need'? You're just going to eat and run?

Xu Lai's smile turned cunning, like a fox's. "Want more bubble tea?"

"I do!"

"Great. First, sketch out a couple of wedding dress designs."

"Huh?" Ruan Lan was dumbfounded; she wasn't a design major, so why was she being asked to design a wedding dress?

Xu Lai produced a second cup of bubble tea made with Spirit Clam pearls and placed it in front of her. Ruan Lan's eyes lit up and she lunged for it, only to grasp at empty air.

That dastardly brother-in-law, using food to bait me... Ruan Lan glared at him indignantly. Anyone who uses schemes is devious, and Xu Lai is no exception!

Xu Lai sipped his own tea nonchalantly, not in any hurry. "Are you going to do it or not?" he asked slowly.

If she hadn't seen the second cup, Ruan Lan might have been shameless enough to go back to her room. But now that she had, she knew she had to drink it quickly before it got cold and the taste was ruined. For a bubble tea aficionado, such a waste of flavor was absolutely unacceptable.

Ruan Lan bit her lip, caught in a dilemma. Finally, humiliating tears streamed down her face. "Fine, I'll do it! Are you happy now?"

This unscrupulous brother-in-law! Waking up his pretty sister-in-law in the middle of the night while his wife is asleep to do *this*... Can't he be a decent human being!?

Seeing Ruan Lan's aggrieved expression, Xu Lai's face darkened. "You make it sound like I did something terrible to you. Hurry up. When you're done, you'll get another cup of tea."

Ruan Lan's face instantly blossomed into a smile. "You have my word!"

It had to be said, the person who understood Ruan Tang best right now was Ruan Lan. She quickly formed some ideas, starting from her sister's favorite colors, styles, and preferences. The resulting sketches, however, were crooked and messy, barely presentable.

But this wasn't a problem for Xu Lai. As his sister-in-law described her ideas, an image gradually formed in his mind. He finally settled on a plan and exclaimed joyfully, "Good, this is the one!"

"Huh?" Ruan Lan looked at the bizarre scribbles on the paper, which could hardly be called a wedding dress design. Then she saw her brother-in-law's expression, as if he'd just found a priceless treasure, and she sank into deep self-doubt.

Could it be? Do I have a deeply hidden talent for design that only others can see?

Looks like after graduation, I could join my sister's company as the chief designer. My revolutionary wedding dresses will surely take the world by storm... Ruan Lan thought happily as she sipped her bubble tea.

Xu Lai remained silent. I'd better start saving money now, he thought. If my sister-in-law joins Above the White Clouds, the company is sure to go bankrupt. Looks like I'll have to get my stomach ready... with her around, sponging off my wife probably won't be an option anymore.

"By the way, brother-in-law, when is your flight to Sakura Country?" Ruan Lan suddenly asked as she was heading upstairs.

Checking the time, Xu Lai saw it was already three in the morning. "Tomorrow at noon."

"Oh." Ruan Lan reminded him, "Don't forget to buy some figurines for Yiyi. She loves Xiao Mai the most!"

"Mm," Xu Lai nodded. Yiyi was already wearing the Xiao Mai hairpin Su Daiyi had given her. She was so happy with it that she wouldn't even take it off to sleep.

「Sakura Country.」

On a certain island, a large number of Demonic Beasts were gathered in the mountains, all of them bruised and battered, and visibly exhausted. They had all been vassals of the Demon King Orochi.

But a short while ago, their master and all their brothers who had gone to Purple Gold Mountain had perished without a trace. This was a devastating blow to them. Whether among humans or the Demon Race, strength was the ultimate authority. Without their greatest protector, Demon King Orochi, they were relentlessly hunted by other factions, bringing them to the very brink of life and death.

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.