Xu Lai was baffled.

Ruan Tang had managed to keep a straight face, but upon seeing Xu Lai's dark expression, she finally burst out laughing.

"Is it funny?" Xu Lai glared at her. He didn't expect Ruan Tang to smile broadly and give a slight nod.

"A little."

Ruan Tang had always been the butt of Xu Lai's jokes and could never win an argument against him. Today's counterattack, though minor, made her feel inexplicably happy.

"Fine, then," Xu Lai shrugged. "In the end, you're the one who will lose out."

"..."

Now it was Ruan Tang's turn to look completely bewildered. Her eyes filled with suspicion as she asked, "Xu Lai, do you really have some kind of hidden ailment?"

Xu Lai's face was expressionless as he sighed.

His silence made her breath hitch. "Xu Lai, say something," she urged, her voice tight with anxiety.

"Well..." As Xu Lai opened his mouth, Ruan Tang braced herself, fearing bad news.

She never expected him to suddenly flash a mischievous smile. "Look how anxious you are."

A vein bulged on Ruan Tang's forehead. If she still hadn't realized she was being teased, she would be a true fool. After all, the memory of that night five years ago was distant, but Xu Lai...

Biting her lower lip, Ruan Tang couldn't help but pinch Xu Lai's arm. "You're always bullying me, you bad man!"

"I'd like to be even worse."

"Get lost!"

Xu Lai and Ruan Tang bantered on the street, and the atmosphere was more harmonious than ever before.

Throughout that afternoon, they toured many of Paris's landmarks and took pictures of each other. At Xu Lai's insistent request, Ruan Tang even fed him a few bites of steak. Of course, it tasted like nothing special. It wasn't that Western cuisine was inferior to Eastern, but rather that any food not cooked by Xu Lai tasted like wax in her mouth.

To capture a woman's heart, you must first capture her stomach. The Seventh Divine General truly did not deceive me!

They explored until nine in the evening. Xu Lai was a bit tired—not physically, but mentally. After a shower, he lay down on the bed.

Ruan Tang lay beside him and said in a soft, warm voice, "I'm going to sleep."

"Mm," Xu Lai grunted, pulling her into his arms. She snuggled deeper into his embrace and closed her eyes.

Before meeting Xu Lai, Ruan Tang had suffered from insomnia every night in this foreign country. But tonight, she slept exceptionally well.

***

In the distant East, there lived a dragon.

Its name was Xiao Hai.

In truth, this Dragon Spirit, which had evolved from the Spirit Vein of Mount Haitang, had no idea how it suddenly acquired a name. Around six in the morning, while hiding among the clouds and gazing at the sea, it noticed that a window in Haitang Court was open.

Xu Yiyi was propped on her elbows, looking right at it.

Although the Dragon Spirit was unsure if she could see it clearly, it still extended its enormous body from the clouds. It lowered its massive head, extending its two long whiskers forward in a friendly gesture.

This is the Master's daughter. I must protect her well.

"So there really is a dragon at home..." Xu Yiyi exclaimed in surprise. She reached out with her small hand to tug at the dragon's whiskers, showing no fear or trepidation. On the contrary, she was thrilled!

She had practiced cultivation with Xu Lai for some time and had vaguely sensed that something was hiding in the clouds above Haitang Court. Soon after, she had unceremoniously named the Dragon Spirit born from the Spirit Vein Xiao Hai.

Only the first swordsmaster, Beibei, watched with a vigilant stance from the backyard fence. She had lived in Haitang Court for a long time, yet this was the first she knew of its existence.

Thankfully, it's one of us and not an enemy. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have known what killed me!

"Beibei, Xiao Hei, come here!" Xu Yiyi called out sweetly.

Xiao Hei. Xiao Hai. Beibei.

In the future, she would become the Heavenly Empress, reigning supreme over the Four Immortal Domains and controlling the fate and destiny of billions. Her three subordinates were Divine Generals of the Quasi-Emperor Realm, beings who would one day awe countless prodigies across the Immortal Domain and make the Saint Heirs and Saintesses of every Tao Lineage and Sect Gate gaze up at their backs in reverence. On this day, they officially met.

Later generations would call this day the Day of the Imperial Gathering.

It was the first time in the hundreds of recorded epochs of Emperor Realm powerhouses that three Quasi-Emperor Realm Cultivators assisted a single Empress. Even The Supreme Emperor Xu Lai, renowned as the strongest in history, had only two Quasi-Emperors under his command: the First Divine General, Taotie, and the Second Divine General, Baize.

***

Time passed.

At nine o'clock in the morning in Paris, Ruan Tang and Xu Lai washed up, ate breakfast, changed their clothes, and went to the Dreamland mall's headquarters. After giving their names at the front desk, however, they were told there was no appointment on file.

This stunned Ruan Tang. The meeting had been scheduled five days in advance.

"Please check again carefully," Ruan Tang said in French. "I have an appointment with Mr. Alphonse at ten o'clock this morning."

"I said there isn't one, so there isn't one." The receptionist spoke dismissively and went back to playing on her phone. She sneered, "Another out-of-towner trying to get lucky."

"..."

Ruan Tang was silent for a moment before taking out her phone to call Alphonse. The first call went unanswered. So did the second. The third call was also met with silence.

She gripped her phone tightly, then slowly released it, letting out a heavy breath to calm herself and keep her emotions in check.

"Looks like we've been stood up," Xu Lai said. Being as worldly-wise as he was, he instantly understood the situation. The other party was setting a stage, either to assert dominance or for some other ulterior motive.

"...I don't think so," Ruan Tang said, her voice tinged with apology. "Xu Lai, you should head back to the hotel. I'll wait here for a little while."

"Wait?" the receptionist interjected coldly. "Who do you think Mr. Alphonse is that you can just wait for him? Please leave." Her tone was incredibly arrogant. Yet, her eyes darted toward Ruan Tang for a moment, a hint of confusion within them.

She couldn't understand why the normally kind manager had specifically instructed her in advance to make things difficult for this visitor from Hua Country.

At that moment, a surprised voice called out from nearby. "Oh, my dear, you've finally arrived!"

They looked toward the sound and saw a middle-aged man in a suit. He had thinning blond hair, blue eyes, and a large beer belly. He strode over and scolded the receptionist, "This is my honored guest! Why did you stop her?"

"I'm sorry, Manager Alphonse! It's my first day, and I'm not familiar with procedures yet," the receptionist said, feigning panic. Though it was her first time in on such an act, her performance was impeccable.

"I'm going to fire you!" Alphonse roared.

"I'm sorry, so sorry," the receptionist kept apologizing.

Ruan Tang was no rookie in the business world. She vaguely understood that today's collaboration might not be as simple as she had hoped. She spoke up, "It's alright, Mr. Alphonse. Shall we get down to business?"

"Of course." Alphonse walked toward Ruan Tang and leaned in, attempting to greet her with a cheek kiss.

Ruan Tang's expression changed instantly. When she was learning French, she had also studied the country's etiquette. It was rare for strangers to greet each other with a cheek kiss upon their first meeting. He was clearly trying to take advantage of her!

Just as she was about to step back, Xu Lai moved in front of her. He smiled and said, "You fat pig, are you looking to die?"

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