The fragrance from the kitchen soon woke up Ruan Lan, who was sleeping on the second floor with her niece in her arms. Rubbing her drowsy eyes, she followed the scent downstairs.

Ignoring Ruan Tang and Luo Chu on the sofa, a dazed Ruan Lan followed her instincts straight to the kitchen.

Thinking she was still dreaming, she gulped and said resentfully, "Brother-in-law, I've been so sad without you these past two days. I completely lost my appetite. You're finally back!"

It was more than just sadness; without her brother-in-law's free meals, Ruan Lan felt like she was starving to death.

Her words, however, were incredibly ambiguous, leaving Qian Song unsure whether to stay or go.

Qian Song glanced at Ruan Lan, then at Xu Lai, and said hesitantly, "Should I leave first to give you two some space? But Ruan Tang is still outside. This... isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Xu Lai was speechless. His sister-in-law was always improper, but when had Qian Song become like this too?

"Get out here!" Ruan Tang yelled, grabbing her sister's ear and pulling her from the kitchen.

"OUCH, OUCH, OUCH!"

Amid Ruan Lan's exaggerated cries, Ruan Tang said irritably, "It's supposed to hurt! Now, sit down and behave!"

Still thinking she was in a dream, Ruan Lan kept mumbling. Why does having my ear pulled hurt so much? This can't be a dream, can it?

After pondering for a moment, Ruan Lan actually pinched Ruan Tang's chin and said earnestly, "Give me a smile."

A vein throbbed on Ruan Tang's forehead, and she was about to stand up and fetch a knife from the kitchen.

Luo Chu quickly wrapped her arms around her best friend's slender waist, persuading her, "Ruan Tang, just let it go. She's your own sister."

"Uhhh..."

Ruan Lan was truly awake now. She cautiously asked again, "This isn't a dream?"

She instantly put on a pitiful look, dropped to the floor, and hugged Ruan Tang's legs, sobbing, "My dear sister! I missed you to death! Waaaah!"

This shameless display made Ruan Tang unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Get up."

"As you command, my Queen!"

"..."

Of everyone, Ruan Lan ate the most during this late-night meal.

She had the good habit of not talking while eating. She would focus entirely on the food and then shower Xu Lai with praise after she finished.

Listening to her sister, Ruan Tang began to doubt herself. Is Xu Lai really that good?

But on second thought, her sister wasn't wrong.

Xu Lai was family-oriented and a great cook. He was responsible, didn't smoke, and never went out partying with bad company. Whenever he had free time, he would take care of their child.

Most importantly, he wasn't a flirt!

Of course, Ruan Tang had her reservations about that last point. He wasn't a flirt now, but who knew what the future held.

The praise from his sister-in-law made even the thick-skinned Xu Lai blush a little. He looked at Ruan Lan with the loving gaze of a father. The kid's finally grown up. I should call her to join us for late-night snacks from now on.

Luo Chu and Qian Song ate the late-night snack with great delight. For one, it was delicious. For another, the Spiritual Energy within their bodies began to surge violently, teetering on the edge of a breakthrough and stabilization.

Then, after eating five or six bowls of rice, Qian Song was dragged away by a dark-faced Luo Chu.

"We'll come again next time!"

With those parting words, the couple left Haitang Court.

Once their guests had left, Ruan Tang and Xu Lai quickly went to their daughter's room. They both smiled tenderly as they looked at Yiyi's sleeping face.

"I'm going to take a shower."

Half an hour later, Ruan Tang, freshly showered and in her pajamas, didn't return to her own room. Instead, she carried her pillow over to Xu Yiyi's bed, planning to sleep while cuddling her daughter.

But she didn't expect Xu Lai to have beaten her to it; he was already lying there!

"What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?"

Xu Lai and Ruan Tang spoke in perfect, unspoken unison. As their eyes met, they both knew exactly what the other was thinking.

In her sleep, Xu Yiyi was unaware that someone had laid down on both sides of her. Just as she started having a nightmare, she inexplicably felt a comforting warmth.

When Xu Yiyi woke up and opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Xu Lai's face. The little girl blinked, then felt a pair of hands on her stomach.

She traced a hand with her own, and a sleepy murmur came from behind her. "Xu Lai, move your hand."

Xu Yiyi turned her head. It was Mommy!

This delightful surprise instantly brightened Yiyi's mood. She puckered her lips, kissing Ruan Tang's cheek before giving Xu Lai a big kiss too.

The little girl propped her chin on her hands and looked from left to right, her face adorned with a pure, innocent smile.

After a moment's thought, Yiyi snuggled back into Xu Lai's arms, planning to go back to sleep for a bit.

She ended up sleeping until ten in the morning.

When Xu Yiyi woke up and saw the pillows on either side of her empty bed, she hurriedly ran out of the room barefoot and called out happily, "Daddy, Mommy!"

"Your mom went to work," Xu Lai said with a smile, walking out of the kitchen with breakfast. "Come and eat."

Xu Yiyi ran downstairs and clung to Xu Lai like a koala, her voice filled with joy. "Daddy."

"Yes."

"Daddy."

"Yes."

Xu Lai gave a doting smile, and Xu Yiyi giggled along with him. "Daddy, I have the day off. Qian Xiao is coming to play with me today."

Xu Lai's smile vanished.

Xu Yiyi didn't notice the change in her father's expression. "Oh, Daddy, Beibei has been teaching Qian Xiao some really impressive kung fu. He can already break bricks!"

Xu Lai was speechless.

Never mind how easy it was for Beibei, with her Boundary, to teach an ordinary person. Xu Lai had also given Beibei a breathing Cultivation Technique to pass on to Qian Xiao.

It was a technique from the Primordial Giants, a race that ranked thirty-third on the Racial Talent Rankings and cultivated only their physical bodies instead of Divine Skills! They were a supreme race that stood at the pinnacle of the Universe through sheer brute force and had once even produced a Quasi-Emperor!

If the Primordial Giants knew their clan's breathing Cultivation Technique was being used by a normal human to break bricks, they would probably slaughter their way to Earth from the depths of the universe.

"Qian Xiao is here," Beibei whispered, hopping onto Xu Yiyi's shoulder. Her Divine Sense detected Qian Xiao, backpack on, heading toward the waterfall behind Mount Haitang.

The little guy had initially just wanted to learn stage magic and had been tricked by the conch girl, Beibei, into a harsh training regimen.

But as a result, Qian Xiao's physical fitness was soaring!

Even though he couldn't learn the magic trick 'A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix', Qian Xiao was willing to do anything as long as it made him stronger!

"Daddy, I'm off!"

Xu Yiyi's pigtails bounced as she headed for the mountain behind the house, skipping breakfast. She looked exceptionally cute as she hopped away.

"Beibei, I'm off to work at the university. Make sure Yiyi eats!" Xu Lai called out.

"Got it!" the conch girl waved.

***

A robust, middle-aged man had been squatting at the entrance of Dongli University for three full hours. He had finally attracted the attention of the school's security guards.

He was Shang Er, the eldest son of the leader of the Upper Crescent Moon Clan.

Shang Er had been bewildered for the past two days. He had discovered a small gap in his memory after waking up in the artificial lake at Dongli University.

His memory cut off right after he kicked open the door to the school infirmary.

Shang Er had been pondering this for the last two days but couldn't come up with a single clue. What in the world happened?

Just as he was deep in thought, he saw a figure walk past. Although he was certain he'd never seen the person before, the sight made his scalp tingle.

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