Regarding Xu Lai's Boundary, neither Feng Lang nor Niu Taishan, nor any of the other Martial Ancestors who had witnessed his power firsthand, spoke of it to anyone.

Few Martial Artists who could cultivate to the Seventh Grade were fools. They knew what could be said and what could not.

Unless they no longer wished to live.

Or unless they believed they could effortlessly kill a Thunder Beast at the peak of the Demon King Realm and possessed the power to trade blows with Xu Lai.

As a result, in the Jiangnan region, although the prominent families knew Xu Lai was very strong, they only believed he was at the same level as Feng Lang and Niu Taishan—at the peak of the Seventh Grade, or an Eighth Grade at most.

***

Lin Yong's words made Su Daiyi very unhappy. She said indifferently, "Is there anything else? If not, I'm going to rest."

In earlier years, the Su Family had owed the Lin Family's steward a very minor favor, so Su Daiyi was forced to stay and wait for him. The steward had called, saying he would come to the East Sea to discuss the matter.

Otherwise, after Xu Lai's speech, she would have completely ignored the Lin Family, just like Old Jiang Ba, and left immediately.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't the Lin Family's steward who came, but his son.

That tiny favor was now considered repaid.

"What a foolish woman," Lin Yong sneered. "Being invited to Jiangbei to pay respects to the Lin Family is a great fortune. Not only could one receive guidance from the Great Martial Sect, but there is also a chance to go into closed-door cultivation in a secret realm. Xu Lai is arrogant and ignorant of his own limitations, and unless you also..."

Before he could finish, Su Daiyi interrupted, "Alright, I understand. I'll pass the message on to Mr. Xu."

After a pause, she continued, "Xiao Xiao, please see to Mr. Lin Yong. I'm leaving now."

Then she turned and returned to her hotel room.

Su Daiyi wanted to go back and soak in a nice hot bath. She was so tired today that she had no energy to feign civility with Lin Yong.

"You—"

Lin Yong was about to explode with anger. These ignorant people had no idea how significant the Lin Family's existence was, yet they dared to slight them in such a way!

The woman called Xiao Xiao was under thirty and served as Su Daiyi's secretary. Having followed Su Daiyi for many years, she knew her boss's thoughts, and her tone was not enthusiastic as she asked, "Mr. Lin, would you like to eat first or check in?"

Although Lin Yong was just the son of the Lin Family's steward, he had never been slighted like this before. His face flushed with anger as he turned to leave. "You will regret today's ignorance!"

"Take care on your way."

The secretary didn't bow but instead folded her hands over her stomach, smiling as she watched him leave.

After watching him get into the car and drive away, the secretary returned to the hotel room. She looked around but didn't see Su Daiyi, eventually noticing the light was on in the bathroom.

She knocked gently on the door. "Miss Su," she said.

"Come in."

The secretary stepped into the bathroom.

She saw the bathtub filled with flower petals; Su Daiyi's two pale arms were resting on the edge of the tub. Su Daiyi tossed aside the towel covering her face and looked toward the secretary.

"Miss Su, Lin Yong has left. He was very angry," the secretary said respectfully.

Su Daiyi waved her hand to indicate she understood, and the secretary tactfully stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

The Lin Family of Jiangbei wasn't just an obstacle for the Su Family; they were an insurmountable mountain for the entire Jiangnan region.

Originally, Su Daiyi had planned to stay on account of the 'favor,' at least to save face, right? But she had never expected the son to show up instead of the father. Not only did he act high and mighty, but he also spoke ill of Xu Lai, the man she admired most.

Su Daiyi couldn't bear it.

"So what if it's the Lin Family," Su Daiyi muttered. "In thirty years at most, my Su Family will surely surpass the Lin Family!"

After saying that, Su Daiyi felt she might have been bragging too much and added, "Fifty... no, forget it, within a hundred years!"

Su Daiyi didn't know that the boastful words she spoke in anger that night would come true in just three short years, and she would far exceed her own expectations.

When the Su Family stood at the pinnacle of the world, looking down at the scenery below, only then did she realize how beautiful the view from the absolute peak was.

But it was also very tiring.

So tiring that two hundred years later, the eternally unmarried, gray-haired Su Daiyi no longer even remembered Xu Lai's face.

She only remembered the day she first met him.

The man was clad in white that outshone the snow, his eyes twinkling like stars.

When he left the Ye Family with his daughter in tow, the entire city was filled with the fragrance of gardenias.

From that moment on, Su Daiyi's heart could no longer accommodate anyone else.

She just looked and looked, waited and waited.

She waited until the moment she lay in her hospital bed, about to lose consciousness. Then, the man whose back she had always chased but could never catch up to finally turned to look at her.

That simple glance allowed Su Daiyi to die with a smile on her face.

He finally turned back.

What a pity.

There wasn't enough time.

***

「Haitang Court.」

The night was cool as water. After Xu Yiyi fell asleep, Ruan Lan filled the hot spring and was now swimming around in her swimsuit.

An autumn night was perfect for soaking in a hot spring. As she bathed, she watched the moonlight scatter across the distant sea. The scenery was incredibly beautiful.

Ruan Tang, wrapped in a coat, came to the backyard. She looked helplessly at Ruan Lan. "Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

"I'm not."

Ruan Lan shook her head. Ever since moving to Haitang Court, she had never fallen ill again. Even her irregular period had stabilized.

Ruan Lan had no idea that Mount Haitang, where Haitang Court was located, sat on a Spirit Vein. Living there year-round gradually improved one's physical constitution. Furthermore, the meals they ate every day were the finest delicacies from the Immortal Domain. Now, Ruan Tang, Ruan Lan, and Xu Yiyi could all be considered to have Spiritual Bodies—and of the most perfect and flawless kind at that.

"Still, be careful," Ruan Tang advised.

"Mm-hm," Ruan Lan responded, continuing to stretch her body in the water.

She even looked down, tugged at the front of her swimsuit, and said excitedly, "Sister, I think I'm having a second growth spurt. Should I get some bigger bras?"

Ruan Tang was silent. She didn't want to crush her sister's self-esteem, since self-delusion could be a terrifying thing.

"You should go back and sleep early."

After saying that, Ruan Tang got up to leave.

But Ruan Lan reached out and grabbed her coat. "Sister, wait, I have something to tell you..."

SPLASH!

Tugged by her coat, Ruan Tang stumbled and fell into the hot spring.

"Whatever you have to say, say it now," Ruan Tang said, completely drenched, looking at her sister with a blank expression.

What do I do? I have a feeling she'll kill me if I say it. This won't work. I have to use my trump card!

Ruan Lan shouted, "Brother-in-law, my sister wants to join you in the hot spring!"

After that, under her sister's dumbfounded gaze, Ruan Lan quickly scrambled out of the water and ran back to the living room in her slippers. In her haste, she put her slippers on the wrong feet, but at least she had successfully fled the danger zone.

Ruan Tang looked down at her drenched self, feeling like a drowned rat, and sighed. She neatly folded her wet coat and placed it by the poolside. Fortunately, she was wearing pajamas, so she figured she might as well soak for a while.

"Honey, what's with the new look?" Xu Lai asked with a strange expression as he arrived in the backyard. "I thought we agreed to soak in the hot spring together? You don't have to guard against me *that* intensely, do you?"

Ruan Tang rolled her eyes. "Ruan Lan pulled me in!"

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