"Speak to me!"

The Crown Prince's words exploded like thunder in Ji Wuming's ears. His lips moved. "The mission... has failed."

"Ji Wuming!" The Crown Prince gritted his teeth, articulating each word. "I told you, as long as it's a one-for-one trade, it's a win. Are you saving our trump card for the next generation?"

"Crown Prince, it was used." Ji Wuming's words carried a deep sense of bewilderment.

Ji Gui was stunned.

Used? Then how could Xu Lai possibly still be alive?

That was a juvenile Taotie. It would eat anything it saw; there was no way it would have let him go. He had even resolved to sacrifice Mount Haitang, East Sea City, and even pay the enormous price of letting the Taotie destroy all of Jiangnan. What was a mere Jiangnan compared to retaking the entire Zhu Lang field?

But his subordinate's words were so incredible that the Crown Prince couldn't believe them, even suspecting the man was lying.

"Last night, I had the Demon King of Sea City personally take the Crystal Ball to Mount Haitang. I also felt the terrifying pressure of the Taotie's emergence, but—" Knowing the Crown Prince despised it when people beat around the bush, Ji Wuming didn't dare to delay and continued, "but that pressure didn't last long before it suddenly dissipated. I suspect the juvenile Taotie might have died."

"Died?" Ji Gui was baffled. His face grew even uglier. "Do you take me for a fool? Jing Ke once said that was a seal on par with an Immortal Artifact, powerful enough to put any living being to sleep for ten thousand years. Inside it, space and time do not flow!"

Ji Wuming fell silent. He knew that anything he said now would sound like an excuse.

"I am willing to die to prove my innocence," he said bitterly. As he spoke, he placed his palm over his dantian, ready to strike himself down, when he heard the Crown Prince's furious voice.

"Idiot! What use is your life to me? I want Xu Lai's life!"

The Crown Prince was fuming, but he quickly calmed down. "In your opinion, was the problem with the juvenile Taotie, or with Xu Lai?"

He sighed inwardly. The Taotie Clan. Ranked ninth on the Immortal Domain's Race Rankings. Using the offspring of such a being as a trump card was an outrageous risk. If that terrifying race were to find out... the Moon... probably wouldn't be enough for a single gulp from one of their Quasi-Emperor Realm Divine Generals.

"The problem was with the Taotie," Ji Wuming analyzed. "The Taotie's aura only appeared for a moment before vanishing. It's very likely there was some kind of accident. It definitely never fought Xu Lai—unless Xu Lai killed it instantly!"

"Is Xu Lai that strong?" the Crown Prince mused. That was an offspring of the Taotie Clan. According to Jing Ke, it was at the peak of the Golden Core Stage. With its racial talent bonus, an ordinary Nascent Soul Realm cultivator would be no match for it. Could Xu Lai be in the Nascent Soul Realm?

"Crown Prince, could there have been a problem with the trump card Jing Ke gave us...?" Ji Wuming ventured.

"What do you know." The Crown Prince was growing irritated. Unlike the other clan members, only he and his father were privy to the clan's many secrets. One of these was the terrifying origin of the Royal Ji Family of the Moon Clan—a branch family of the Ji Family that served the Nine Kings' Palace! Due to a power struggle, the ancestors of this branch were killed, and a group of the old, weak, women, and children were exiled to this remote star system to fend for themselves.

And Jing Ke... he had appeared suddenly two thousand years ago. He seemed to have had some kind of dispute with the Ji Family's main branch and planned to help their branch return to the family and seize power. This was because the Ji Family, along with the other eight clans, seemed to have been guarding something in the Nine Kings' Palace all this time. Whether they guarded a person or an object, no one knew. Perhaps even the Ji Family and the other clans themselves didn't know.

Jing Ke has a conflict with the main branch. If he wants to enter the Nine Kings' Palace, he has to have our Ji Family's support!

With this connection, how could Jing Ke possibly harm their Moon Clan? Still... it was a great pity that the Taotie card had been wasted for no reason.

"Lie low and stay hidden. Wait for my next orders," the Crown Prince commanded.

"Yes."

Ji Wuming disconnected the Sound Transmission Jade Slip.

The Crown Prince walked out of the main hall of the Upper Crescent Moon Clan. Gazing at the distant water-blue planet, he clenched his fists, his expression icy as he murmured, "Xu Lai..."

…

…

In the shopping mall.

It was nearly noon, a time for lunch, but after settling the employees' benefits, Ruan Tang dragged Xu Lai from one clothing store to another. Xu Lai was constantly pushed into fitting rooms to try on outfit after outfit. Ruan Tang watched with cool appraisal. As it turned out, Xu Lai looked handsome in everything.

"Alright, that's enough. I'm not your dress-up doll," Xu Lai said helplessly.

"Hmph." Ruan Tang shot him a look. "You didn't hear me complaining when you had me try on all those wedding dresses."

Xu Lai was speechless because it was true. Speaking of which, the wedding dress Xu Lai was making for Ruan Tang was nearly finished. Only a few small details remained, which would take three days at most.

"I have a New Year's gift for you, too," Xu Lai said softly.

"It's not the wedding dress, is it?" Ruan Tang asked casually.

"..."

Xu Lai froze, his expression turning odd.

Ruan Tang said in surprise, "Don't tell me it really is a wedding dress! It's the middle of winter; are you trying to freeze me to death? Besides... I haven't agreed to marry you yet."

"Once you see it, you'll definitely love it. You'll be desperate to put it on."

"Oh, really?" Ruan Tang pursed her lips skeptically. But then she recalled the dress Xu Lai had made for Yiyi's birthday, and a flicker of anticipation lit up her eyes. She really did want to see this dress.

As they spoke, Ruan Tang called a sales clerk over to bag the outfit Xu Lai was wearing. She then casually handed the bag to him. Xu Lai tossed it straight into his Storage Space. Ruan Tang had long since grown used to this and didn't even bother to ask anymore.

After leaving the shopping mall, they found a restaurant on the pedestrian street outside to have a simple meal. Ruan Tang didn't have much of an appetite. Xu Lai, on the other hand, found the iron-plate crucian carp delicious and ate three whole fish, earning strange looks from the middle-aged waitress who served them.

"Mission accomplished. We can go home now." Ruan Tang started walking toward the underground parking garage, her hands clasped behind her back.

Suddenly, she saw a couple up ahead engaging in some public displays of affection. The woman leaped onto the man's back, acting cute and calling out 'darling' and 'muah.' The sounds gave Ruan Tang goosebumps. The man's face was turning purple from the woman's weight, yet he was gritting his teeth and insisting she wasn't heavy at all.

Ruan Tang pursed her lips to hide a smile. After a moment, however, her amusement turned into a tinge of envy.

She glanced around to make sure no one she knew was nearby, then suddenly spun around. Her smile was bright enough to light up the sun-drenched afternoon.

"Xu Lai, my feet hurt."

Xu Lai deadpanned. A woman's feet hurting from shopping? He didn't believe it for a second.

Ruan Tang held out her arms. "I can't walk anymore. You have to carry me."

Xu Lai glanced at the parking garage, still a few hundred meters away. Just as he was about to squat down, Ruan Tang had already leaped onto his back, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

Ruan Tang's face flushed. This was the first time she had ever acted so coquettishly, like a young girl. The feeling was strange, but it also gave her a giddy little thrill. Who said a mother couldn't have the heart of a young girl?

Ruan Tang asked softly, "Xu Lai, am I heavy?"

"Heavy," Xu Lai nodded.

"???"

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