「Meanwhile.」

Hundreds of kilometers from the center of East Sea City, the air in a small town hotel room was frighteningly silent.

An old man sat in the room with a beautiful woman in a long green dress. Her every glance was filled with a seductive charm.

The woman spoke coquettishly, "Feng Yuanzi, you clearly could have saved Gu Jiu'an."

"Yao Yun, you crazy woman." The old man called Feng Yuanzi had a cold expression. "The Dragon Vein of Mount Haitang has undergone its Dragon Transformation, and its strength is comparable to the Divine Gate. Are you trying to get me killed?"

The woman pouted, noncommittal.

After a moment of thought, she continued, "Gu Jiu'an is still alive. The Human Race won't kill him; they'll interrogate him for information, which puts us in grave danger."

Feng Yuanzi was silent for a long while before finally letting out a deep sigh. "I know."

"We of the outer domains all have hearts of stone. Once captured alive by the Human Race, we are to self-detonate and perish with the enemy."

The woman's smile grew cold. "If Gu Jiu'an doesn't want to die, then we'll help him!"

"Yao Yun, have you gone mad?" Feng Yuanzi raised an eyebrow. "All of Hua Country's Martial Artists at the Eighth Grade and above are searching for us in the cities around the East Sea. The moment we reveal ourselves—we're as good as dead! Moreover, I heard a piece of news from my informant... the Flower Fairy has entered the Divine Gate Realm."

Feng Yuanzi's words made Yao Yun's willow-like brows furrow. "Are you certain?"

"Positive!" Feng Yuanzi said solemnly. "It's common knowledge in the Martial Dao World now. Besides, Mount Haitang is the Flower Fairy's blessed land, which is why I didn't dare make a move."

"Impossible! The Flower Fairy was severely injured ten years ago. Her injuries were so grave that she would need at least thirty years of secluded cultivation to recover to her original boundary. There was no hope for her to reach the Divine Gate Realm in this lifetime!" Yao Yun's expression was grim. "Exactly how accurate is your information?"

"A Ninth Grade Great Martial Sect from the Human Race told me." Feng Yuanzi shot her a cold look. "Are you doubting me, or are you doubting my informant?"

Yao Yun's expression turned ugly. Damn it! Our people paid an immense price to get the three of us past Chang'an City, which is guarded by the Watchmen. In the plan, the three of us were meant to complement one another; each was indispensable. Who would have thought that just days after arriving on Earth, we would lose Gu Jiu'an, the most important one among us? He was the one who could devour Spirit Veins to help us rapidly restore our boundaries! And now the Flower Fairy has entered the Divine Gate Realm... When it rains, it pours!

"But I have some good news," Feng Yuanzi said, the corners of his mouth curling up. "Although Gu Jiu'an was captured alive, he managed to take down a supreme expert of the Human Race. It's said that expert's boundary has now plummeted to the Second Grade of the Martial Dao."

Second Grade?! Yao Yun gasped.

The Otherworlder Gu Jiu'an was critically injured and on the verge of death when he was captured. A mighty expert of the Human Race had their path of the Martial Dao destroyed, falling to Second Grade. This was definitely a blow to the very foundation of their Martial Dao.

What a terribly fierce battle that must have been! For a moment, her respect for Gu Jiu'an grew. First, he fought a Dragon Vein, then he battled a mighty expert of the Human Race. He truly is a first-rate hero of the outer domains!

"Given that the Flower Fairy has recovered from her injuries and broken through her innate shackles to enter the Divine Gate, I suspect the Human Race has a special Cultivation Technique that can restore such foundational injuries..." Feng Yuanzi's expression turned cruel. "We will go and eliminate this Human Race expert now, to prevent any future trouble!"

"Good," Yao Yun nodded, then a sly smile touched her lips. "But before that, we need to change into new skins."

...

Xu Lai didn't dwell in the backyard for too long. His phone began to ring—it was Liu Nanwei.

BUZZ... BUZZ... BUZZ...

Her voice was as cold as ever, but Xu Lai keenly detected a suppressed sliver of joy. It was obvious Liu Nanwei was very happy.

"Director Xu, I'd like to treat you to lunch."

"Good news?" Xu Lai asked.

"Yes," Liu Nanwei said, not hiding anything. "My family called me yesterday. I don't know why, but their attitude toward Li Mi has completely changed. They said we can pick a date for the wedding."

"Isn't that a bit hasty?"

"Not at all. I've known him for seven years; we know each other inside and out." Liu Nanwei suddenly added, "Thank you, Director Xu. It might just be a feeling, but I feel like my destiny has been rewritten since I met you."

It's more than just rewritten. The medical office at Dongli University had gone from being completely obscure to a place that even top-tier medical universities now looked up to. That wasn't even mentioning her name as the second author on the paper, or her family finally approving of the man she loved...

"So one meal isn't enough," Xu Lai said. "I suggest you treat me for a whole month."

"Just one meal! I still have to save money with Li Mi to buy a house. But you can bring your family!" Liu Nanwei, afraid Xu Lai would continue to wheedle more free meals out of her, quickly told him the location and hung up.

Xu Lai turned to Ruan Tang beside him and casually asked, "Do you want to go?"

Unexpectedly, Ruan Tang tidied her hair and nodded. "Why not?"

An inexplicable warmth bloomed in Xu Lai's heart. This meant Ruan Tang was beginning to accept his identity as "Yiyi's dad" and was willing to accept him as part of the family.

Xu Lai couldn't help but wave his arm grandly. "The beauty and the kingdom are mine! Who in this world could possibly be happier than me!"

Ruan Tang rolled her eyes dramatically. As if I'm his. He's so shameless.

...

The lunch spot was an open-air food stall by the sea that specialized in grilled seafood. Both the food and the prices were excellent.

Xu Lai was the last to arrive. When he got there, he found two tables packed with people. Not only was Zhou Feng there, but also Li Shouzhong, Yan Gui, Lin Qiu, and the other doctors, all of them already sipping tea contentedly.

"Director Xu, over here!" Liu Nanwei waved. When she saw Ruan Tang, a look of pure astonishment flashed in her eyes. What a beautiful woman. She had less of Ruan Lan's youthful innocence and more dignity, and a figure that even Liu Nanwei envied. She couldn't understand it. They were biological sisters, so how could they be so different?

"Hello, everyone," Ruan Tang greeted them all gracefully.

Everyone responded with a chorus of "Hello, Sister-in-law!"

It was one thing for Li Mi, Liu Nanwei, and Zhou Feng to call her that, but even Li Shouzhong and his group of old men and women chimed in. This made Ruan Tang maintain her smile on the surface, but she secretly gave Xu Lai a sharp kick under the table. Being called that made her feel fifty years older for no reason. How infuriating!

"Have you ordered yet?" Xu Lai asked.

"Not yet." Liu Nanwei handed him a menu. "We didn't know your tastes, or your wife's."

"Waiter," Xu Lai called out. "The peanuts, smashed cucumber salad, and the soy sauce preserved eggs... these three..."

"Director Xu," Li Mi said with a grin, ruffling his blond hair. "Nanwei said you've helped her a lot, so please, order the expensive dishes. Don't hold back."

"I'm not holding back." After saying that, Xu Lai turned back to the waiter. "Forget those three small appetizers. Everything else on the menu, bring one of each to both tables."

Li Mi was speechless.

Liu Nanwei was immensely relieved they had come to a food stall. If this had been a five-star hotel, they would have eaten through the cost of a ten-square-meter apartment.

"We can't finish all that," Ruan Tang whispered.

"And what if I can?" Xu Lai retorted.

"Then you're a pig!"

"Ahem." Xu Lai choked.

Zhou Feng stifled a laugh. "Let's go with that! We're feasting on the rich guy's dime today!"

No one noticed two pairs of eyes in the distance, fixed intently on their table.

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