「Back in the school infirmary.」
Xu Lai looked at the two pearls in his palm; one was blood-red and the other indigo. If he added the No Righteous Sword to the count...
Then Xu Lai would have three of the nine keys in his possession!
With a wave of his hand, the No Righteous Sword appeared. The two pearls transford into streams of light and rged into the blade, creating two constantly swirling points of light on the sword’s surface, which was crusted with Cloud Water Rust.
Could the sword be the vessel? If there are eight pearls in total, does that an six are still lost sowhere out there?
Xu Lai’s brow furrowed. The sword from The Other Shore was actually a key to the Nine Kings’ Palace in the Immortal Domain. He then recalled the disdain Elder Huang Quan—a Quasi-Emperor of the Nine Heavens from The Other Shore—held for whatever lay within the Nine Kings’ Palace. He suddenly fell silent, feeling as if he had grasped sothing important.
"Director Xu, dinner tonight?"
From the next table, Zhou Feng poked his head over. "Dr. Liu ntioned wanting to get together."
"Let her focus on her pregnancy."
"If she could actually focus on her pregnancy, that’s when you’d know sothing was wrong!"
Zhou Feng suddenly rembered sothing else and coughed. "Oh, right, Director Xu. Speaking of which, I have to thank you."
"Hmm?"
"That Body Tempering Technique you gave ? My body is in great shape now!" Zhou Feng patted his chest proudly.
"..."
Liu Nanwei’s husband, Li Mi, had once asked her to convey to Xu Lai his desire to beco a disciple. Xu Lai, of course, had no intention of taking on students, so he simply gave him a copy of a Body Tempering Technique.
Coincidentally, Zhou Feng had been tornted by his senior sister for the better part of the sumr vacation. Not only had he grown thin, but his vital essence was also nearly depleted. He had pleaded with Xu Lai for help and thus also received a copy of the Body Tempering Technique.
But Xu Lai was speechless as he looked at him. Despite having cultivated for a month or so, Zhou Feng looked as if he hadn’t trained at all.
"Take care of your body." Xu Lai patted Zhou Feng’s shoulder and said with a sigh, "You’re still young. Don’t lose yourself to carnal pleasures."
Zhou Feng’s face flushed red with embarrassnt as he scratched his head awkwardly.
They still gathered for dinner that evening. Li Shouzhong, Yan Gui, and other senior figures from Hua Country’s Xinglin dical community also heard the news and ca, forming a large group crowded around a street-side food stall. They talked about dical arts and discussed the Divine Dragon they had seen that afternoon, along with the various wild analyses bubbling up online.
Despite the considerable age gap, everyone got along exceptionally well. The titans of dicine, who had rarely touched alcohol in their lives, took the initiative to invite Xu Lai to drink with them. After three rounds, almost everyone was drunk.
At the height of the rrint, Li Shouzhong stared at the paper cup in his hand and suddenly began to sing at the top of his lungs.
"Do you not see the Yellow River’s waters descending from the heavens, rushing to the sea, never to return? Do you not see the bright mirrors in high halls lanting white hair, though raven-black at dawn, by dusk it is snow?"
Belting out the verse sobered Li Shouzhong up by half. Only then did he notice the other custors at the stall staring at him with strange expressions. He stood up, about to apologize, when Zhou Feng suddenly threw an arm around his shoulder and continued singing loudly, "A life of triumph should be a life of joy; do not let the golden goblet face the moon empty!"
That one line set everyone off.
Liu Nanwei got excited and joined in as well. Though they were a group of doctors, as they sang line after line, they unexpectedly projected the carefree, unrestrained spirit of the martial world. The other custors showed no signs of annoyance. Instead, they clapped to the rhythm and cheered. So even began singing along to the classic poem, "Bring in the Wine."
Xu Lai laughed heartily and slapped his thigh. He downed the wine in his paper cup in one gulp. The restlessness in his heart, born from the recent troubles with The Other Shore and the Cloud Water Rust, strangely dissipated.
In one hundred thousand years, Xu Lai had rarely been drunk. Tonight, however, he got utterly inebriated with a group of friends who spanned generations. They sang one song after another and drank one jar of wine after another.
Hearing the escalating noise outside, the shop owner and his cook ca rushing out with kitchen knives, thinking soone was trying to smash up their stall. They stopped in their tracks and simply stared at each other, bewildered.
Is this so grand song and dance gala? Show so respect for my food stall, people!
...
...
It was deep in the night when he returned ho. Xu Lai didn’t even know how much he had drunk as he swayed and stumbled.
On the sofa, Ruan Tang, dressed in a white nightgown, pinched her nose and pouted, "Just how much did you drink?"
"Not much."
Xu Lai collapsed right into his wife’s arms, pillowing his head on her lap and nuzzling against her fair legs, letting out a belch heavy with the sll of alcohol. Ruan Tang instinctively wanted to push the shaless scoundrel away, but the hand she placed on Xu Lai’s shoulder was void of any strength.
She said softly, "If you’re drunk, just sleep. You’re ho now."
Xu Lai completely let go of all his worries. Inhaling her familiar scent, he closed his heavy eyelids.
"Honestly," Ruan Tang murmured, her fingers gently combing through Xu Lai’s hair. There was no annoyance in her tone, only boundless affection in her eyes.
Xu Lai had a dream. He dreamt of his master, his senior sister, and his two senior brothers who had passed away. He saw his master standing at the Sect Gate, smiling kindly at him. "Qingfeng, it’s been a long ti."
Ruan Tang’s fingers paused in his hair. She felt sothing wet on her lap. She looked down and saw the glistening tracks of tears at the corners of Xu Lai’s eyes.
She froze, her gaze growing even more tender, her touch even gentler.
...
「The next day, in the early morning.」
Xu Lai opened his eyes. When was the last ti he had felt so completely at ease, in both body and mind? He couldn’t quite rember.
He looked up, but instead of his wife’s face, his view was blocked by... sothing.
"You’re awake?" Ruan Tang tilted her head, bringing her face into view.
Xu Lai was stunned. "You... you didn’t sleep?"
"Mm-hmm."
"..."
A sudden realization dawned on him. He sat up and said apologetically, "I’m sorry. I made you watch over all night."
Ruan Tang shook her head, a blush creeping up her cheeks. She nervously twirled a lock of dark hair. "Actually... seeing you like this made really happy."
"Huh?"
"To , you’ve always seed omnipotent, Xu Lai. It felt like there was nothing you couldn’t do. But last night, I realized that even a man of steel can get tired."
Xu Lai was speechless.
Ruan Tang gently hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. Her voice was as warm as a spring breeze. "So, from now on, you can rely on more. Just like I rely on you."
The softest parts of Xu Lai’s heart were touched again and again. He wanted to speak but didn’t know how to respond to his wife. After a long silence, he finally uttered, "Yiyi and Ruan Lan aren’t ho. How about we... hold a eting?"
"..."
「Before long, it was noon.」
Having showered, Ruan Tang sat eating the sumptuous lunch Xu Lai had just prepared. "For the sake of this delicious food," she said playfully, "I’ll let you off the hook this ti."
Xu Lai laughed heartily. He temporarily pushed all matters of the Immortal Domain to the back of his mind and enjoyed the al with Ruan Tang. They chatted and laughed, placing food on each other’s plates. It was rare to have the house free of his sister-in-law and daughter. With no third wheels to interfere, it was the perfect ti for a young couple to be sweet and affectionate.
But then, Ruan Tang suddenly clutched her stomach.
Well. The little rascal was acting up again.
Before Xu Lai could say anything, Ruan Tang spoke hesitantly, "Xu Lai, I can faintly sense that the baby is feeling agitated. Is sothing about to happen?"
"Yes, but it’s a small matter. You just eat in peace. I’ll be right back."
Xu Lai smiled as he spoke, but as he walked into the backyard, the smile gradually vanished from his face. "The filth has crawled out. They’re truly courting death."
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