Invincible Dad

Back at home, the image of the woman in a snow-white dress riding a flying sword still echoed in Ruan Tang's mind. She asked, "Xu Lai, why didn't you finish fighting her?"

"Hmm..." Xu Lai explained, "Honey, not every battle has to be a fight to the death. Besides, she'd already lost."

Rong Sanyue hadn't lost in terms of her Boundary, but in her state of mind.

The moment she tried to save face for her disciple, Deng Shu, by challenging Xu Lai, she had already suffered a total defeat.

The sword in a swordsman's hand.

It is not a weapon for contests of pride, but a guiding light for upholding 'justice' and 'goodness' in one's heart.

A swordsman who doesn't even know why they wield a sword is no longer worthy of the blade.

Xu Lai had taught Rong Sanyue a lesson. Whether she could fully comprehend it was up to her own destiny.

What awaited her could be an abyss.

Or it could be a chance to achieve a new breakthrough.

After all, that strike from Xu Lai's sword hadn't used any Spiritual Energy or Divine Sense, relying solely on physical strength. If she could comprehend even the smallest fraction of it, the benefits would be endless.

"I don't get it."

Ruan Tang shook her head. "If a swordsman doesn't hold a sword, then what do they hold?"

"It's okay if you don't get it."

Xu Lai took off his coat, his eyes sweeping over her. "I'm a swordsman, too. But what I want to hold... well."

Although Xu Lai didn't spell it out, Ruan Tang still understood his meaning.

She was suddenly overcome with a mix of shame and anger. She glared at him and snapped, "Go take a shower!"

"Can we go together?"

"Like hell you will!"

"..."

Yiyi and Ruan Lan had already gone to bed.

The wind outside was bitterly cold.

Inside the warm house, they were intimately entangled for a full hour, the only shame being that Ruan Tang still maintained her final line of defense.

It was the Little New Year.

In the villa community at the foot of Mount Haitang, people had started setting off fireworks early to celebrate.

Ruan Tang, who had only fallen asleep around midnight, was startled awake by the noise.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, noticing Xu Lai was already gone. She figured he was downstairs making breakfast.

She got out of bed and picked up her nightgown, which had been tossed two or three meters away. Thinking of the previous night's madness, she softly muttered, "Flirtatious man."

Ruan Tang went downstairs to wash up and was surprised to see Ruan Lan sitting on the sofa.

It was winter break.

Ruan Lan wasn't sleeping in? The sun must have risen in the west.

Ruan Lan saw her older sister was awake and gave her a strange look. "Sis, Mom and Dad posted on social media that they're moving to France. Did you know?"

Ruan Tang was dumbfounded.

She grabbed her phone and called her mother, but the call was immediately rejected. She then tried her father Ruan Yinshan's number, which was finally answered.

But the person who spoke was not Ruan Yinshan. It was her mother, Zhu Fen, her voice tinged with nervousness. "Tangtang, what's up?"

"I heard you're emigrating?" Ruan Tang's forehead creased in frustration. "What kind of trouble are you two stirring up now!"

"You ungrateful girl."

Zhu Fen was displeased. "Your father and I have always wanted to go abroad. We're not spending your money, so what's wrong with emigrating?"

"Where did you get the money?" Ruan Tang questioned.

Hearing this, Zhu Fen realized Ruan Tang still didn't know about the betrothal gift money. Her eyes darted about as she deflected, "Your father won the lottery!"

"..."

Before Ruan Tang could ask another question, she heard Zhu Fen say, "Oh dear, the signal is bad here. I'll call you back later."

The line went dead, replaced by a busy tone. Ruan Tang and Ruan Lan looked at each other, utterly bewildered.

In the kitchen.

Xu Lai had overheard the sisters' conversation and was a little speechless.

He knew his in-laws likely wanted to emigrate because they were afraid he would eventually ask for the five-hundred-million bride price back...

He was The Supreme Emperor; he would never take back something he had given away.

Oh well, let them do as they please.

During breakfast, Xu Lai asked, "Yiyi, how about we go on a trip for a couple of days?"

"Okay!"

Xu Yiyi's eyes instantly lit up. "Where are we going?"

"Where would you like to go?" Ruan Tang asked with a smile.

Yiyi replied earnestly, "I want to go to Nanhai Province!"

The little girl declared seriously, "I hear it's very warm there."

"What's so great about the South Sea?" Ruan Lan pouted. "We have the East Sea right here!"

"The temperature there is perfect for winter, and you can even wear bikinis."

Yiyi suddenly blinked her big eyes and said, "Auntie, you shouldn't feel so insecure. And don't take your anger out on Nanhai Province."

With that, she looked Ruan Lan up and down before adding encouragingly, "Everything will grow eventually."

Ruan Lan went berserk. "What do you know, you little brat!"

Ruan Tang couldn't help but laugh. "Yiyi, that was too much. Apologize to your auntie."

"Sorry, Auntie. I shouldn't have spoken the truth."

"Pfft!"

Ruan Lan clutched her chest, nearly spitting up blood. That apology was worse than nothing at all; it drove the knife in even deeper!

"Then it's decided. We're going to Nanhai Province," Xu Lai nodded.

"Dad, are we leaving right after breakfast?" Yiyi asked with anticipation.

Xu Lai looked at Ruan Tang. He was free, as Li Shouzhong was covering for him at the university during the winter break.

Of course, the other doctors would likely continue their medical research at Dongli University anyway.

The question now was whether Ruan Tang could just leave her work behind.

Ruan Tang deliberated for a moment. Facing her daughter's eager gaze, she smiled and said, "Alright. We'll do what Yiyi wants."

"Yay!"

Yiyi was so excited she lost her appetite for breakfast and ran upstairs to pack her clothes.

Her heart.

It had already soared over thousands of mountains and rivers, all the way to Nanhai Province.

Ruan Lan held her forehead. "Going to the South Sea means I'll get a tan again. I need to bring extra sunscreen."

Xu Lai looked surprised. "You're going too?"

Ruan Lan was baffled.

"No way, brother-in-law. Don't tell me you weren't planning on bringing me?"

"..."

Seeing the silence from Xu Lai and Ruan Tang, Ruan Lan's heart shattered.

She began to sob. "Wow, you two are so heartless! Who helped you look after your child when you were busy? Who picked Yiyi up from school for you?"

"It's one thing not to take me on your trip, but you were actually going to leave me home all alone? This house is so cold, desolate, and miserable. I'd be so lonely by myself."

Ruan Lan kept wiping her tears. "Most importantly, without my brother-in-law, how am I supposed to get by?" she wailed.

Xu Lai's scalp tingled. His sister-in-law was only craving his cooking, but she couldn't have phrased it more ambiguously.

Ruan Tang glanced at Xu Lai with a smile, then said to her sister, "You should come with us. I really wouldn't be at ease leaving you home alone."

This was a spur-of-the-moment trip.

Once the plans were set, Ruan Tang and Ruan Lan went to their rooms to pack, filling their suitcases mostly with summer clothes.

A thought occurred to Xu Lai, and he called into the room, "Honey, remember to pack a swimsuit."

Ruan Tang nodded. A trip to Nanhai Province naturally meant a visit to the beach or a soak in a natural hot spring, so she dug out the black one-piece swimsuit she had tucked away.

Then, Xu Lai silently added a few more daring swimsuits to the suitcase.

Ruan Tang shot Xu Lai a look, about to put the one-piece away, but was surprised when he said, "Bring that one too. You can wear it when we go to the public beach."

His own wife... Of course, the more covered up, the better.