Invincible Dad

Similar faces.

Identical voices.

The temple, covered in a year's worth of dust, and the Taoist priest who had appeared out of nowhere.

All these clues made Luo Chu and her husband, Qian Song, feel that something was not quite right.

"That was my grandfather." The young priest sighed. "My name is Yu Ren. He passed away, and now I have inherited this temple."

"Then why is it covered in dust?" Qian Song frowned. "As the temple's master, you've never cleaned it..."

"Forgotten by the world, it naturally gathers dust," Yu Ren said calmly. "Would cleaning it bring worshippers? Devotion is in the heart, not in what the eye sees."

Qian Song appeared thoughtful.

Xu Lai gave a light laugh. "Does what we see necessarily represent the truth?"

His pupils flickering, Yu Ren looked deeply at Xu Lai. "If seeing isn't believing, then what is?"

With a cryptic smile, Xu Lai said, "You should know better than I do. There are no two identical leaves in the world, but it's much simpler to pretend to be another leaf."

Yu Ren shook his head, speaking earnestly. "I'm not quite clear on that. Please, enlighten me."

"Dad, let's go. This place is so scary..." Yiyi whispered, tugging at Xu Lai's sleeve.

The more the little girl looked at the Taoist priest, Yu Ren, the more her skin crawled.

Xu Lai smiled. "Okay."

The group descended the mountain.

Just as they were about to enter the forest, Ruan Lan glanced back and saw the priest still standing outside the unnamed temple.

Sunlight poured down, but it didn't seem to touch him at all; he remained completely shrouded in darkness.

"Something's fishy!" Ruan Lan muttered. "Based on my experience, that priest probably killed the former master and took over the place."

THUD!

Ruan Tang knocked on her sister's head and chided, "Stop watching so much trashy fiction and TV. What kind of nonsense are you thinking?"

After leaving the Nameless Mountain, the group encountered an old local man at its foot.

He was chewing a betel nut, his eyes wide as he watched Xu Lai's group come down from the mountain.

PFFT.

The old man spat, sucking in a sharp breath. "You just went to the temple on the mountain?"

"We did," replied Qian Xiao, who was wise beyond his years. "Grandpa, what's wrong with it?"

HISS.

The old man didn't hide his fear. He stumbled back three steps before speaking. "That place is cursed!"

Qian Song's brow twitched. He was slightly concerned about the temple. He had visited it by chance before, and his prayers there had been surprisingly effective.

The old man continued, "Years ago, before this area was developed into a tourist attraction, many fishermen lived here. Every time they went out to sea, they would go there to venerate the gods, and not a single boat was ever lost. Later, even when they stopped going out to sea, the fishermen who had been blessed by the gods continued to go there to worship."

"But it's covered in dust. How could anyone worship there regularly?" Qian Song asked.

"This all started about half a year ago." The old man's face was etched with fear. "There was a middle-aged loafer in our village—couldn't find a wife, never did a day's work. He used to sneak into the temple to steal offerings. Who would have thought he'd end up dead right at the gates! A Fengshui Master said a great evil is suppressed there and no one should go."

"But there was a young Taoist priest in charge..." Ruan Lan couldn't help but interject.

"You really did see a ghost!" the old man said, his face pale with panic. "That temple has been empty for twenty years! There's no master there."

He bolted, terrified that these strangers weren't human, but rather some filth that had escaped from the temple.

"There really is something strange about that place." Qian Song and Luo Chu exchanged a serious look.

As Martial Artists, if they encountered injustice, they were naturally compelled to intervene.

With a single glance, Luo Chu knew her husband would definitely return that night to investigate further, especially since a life had been lost.

「Back at the hotel.」

The two families returned to their respective villas, numbers 6 and 7, to rest. They planned to properly appreciate the views of Fragrance Bay in Sanya later that evening.

Of course, Ruan Lan, Yiyi, and Qian Xiao couldn't stay idle. The one adult was soon leading the two children in a mad dash along the seaside.

Ruan Tang was in her room, conducting a remote meeting on her laptop. As stylish as it was to leave on a whim, there were still many matters that she, the boss, needed to handle.

If they piled up for a few days, orders worth millions, or even tens of millions, could be affected.

Xu Lai sat beside Ruan Tang, caressing her soft hand.

Ruan Tang glanced at him but didn't stop him. The meeting lasted for a full hour.

Only after closing her laptop did Ruan Tang let out a long sigh of relief.

Xu Lai said gently, "Are you tired? Let me give you a massage."

Ruan Tang leaned over and snuggled into Xu Lai's arms, whispering, "I'm not tired. I just need to lie down for a bit."

Her girlishly coquettish behavior made Xu Lai pause before he chuckled softly.

As if not noticing her flushed cheeks, he gently stroked her hair.

The two were enjoying a cozy moment in the room when they received a desperate call from Ruan Lan.

"Brother-in-law! Sis! Help me!" Ruan Lan shrieked into the phone. "It's exhausting looking after these two rascals! If you don't come soon, I'm going to die here!"

The young aunt sounded utterly wronged.

She had thought that as an adult, she would have the upper hand in a water fight. Instead, Beibei had supplied Yiyi and Qian Xiao with water guns... She was utterly defeated.

"Auntie Ruan Lan, you're such a sore loser, calling for backup?" Qian Xiao's innocent voice chirped from the other end of the line.

"Don't worry, we're on our way."

Xu Lai hung up, took Ruan Tang's hand, and they strolled toward the beach, less than a kilometer from the hotel.

They passed by Xianren Jing, where spring water gushed continuously. A few scattered tourists were taking photos or scooping up the water.

"Xu Yiyi! Qian Xiao! If you splash me again, I'll get you for that!" Ruan Lan's exasperated voice drifted from the distance.

Xu Lai looked over and gave a wry smile.

Although Ruan Lan boasted about being a Taekwondo black belt, she was no match for the two little ones who had begun to practice Cultivation. Her speed couldn't even compare.

Qian Xiao and Yiyi, armed with water guns, kept a safe distance and sprayed her relentlessly, making her grind her teeth in frustration.

"You can't even beat two kids?" Xu Lai laughed.

Ruan Lan puffed up her chest, defiant despite being in the wrong. "I was letting them win! What if I made them cry?"

Just as she spoke, a stream of water hit her in the face. She glared. "You little brat! Not on my face! You've messed up my hair!"

Ruan Lan was furious.

She was supposed to be a graceful Fairy, but now she was soaked to the bone, looking like a drowned rat.

Qian Xiao stuck his tongue out cheekily before he and Yiyi ran off.

"I'm going for a swim," Ruan Lan mumbled, thoroughly dejected.

The weather in Sanya was perfect, neither too hot nor too cold, and the sea wasn't chilly.

Ruan Lan took off her cover-up, walked into the sea, and, after gradually adjusting to the temperature, began to swim back and forth like a Mermaid.

"Daddy, Yiyi wants to go swimming too!" Xu Yiyi ran over and hugged Xu Lai's leg, her eyes full of anticipation.

Xu Lai agreed, then turned to his wife. "Ruan Tang, come join us."

Ruan Tang shook her head. The weather was fine for a swim, but she got cold easily, so she decided to sunbathe on the beach instead.

"Alright, then."

Xu Lai led his precious daughter and Qian Xiao into the water.

But on a distant mountain peak, several cold gazes watched them, one filled with unconcealable murderous intent.