Invincible Dad

At the summit of the mountain peak stood the unnamed temple.

The young Daoist named Yu Ren stood before it, gazing down the mountain. Behind him were two middle-aged men. To call them men, however, was somewhat of a misnomer, as they possessed non-human characteristics. For instance, one of them had a dense patch of fish scales on his forehead, while the other had no ears, only two huge gills instead. What they shared with Yu Ren were their very small black pupils, with the whites of their eyes occupying nearly the entire eyeball.

Had it been only Yu Ren, it might not have seemed too strange. But with the three of them standing together, the scene looked incredibly eerie.

"My King."

The two middle-aged men knelt simultaneously. One of them gritted his teeth and said, "You were sealed here by those damned humans for over two thousand years. Why do you still protect the Human Race?"

"They do not deserve your protection!"

The other spoke in a deep tone, "I, Xu Bachong, humbly implore the Demon King to return to Sea City!"

"I, Xu Qinian, also humbly implore the Demon King to return to Sea City!" Xu Qinian added, his voice just as deep.

Two thousand years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Yu Ren stood with his hands behind his back. He didn't speak, simply waving his hand to dismiss his two subordinates.

Xu Bachong and Xu Qinian exchanged a resentful glance. "You don't care about yourself, but are you going to abandon the countless citizens of Sea City as well?"

Yu Ren remained silent.

He had been sealed in this small, dilapidated temple for exactly two thousand one hundred years. The man surnamed Qin had sought to refine a cauldron of Longevity Pills, scouring Hua Country and even venturing overseas for all sorts of precious materials.

His true form was a Ling Yu—called Jiaoren by the ancients, and now known as a Mermaid. Because the Ling Yu's body contained a 'Lifebound Pearl', an exceptionally rare treasure, he had become a target for capture. A mighty Demon King of his generation, reduced to an ingredient for Alchemy, became a laughingstock in dozens of nearby Sea Cities. It was a disgrace to the entire Sea Demon race!

However, on the eve of the Alchemy.

A fool named Jing Ke chose to assassinate the man. Afterward, some unknown error occurred, and a series of mishaps allowed Yu Ren to survive to this day.

Over the years, the seal had weakened. His Divine Sense could leave his body and manifest in the temple. Gradually, fishermen began to pray here for safe voyages. He would choose to leave a mark of blessing on them, and the nearby Sea Demons naturally wouldn't dare to defy the Demon King.

Later on, the temple gained fame among a dozen or so nearby fishing villages, and many fishermen came to worship. This was the source of the Power of Incense Fire that Xu Lai had sensed earlier. If the area hadn't been designated a scenic area and the fishing villages hadn't been relocated, the temple would never have fallen into decline.

Seeing the Demon King remain silent, Xu Qinian and Xu Bachong sighed heavily and left the mountain peak. As they descended, however, their gazes grew cold.

"The Demon King has changed."

"In the past, he was good to humans, so we, his subordinates, naturally spared them. But after being trapped in a cage for two thousand years, he still wants to protect those ordinary humans…"

I feel it's an injustice to him! Xu Qinian's face slowly twisted into a ferocious expression.

Xu Bachong spoke coldly, "It doesn't matter anymore. A year ago, we began to taint this place with evil, driving away the fishermen who came to worship. Tonight, we will call our brothers to the island. We will use the fresh blood of these humans to completely break our king's seals!"

The two fish demons leaped into the water and quickly vanished into the deep sea.

RUMBLE!

A thick layer of dark clouds enshrouded the skies above Nanhai Province, and it seemed a storm was approaching.

* * *

By the seaside.

As the sun was hidden by the dark clouds, the seawater grew colder. Xu Lai, who had been teaching Yiyi to swim, brought his daughter and Qian Xiao ashore. Ruan Tang quickly draped the towels she had prepared over them.

She exclaimed in surprise, "Where's Ruan Lan?"

Scanning the area, she couldn't spot her sister and began to feel a little anxious.

Xu Lai said, "She's in the deep-water area. I'll go get her."

"Okay," Ruan Tang nodded. "We'll head back to the hotel first. I'll give them a hot bath."

"Alright."

Xu Lai strode out onto the water, his feet stepping on the surface of the sea, drawing shouts of astonishment from the scattered tourists on the beach.

Ruan Lan had swum to a spot three kilometers from the shore, a highly dangerous area even for strong swimmers.

The young woman was treading water, her beautiful eyes shimmering. "Xiaoxiao, I saw a palace! Let's go treasure hunting!"

As she spoke, she even hugged Xu Lai, murmuring, "Xiaoxiao, how did you get even smaller than me…"

Xu Lai slapped her wandering hand away, his brow furrowed slightly.

Ruan Lan is poisoned!

Clinging to her leg, though she hadn't noticed, was a small jellyfish that continuously shifted through a rainbow of colors. The poison caused its victims to hallucinate.

With a wave of his hand, Xu Lai summoned the colorful jellyfish into his palm. It struggled, but its efforts were completely useless.

At that moment, clarity began to return to Ruan Lan's eyes. When she realized she was clinging to Xu Lai like a koala, her face instantly flushed a scorching red. She huffed, "You damn brother-in-law, what did you do to me!"

"..."

"You were poisoned," Xu Lai said flatly, showing her the jellyfish.

Only then did Ruan Lan remember. While swimming, she had seen this strange jellyfish attach itself to her leg, and then... she saw a palace made entirely of gold and was about to take Yu Xiaoxiao with her to find the treasure.

But this hallucination... was caused by this tiny jellyfish?

Ruan Lan looked skeptical, not believing a word he said. After thinking it over, she concluded there was only one other possibility—Xu Lai coveted her beauty and was deliberately using a jellyfish as a scapegoat.

Biting her lip, Ruan Lan said earnestly, "Brother-in-law, we can't do anything that would betray my sister. Even if you like me, you can't drug me."

Xu Lai was speechless.

His expression darkened as he said, "Swim back by yourself!"

Ruan Lan glanced behind her, and her body trembled with fear.

Oh my god. How far away is the shore? My little arms and legs would probably break before I made it back... And there's nothing but open sea on all sides, with waves several meters high!

Panicked, Ruan Lan hugged Xu Lai tightly and refused to let go, clinging to him for dear life.

Xu Lai didn't say anything more and simply walked back to shore, stepping across the surface of the sea.

Watching Xu Lai's every step land effortlessly on the water, Ruan Lan said with envy in her eyes, "Brother-in-law, I want to learn this!"

"You? No," Xu Lai shook his head.

I can't teach Ruan Lan Cultivation right now. With her personality, Earth would probably explode in less than a year.

"Brother-in-laaaaw~" Ruan Lan cooed. "I really want to learn! The fairies in wuxia novels can all walk on water without leaving a trace. I want to do it too."

"You're not a fairy," Xu Lai said flatly. "Besides, you need to lose some weight. You must be around one hundred twenty pounds, right?"

"Nonsense! I'm not even a hundred!"

Furious and exasperated, Ruan Lan opened her mouth and bit Xu Lai on the neck. But the only result was pain that brought tears to her eyes. "Ow! I think my teeth are going to fall out..."

Xu Lai smirked. His body was so resilient that even an Immortal Artifact couldn't leave a scratch, let alone a bite from Ruan Lan.

The only ones who could ever harm Xu Lai were Yiyi and Ruan Tang.

Draped over Xu Lai's back, Ruan Lan suddenly remembered something. "Brother-in-law," she asked, "that dress you're secretly making for my sister... is it a wedding dress?"