Invincible Dad-Chapter 741: The Plan for the Year Lies in Spring_1

"How could such an absurd thing exist in the world!"

"The Supreme Emperor, do you believe it? I don't. I wanted to see for myself, but Divine General Baize blocked me." Divine General Taotie rarely rambled on like this. Clearly, he was skeptical about the existence of a Dual-Colored Golden Core.

After all, in the Immortal Domain, the Golden Core of any cultivator—whether they were an ordinary one, a Celestial Venerable, an Immortal Venerable, a Quasi-Emperor, or even an Emperor Realm Cultivator—only had one color.

Gold.

A Dual-Colored Golden Core was something he had never heard of, let alone seen.

"..."

Unlike Divine General Taotie's skepticism, Xu Lai's mind exploded. Those two giants, who were clearly not from this corner of the universe, actually possessed Golden Cores. And they were dual-colored!

As for Ruan Tang... hers was an even more horrifying Five-Colored Golden Core.

Xu Lai was silent for a long time.

"The Supreme Emperor... what's wrong?" Taotie asked nervously, sensing his silence was unusual.

"It's nothing. Thank you for undertaking this journey. Rest well."

"Yes, Sir."

Taotie's Divine Sense faded.

Xu Lai looked down at Ruan Tang, asleep in his arms. He reached out, gently caressing her flawless skin and brushing aside a few stray strands of her hair. The touch seemed to tickle her.

Ruan Tang mumbled in her sleep, "Yiyi, stop messing around. Time to eat."

Xu Lai couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. Even in her sleep, his wife was captivating. The way her lips pouted slightly was just too adorable to look away from.

"My dear, it seems you're full of secrets," he murmured, his voice growing hoarse. "Two descendants of an Emperor Realm... an affinity for the Qingfeng Scripture even greater than Yiyi's... the ability to see the thirty-six characters hidden in the Cloud Water Rust... a Perfect Foundation Establishment, a Five-Colored Golden Core, and an astonishingly fast cultivation speed…"

In the darkness, the room was utterly silent.

Xu Lai slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them a moment later, they were filled with tenderness. "This is good. It's really good. Even if the era of the Emperor's Fall arrives and I meet an unfortunate end—"

He paused, then murmured to himself, "This way, you and the two children can survive. I will make sure you all survive! All of you! Along with the Human Race, the Demon Race, and the countless peoples of the myriad star systems in the Immortal Domain.

"Because I am the Human Emperor, the Lord of the Heavenly Court, Emperor Qingfeng. I am the man who stands at the very pinnacle of this starry sky."

His voice gradually filled with majesty and pride, but then he let out a soft sigh.

If only our family of four were ordinary people... how wonderful that would be.

Holding Ruan Tang tightly, Xu Lai slowly closed his eyes.

That night, he had a rare dream.

The scenes were a chaotic mess of life and death, of partings, and of his master's patient words of guidance. Xu Lai could only watch it all unfold, helpless, like an insignificant outsider.

* * *

On Saturday, the sun shone brightly over East Sea City.

Xu Lai could feel the warm sunshine on his face and hear his daughter's giggling nearby.

"Yiyi, your dad is going to spank you when he wakes up," Ruan Tang's voice sounded, tinged with resignation.

"But Mommy, you're the one who said the lipstick is about to expire, and it's a waste since you've barely used it."

"...I didn't tell you to put it on your dad, though. You could have given it to your aunt."

"Mommy, are you sure you don't want to try? Daddy's going to wake up soon and you'll miss your chance."

"..."

Ruan Tang was tempted. A moment later, she declared firmly, "Alright. After I put on the lipstick, I'll take you to the office. Even if your dad gets angry, he won't be able to find us."

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Then, Xu Lai felt something cool and ticklish on his lips.

These two… ganging up on me while I'm sleeping?

Xu Lai's eyes fluttered open, a half-smile on his face. "Morning, dear."

"...Morning, honey." Ruan Tang, maintaining her composure, held up the lipstick and smiled sweetly. "Do you think this shade would suit me?"

"You'll only know once you put it on."

"Okay."

Relieved, Ruan Tang got up, intending to go to her vanity to apply the lipstick and then use the opportunity to escape with her daughter...

Huh?

Where was Yiyi?

Ruan Tang froze. When had her daughter vanished?

SQUEAK.

A faint sound came from the door. Ruan Tang glanced over just in time to see Xu Yiyi carefully pulling the door shut, leaving only a tiny crack. The little girl even put a finger to her lips in a 'shushing' gesture before closing the door completely.

"???"

Ruan Tang's face darkened with exasperation.

I thought daughters were supposed to be their mothers' little comforters? What kind of comforter abandons her own mother at the first sign of trouble and leaves her out in the cold!

"What's wrong, dear?"

"Nothing, I'm just going to try on this lipstick."

But Ruan Tang was too late. Xu Lai pulled her back into his arms. Their eyes met, their faces less than ten centimeters apart.

Xu Lai chuckled softly. "You don't have to try it on. I'll help you."

"How can you—Mmph! Mmph."

Ruan Tang's question was silenced as his lips met hers.

A long while later, Ruan Tang's face was flushed a rosy red as her fists pounded weakly on Xu Lai's shoulder. "You're a bad man, always bullying me."

"Oh, this is just the beginning."

"..."

* * *

On Mount Haitang, countless Haitang flowers were in bloom, their petals brimming with dewdrops.

DRIP.

A small honeybee flew past, the beat of its wings dislodging a drop of dew, which slid down a petal and fell toward the ground. For the brief moment it hung in the air, the dewdrop was sparkling and clear. Through the tiny lens, the bee saw the tender pink of the petal and buzzed over, ready to collect nectar.

Nearby, two figures were hurrying down the mountain.

"Auntie, let's go, quickly!"

"...What's the rush, Xu Yiyi? Are you trying to get more homework?"

The two were, of course, Xu Yiyi and Ruan Lan.

Worried her father would spank her, the little girl had run from her parents' room to wake her aunt. She found Ruan Lan lost in a dream, drooling and chuckling to herself.

"No time to explain! Auntie, we have to go now!"

Those few words were enough to get a groggy Ruan Lan to haphazardly throw on some clothes and follow her niece out of Haitang Court.

As the cool morning breeze washed over her, Ruan Lan gradually came to her senses.

Wait a second… why am I running?

"Auntie, the plan for the year is made in the spring, and the plan for the day is made in the morning. Let's cultivate together."

"?"

Ruan Lan's face fell. She grabbed her niece's cheeks with both hands and began kneading them like dough. "My dearest niece, be honest with your auntie. Did you get into trouble? Are you afraid your parents are going to punish you, so you dragged me along to make a run for it?"

Tears welled in Xu Yiyi's eyes from the pinching as she mumbled incoherently, "Yeth…"

"Spill it." Ruan Lan clapped her hands together and yawned. "Did you find your dad's toy or your mom's? What has you so scared?"

"They have toys?" Xu Yiyi's teary eyes went wide. "They don't love Yiyi anymore! They have toys and they won't let me play with them…"

"Ahem!" Ruan Lan coughed, flustered. "They're adult toys. You wouldn't understand."

"But you're an adult too, Auntie. Do you have any?"

"..."