Invincible Dad-Chapter 558 558 I am not the Key_1
"What nonsense are you talking about," Ruan Tang muttered indignantly, pushing Xu Lai. To her surprise, he had actually fallen asleep on her shoulder.
Ruan Tang was momentarily stunned, her face growing even hotter.
Blushing, she whispered, "You scoundrel. You could have just said so instead of letting me misunderstand."
Ruan Tang used all her strength to get Xu Lai back to his room and take off his tattered clothes. She warmed a towel with hot water and began to wipe his face.
Staring at his well-defined face, Ruan Tang became lost in thought. Where did he go? He must have been exhausted to fall asleep the moment he got home.
After an unknown amount of time, her daughter's sweet voice came from the bedroom door. "Mommy, Yiyi is hungry."
"Mommy will get you some steamed buns on the way."
"No, I don't want any."
Xu Yiyi shook her head. "I want to save my appetite for the meat we're having tonight."
"Then drink a glass of milk, and I'll boil you an egg."
"Let's go out and buy them!" Xu Yiyi said timidly, "What if the kitchen explodes? Daddy would be very sad."
Ruan Tang was exasperated. I'm not a kitchen disaster! It's just boiling an egg. How could it be that terrifying?
The mother and daughter left Haitang Court.
「At noon.」
Ruan Lan woke up yawning. She ran a hand through her messy hair, checked the time, and muttered to herself, Forget it, I'll just skip class again. Xiaoxiao and Li Li will probably cover for me during roll call.
She was wearing thin pajamas. Swinging her long, pale legs, she lounged on the sofa and browsed takeout options, but even after a long time, nothing looked appetizing.
"Damn brother-in-law!" Ruan Lan huffed. "After eating your cooking, even takeout seems tasteless."
She went to the kitchen looking for leftovers from last night, only to sadly discover that there weren't any left.
What a couple of foodies, my sister and my niece. Ruan Lan grumbled, conveniently forgetting she had eaten just as much.
She lifted her pajama top, touched her smooth, flat stomach that was free of any fat, and muttered to herself, "I feel like I've gotten thinner recently…"
"You've gained weight."
A sudden voice startled Ruan Lan. "Who's there?!"
She turned her head and saw Xu Lai pouring water two meters away. She exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Brother-in-law, you're home!"
"Your sister isn't home."
Ruan Lan was confused. What does my stupid brother-in-law mean by that? Of course my sister is at work. It's perfectly normal.
"So you should probably pull your top back down."
Ruan Lan was speechless. She gritted her teeth. "Since you saw my body, you have to… you have to make me a huge meal! Otherwise, I'm telling my sister!"
"If I wanted to see a stomach, there are plenty of them in bikinis at the beach."
"Then I could pull it up higher."
Xu Lai choked.
A sly smile appeared on Ruan Lan's face. "I knew it, you wretched brother-in-law! You've been coveting this fairy's body. But don't even think about it. I'd never do anything to let my sister down!"
"You should get your head checked at the school infirmary later."
Xu Lai shook his head and sighed as he went to the backyard.
Ruan Lan was extremely annoyed. She grabbed the Formation Chessboard and went back to her room to continue her studies.
Although she was hungry, it was just as Mencius said: 'When heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person, it will first test their resolution, exhaust their body and bones, and starve them…' This is all a test of my strength! Besides, I can just count it as dieting.
「In the backyard.」
Xu Lai had rested for a few hours and was now completely revitalized. He said nonchalantly, "Since you're here, you can stop hiding."
"Hehehe."
The Heavenly Dao, Sikong Jiu, appeared in the clouds not far from Haitang Court. He said fawningly, "As expected of the Supreme Emperor. Such Divine Sense and perception are truly astonishing."
Xu Lai looked on with an ambiguous smile.
Sikong Jiu panicked for some reason. He gave an awkward smile and said, "Supreme Emperor, to be honest, I just came to see the key."
Xu Lai still said nothing.
Sikong Jiu's back was already drenched in cold sweat. He could sense a faint, bone-deep chill emanating from the Supreme Emperor.
Gathering his courage, he said, "Supreme Emperor, actually, I also didn't know I could leave Earth."
"Is that so?" Xu Lai asked, seemingly unconcerned.
"Yes." Sikong Jiu nodded his little head. "If I'm lying, may I be struck by lightning! I swear!"
"Actually, whether you, as the Earth Heavenly Dao, can leave Earth is not important."
"Eh?" Sikong Jiu was completely bewildered. The Supreme Emperor's words clearly had a hidden meaning.
"What I care about more is why that key has your aura on it."
The moment Xu Lai finished speaking, Sikong Jiu froze in place and screamed, "Impossible!"
VMM—
A blood-red orb the size of a baby's fist appeared. It was completely transparent, as if formed from a single congealed drop of blood. It had no aura whatsoever and was a stunning, vibrant red.
Sikong Jiu was still bewildered.
Xu Lai abruptly crushed the orb. Countless tiny droplets of blood spilled from his palm, and the Heavenly Dao's expression changed.
This is blood! And it's my blood! I could never mistake this aura!
The countless droplets of blood slowly coalesced, eventually reforming into the blood-red orb, the size of a baby's fist. All of its aura was once again contained within.
The Heavenly Dao's face was etched with disbelief. He stretched out a fingertip, and a drop of his blood flew out of thin air, merging naturally into the blood orb. The blood orb even seemed to leap with joy.
THUMP.
Sikong Jiu collapsed to the ground. His mouth fell open as if to speak, but no words came out.
"The Great Emperor Yin Yang had no reason to lie. If this blood orb is the key to the Nine Kings' Palace, then… who exactly are you?" Xu Lai said. "Or perhaps I should say, you are the real key."
Xu Lai sat in the wicker chair, his fingertips tapping slowly on the tabletop. The sound was quiet and muffled.
TAP.
TAP.
TAP.
The muffled taps landed like hammer blows on Sikong Jiu's heart, and his ragged breathing nearly stopped altogether.
"I… I don't know." Sikong Jiu's voice was filled with bewilderment. "I've lost so many of my memories. There are many things I can't recall."
He clutched at his chest, gasping for air like a man who had just been saved from drowning.
Xu Lai watched the Heavenly Dao intently. His fingers stopped tapping. He asked lightly, "What is this 'Fallen Emperor Epoch' the Great Emperor Yin Yang spoke of?"
"I only have a vague memory of blood-red rain falling from the sky and that many, many people were going to die," Sikong Jiu said, his voice choked with sobs. "I really can't remember anything else, but the Great Emperor Yin Yang was right. I can sense that the Human Race is a race cursed by the Heavenly Dao."
Xu Lai didn't press further, instead falling into contemplation.
So the cultivation shackles on the Human Race… is that the so-called heavenly retribution? The curse?
"Supreme Emperor, I've lost so many memories, but I swear I've told you everything I know!" Sikong Jiu was on the verge of tears. "Four thousand years ago, I awakened on Earth as nothing more than a murky consciousness. The only thing I could remember was that my name was Sikong Jiu.
"Later, I gradually merged with the planet and became the Heavenly Dao. I'm really not the key."
"Stop your wailing," Xu Lai frowned. "I'm not going to kill you."
.
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Chapter 558 558 I am not the Key_1
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