「Back at Haitang Court.」

Although Ruan Tang didn't ask anything, her eyes brimmed with curiosity. She clearly wanted to know who Xu Lai had met down the mountain and what they had discussed. But she had always trusted Xu Lai implicitly, so if he didn't bring it up, she wouldn't ask.

After all, who doesn't have a past? As this thought crossed her mind, Ruan Tang's expression suddenly stiffened. My past is Xu Lai, but Xu Lai's past…

While waiting for Mao Dou, Qian Xiao, and her other friends to arrive, Xu Yiyi was sitting on the sofa with Yun Jin, playing a two-player game. "Jin'er," she asked casually, "is it true that Dad has a harem of thirty thousand?"

Little Glutton was completely engrossed in the game, her hands clutching the controller as she mashed the buttons, her attention glued to the screen. She completely missed Ruan Tang's perked-up ears and Xu Lai's stiffening expression.

"Ah, thirty thousand might be an understatement," Yun Jin said anxiously. "Every single one of them is a Goddess or a Saintess. Your dad is The Supreme Emperor, you know. He's incredibly powerful! Ah, no, I died again! Yiyi, lend me another life."

"…No way! You've already borrowed all my lives. This is the last one!"

"Oh, but if we have this life, we can make it to the second level!"

Half a minute later, staring at the words "GAME OVER" on the screen, the two little girls fell into deep thought before silently restarting the game.

Ruan Tang also fell into deep thought. A harem of thirty thousand… That number must be an exaggeration, but two, three, four, or maybe even five ex-girlfriends? That seems likely. That Anna who came to our house last time was probably one of them!

She looked at Xu Lai with a complicated expression.

Xu Lai coughed. "Honey, don't listen to that little girl's nonsense. It wasn't thirty thousand, that's a huge exaggeration. Maybe two…"

"We're in the 21st century. I don't mind two or three ex-girlfriends, as long as you don't sneak around with other women behind my back." Ruan Tang gave Xu Lai a sidelong glance. "You were secretly telling Yiyi and the others stories about Emperor Qingfeng while I was asleep last night, weren't you?"

Xu Lai was speechless for a moment before nodding earnestly. "Yes, it seems nothing escapes the watchful eye of my dear wife. Truly impressive."

"Include me next time," Ruan Tang complained. "You only told them about Qingfeng becoming an emperor, but you didn't say much about what happened after. How are he and Qing Yuan doing now?"

Xu Lai wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead. "Qing Yuan? She's… doing fine. Just a bit clingy."

"Oh? And what about those two Twelve-winged Archangels from the Western Immortal Domain?" Ruan Tang's beautiful eyes shone. "Both sisters have a crush on Emperor Qingfeng, right? Which one will he choose?"

Xu Lai answered evasively, "This, uh, that…"

Suddenly, a thought struck Ruan Tang. She hit Xu Lai irritably. "Next time you tell that story, change her name! How did she end up as an archangel of the Western Domain Master?"

Including his ex-girlfriend in his stories is going too far!

Cold sweat trickled down Xu Lai's forehead. Although Ruan Tang hadn't said it outright, he knew the "she" she was referring to was Anna. He nodded repeatedly. "Right, right, right."

Seeing his wife looked ready to ask more questions, Xu Lai felt a presence at the door and jolted, quickly interjecting, "Let's talk about this later. Qian Xiao is here, I'll get the door."

Xu Lai opened the door, his face beaming. "Qian Xiao! You're here! Come on in."

"…"

Qian Xiao paused, taking a cautious step back. Uncle Xu has never been this friendly to me before. Did Big Sis tell him what I said in secret? This is bad. There's a mole! I have to get out of here!

Qian Xiao turned to run but was snatched up by the back of his collar. Xu Lai held him up as he flailed his arms and legs, shouting, "Help! Save me!"

"Running the moment you see me? What do you have to feel guilty about?" Xu Lai raised an eyebrow, pulling the little guy in front of him. He stared into Qian Xiao's eyes with a grin. "Come on, spill it. I won't get mad."

"I didn't! I haven't done anything!" Qian Xiao denied, his eyes darting around nervously.

As Xu Lai's smile grew wider, the little boy's composure began to crumble. He mumbled pitifully, "Even if Big Sis didn't want to come to my house for dinner, she didn't have to tattle on me."

"…"

Xu Lai pursed his lips. "Is that all?"

"Yeah. My mom said she wants to meet her daughter-in-law. It's not a big deal, really," Qian Xiao said carefully.

Daughter-in-law?

With a dark expression, Xu Lai tossed Qian Xiao onto the sofa and said calmly, "Yun Jin, Qian Xiao is about to embark on the path of cultivation. Why don't you spar with him a bit? Just make sure you leave him breathing."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea…" Yun Jin mumbled. "I'm afraid I might actually kill him." A Golden Core Realm expert sparring with a normal person? I could probably finish him with a single puff of breath.

"You're right, that's no good. In that case, you and I can spar instead."

WHOOSH!

Yun Jin shot to her feet, her pretty face souring. Spar with The Supreme Emperor? A hundred lives wouldn't be enough! The young girl cast a pitiful glance at Qian Xiao. Don't blame your big sister for being cruel in a minute. It's The Supreme Emperor who's making me do it!

"No! I don't want to! Big Sis, save me!" Realizing what was about to happen, Qian Xiao screamed and lunged toward Xu Yiyi, only to be kicked to the ground by Beibei. Yun Jin then grabbed him by the ankles and dragged him into the backyard.

No matter how hard he clung to the floor, it was useless. What followed were echoing howls of agony.

"Xu Lai, why are you making the children fight!" Ruan Tang cried, unable to watch any longer.

"It's not fighting," Xu Lai snorted. "I'm helping Qian Xiao build his foundation. He wants to pursue our daughter? Fine. But he needs to at least reach the Quasi-Emperor realm first."

"Oh, come off it. You're talking nonsense again." Ruan Tang gently patted Xu Lai on the back. "I'm going to the mall to buy some gifts. The New Year is coming up."

"Your company employees all get New Year's gifts. Do I get a special one?" Xu Lai looked straight at her, placing heavy emphasis on the word "special."

Ruan Tang's heart skipped a beat. Pretending not to understand the subtext in his words, she nonchalantly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and replied, "Yes, I got you and Yiyi new clothes for the New Year, from the inside out."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Ruan Tang said with a gentle smile. "What, is there something else you wanted, Mr. Xu?"

Xu Lai smiled back. "Nothing at all. Let's go. I'll come with you and be your porter."

"But the house…" Ruan Tang hesitated.

"Beibei's here. Don't worry."

I'm not worried about the safety of Haitang Court. Besides Beibei, the sea conch girl, there's also Little Glutton. Well, Yun Jin on her own isn't much. But what if you add a Dragon Spirit to the mix? The combined power of those two could probably wipe out all of Earth.

After a brief hesitation, Ruan Tang agreed. It had been a long time since she and Xu Lai had any time alone together. This is a good opportunity.

Xu Lai drove them to the shopping mall in the city center. "What gifts are you getting for them?" he asked casually.

"I haven't decided yet," Ruan Tang said, sounding stressed. "I know what the long-time employees like, but the new ones…"

"Then why not just ask them?" Xu Lai immediately took out his phone and called Taotie.

"Hey, what are you doing? He's at the movies with Xiao Liu!" Ruan Tang said anxiously, knowing full well that Liu Wan and Taotie had a movie date today.

However, the call had already connected. Taotie's relieved voice came through the line, "The Supreme Emperor, what can I do for you?"

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