Invincible Dad-Chapter 588 Ponytail_1

Second Senior Brother stammered for a long time but couldn't complete his sentence. Behind him stood another man: Xu Lai's Third Senior Brother, Qing Chunqiu.

Third Senior Brother also kept waving his hand. "Qingfeng, come here quickly."

After becoming an Emperor, Xu Lai hadn't dreamed in a long time, let alone dreamed of his master and two senior brothers.

In the dream, he forgot his identity, forgot everything, and ran quickly towards his two senior brothers. Xu Lai didn't know why, but he desperately wanted to hug them, to talk to them.

He just ran and ran for a very long time.

Even though they were less than a hundred meters apart, no matter how much he ran, Xu Lai couldn't reach them. Instead, the distance between them grew, so far that their figures gradually became indistinct.

"Senior Brothers!"

Xu Lai shouted anxiously. He stretched out his hand, trying to grab onto something, but grasped only air.

The scene around him changed.

Xu Lai was still immersed in the sorrow of not catching up to his senior brothers when he heard a stern voice.

"Qingfeng, can you see your senior brothers?"

"..."

Xu Lai's body stiffened, and he slowly turned his head.

In his line of sight was a somewhat gaunt silhouette, a sight that made Xu Lai's mind explode. His eyes gradually reddened, and he began to smile silently, but the smile was uglier than crying.

Xu Lai finally understood why he couldn't catch up to his senior brothers.

Because this was a dream.

Xu Lai remembered everything. He remembered that his senior brothers and master had passed away one by one over the past hundred thousand years, a memory that caused him such heartache he could barely breathe.

THUD.

Xu Lai knelt on the ground. Staring at the silhouette, he choked out, "Master, I've finally seen you again."

Xu Lai didn't dare to look away, fearing his master would disappear in the blink of an eye. With no outsiders to interfere, everything in a dream was random and beyond control. All changes were simply the workings of the subconscious. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Xu Lai's dream was very simple. He was on the back mountain of his Sect, a place covered with plum trees. A hazy white fog surrounded him, creating a small, isolated world. Even the stars in the sky were a blur.

"Qingfeng, how big do you think this world is?"

His master stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Without turning around or even turning his head, he just gazed up at the obscure stars.

"There are the Four Immortal Domains and countless star systems. The world is immeasurably vast."

Although emotionally unstable, Xu Lai still respectfully answered his master's question, even in the dream.

"Yes, it's enormous... limitlessly vast."

Yu Shouzong slowly turned around.

Before Xu Lai could clearly see his master's face, the surrounding white fog instantly engulfed him. He let out a tearing scream, "No!"

"Get out... survive and get out..."

From within the mist came the blurred voice of his master.

Xu Lai got to his feet, wanting to rush into the mist to grasp his master's gradually fading form, but he grasped only empty air.

HUFF!

「In Haitang Court.」

Xu Lai suddenly sat up from the sofa, instinctively reaching forward and calling out anxiously, "Master!"

A muffled groan came from in front of him.

Ruan Tang, holding a wet towel, asked in pain, "Xu Lai, did you have a nightmare?"

Xu Lai then realized it was eight o'clock in the morning. A full half-hour had passed since he'd lain down on the sofa. And he was forcefully grabbing Ruan Tang's arm.

Xu Lai quickly let go, apologizing, "Honey, I'm sorry."

"I woke up and came downstairs. I saw you were covered in sweat and thought I'd wipe it off for you. Did I startle you awake?" Ruan Tang asked, feeling a little guilty.

"No." Xu Lai shook his head. "I just had a very strange dream. I dreamed about my master and my two senior brothers."

Ruan Tang didn't ask for details, gently wiping the sweat from Xu Lai's brow. "Have you been up all night researching those characters again?"

"Yes." Xu Lai said, nursing a headache. "It's incredibly difficult. It requires a massive amount of mental energy to decipher them. This second character alone will probably take me half a year to crack."

And half a year was just his conservative estimate. If the research went poorly, it could easily take a century.

"Let me help you," Ruan Tang said earnestly, staring into Xu Lai's eyes.

"...You can understand them?" Xu Lai looked at Ruan Tang intently.

He still hadn't gotten over the shock from a few nights ago when she'd managed to record all the Cloud Water Rust Characters. After all, Ruan Tang had effortlessly accomplished something that even he and Divine General Taotie of the Quasi-Emperor's Fifth Heaven could not.

"I don't understand." Ruan Tang shook her head.

She pinched Xu Lai's cheek gently. "But I'll do my best to learn. I can't bear to watch you run yourself ragged day and night."

Ruan Tang lowered her head and whispered into Xu Lai's ear, "My heart aches for you."

Xu Lai's ear tickled, and he felt immensely touched.

Ruan Tang then said, "You know, I had a dream yesterday, too."

"What did you dream about?" Xu Lai asked with interest. "Was I in it?"

"I dreamed that a certain someone was so worn out they had to hold onto the wall to walk, all while begging me for mercy."

"..."

"Dreams are the opposite of reality," Xu Lai said seriously. "When have you ever not been the one begging for mercy?"

"Daddy, why is Mommy begging for mercy?" Yiyi sat on the steps of the staircase, blinking her big, innocent eyes.

She had been there the whole time, but Xu Lai hadn't noticed her when he first woke up.

"Little kids don't need to understand," Xu Lai waved his hand.

Yiyi made a face and stuck out her tongue. "Bleh! Daddy, I'm not a three-year-old anymore! I'm a big girl now, so I can understand!"

Xu Lai couldn't help but chuckle.

He said, "Being an adult isn't just about saying so. You need to have responsibility and commitment. Do you understand?"

Yiyi pondered for a long time, then honestly shook her head. "Not really."

"You'll understand when you're older. I'm going to make you two breakfast."

Xu Lai got up. He ruffled his precious daughter's hair, ignoring her pouty expression, and headed for the kitchen.

"Come here, Mommy will redo your hair." Ruan Tang gave Xu Lai a reproachful look. "I spent a long time on her ponytail, and you messed it up just like that."

Suddenly, Xu Lai poked his head out from the kitchen and suggested seriously, "Honey, you'd look great in a ponytail. You should wear one, too."

"Really?"

"Yes, it'd be very convenient when we have meetings."

WHUMP!

Ruan Tang's face flushed. She grabbed a cushion from the sofa and threw it at him. "You shut up!"

「After breakfast.」

Xu Lai's family of three left the house in high spirits.

Meanwhile, Ruan Lan, who had suffered all night, finally emerged from her sealed room. Clutching her stomach and leaning on the wall for support, she cautiously made her way to the bathroom. Each step was a monumental challenge.

「Half an hour later.」

Ruan Lan shut the bathroom door and let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, much better. I almost didn't make it."

Biting down on her canine, she muttered with a mix of shame and vexation, "That rotten brother-in-law... he almost ruined my pristine reputation forever!"

As she was grumbling, her phone vibrated. Ruan Lan answered it.

"Daoist Ruan, this is Xu Wandao. Is tonight a good time to go to Chang'an City to set up the Formation? If it is, I can make the arrangements immediately."