Invincible Dad-Chapter 656 I like you so much!_1

It was no wonder the Heavenly Dao refused to believe it. Jing Ke had searched around the Earth for thousands of years, and even Sikong Jiu himself had secretly looked for it, but neither of them had found the slightest clue. How long had Xu Lai been on Earth? A year? Half a year? And yet, he was claiming the key was in his hands. Sikong Jiu felt his heart race, reeling from the immense shock. In his mind, this ninth key should have been found by him.

CLANG.

Xu Lai tossed the No Righteous Sword. Three inches of its blade sank into the ground, its body swallowing the Heavenly Dao’s gaze like an abyss. It was densely covered with rust that looked like written characters, as if it had just been picked up from an abandoned construction site. That was the Cloud Water Rust.

"This sword is... the No Righteous Sword? It’s actually the key!"

The Heavenly Dao, Sikong Jiu, recognized the sword at a glance. Amidst his shock, he wanted nothing more than to slap himself a few times. He had long taken notice of this sword, which had been sealed in the Penglai Sword Tomb. At that time, it only had a hilt; the blade was reforged onto it later. Back then, he had never sensed anything peculiar about it, even deeming it unworthy of his attention.

Now that the blade and hilt were one, a palpable sense of ancient history washed over him, almost causing Sikong Jiu to slip into memories from a hundred eons ago.

He extended his small, fair-skinned hand, wanting to touch the key. But just as he was about to make contact with the No Righteous Sword, he thought of something and instantly snatched his hand back.

This small detail made Xu Lai’s eyes flicker.

Sikong Jiu also realized that his previous action had been somewhat improper. He chuckled awkwardly, changing the subject and showering Xu Lai with a torrent of flattery. He called him the greatest man in all of history, one blessed with immense fortune, the chosen one—otherwise, how could he possibly have found the key?

Xu Lai didn’t interrupt, listening with a smile as Sikong Jiu sang his praises. This went on for an hour. One had to admit, the Heavenly Dao was a true talent, managing to praise Xu Lai in a myriad of ways for an entire hour without repeating himself once. After that hour, he continued for another.

By then, Sikong Jiu had finally run out of words. He was no longer fluent, instead stuttering as he looked at Xu Lai in desperation, hoping the Supreme Emperor would take the initiative to end the awkward conversation.

"Would you like a drink?" Xu Lai asked with a smile, lifting his teacup.

Sikong Jiu nodded vigorously, secretly swallowing his saliva. He recognized the scent of the tea leaves plucked from the Hongmeng Tea Tree. This was the sacred tree of the tea arts; a single leaf was enough to stir up a bloody storm in the Immortal Domain.

"First, tell me about the origin of this sword," Xu Lai said with a nod.

"This..." After much hesitation, Sikong Jiu whispered, "Supreme Emperor, I’ve lost my memory before. There are many things I don’t recall." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"I’ll give you another Hongmeng Tea Leaf."

"Supreme Emperor, I’ve lost my memory."

"Two."

"Supreme Emperor, it’s not about the tea leaves, it’s..."

"Five."

"Supreme Emperor, I remember now!" Sikong Jiu suddenly grew animated. "Look at this brain of mine! How did I suddenly remember?"

With a faint, unreadable smile, Xu Lai waved his hand, and the teacup floated in front of the Heavenly Dao.

Sikong Jiu chuckled awkwardly. He really had lost his memory, but the aroma of five Hongmeng Tea Leaves was simply too enticing, so much so that it instantly brought back a sealed fragment of his past.

Taking the teacup, he had a sip to moisten his throat, then sighed deeply. "Supreme Emperor, I don’t actually remember that much, but this sword... it has existed for more than one samsara."

One samsara was one hundred eons.

"With each samsara, new Cloud Water Rust appears on the No Righteous Sword. Engraved within is..." Sikong Jiu paused, as if pondering how to describe it more accurately.

"The Immortal Scripture," Xu Lai stated calmly.

TSK.

Sikong Jiu actually snickered, looking at Xu Lai with disdain. "That’s such an old cliché... uh, uh, uh."

Seeing Xu Lai’s faint, unreadable smile, the Heavenly Dao panicked and instantly slapped himself across the face.

Sikong Jiu, oh Sikong Jiu, he berated himself. What are you getting so full of yourself for? The man sitting in front of you is the Lord of the Immortal Domain!

Sitting on the sofa, Sikong Jiu’s posture was no longer relaxed; he sat up exceptionally straight. "Supreme Emperor, the Cloud Water Rust has never been the Immortal Scripture. It’s only because no one has ever been able to thoroughly study it that, over time, it came to be called the Immortal Scripture."

"No one has ever?" Xu Lai stared straight at the Heavenly Dao.

"Yes." Sikong Jiu felt his scalp tingle under that gaze. He lowered his head, not daring to look directly into those starry, profound eyes, and repeated in a very solemn tone, "No one has ever."

"..."

Xu Lai was silent for a long time. He, too, had been unable to see through the Cloud Water Rust. It was his wife, Ruan Tang, who had recorded thirty-six characters from that golden glow, which had allowed him to decipher the one hundred names recorded in the first character.

"But this sword has a very ancient origin. You must take good care of it, Supreme Emperor." After much hesitation, the Heavenly Dao spoke carefully, "I don’t know the sword’s exact special abilities, but in terms of sheer durability alone, it’s comparable to an Emperor Artifact."

"Oh?" Xu Lai was somewhat surprised. He had never used this sword before and was truly unfamiliar with this aspect of it.

He flicked his finger against it.

A blow that could shatter a Quasi-Emperor Artifact couldn’t even leave the slightest mark on the blade.

Sikong Jiu went on to mention a few more things, but they were mostly trivial information. Xu Lai didn’t press for more details. He waved his hand dismissively, and the Heavenly Dao left joyfully, cradling five Hongmeng Tea Leaves.

「Five o’clock in the afternoon.」

Xu Lai arrived at the kindergarten on time to pick up his daughter. Yiyi was very well-behaved, standing at the entrance and waving goodbye to Qian Xiao and their teacher, Miao Momo.

Qian Xiao, however, seemed to be in low spirits. His smile was clearly forced, and he looked utterly defeated, as if crushed by the burdens of life. Clutching a piece of rainbow candy tightly in his hand, Qian Xiao didn’t take a single bite. Instead, he sat on a swing, staring blankly at the faint crescent moon starting to appear in the sky.

As a teacher at the kindergarten, Miao Momo was responsible for the daily well-being of the thirty children, and she was especially concerned about Qian Xiao. Teacher Miao knew that his parents were always busy, and the little boy endured a loneliness that no child his age should have to bear.

The sentimental Miao Momo’s eyes began to redden. I should comfort him, she resolved. She quietly walked up behind Qian Xiao, her heart aching as she looked at his lonely, small figure. Although Qian Xiao was sometimes infuriating, he was still just a child at a sensitive and vulnerable age, one who needed proper guidance and comfort.

Just as Miao Momo was about to reach out and place a hand on Qian Xiao’s shoulder to comfort the boy, she heard him suddenly let out a long sigh.

"If I were sixteen, I’d stand under your apartment building and shout that I like you."

"Hm?"

Miao Momo froze, her hand hovering in mid-air.

Lost in his own world, Qian Xiao was clearly oblivious to her presence behind him. He continued, "If I were twenty-six, I would hold you close and whisper in your ear that I love you. But I’m only six years old. I can’t give you anything, and I have to go back to kindergarten tomorrow."

He clutched his chest in anguish, his voice choked with emotion as he sobbed, "Big Sister, I like you so much, WAAAH!"