Invincible Dad

My name is Xu Lai_1

Just as killing intent began to stir in Xu Lai's heart, an angry voice erupted. "You little bitch, where do you think you're running off to!"

Everyone in the banquet hall looked over to see a little girl, about five or six years old, stumble and fall onto the red carpet. Her face, as delicate as a porcelain doll's, was pretty and cute. She wore patched-up clothes, and her large eyes were misty with tears and panic.

Her small hands nervously clutched her sleeves as she sobbed, "I… I want to find my mommy. I miss her."

"You're courting death!" the speaker, a security guard with a fierce expression, sneered. "Get back where you belong, or I'll throw you in the little dark room."

The little dark room.

The words made the little girl's frail body shudder. She didn't even dare to let out a sob.

The guard grunted in satisfaction. "At least you know what's good for you. Xu Yiyi, you'd better—"

But before he could finish, the little girl named Xu Yiyi scrambled to her feet and started running on her short legs.

She was just too little. How could she possibly outrun a grown man?

The guard was startled for a moment, but once he recovered, it took him only three steps to nearly catch her.

Despair filled Xu Yiyi's heart. She had waited a full three months just for this one chance to escape. Was she going to be caught and dragged back like all the other times? Locked away in that lightless little dark room again?

THUD!

Distracted, the little girl wasn't paying attention and crashed right into Xu Lai's arms.

"Sir! Thank you for helping me catch this little bitch. She's a servant of the Ye Family who doesn't know her place. I apologize for the disturbance," the security guard said respectfully.

Xu Lai ignored the guard, his eyes fixed on the little girl in his embrace.

The connection he felt, thicker than blood, made him want to roar to the heavens.

He, The Supreme Emperor Xu Lai, had finally found his precious daughter!

Suppressing the overwhelming excitement in his heart, Xu Lai asked, his voice trembling, "Your surname is Xu?"

Frantic, Xu Yiyi clutched Xu Lai's sleeve and pleaded pitifully, "Uncle, please save me. I want to find my mommy…"

Xu Lai gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled. "Okay, Daddy will take you to her."

"You're not my daddy. Mommy said my daddy went far, far away and that he'll come back when Yiyi is all grown up."

Xu Yiyi lifted her small face and said angrily, "You're a bad person, too! You're trying to trick me so you can drink my blood!"

Blood! That so-called pride of the Ye Family… they dared to drink his daughter's blood!

A murderous rage surged within Xu Lai.

Suddenly, in every corner of Earth, whether day or night, the sky was blotted out by dark clouds. A terrifying, world-ending aura permeated the atmosphere. Even the Heavenly Dao born of Earth itself trembled on the verge of collapse.

"Sir, please hand this little bitch over to me." The burly guard's tone grew impatient. Is this man deaf? He's pretending not to hear me.

Xu Lai laughed, a sound cold with fury. "What did you just call my daughter?"

"Little bitch."

The guard blurted it out instinctively. The instant the words left his mouth, his body exploded into a fine mist of blood.

The scene was unbelievably gory.

However, Xu Lai had already scooped Xu Yiyi up and covered her eyes.

"Yiyi, don't be afraid," he said softly. "Daddy's here. From this day forward, no one will ever be able to harm a single hair on your head."

Xu Yiyi sniffed at Xu Lai. He had a nice smell, one that made her feel as safe and cherished as when she was with her mother.

In a tiny voice, the little girl asked, "Are… are you really Yiyi's daddy?"

"Of course," Xu Lai said, lowering his hand from her eyes.

Xu Yiyi opened her eyes and gazed into his for a long time. The suspicion in her eyes faded, replaced by pure joy. After that long look, she was certain. This was her daddy!

Her eyes immediately welled up. She threw her arms around Xu Lai's neck and cried out plaintively, "Daddy!"

"Yes, I'm here, I'm here!"

Xu Lai grinned from ear to ear; he was just so happy and so excited.

"AH!"

"Someone's dead!"

The banquet hall erupted in screams. The security guard had suddenly exploded into a mist of blood, causing the socialites who had been watching the spectacle to turn pale. Many of the women covered their mouths and began to retch.

"Who dares cause trouble at my Ye Family's estate!"

A clear, cold voice cut through the air, interrupting the father-daughter reunion.

The newcomer was a stunningly beautiful young woman in a red evening gown. She wore a composed smile and was followed by more than a dozen security guards.

"That's Ye Wanqing!"

"She's Ye Wuxuan's older sister, the fiancée of the Jiang Family's eldest young master from Yanjing, the hostess of this banquet, and the foremost of Hangcheng's three great beauties!"

The crowd murmured in recognition and awe. Ye Wanqing's reputation was simply too formidable.

Years ago, while her younger brother Ye Wuxuan was still a nobody, it was the outwardly gentle but inwardly venomous Ye Wanqing who had used countless plots and schemes to elevate the Ye Family's status in Hangcheng. It was even rumored that Ye Wuxuan's ability to begin his Cultivation and become a superior Martial Artist was all thanks to her machinations.

Ruthless, domineering, and venomous as a viper—this was the unanimous consensus on Ye Wanqing among the heads of Hangcheng's great Wealthy Families.

"Yiyi." Ye Wanqing's smile was gentle as she held out her hands. "Come to Auntie Qing. You shouldn't be with strangers, okay?"

"No…" Xu Yiyi shook her head so hard it looked like it might fall off.

She tightened her grip on Xu Lai's neck and said fearfully, "Daddy, let's run! Auntie Qing is going to use needles on me to draw my blood again!"

Xu Lai fell silent.

So, this was the woman behind it all.

His gaze locked onto her, and he spoke, each word dripping with ice. "Have you decided how you want to die?"

The banquet hall fell into a deathly silence. Every guest wondered if they had heard him correctly. Even Ye Wanqing was momentarily stunned.

She scrutinized Xu Lai, her brow furrowing slightly. "And who are you? I personally wrote every invitation to the Ye Family's banquet. I don't recall sending one to you."

"My name is Xu Lai. Yiyi's father."

"Oh." Ye Wanqing tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her smile fading. "So you're the one. The one who disappeared five years ago without a word, leaving Yiyi's mother, Ruan Tang, to give birth to her alone amidst a storm of ridicule and condemnation?"

"It was me," Xu Lai confirmed without denial or explanation. It was true. Five years ago, he had engaged in a consensual relationship with a woman from Earth. Afterward, he had returned to his palace and meditated for five years straight. He had not once extended his Divine Sense during that time; otherwise, he would have come to Earth much sooner.

"Ruan Tang giving birth out of wedlock was a disgrace to the Ruan Family. It was I—Ye Wanqing!—who stepped forward in her time of crisis and offered to adopt Yiyi." Ye Wanqing lifted her chin, her gaze condescending. "You, on the other hand, have never fulfilled your duties as a father. What business do you have at my Ye Family's home today?"

"I've come to take my daughter home," Xu Lai stated calmly.

"Yiyi may have the surname Xu, but I have raised her as my own. She is now a member of the Ye Family, and I will not permit anyone to take her away!" Ye Wanqing's voice was frigid, completely devoid of warmth. "Security! Break this man's legs and throw him out of the Ye Family estate!"

The guests gasped.

"He's done for. Miss Ye is angry. There'll be another nameless corpse by the river tonight."

"He could have provoked anyone, but he chose Ye Wanqing. She's one of the last people in Hangcheng you should ever cross."

Sighs of pity filled the hall. Nearly everyone looked at Xu Lai with compassion. No one believed this unknown man stood a chance against the Ye Family.

In Hangcheng, the Ye Family was like the emperor—their position was unshakeable.