My daddy is your daddy too

"What would you two like to eat?"

The clamor of Wutan City drifted in through the carved wooden windows.

In this little city bordering the Magical Beast Mountain Range, even the air carried the sweat of mercenaries and the metallic tang of their scabbards.

Yet the restaurant's second floor enjoyed a rare moment of quiet, with only the figures of two children sitting opposite each other stretched long by the sunlight.

Xiao Xun'er smiled mischievously, then leaned sideways and pressed herself against Xiao Qian.

He frowned and shifted away, but the girl stuck even tighter, like a lump of sticky candy, her warm breath brushing his ear.

The waiter remained courteous, though the furtive looks he cast at the pair always carried a trace of barely perceptible suspicion.

To him, the scene was simply too strange.

Who had ever seen two four- or five-year-olds come to a restaurant alone? And did they have any gold coins to pay? Looking at how lovely and adorable these children were, did their elders really feel safe letting them out on their own? Weren't they afraid they might run into bad people?

"You're paying for this meal. Consider it payment for carrying you earlier."

Ignoring the waiter's strange looks, Xiao Qian first shifted sideways, trying to put some distance between himself and Xiao Xun'er.

This affectionate clinging really wasn't his style at all. It was boring and troublesome.

"Don't worry. This young lady will keep you fed."

Xiao Xun'er patted her flat little chest proudly, exuding enough confidence to look every bit like a miniature adult.

The corner of Xiao Qian's mouth twitched. Then he turned to the waiter and waved a hand, declaring imperiously, "Cook all the tier-one magical beast ingredients you have today. I want everything."

The waiter's expression changed instantly. This time, he looked at Xiao Qian as though he were a little brat who had come to cause trouble.

He frowned, his tone turning somewhat stiff. "I'm sorry, but we don't sell magical beast meat dishes to anyone below Dou Zhe."

With that, he closed the menu in his hands, straightened up, and pointed toward the door. "Please go play somewhere else. Don't disrupt our business."

Smack!

Xiao Xun'er slapped a Black Card onto the table, the crisp sound ringing especially loud through the quiet restaurant.

"How about now?"

She lifted her little face, her eyes carrying an unquestionable authority.

For an instant, the waiter's face twisted. His legs went weak, and he nearly dropped to his knees.

To him, the five purple lines on that Black Card were like a Dou Wang expert suddenly appearing before his eyes, making his heart and courage tremble.

He bowed again, cold sweat pouring down his forehead like rain, his voice turning humble and deferential. "Honored young lady, we aren't trying to make things difficult. It's just that if ordinary people who have never cultivated eat tier-one magical beast meat, there's a very real chance their bodies could burst and they could die horribly..."

"You needn't concern yourself with that. Whatever happens will have nothing to do with you. If you don't dare make the decision yourself..." The innocent curve of Xiao Xun'er's lips suddenly froze, and she tapped a fingertip lightly against the Crystal Card. The sound was soft, yet it made the waiter's knees buckle. Her childlike voice, sweet and soft only moments ago, now carried a chill. "Have your proprietor come over."

As though granted a royal pardon, the waiter stumbled away toward the kitchen, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

At last, he had dumped this heaven-sized problem onto the proprietor.

Could they be a young master and young lady of the Xiao Clan?

Before long, the restaurant's potbellied proprietor came jogging over, constantly wiping the bean-sized beads of sweat from his forehead as he ran.

Yet when he saw the Xiao Clan clothing Xiao Qian and Xiao Xun'er wore, confusion filled his heart.

No matter how he looked at it, that Black Card wasn't something a small clan in a third-rate city, like the Xiao Clan, could possess.

Just who were these two children?

"Honored young master, honored young lady." The moment he reached them, he bowed and nodded, looking every inch the sycophant. "The kitchen has already begun cooking all of today's magical beast ingredients. Please wait a little while."

Meanwhile, he examined the Black Card several times. After confirming that it was indeed a genuine, highest-tier Crystal Card, he grew even more deferential, his face covered in ingratiating smiles. "Everything our honored guests order today will be on the house. I hope you both enjoy your meal."

Without waiting for either of them to respond, he backed away, still bowing.

His behavior drew sidelong looks from the other diners throughout the room. They whispered among themselves, speculating which great clan of the empire this young master and young lady belonged to, their eyes full of curiosity and awe.

"This will definitely reach the ears of the Xiao Clan's leader and elders. Aren't you going to rein it in a little?" While waiting for the food, Xiao Qian probed the mischievous little girl.

He narrowed his eyes, a hint of scrutiny in his gaze. "Gu Yuan sent you here with some other mission, didn't he?"

Xiao Xun'er hugged his arm and nestled tightly against him, her eyes blinking like two clear, sparkling gems.

"Huh? What mission? I don't know anything!" she said, blinking her big eyes with an innocent expression.

Like hell I believe you!

Xiao Qian inwardly rolled his eyes and couldn't help trying to move aside again, but there was no room left.

Squeezed together on a single bench, Xiao Qian could clearly smell the delicate fragrance on Xiao Xun'er, fresh and pleasant, like flowers blooming in spring.

There was really nothing he could do about her. Xiao Qian sighed inwardly.

"Besides, I've accepted you as my big brother, so my daddy is your daddy too. How can you call Daddy by his name?"

Xiao Xun'er spoke with a cheerful smile, seemingly oblivious to Xiao Qian's abruptly darkening expression.

"I know you certainly won't forgive Daddy for what he did to you before, but I'll help free you from your restraints. You'll have the freedom you deserve, and when that happens..."

She clapped her little hands happily, anticipation sparkling in her eyes. "There won't be any bad blood between you and Daddy anymore!"

Xiao Qian stared at her in utter shock, studying the little girl's innocent, adorable face.

Did this girl truly not understand, or was she only pretending to be innocent?

His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of the table, and he suddenly recalled Gu Yuan's eyes, seemingly gentle but concealing a sharp edge.

The sunlight outside fell on Xiao Xun'er's curled lashes, casting shadows into her eyes that made it impossible to distinguish truth from pretense.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Xiao Xun'er blinked her innocent, wide eyes, but inwardly, she gave a soft sigh.

She had known the task her daddy entrusted to her wouldn't be so easy to complete.

Though the boy before her was an Ancient Void Dragon who had yet to reach adulthood, his pride was like a towering mountain. Even if circumstances forced him to lower his head for a time, how could he easily cast aside the self-respect etched into his bones?

And besides...

A quiet composure gradually settled into Xiao Xun'er's eyes. She carefully studied the boy before her, her gaze lingering for a long time on his eyes, dark and deep as the night.

He didn't seem like a stupid dragon.

That left Xiao Xun'er in a difficult position. Could she only soften him with genuine affection?

But Daddy had warned me over and over that I absolutely, absolutely mustn't become emotionally attached to him...

"Alas."

That sigh, laden with complicated emotions far beyond a girl her age, reached Xiao Qian's ears. He couldn't help giving her another sidelong look, his curiosity growing stronger.

"Here comes the food-"

Just then, the waiters filed out in a neat line, each steadily carrying a large dish.

It was quite an impressive procession.

In the blink of an eye, the entire table was piled high with all manner of meat dishes.

Prepared through a dazzling variety of cooking methods, the magical beast meat gleamed with an irresistibly appetizing sheen.

Golden fried meat glistened with oil, fragrant seared chops sizzled, steamed meat lay wrapped in billowing heat, and rich soup quivered gently in porcelain bowls.

Dozens of cooking techniques had brought a thousand flavors out of the magical beast meat.

Rich aromas spilled from the plates and instantly filled the entire dining hall, making the diners at the other tables drool. Their mouths watered, and their eyes filled with longing.

"It smells so good!"

Xiao Xun'er's bright eyes instantly lit up like two brilliant stars.

She reacted even faster than Xiao Qian, reaching out with a little hand to snatch up her chopsticks. Her eagerness was utterly adorable, like a greedy little kitten spotting a delicious treat.

"Wait." Xiao Qian frowned and reached out to stop her. "You can eat tier-one magical beast meat too? Can you digest it?"

A golden flame flashed through the girl's eyes and vanished, like a meteor streaking across the night sky.

Then she pursed her small lips and protested playfully, "Don't underestimate me."

"Oh, so the golden emperor burning heaven flame can even help with digestion..."

Xiao Qian lowered his hand and muttered under his breath.

Then, without further hesitation, he fixed his gaze on the tableful of magical beast meat like a starving wolf pouncing on its prey. His eyes looked positively bewitched, almost taking on the shape of beast meat themselves, as though he had been possessed by a gluttonous monster.

For Xiao Qian, apart from cultivation, savoring good food was his only hobby.

He chewed great mouthfuls of magical beast meat and swiftly swallowed them. Its fragrant, satisfyingly chewy texture drove him to eat at an astonishing pace. Once he started, he simply couldn't stop.

By the time Xiao Xun'er had eaten a single piece, he had swept through an entire plate like a gale scattering clouds.

And by the time Xiao Xun'er finally managed to finish half a plate, he had already demolished half the table's magical beast meat...

"Whoa..."

Everyone in the dining hall seemed to have been struck by an immobilizing spell. They stared unblinkingly at Xiao Qian, unable to tear their eyes away.

Their gazes shifted between Xiao Qian and the tableful of empty plates, then returned again and again to his stomach, astonishment written across every face.

They simply couldn't fathom how a boy who looked no older than five or six could fit dozens of plates of magical beast meat inside himself.

Was... was that reasonable? It wasn't reasonable at all!