Max Level Return—I'll Protect That Fragile One

Upon hearing Huo Wen’an’s words, Huo Canghai felt a bit disoriented.

He asked Huo Wen’an, ”Did you drink in Siwei Town? Mistake me for Xu Xingguang?” Otherwise, why would he hug his old bones and say such cheesy things.

Saying things like, it’s so wonderful to hug you again.

”I’ve always said not to drink the fake wine in Siwei Town, but you all just ignore it...” Huo Canghai instinctively thought Huo Wen’an was drunk again, mistaking him for Xu Xingguang.

Listening to Huo Canghai’s endless complaints, Huo Wen’an thought about the aged head hung in front of a building, left to weather until it turned into bleached bones, and his heart ached.

The father of Divine Hidden Crane was always in poor health, eager to teach Divine Hidden Crane the ways of a ruler, strict and rarely showing a smile.

To Divine Hidden Crane, there was little sense of fatherly love from his father, who was more like a teacher desperately imparting all his knowledge.

For Divine Hidden Crane, fatherly love was a luxurious and unfamiliar concept.

Meanwhile, Huo Wen’an had suffered at the hands of Huo Wei and Huo Qinyou, enduring a bitter life in his early years, deprived of fatherly love in his childhood and adolescence.

In the previous life, Huo Wen’an hadn’t met Xu Xingguang, naturally missing Song Chi, and thus didn’t uncover the mystery of his identity.

As a result, until Huo Canghai was beheaded, neither of them knew they were not grandfather and grandson, but father and son.

In this life, the Mortal World restarted, Huo Wen’an successfully reunited with Xu Xingguang, and smoothly uncovered his family mystery.

Huo Wen’an found his father.

A father who loves him, only wishing for him to live well.

”Dad. I’m not drunk, I just suddenly realized Dad truly loves me, and I feel very fulfilled and happy.” For someone about to turn thirty, saying such words was inevitably awkward for Huo Wen’an.

Yet some love needs to be spoken to leave no regrets.

Upon hearing this, Huo Canghai was silent for a long time before placing his aged yet broad palm gently on Huo Wen’an’s head.

”Silly child, you’re my child, of course I love you.”

After Andariel and Xu Xingguang took the elevator upstairs, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law swiftly ran out of the room, conspiring at the corner platform to eavesdrop on the conversation in the hall.

Overhearing Huo Wen’an and Huo Canghai’s heart-to-heart, Andariel’s eyes became slightly red.

Leaning on Xu Xingguang’s shoulder, she said quietly, ”I’ve dreamed of the family reuniting, now that the three of us are really together, it feels like a dream.”

Andariel said to Xu Xingguang, ”Xingguang, pinch me.”

Xu Xingguang promptly pinched her arm.

She wore a mid-length sleeve dress, and her tender skin was pinched hard by Xu Xingguang, hurting enough to gasp.

”Sorry, I didn’t realize my grip was strong,” Xu Xingguang said apologetically, not expecting to cause Andariel pain even with controlled force.

Andariel’s cry of pain drew the attention of the two men downstairs.

Huo Wen’an immediately relinquished his grip on Huo Canghai.

Huo Canghai also swiftly withdrew his hand from Huo Wen’an’s head.

Father and son both looked toward the spiral staircase leading to the second floor with tense faces.

”Lili.”

”Xingguang.”

The father and son simultaneously let out helpless sighs.

With shared bloodline flowing through Huo Canghai and Huo Wen’an, their bodies housed the genes of decisive upper echelons and faithful lovers.

Their reactions to loved ones and others are entirely different.

Xu Xingguang and Andariel hesitantly stood up, with Xu Xingguang walking out from the corner calmly, while Andariel lagged behind, eventually standing beside Xu Xingguang.

Andariel gallantly claimed all the blame for the eavesdropping, ”Xingguang only walked me to the room, I snuck out, Xingguang came downstairs to take me back.”

Upon hearing, Xu Xingguang didn’t even lift her brows, calmly saying, ”I came down to listen to you speaking.”

Andariel glanced at Xu Xingguang, lowered her head, saying quietly, ”Fine, I came down with her.”

Huo Canghai looked helplessly at Xu Xingguang who, despite being caught eavesdropping, remained composed, reminding her, ”Your mother-in-law is a princess, raised with impeccable royal etiquette and always conducts herself best. Your arrival caused her a stir.”

Andariel frowned, unwilling to hear Huo Canghai disparage Xu Xingguang, about to explain when Xu Xingguang remarked, ”If she truly was proper, she wouldn’t have married an old man forty years her senior in her twenties.”

Huo Canghai’s face turned dark.

Andariel don’t dare to breathe.

Huo Wen’an watched quietly.

What could Huo Canghai do to Xu Xingguang?

After all, she spoke the truth.

Despite Andariel’s noble elegance with the demeanor of a grand princess, her rebellious and bold spirit is unmatched among the Y Country Royal Family’s descendants.

Huo Canghai snorted coldly, said to Huo Wen’an, ”Your taste, it seems.”

Huo Wen’an quickly said, ”I think she’s quite good, Dad, Xingguang was just speaking the truth, it’s your inability to handle it.”

Huo Canghai: ”...”

”Forget it.” Huo Canghai suddenly shouted, ”Ah Xia!”

The butler of the Pilot Mansion, Shenyin Xia, floated over like a ghost from the dark corridor. ”Old Master, Lord Captain, what are your orders?”

Huo Canghai said, ”Prepare some food, and also some wine. Tonight, our family will have a chat.”

”Alright.”

Shenyin Xia arranged dishes, fruits, and good wine under the dome pavilion at the entrance of the Pilot Mansion. Huo Canghai, with a thin blanket draped over his legs, sat together with Andariel, listening to Huo Wen’an recount their experience at the Nocturnal Palace last night.

Huo Wuyi also didn’t sleep, now weighing one hundred fifty pounds, still acted like a little baby, snuggling up to Xu Xingguang and Huo Wen’an.

It whimpered for fruit.

Huo Wen’an was in charge of recounting the story, while Xu Xingguang was responsible for feeding Huo Wuyi.

Huo Wen’an concealed his relationship with Divine Hidden Crane, and also hid Xu Xingguang’s contact with Lin Piaopiao. Only after rationalizing the whole experience did he narrate it to Huo Canghai.

After hearing the thrilling and convoluted story, Huo Canghai remained silent for a long time.

Andariel sighed, ”I really didn’t expect the Huo Family to be the true descendants of the Divine Hidden Clan.”

”According to what you said, though Divine Hidden Crane jumped into the center of the Meteorite, the Meteorite had already been hidden from the Kunze Mountain Range to the Nocturnal Palace? If this were true, then what about the No-man District in the Kunze Mountain Range?”

The Meteorite had long been moved away, why can’t the technology of the Divine Martial Realm detect the interior of the No-man District?

”Perhaps the center of the Kunze Mountain Range still contains too much toxic Meteorite gas, blocking the Divine Martial Realm’s detection.” It’s the only explanation that barely makes sense.

”Perhaps.”

The few of them conversed for a long time about the Nocturnal Palace, Divine Hidden Crane, and the Divine Martial Realm. Huo Canghai gazed at the starlit sky and suddenly chuckled coldly, ”Perhaps everything we say can be monitored by them.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Xingguang raised a middle finger towards the sky, saying, ”Then this, they can see too.”

Huo Canghai raised an eyebrow, looking at Xu Xingguang with a certain camaraderie in his eyes. ”You’re quite like me, but unfortunately, you’re not my daughter...”

Huo Wen’an quickly interrupted Huo Canghai, ”If you were her daughter, then things would be big.”

Huo Canghai was taken aback, and after processing the meaning of Huo Wen’an’s words, he also felt amused.

With the influence of alcohol, Andariel became slightly tipsy, staring blankly while holding a piece of fruit. Huo Canghai saw that Andariel was tired, and finally said, ”Let’s all get some sleep early.”

”Alright.”

*

Xu Xingguang eagerly wanted to uncover the secrets hidden within the Meteorite, but unfortunately, the technological products of the Mortal World currently couldn’t accurately and clearly analyze the elements inside the Meteorite.

Only after going to the Divine Martial Realm can they think of solutions.

Early the next morning, Xu Xingguang took Huo Wuyi for over an hour of morning exercise at the school grounds, just returning to the Pilot Mansion when Andariel came over holding a notebook.

”Your highness.” Her eyes showed slight confusion, as she asked Andariel, ”Do you have any business?”

Andariel wore a faint smile, saying, ”As your wedding is approaching, I need to know which family and friends of yours we should prepare invitation cards for and deliver to their residences.”

Huo Wen’an and Xu Xingguang’s wedding had become Andariel’s top priority.

She has always loved organizing such events, but years ago suffered a mental breakdown from the grief of losing her child, losing interest in everything. Now that her child has returned to her side and is about to start a family, she naturally is full of energy.

She decided to personally organize the children’s wedding, not relying on anyone else.

”I don’t have many relatives.” Xu Xingguang’s narrow starlit eyes held a detached indifference as she said, ”Though my grandfather is still alive, he is an old-fashioned man who believes a married daughter is like water poured out, and I don’t wish to invite him to my wedding.”

”As for my father.” She furrowed her brow, saying calmly, ”We have severed our father-daughter relationship, so there’s no need to invite him. My mother has passed away, and my senior sister is a masterful anti-social trash.”

”There’s only one person I wish to invite.”

Andariel quickly asked, ”Who?”

”You Jiaoyang.” She wiped sweat from her face with a towel, speaking casually, ”He is my half-brother.”

”Alright then, I’ll prepare an invitation card for him. On the wedding day, let him walk you down the aisle by your side, how does that sound?”

Thinking for a moment, Xu Xingguang agreed, ”That sounds good.”

”And what about friends?”

Xu Xingguang didn’t have many close friends, after pondering, she said, ”Bai Xi, Cheng Xizhou, Xiahou Huai Gui, Fang Jinsu, and Brother A Zui’s photography teacher, Director Zhen Wang. Just them.”

An image of a young face flashed in her mind.

”And there’s one more person, but I’m not sure if she will be willing to attend my wedding, I’ll have to make a phone call to check.”

”Who?” Andariel’s eyes were filled with curiosity.

”An old friend.”