On this end, Xu Fan hung up the phone and contentedly began eating with his adorable daughter.
Having undergone Washing Marrow and Cutting Hair, Xu Fan had successfully condensed his Qi Sea, and now he didn't need to eat the food of the mortal world at all. He just needed to absorb Spiritual Energy to meet his body's needs.
So at the dining table, he mostly watched, and Tongtong ate.
However, Tongtong was also very considerate of her daddy, delicately offering him food with her little hands and then adorably saying, "Daddy, eat."
Xu Fan couldn't resist his sweet baby's charm and had to take a symbolic bite after which he shook his head, took a deep breath, and exaggeratedly exclaimed, "Wow, that's delicious."
Seeing her dad enjoy the meal so much, Tongtong also happily laughed.
Breakfast passed amidst Xu Fan and Tongtong's playful banter.
After eating, Xu Fan cleaned up the tableware in a whirlwind-like fashion, moving so fast that his arms left trails in the air, making him look like Nezha with many arms.
Tongtong excitedly clapped her hands in approval, "Daddy is so amazing, Daddy is so cool."
Xu Fan blinked and said, "Of course, who else could be your daddy?"
"Exactly, Tongtong's daddy is Tongtong's superhero, who can always protect Tongtong," Tongtong said with a beaming smile.
Efficiently tossing the utensils into the German-imported dishwasher, Xu Fan flashed next to Tongtong and scooped her up into his arms.
"Daddy will always be Tongtong's superhero; nobody can take Tongtong away," Xu Fan declared firmly.
"Right, Tongtong wants to live with Daddy forever." Tongtong waved her little hand and then planted a kiss on Xu Fan's face.
"My precious daughter, Daddy just loves you to death," Xu Fan gently kissed Tongtong's lovely little face, his eyes full of adoration.
"Daddy, Tongtong wants to be lifted up high," Tongtong squirmed in Xu Fan's arms.
"Alright, watch Daddy lift Tongtong up high," Xu Fan agreed and carried her to the first floor of the villa.
The ceiling height of the first floor was close to 4 meters. Xu Fan stood on the floor and easily leaped almost two meters high.
With Xu Fan's current physical condition, an effortless jump from him would break all the world records held by Olympic champions.
After leaping, Xu Fan raised his arms and lifted Tongtong up in front of his face.
The current height was close to the 4-meter-high ceiling of the floor.
In front of Tongtong hung the room's sparkling crystal chandelier.
"Tongtong can fly." Tongtong waved her little hands in the air, shouting excitedly, not scared at all.
Even though Xu Fan's leap had raised Tongtong very high, she wasn't afraid. As long as she was in Xu Fan's arms, Tongtong felt a warm strength all over her body. No matter the danger, it felt like a gentle breeze brushing past her, without a trace of worry because Daddy's chest could shield her from all risk.
Xu Fan's feet landed steadily on the ground, making hardly a sound.
This was a fine example of superb control over one's power, to initiate and halt movements at will, down to the tiniest detail—a body remodeled through Marrow Cleansing and body strengthening was just that powerful.
Xu Fan, playing with Tongtong, bounced around inside the house, genuinely giving Little Tongtong the thrill of bungee jumping, as her excited, milk-like giggles echoed endlessly within.
The phone Xu Fan had left in the dining room began making its *drip drip* noises again.
"Damn it, what's with Xu Yixue and her endless calls? Didn't I already give her the address?" Xu Fan thought it was Xu Yixue calling again, and since he was busy playing with Tongtong, he didn't bother to answer.
However, the caller was extremely patient, repeatedly calling one time after another, with the phone ringing incessantly.
"Seriously, I'm done," Xu Fan sighed to himself, seeing that Tongtong had also had her fair share of fun, so he leaped onto the staircase and quickly made his way to the dining area to grab the endlessly ringing phone.
Looking closer, Xu Fan noticed the incoming call wasn't from Xu Yixue, but from Lu Chennong, whom he had met yesterday at the amusement park.
He had only arranged for him to look for medicinal herbs yesterday. Could it be that he'd found them?
With a touch of curiosity, Xu Fan pressed the answer button.
"Hello, is this Xu Fan?" came the familiar voice of Lu Chennong from the phone, laced with a hint of urgency and discomfort.
"Lu Big Brother, it's me," Xu Fan answered calmly.
"Ah, I've finally reached you. I've been trying to call without success and was sweating bullets here," Lu Chennong said, bursting into a hearty laugh once he confirmed it was Xu Fan.
"Lu Big Bro, are you calling because the ingredients are ready?" Xu Fan asked, somewhat uncertain.
The list of ingredients he provided, although not extensive, included some rather rare items, especially the Jinling Grass that was over fifty years old. The whole Yan Country couldn't dig up many of those in a year. To gather all these ingredients wasn't an easy task. This batch of herbs alone was worth more than twenty million Hua Currency, and some ingredients couldn't be bought even with money. It required powerful connections to find a seller. If Lu Chennong managed to assemble everything so quickly, his capabilities must be quite extraordinary.
"Xu Fan, I asked the most reliable friend I have to use a high bid to package deal the auction's medicinal herbs. That's how we managed to be so quick. They arrived in Zhonghai by chartered flight last night, and I called you as soon as they arrived," Lu Chennong's voice held a tinge of excitement.
"Good, the ingredients have arrived, so we can start the furnace. When you've got the ingredients, come to Star of Zhonghai, Villa No. 88. That's where I'm staying," Xu Fan said to Lu Chennong.
"Alright, Star of Zhonghai, No. 88. I don't live far, so I'll be there shortly," Lu Chennong replied hurriedly and then quickly hung up.
Xu Fan didn't need to guess that Lu Chennong was probably wishing he could sprout wings and fly over at this very moment.
After hanging up, Xu Fan put Tongtong back in the dining room chair and then said to her appealingly, "Tongtong, Daddy needs to make some medicine for Uncle Lu Chennong in a bit. Is it okay if Tongtong plays by herself for a while?"
"Sure, Tongtong can watch TV," Tongtong said obediently, pointing at the 90-inch ultra-high-definition television in the living room downstairs.
"Good, Daddy will grab the remote for you," Xu Fan said as he picked up his sweet daughter and dashed downstairs.
No sooner had he found the remote and turned on the cartoon channel on the TV than Xu Fan heard a *thump thump thump* knocking on the front door.
"Did Old Lu really get here so quickly? He's not my neighbor, is he?" Xu Fan rubbed his head, walked over to the door, and turned the handle with a *click*.