Li Daoqiang smiled and nodded to Huang Xuemei before swiftly departing.
As soon as he left, Blood Saber Ancestor and the others turned their gazes to Huang Xuemei. Blood Saber Ancestor respectfully said, "Madam, shall we show you around?"
Huang Xuemei's mind was preoccupied with the thought that Li Daoqiang might be facing some trouble. Though she had some desire to stroll with Lü Lin, she suppressed it. Coldly, she said, "No need. Head to Black Dragon Stronghold."
With that, she proactively quickened her pace. Seeing this, Blood Saber Ancestor and the others had no choice but to speed up as well, heading toward Black Dragon Stronghold. Wang Lin, who knew the most and had already guessed a great deal, wanted to say something but dared not. This Madam Huang was not like Madam Qi. She was a Grandmaster-level expert, and with the Heavenly Demon Qin in hand, she was truly a top-tier powerhouse of the world. Just looking at her was intimidating. How could he, a mere Acquired Realm cultivator, dare to speak out of turn?
On the other side, Li Daoqiang flew at top speed toward He Qinghua. Soon, he reached his destination and spotted her. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before her.
He Qinghua was momentarily dazed, then saw the bastard she wished she could bite to death. Her eyes widened, fury erupting, and she opened her mouth to roar. In a flash, Li Daoqiang sealed her acupoints. He Qinghua's body went rigid, her mouth half-open, her eyes red as she glared at Li Daoqiang.
Li Daoqiang breathed a slight sigh of relief. Sure enough, reasoning with her now was impossible. Better to take her away first. He stepped forward, lifted her horizontally, and headed toward Jingzhou City. After flying over a hundred li, he stopped in a deserted spot, set He Qinghua down, and unsealed her acupoints.
"Li Daoqiang, you bastard!" Immediately, He Qinghua cursed, pulling out her whip and swinging it at him.
Li Daoqiang reached out, grabbed her wrist, and said sternly, "Have you lost your mind?"
He Qinghua glared at him without fear, her eyes growing redder but more stubborn. She sneered, "Lost my mind? Hah, weren't you here to kill me? Go ahead. If I so much as frown, I'm not He Qinghua."
"Who said I was going to kill you? Stop your nonsense." Li Daoqiang's heart softened slightly at the sight of her red eyes, which stubbornly refused to shed tears, but he still spoke irritably.
"Hah, you think I don't know what you've done?" He Qinghua roared through gritted teeth. "Impressive, really. Before all the heroes of the world, you proposed with five betrothal gifts. None of those Grandmasters dared to act, and you won the beauty. You got Huang Xuemei. Do you think I don't know what she means to me? You came here to kill me, didn't you? Go ahead."
Li Daoqiang looked at her furious state and, oddly, felt a bit pleased. Was this her way of showing she cared about him? The thought made him smile.
Seeing him smile only enraged He Qinghua further, and she struggled against his grip on her wrist.
"Enough." Li Daoqiang spoke seriously. "I want Huang Xuemei—that's my business. What does that have to do with killing you? She's my woman, and you're my woman too. How could I possibly kill you? You're just overthinking things."
He Qinghua was momentarily stunned by his brazen, matter-of-fact tone, then couldn't help but laugh in anger. "Li Daoqiang, do you even hear yourself? Huang Xuemei and I have a blood feud—she killed my parents. We're irreconcilable. It's either her or me. Only one of us can survive."
"It's fine. I have a way for you both to coexist." Li Daoqiang said calmly.
He Qinghua froze again, looking at him in confusion, then sneered in disdain. Impossible.
Li Daoqiang said lightly, "At its core, this is your fault. That's why Huang Xuemei hates you, not the other way around. The solution is simple: as long as she doesn't know you exist, problem solved, right?"
He Qinghua was stunned, then immediately understood. Her eyes widened in fury. "You want me to stay hidden forever, never to see Huang Xuemei?"
"Yes. No one knows you're my woman anyway. But not forever—when the time is right, you won't need to hide anymore." Li Daoqiang soothed.
"Impossible." He Qinghua refused outright, her face red with anger. "How is that any different from killing me? And why should I hide from her? I was here first."
"Qinghua, don't be angry. Calm down." Li Daoqiang said firmly, then calmly continued, "Yes, you were first, but this is your fault. And if you ask why, I'll tell you." He paused, then said solemnly, "The palm and the back of the hand are both flesh—I treat you both equally. But she's a Grandmaster, and you're an Innate Realm cultivator. You can't beat her. If I'm impartial, you're no match for her, so of course you have to yield."
He Qinghua was dumbfounded, staring at Li Daoqiang. She never expected this bastard to answer like that.
"Hah." Suddenly, He Qinghua laughed bitterly, breathing heavily as she glared coldly at him.
Li Daoqiang met her gaze openly and said earnestly, "Qinghua, don't be angry. Think about it—if I really favored Huang Xuemei, I'd have handed you over to her. I'm being fair and just, not taking sides. But you can't beat her yourself—what can I do? And honestly, I'm leaning a bit toward you, since I'm helping you avoid Xuemei so she doesn't attack you. Instead of getting angry, Qinghua, what you should do now is focus on your cultivation."
He Qinghua's expression remained cold as she stared at him, but she grew noticeably quieter. After a moment, she sneered, "So I should thank you, then?"
"Qinghua, the weak are prey to the strong—that's the truth of the world, and you've always believed it. You should see this clearly. If you're weak, you yield. If you're strong, then Xuemei would yield to you." Li Daoqiang said frankly.
"Hah, Li Daoqiang, I knew you were a bastard, but I never imagined you could be this much of one." He Qinghua sneered, seeming calmer now, less agitated than before.
Li Daoqiang didn't mind her cursing him like this. Let her curse—it didn't hurt. And from her demeanor, he could tell she was already swayed. This was why he was confident he could convince her. He Qinghua's personality was different from Huang Xuemei's. Though proud, she believed more in the law of the jungle. Using that as a breakthrough would leave her speechless. Her pride would also drive her to cultivate hard and surpass Huang Xuemei, rather than openly clashing with her. In short, He Qinghua was a seasoned veteran of the martial world—more pragmatic, more cautious, knowing when to bow her head. Even her anger was temporary. Once she calmed down, she'd choose reality. Huang Xuemei was different. He wasn't sure he could convince her.
"Qinghua, no matter what you think, I'm doing this for your own good. Rest assured, once you break through to Grandmaster, I won't make you hide anymore." Li Daoqiang reassured her.
He Qinghua shot him a glare, then closed her eyes and fell silent. Li Daoqiang didn't disturb her, letting her think it through and face reality.
After a long while, He Qinghua gritted her teeth and said, "Fine. I'll avoid Huang Xuemei for now. But once I reach Grandmaster, I won't hide anymore."
"Mm." Li Daoqiang nodded solemnly in agreement.
He Qinghua gave him a few cold looks. Li Daoqiang remained unruffled, facing her calmly.
"Hmph." With another gnashing of teeth, He Qinghua turned and left.
"Remember, no matter where you go, don't draw too much attention." Li Daoqiang called after her.
He Qinghua ignored him and quickly disappeared.
Li Daoqiang didn't mind, breathing a sigh of relief. The matter was temporarily resolved. With his help covering for her, Huang Xuemei wouldn't find He Qinghua. As for when He Qinghua would break through to Grandmaster—that was anyone's guess. The Grandmaster realm wasn't so easily reached.
With this settled, Li Daoqiang couldn't help but smile. He mused inwardly that between men and women, relationships based on feelings were troublesome—they put you at a disadvantage. Better to base things on interests, so everything could be said openly. That was how it was with He Qinghua. They'd come together through a transaction, so nothing was off-limits. He could speak with confidence. If it were based on feelings, even he would feel guilty and lose ground from the start. It was the same with Huang Xuemei—they'd come together through a transaction. But Huang Xuemei was too rigid and too strong, so he had to be gentler and more tactful. Of course, since it was a transaction, he wouldn't back down on certain things and could be very straightforward—like with Qi Fang's matter, which he didn't need to hide at all.
Back at Black Dragon Stronghold, Huang Xuemei and the others had already arrived and were being hosted by Ding Dian. When Li Daoqiang appeared, after the formalities, he announced with a smile, "Today, several brothers are joining our Black Dragon Stronghold—a joyous occasion. And I'm marrying Xuemei as my wife—an even greater joy. Spread the word: in three days, the wedding feast will be held here at the stronghold. The whole stronghold will celebrate."
"Yes." Everyone responded.
After giving a few more orders and dismissing the crowd, Li Daoqiang led Huang Xuemei toward Qi Fang's courtyard. As they walked, he said, "Xuemei, I'll take you to meet Qi Fang. Xiao Fang has a kind heart—I'm sure you'll get along well. Just treat her like a younger sister."
His tone was completely open, without a hint of awkwardness.
Huang Xuemei stiffened, a wave of displeasure rising, but she suppressed it. She wanted to refuse but didn't want to lose face. She snorted inwardly, then couldn't help asking, "How many more are you going to marry?"
Li Daoqiang smiled, unconcerned, and said calmly, "Xuemei, you know me. My greatest hobbies are greed for wealth and lust. As for that... I don't know."
"You—" Huang Xuemei was furious, glaring coldly at him.
Li Daoqiang acted as if he hadn't noticed. This was a matter of principle—he couldn't back down. He wasn't afraid of her anger. She was already his—what good would anger do? And this wasn't a principle she couldn't tolerate. If they'd come together through feelings, she might have walked away. But since they hadn't, she'd have to endure.
(I really had no preparation beforehand, so there are only these three chapters for now. The rest will be posted during the day. Please subscribe.)