Sure enough, although Huang Xuemei radiated coldness and stared intently at Li Daoqiang, she didn't flare up. She just stopped in her tracks.
Li Daoqiang blinked, halted as well, turned to Huang Xuemei, and said softly, "Xuemei, don't be angry. You have to trust me. Even if I'm lustful, I'm different with you."
He took her smooth, soft hand, his tone growing firmer and gentler: "You're the only one I can truly rely on, the one who can walk with me all the way. With you here, I don't feel lonely."
"Hmph." Huang Xuemei turned her head away with a cold snort, clearly unconvinced. It was obvious that Li Daoqiang's earlier words had angered her. Hearing this now, she wouldn't easily believe it.
"Xuemei, whether you believe it or not, that's how I feel. In my heart, you're the one closest to me," Li Daoqiang said seriously.
Huang Xuemei remained silent, her face cold.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. I promise you, I'll love you forever." Li Daoqiang reached out to hug her.
Huang Xuemei dodged, shooting him a glare.
Li Daoqiang knew she minded the public setting, smiled nonchalantly, and said firmly, "Let's go see Xiaofang. I guarantee you'll like her once you meet her."
With that, he took the displeased Huang Xuemei's hand and led her forward, inwardly feeling more and more relieved.
He resolved to keep this up in the future: no feelings first, just transactions. Start with a transaction, come together, then add a bit of emotion. Otherwise, with women like Huang Xuemei or He Qinghua, trying to build a harem would be suicide.
He also deeply understood a past doubt: why didn't those powerful men take multiple outstanding wives? Was it because they weren't lustful? Impossible. Even if not, in a world where men could have multiple wives and concubines, rising in status and strength would naturally lead to taking more wives and having more children. Exceptional people attract each other; if you can have the best, you would. The reason they didn't wasn't that they didn't want to—it was that they dared not, couldn't. At most, they'd take an unremarkable concubine. Otherwise, having two equally outstanding women together was impossible unless the man was exceptional enough. Otherwise, it would be chaos at home.
This wasn't just about being cold or not. Between men and women, it's like a scale. For a man to enjoy multiple beauties, his weight must outweigh the combined weight of the women—and by a significant margin, or there'd be endless quarrels. This held true everywhere, anytime. It was the most fundamental truth. Beyond that, emotional entanglements, interests, and countless other complications were a headache. With difficult personalities, it was even worse.
In short, outstanding women weren't easy to marry. Enjoying multiple such women was even harder. Starting with a transaction undoubtedly saved Li Daoqiang a lot of trouble, letting him stick to the basic truth of the scale. As long as his weight exceeded the women's combined weight, he could keep control.
Having gained Huang Xuemei, Li Daoqiang truly understood this more and more. He even wondered: with his current strength, influence, and status, could he handle two more women at Huang Xuemei's level? No, just one more felt unstable, threatening his position. So, he couldn't just pick women randomly. This idea struck him for the first time. You eat according to your capacity. He increasingly felt the old saying was right.
As he led Huang Xuemei forward, Li Daoqiang began planning inwardly. In the future, he couldn't just indiscriminately pursue women. Of course, women at Huang Xuemei's level were rare in the world. Even if he wasn't ready to handle them, if he encountered one, it was better to strike first—get them in hand first.
Thinking this, they arrived at Qi Fang's small courtyard. Glancing at the even more resistant, cold Huang Xuemei, Li Daoqiang didn't give her a final chance to refuse, tightly pulling her into the yard.
"Xiaofang, I'm back."
He called out, and immediately, the gentle and lovely Qi Fang hurried out. Her warm, graceful demeanor instantly inspired fondness. But soon, her smiling face froze upon seeing Huang Xuemei held by Li Daoqiang. A hint of daze flickered in her soft eyes.
Huang Xuemei couldn't take it anymore. With a tremor of her true energy, she shook off Li Daoqiang's hand, too embarrassed to look at Qi Fang, and turned aside. Yet, glancing at Qi Fang's delicate, virtuous appearance, she couldn't muster dislike. Instead, she silently added her displeasure to Li Daoqiang.
Li Daoqiang showed no change, reaching out to take Qi Fang's hand, pulling her close with a smile: "Xiaofang, this is Xuemei. She's a bit older than you, so call her Sister Xuemei. From now on, we're family. Xuemei will surely treat you like a little sister."
Huang Xuemei, already awkward and displeased, grew even more exasperated. Shameless. But scolding him in front of this young girl was beyond her. She shot him a cold glare and was about to leave.
At the critical moment, Li Daoqiang grabbed her wrist, holding tight. Looking at her, still smiling, he said, "Xuemei, this is Qi Fang. Call her Fangmei. Xiaofang is kind and virtuous; she'll treat you like a big sister."
Huang Xuemei met his gaze coldly. Seeing no retreat in his eyes, she gritted her teeth and transmitted a message: "I don't want to deal with this."
Li Daoqiang didn't reply, his smile unwavering.
Qi Fang sensed something off, but her gentle nature kept her from speaking up. After a moment of daze, she suppressed her sadness. Forcing a smile, she timidly looked at the cold Huang Xuemei and slightly bowed: "Sister Xuemei."
Huang Xuemei paused for a few seconds before reluctantly responding, "Mm."
"Alright, from now on, we're family. We'll have dinner together tonight. Tomorrow, I'll prepare for the wedding. Xiaofang can take Xuemei around," Li Daoqiang said with a smile.
"No need," Huang Xuemei replied stiffly.
Li Daoqiang glanced at the timid Qi Fang and didn't push it, casually smiling: "Fine. Tomorrow, Xuemei, you rest and recover. There's plenty of time later."
Then, to Qi Fang: "Xiaofang, I'll take Xuemei to her quarters first. Dinner will be at your place tonight."
"Mm-hmm," Qi Fang nodded quickly, looking quite nervous, as if being around Huang Xuemei was stressful.
Without further comment, Li Daoqiang didn't address Huang Xuemei's behavior. He personally arranged her lodging, letting her rest. Before leaving, he said gently, "Xuemei, I'm trying to love you. Don't make this hard for me, okay?"
He left without waiting for her reply.
Huang Xuemei's face grew even colder. Though she'd anticipated this, facing it was still hard to bear. She felt stifled but couldn't vent it.
Li Daoqiang was always like this—greedy and lustful. Could she change him? She had no confidence. Gritting her teeth, the more she thought, the angrier she got.
After a long while, she calmed down a bit. She told herself to turn a blind eye, ignore it. Focus on Xiaolin's growth and revenge. Let Li Daoqiang do as he pleased; it had nothing to do with her.
Thinking this, a few seconds later, she suddenly smashed the chair beside her with a palm strike. Anger and coldness still swirled in her eyes.
Li Daoqiang didn't bother with what Huang Xuemei was thinking—just anger. Let her be angry; she'd get used to it. This was something she had to get used to. He absolutely couldn't indulge any woman on this point.
He strode to Qi Fang's place. Gentle Qi Fang, he wanted to soothe properly. After all, he was still human and could soften.
That evening, he dragged Huang Xuemei to dinner at Qi Fang's. The atmosphere was awkward and stiff. Qi Fang was fine, even trying to get close to Huang Xuemei, but Huang Xuemei was cold and aloof. Still, she didn't storm off, so Li Daoqiang was satisfied.
Over the next two days, he handled Black Dragon Village affairs while preparing for the wedding. With two previous experiences, the village was well-organized. Three days passed quickly.
On that day, the village was decked in red, festive and lively. At night, before everyone's eyes, Li Daoqiang and Huang Xuemei performed the wedding ceremony again. Huang Xuemei, in her red wedding dress, was stunningly beautiful with her cool aura, almost intimidating.
After the ceremony, Huang Xuemei went to her courtyard, while Li Daoqiang drank with the village's top brass. It was also a chance for them to get to know each other, as many new innate masters had joined recently.
Seeing Black Dragon Village now with over twenty innate masters, Li Daoqiang, already happy from the wedding, felt a surge of ambition. This was just the beginning. One day, he'd make the whole world bow to Black Dragon Village.
His smile grew wider as he drank a few more cups with Ding Dian and the others. With his current physique, the alcohol was nothing.
Suddenly, Li Daoqiang's expression shifted as he looked toward Huang Xuemei's courtyard. So late, where was she going? A bad feeling arose. He'd done everything, and Lu Lin was still here; even if she regretted it, she wouldn't just leave abruptly.
Just as he wondered, Wang Lin hurried over, head down, handing him a note.
Li Daoqiang took it and read: 'I've arranged to meet Huang Xuemei thirty miles south of Black Dragon Village. He Qinghua.'
Instantly, his eyes turned cold. He squinted at Wang Lin and said icily, "How did you handle this?"
Wang Lin broke out in cold sweat, not daring to argue.
(Chapter 4, thanks for the support, thanks to 'Buguān Bùgù Bùlǐ' for the alliance leader. First subscription is only over three hundred; please subscribe.)