Before she could think further, Li Daoqiang smiled again and said, "You don't have to decide right now. I, the chief, will give you plenty of time. Remember, think carefully. If you choose to marry me, you must tolerate everything about me, Li Daoqiang."
With that, Mu Wanqing felt her body lighten again, a daze washing over her. There was also a warm, broad, and reassuringly safe presence right in front of her. She felt unable to muster any strength, as if she had found an excuse, so she didn't resist. But her heart was a tangled mess. *This bastard...*
Before she could dwell on it, the sensation of solid ground returned, and a slightly gentle voice sounded in her ear: "Once you've made your decision, feel free to come find me at Black Dragon Village anytime. I've passed on two divine skills to you; practice them well."
Li Daoqiang's eyes emitted a golden light, shooting straight into Mu Wanqing's eyes. After a dozen breaths, the golden light vanished, and Mu Wanqing was still dazed. Her mental strength was lacking; even with Li Daoqiang deliberately protecting her, absorbing the content of two divine skills at once required time to recover. Another dozen breaths passed before she steadied herself.
The next moment, her beautiful eyes widened, and she froze in place. A soft, warm thing touched her lips. It left, then touched again, lingering a bit longer before pulling away. Her breath nearly stopped, her whole body tensed, as she stared blankly at the figure striding away.
"I, the chief, said I'd kiss you every time I see you, and I never break my word. That was for yesterday's meeting and today's. Think it over well; I'll wait for your news." A voice tinged with laughter echoed in her ears as Li Daoqiang's figure disappeared.
Two breaths later, Mu Wanqing's translucent ears turned red. She turned her head anxiously to look around, stomping her feet repeatedly. In a shy, angry voice, she muttered, "Bastard, lecher." After grinding her teeth for a while, she suddenly fell silent. A hint of mist and grievance flickered in her eyes. She pursed her lips, got her bearings, and walked away.
High in the sky, Li Daoqiang, hidden from view, glanced at Mu Wanqing, then at Duan Yu and the others not far off. He couldn't help but let out a faint sigh. *The girls here are really easy to fool.* What choice had he actually given Mu Wanqing? After all this, what choice did she have left? Mu Wanqing was mostly settled; it was just a matter of time now. He wasn't in a rush. If you want to savor a fine dish, you can't be impatient.
He turned and flew toward Wang Yuyan and the others. A dozen breaths later, his figure descended from the sky, landing on a horse.
"Chief!" Ding Chunqiu, the Blood Saber Old Ancestor, Kou Zhong, and the others, all on horseback, nodded in greeting.
"Husband, all done?" Wang Yuyan smiled happily from the carriage as she saw Li Daoqiang return.
"Yes, all done," Li Daoqiang replied gently.
Wang Yuyan nodded and asked nothing more, nor did she seem inclined to. She just gazed contentedly at Li Daoqiang. Beside her, Li Qingluo saw through her daughter's thoughts at a glance and sighed inwardly, feeling helpless at her foolish girl. She suspected that if she told this silly daughter to ask why Li Daoqiang had left, she'd just reply with a puzzled, "Why ask?" The nearly three months of teaching before the wedding had truly been wasted. With a man's affairs, especially a tyrant like Li Daoqiang, it was good for a woman not to ask too much. But not asking and not wanting to ask were two different things. Not wanting to ask meant a simple mind. In a growing power like Black Dragon Village, a simple mind wasn't a good thing. In essence, the more extraordinary the existence, the less simple it could afford to be. It was like in an emperor's harem or a noble family's inner court—how many simple women ended up well? She silently resolved to stay longer at Black Dragon Village this time and teach Yuyan properly.
Li Daoqiang was unaware of Li Qingluo's thoughts. He was quite satisfied with Wang Yuyan's attitude of not asking and not caring to ask. *Truly my little lamb—obedient and easy to coax.* If all his women were this obedient and easy to handle, never questioning or interfering in his affairs, that would be perfect. Of course, he knew that dream, shared by all men, was impossible—unless his women were all insignificant concubines with no standing. He pushed those thoughts aside and, while traveling, cast a sidelong glance at the silent Jiumozhi on his horse. A thought stirred: *Maybe I can start trying now.*
"Master, the journey is dull. Why don't we have a more detailed chat?" Li Daoqiang said with a fairly warm smile.
Instantly, all eyes turned more or less toward Li Daoqiang and Jiumozhi. Jiumozhi's mind sharpened with caution. He pressed his palms together calmly and said, "Amitabha. If the chief wishes to talk, this humble monk is naturally willing. But as for the fifty million taels of silver, it's useless to speak of it."
Li Daoqiang smiled, unruffled, and said calmly, "Master, don't rush. Think of it as casual conversation."
Jiumozhi naturally didn't believe that, but he still replied with a solemn, dignified smile, "Of course. To converse with the chief is this humble monk's honor."
"Master came to the Central Plains seeking a breakthrough, didn't you?" Li Daoqiang shifted the topic, his tone confident.
"Indeed," Jiumozhi didn't deny it—denial was pointless—and couldn't help sighing inwardly. He had come to the Central Plains seeking a breakthrough to the realm of a peerless expert. Unfortunately, he had achieved nothing and ended up captured. Being caught by such a young peerless expert only deepened his regret.
"Master's approach is actually correct. If you want to break through to the peerless expert realm, leaving Tubo is almost inevitable," Li Daoqiang said with certainty.
Jiumozhi's eyes flickered, a surge of excitement rising within him. He bowed solemnly and said, "Please, chief, enlighten me."
The words of a young peerless expert were not to be taken lightly by anyone, especially those below that realm, and even more so for a martial arts fanatic like Jiumozhi. Ding Chunqiu and the others also perked up, listening intently. The same logic applied—few in the world were fortunate enough to hear a peerless expert's insights.
"The reasoning is simple: shallow waters can't nurture true dragons. Tubo's environment is fixed. Producing a top-tier expert like you is already rare; birthing a peerless expert is nearly impossible," Li Daoqiang said casually. Seeing Jiumozhi frown in disbelief, he smiled faintly and added, "Don't bring up Padmasambhava. He was indeed powerful, but did he grow up entirely in Tubo?"
Jiumozhi fell silent, his disbelief fading.
"To become a peerless expert, everyone must forge their own path. Master, leaving Tubo for the Central Plains—that was your attempt to find your own path, wasn't it?" Li Daoqiang looked at Jiumozhi.
Instantly, the others grew even more attentive. This touched on the realm of peerless experts. Jiumozhi quickly replied, "Exactly. This humble monk had reached a dead end in Tubo and could only come to the Song Empire to seek a way forward." He looked at Li Daoqiang expectantly, hoping he would say more, as much as possible.
Li Daoqiang didn't disappoint. With a playful smile, he said, "Your choice wasn't wrong, but unfortunately, your path was."
Jiumozhi's expression shifted. Even with his composure, suddenly confronting such matters shook him. The others' eyes seemed to gleam with even greater anticipation. Clenching his fists, he barely suppressed his surging emotions and said gravely, "Please, chief, enlighten me—how was my path wrong?" He offered another solemn bow, as if forgetting their adversarial roles.
Li Daoqiang's expression remained unchanged. Under the expectant gazes, he said leisurely, "Master, you have three main currents of energy within you: the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, the Chan school of Central Plains Buddhism, and Daoism. Beyond that, you've also cultivated many other martial arts."
At these words, Ding Chunqiu and the others immediately looked at Jiumozhi. They saw his face stiffen before he said with heartfelt admiration, "The chief's insight is sharp. That is correct."
"You wanted to gather a hundred schools of martial arts to forge your own path. That approach itself isn't wrong—many peerless experts have walked it. But you've already gone astray. You seem powerful now, but your energy is already in chaos. You can't integrate the various martial arts; you're barely holding on with your divine skills and foundation. The longer you hold on, the more martial arts you practice, the worse the chaos will become. There's only one outcome in the end," Li Daoqiang said calmly, yet with absolute certainty.
Instantly, Ding Chunqiu and the others believed him, casting gleeful, gloating looks at Jiumozhi. *Only one outcome in the end*—that was easy to understand.
"Qi deviation," Jiumozhi muttered, his face darkening after a moment of silence. Then, instinctively, he refused to believe it. How could it be? How could he suffer qi deviation? He was certain he could integrate all martial arts and become a peerless expert. Besides, why would Li Daoqiang be so kind as to warn and guide him? It had to be a scheme. Yes, that was it. Li Daoqiang was deliberately deceiving him. As he thought, a sinister grimace unconsciously crept onto his face.
Ding Chunqiu and the others saw it and were startled, their gazes sharpening. Combined with Li Daoqiang's words, they sensed something was wrong. A national preceptor, a Buddhist monk, a top-tier expert—lost in thought, even before Li Daoqiang, he would suddenly show such an expression, seemingly unaware of it himself. Was that normal? Even Kou Zhong and the other, less experienced ones exchanged glances and noticed Jiumozhi's abnormality. *What the chief said is true.*
Unaware of the others' thoughts, Jiumozhi forced himself to calm down, pressed his palms together, and said gratefully, "Thank you for the reminder, chief."
"You don't believe me?" Li Daoqiang's lips curled, as if amused.
"This humble monk merely has confidence," Jiumozhi said calmly, yet with unwavering determination.
"Mm, not bad. A strong man without firm resolve—how could he keep moving forward?" Li Daoqiang praised, but his amused smile deepened. "However, when you're on the wrong path, the stronger your will, the faster you die." Before Jiumozhi could respond, he directly asked, "Do you know where you truly went wrong?"
(Chapter 2. Go to sleep first; I don't know if there'll be a Chapter 3.) ······