On the main road.
A woman who seemed not of this mortal world walked slowly. She stood aloof, utterly out of place in this mundane realm, untouched by even a speck of dust.
Suddenly, Gongsun Zhi, clad in a night robe, flew close. In his exposed eyes flickered a greedy, lustful gleam.
The woman’s flawless face turned toward the man a few yards away, showing no change. She continued walking, merely adjusting her direction slightly to avoid this sudden, clearly ill-intentioned black-clad figure.
Gongsun Zhi froze, a hint of infatuation in his eyes as he watched the indescribably beautiful woman pass by. A fierce desire surged within him.
Why hadn’t I met her sooner?
A wave of resentment rose, and he gritted his teeth to regain his composure.
“What a pretty little girl. Come back with me obediently,” he said, his voice half genuine, half feigned.
The woman acted as if she hadn’t heard, her steps unchanged, as though deaf to his words.
Gongsun Zhi’s mouth twitched in frustration. He leaped forward, blocking her path, and sneered, “Come with me quietly, or don’t blame me for being rude.”
Only then did the woman stop, looking at Gongsun Zhi with slight displeasure. Her clear, light voice rang out: “Who are you? Why should I go with you?”
“Why ask so many questions? If you don’t want to suffer, just obey,” Gongsun Zhi said coldly.
The woman shook her head, speaking with a serious yet dismissive calm: “I’m looking for someone. I won’t go with you.”
With that, she adjusted her direction again to continue on.
Gongsun Zhi was speechless. After all that, shouldn’t they be trading insults or coming to blows?
Not far away, Li Daoqiang watched and couldn’t help but smile. *Alright, this is so like Little Dragon Girl.*
“Hmph, seems you prefer a toast to a forfeit,” Gongsun Zhi muttered, forcing a pretext to act. With a slight sound, he struck a palm toward the woman.
A surge of powerful energy rippled through the air.
The woman’s gaze shifted, growing more serious. Her ethereal figure, as if weightless, retreated backward.
Gongsun Zhi pressed on, relentless. His palm strike grew stronger, and he controlled the natural forces within dozens of yards, pressing down on the woman.
Her speed visibly slowed.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly. In a flutter of white robes, two long white silks shot out, alive-like, charging at Gongsun Zhi. But before reaching him, they were forced back by his palm momentum.
The woman moved her hands, and several more white silks flew out, like swords slicing through the air, carrying a sharp, sword-like edge.
Gongsun Zhi grew more serious. Despite his reluctance, he feared death more. His aura shifted, his palm strike becoming as unstoppable as a treasured blade.
“Boom!”
A thunderous roar echoed in the void, and several silks were forcefully repelled.
The woman’s breath faltered, her movement technique affected.
Gongsun Zhi pressed his advantage, striking repeatedly. The woman relied on her superior footwork to evade his attacks, avoiding direct clashes. Yet she was clearly losing ground.
Still, her expression remained unchanged, as if she viewed everything with indifference—even her own peril.
In the span of a dozen breaths, she was in dire straits. Seizing the moment, Gongsun Zhi’s palm strike intensified, landing a ruthless blow.
The woman’s face paled, her breath ragged. Facing the oncoming strike, her usually cold, pure eyes flickered with a trace of longing.
*Guo’er!*
“Hmph.”
Suddenly, a sharp snort exploded. Golden light, like divine dragons, descended with unstoppable force. In an instant, Gongsun Zhi’s palm momentum dissolved. His body, struck as if by a heavy blow, was hurled dozens of yards away without any resistance.
“You… you—”
He struggled twice in resentment, then his head lolled, his life extinguished by a single palm strike.
The woman’s expression finally showed a hint of surprise as she looked at the figure who had appeared a few yards away. *A grandmaster, killed with one palm! Very strong!*
The thought flickered and vanished without further consideration.
“A grandmaster, yet a lecher. I, Li Daoqiang, despise lechers above all,” came a cold voice. Li Daoqiang glanced disdainfully at the corpse, then turned to the woman before him. Calmly, he asked, “Miss, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Thank you,” the woman said with a slight nod of gratitude, her expression still indifferent, as if nothing could capture her attention.
“No need for thanks. Meeting is fate,” Li Daoqiang said casually.
The woman nodded again, adjusted her direction slightly, and stepped forward.
Li Daoqiang, watching her leave as if nothing had happened, was momentarily taken aback. *Just like that, she’s leaving?*
His brow twitched, a hint of exasperation rising within him.
“Miss, I saved you, and you won’t even give me your name or a proper thank you?” he said, a touch of displeasure in his tone. He had no choice but to force the conversation.
The woman paused, as if only then realizing. She bowed slightly to the man before her and said softly, “My name is Little Dragon Girl. Thank you for saving my life.”
Then she looked up at Li Daoqiang, a relatively clear emotion flickering in her eyes.
Li Daoqiang understood—it was a silent question: *Is there something you need?*
For the first time in years, he found himself at a loss for words. He fell silent, and Little Dragon Girl, assuming he had nothing more to say, nodded lightly and continued on her way.
Li Daoqiang let out a frustrated, amused laugh. *Truly Little Dragon Girl—hard to strike up a conversation with.*
After a moment’s thought, he smiled with interest and said, “My name is Li Daoqiang. Remember it. I believe we’ll meet again. And you owe me a life-saving debt.”
Little Dragon Girl looked at him with slight confusion, then returned to her usual calm. With a touch more seriousness, she said, “I’ll remember. Once I find Guo’er and clear things up, come to the ancient tomb on Mount Zhongnan. I’ll find a way to repay you.”
Without another word, she departed.
Li Daoqiang watched her retreating figure and suddenly laughed to himself. *Alright.*
For some reason, he felt this might be the hardest woman for him to win over. Yet, oddly, he felt no urgency. Instead, he was brimming with confidence.
He was certain he would succeed.
As he pondered his approach, his expression shifted. He turned his head to look behind him.
The next moment, two pairs of eyes seemed to pierce through space, meeting.
After a breath, Li Daoqiang vanished from the spot.
In the distance, Ding Chunqiu and the others, who had been watching, changed expressions. *What’s wrong with the boss?*
Unsure of the situation, they dared not act rashly. Gongsun Zhi’s body lay where it had fallen.
A dozen miles away, on a small hillside, the air rippled, and Li Daoqiang appeared, facing a figure a few yards away.
The figure wore a Daoist robe, with a neatly trimmed beard. Though middle-aged, he was strikingly handsome, exuding an intangible, restrained sharpness and righteousness.
He was also studying Li Daoqiang, his gaze filled with assessment, admiration, and a faint trace of awkwardness and speechlessness.
Li Daoqiang caught it, and even with his thick skin, he felt a twinge of embarrassment. *A top-tier expert, pulling such tricks on a young girl. And getting caught by a peer.*
In front of his subordinates, he couldn’t care less. But before an outsider of equal standing, he had his pride to maintain. Especially before someone with deep ties to Little Dragon Girl and Wang Yuyan—an elder, in a way.
“Daoist Li, I’ve long heard of your name. Wang Chongyang greets you,” the middle-aged Daoist said with a polite smile, tinged with a hint of familiarity.
Li Daoqiang suppressed his mortification, forcing a warm smile. “You’re too kind, Master Wang. I should have brought Yuyan to visit you sooner.”
Indeed, this man was the renowned Wang Chongyang, a leading figure of the righteous path in the Song Empire. He also hailed from the Lin’an Wang family, which, thanks to him, had risen to become one of the eight great families of Song. Strictly speaking, he was of Wang Yuyan’s grandfather’s generation.
Of course, unless one reached a certain level, few knew Wang Chongyang’s origins. Li Daoqiang had only learned of it after marrying Wang Yuyan, through subtle hints from the Wang family. Their aim was to bolster their standing and curry favor with him, a top-tier expert and their son-in-law.
Li Daoqiang inwardly regretted his carelessness. *I should have expanded my perception and scanned the area thoroughly.*
Maintaining full perception was taxing for him, so he usually kept it within a few miles. He hadn’t expected Wang Chongyang to be trailing Little Dragon Girl from a distance, only closing in after the incident, catching him red-handed.
*If I don’t show embarrassment, the embarrassment is yours,* he thought, quickly regaining his composure.
His strategy worked. Wang Chongyang, studying the man before him, saw no trace of unease, as if nothing had happened. Gradually, he felt the awkwardness shift to himself.
After all, though Li Daoqiang was a bandit, not of the righteous path, he had never committed truly unforgivable evils. He was also connected through Wang Yuyan, and his strength was formidable. In Wang Chongyang’s eyes, he was a potential ally worth cultivating.
Thus, with a desire to build rapport, Wang Chongyang’s pride wasn’t as thick. Yet, tempered by years of discipline, he smiled after a moment of discomfort. “You’re too kind, Daoist Li. I welcome you to Mount Zhongnan anytime.”
At the level of top-tier experts, they were, to some extent, beyond worldly concerns. Regardless of age or status, they addressed each other as fellow Daoists. Given their distant connection, Wang Chongyang saw no need to put on airs.
“If the opportunity arises, I’ll certainly visit,” Li Daoqiang replied, his tone growing warmer.
Wang Chongyang nodded, hesitated, then spoke with concern, “Daoist Li, Little Dragon Girl is a junior of mine. She’s new to the world and naive. If she’s offended you, please forgive her.”
(Chapter 1, thanks for your support.) ·······