234: Chapter 14 Before Going Out

"Then do you want to go see your father?"

Hearing this, Li Qingluo was stunned, then asked in surprise, "Isn't he dead?"

This was what Li Qiu Shui and Ding Chunqiu had told her.

She was young at the time and did not doubt them.

Later, she followed the two of them to Suzhou. To avoid suspicion, Li Qiu Shui had her call Ding Chunqiu 'Father'. Ding Chunqiu doted on her quite a bit, so she readily agreed. Over time, she grew accustomed to it and hasn't changed the way she addresses him to this day.

In her mind, her biological father, Wu Ya Zi, had instead become a distant memory.

Forget about feelings, she couldn't even remember what he looked like.

Understanding this, Meng Li sighed softly, "He isn't dead."

Next, he briefly recounted the events involving Wu Ya Zi, Li Qiu Shui, and Ding Chunqiu from back then, attributing the source of his information directly to Ding Chunqiu.

Li Qingluo had witnessed his soul-capturing methods and did not doubt him, but her expression became complicated after listening.

To her, this whole affair was a pool of muddy water from many years ago.

At its root, the trouble was caused by Wu Ya Zi, but the result was that he suffered greatly for it. Li Qiu Shui's actions were problematic, yet from a certain perspective, they were excusable. Ding Chunqiu was the evildoer, yet he happened to be truly good to Li Qingluo.

Therefore, among the three, Li Qingluo couldn't find it in herself to blame any of them and was quite unwilling to wade into this muddy water.

These past few days, she hadn't even asked about Ding Chunqiu's situation.

After pondering for a long while, Li Qingluo said, "Take Yu Yan with you."

Meng Li was not too surprised by this.

One was a biological father with a blood relation but no affection, and the other was an adoptive father with no blood relation who was good to her. The two had an irreconcilable hatred; Li Qingluo was caught in the middle and couldn't help either side. Choosing to escape was only natural.

However, it could be seen from this that she was somewhat cold-hearted to her core.

But Meng Li didn't mind and simply agreed, "Alright, then I'll take Yu Yan for a trip to the Xiaoyao Sect in a couple of days."

Having settled the matter based on her words, he then seemed to remember something. Pinching Li Qingluo's chin, he asked, "Why did you suddenly become interested in Martial Arts?"

Li Qingluo's eyes flickered slightly. "Nothing to do, just practicing casually."

"Practicing casually?" Meng Li narrowed his eyes and said with a half-smile, "You wouldn't be trying to master Martial Arts to deal with me, would you?"

Li Qingluo flatly denied it, "No."

"Look into my eyes."

Hearing this, Li Qingluo's whole body trembled. She gritted her teeth and said, "What if I am?!"

"You bastard, I am your—"

Li Qingluo's words came to an abrupt halt because Meng Li had grabbed her by the neck.

"If you are, then you must accept your punishment."

...

Once the punishment was over, Li Qingluo looked as if she had lost her soul.

Feeling her subconscious reaction, Meng Li's expression became strange.

His method of punishment seemed to have backfired; to her, it felt more like a reward and encouragement.

It seems Duke Duan didn't fully develop her potential back then.

Thinking about it, it was normal. He had so many female confidantes he couldn't even remember them all. Although he was sincere with each of them, it was impossible to spend too much effort on any single person.

However, it had to be said that Li Qingluo's capital for paying off her debt with her body was truly ample.

She was currently at her Peak state. If managed properly with installment payments, it wouldn't be a problem to sustain this for another ten or twenty years.

If maintained well, that duration could be extended even further.

"Still want to deal with me?"

Once she regained her senses, Meng Li whispered in her ear.

Li Qingluo didn't speak but responded directly with action, lowering her head to bite his shoulder, though there was no strength behind it.

Perhaps she was too exhausted from the ordeal, but more likely, she didn't use any force.

Because her current state was like a hunting white python, coiling around Meng Li very tightly.

Noticing this, Meng Li smiled silently and gave her plump lower body a gentle pat. "It's getting late, I should head back. Be good."

Seeing his tone was like coaxing a little girl, Li Qingluo gave a soft huff and released her hold.

"I'll go out first. You leave in a little while."

"Alright, as you wish."

Soon, Meng Li returned to Canhe Village, found Kang Guangling, and conveyed Li Qingluo's wishes using a casual excuse.

Kang Guangling didn't say much.

To him, Li Qingluo's identity was an unexpected surprise; it was somewhat important, but not the main point. The main point was to bring Ding Chunqiu back for Su Xinghe to deal with.

Next, using the excuse of looking after Wang Yuyan, Meng Li took the opportunity to propose going along for a trip to the Xiaoyao Sect.

Kang Guangling readily agreed to this.

Then, the two finalized the departure date and ended their conversation.

After Kang Guangling left, Meng Li returned to the back garden.

As soon as he arrived, Wang Yuyan ran over.

"Cousin, where did you go? Why were you gone for so long?"

"I went to handle some business," Meng Li replied, then briefly explained the situation.

Wang Yuyan tilted her little head, thought for a moment, and said with blinking eyes, "In other words, Cousin, you're taking me on a long trip the day after tomorrow?"

Meng Li: "..."

So you only noticed that one point?

However, this was quite consistent with the little girl's character: a love-struck brain with only eyes for her cousin!

If it were anyone else, they would surely have a few things to complain about.

But he was her cousin now, so there was nothing to complain about; instead, he felt like giving her a thumbs up.

"That's right," Meng Li confirmed.

"That's wonderful!" Wang Yuyan smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

Meng Li reached out and flicked the tip of her nose. "Don't laugh yet. The outside world is different from home. Going on a long journey inevitably involves hardships and exhaustion. Don't go crying when the time comes."

"I'm not afraid!" Wang Yuyan looked fearless and added, "Back when my mother told me practicing Martial Arts was very tiring and bitter, I still persevered."

Meng Li thought about it for a moment and found that it was indeed true.

When he was building the foundation for Wang Yuyan, A Zhu, and A Bi earlier, it wasn't just theory; they also practiced basic skills like Horse Stances and Pillar Standing.

Wang Yuyan had indeed persevered. Her face had slumped at times, but she never cried out about bitterness or exhaustion.

It had to be said, the little girl was capable of enduring hardship.

"Yu Yan is so great!"

Meng Li praised her with a smile and subconsciously patted her head.

Wang Yuyan, however, reached out to swat his hand away and chided, "Don't always pat my head, I won't grow tall."

Meng Li smiled faintly and walked further inside. Seeing A Zhu and A Bi sparring, he watched for a while.

When they stopped, he gave them a few pointers and then explained about his and Wang Yuyan's upcoming long trip.

He didn't plan to take the two of them along on this trip.

First, it wasn't necessary. A Zhu had no connection to the Xiaoyao Sect, and although A Bi was Kang Guangling's Disciple, their relationship wasn't that deep.

Second, the road was long, and it would be inconvenient with too many people. Plus, they were still young, so going along would inevitably be exhausting for them.

Third, the affairs of Canhe Village needed someone to handle them.

Over the past few years, under the Murong Family's deliberate cultivation, the two had already begun to handle various affairs. They had the ability, but they weren't yet able to manage things entirely on their own. Some matters required the two of them to consult each other before making a decision.

A Zhu and A Bi understood this. Aside from being a bit envious of Wang Yuyan, they had no other feelings about it.

Once the instructions were given, Meng Li suddenly thought of A Zi and told A Zhu, "Remember to supervise A Zi. If her progress satisfies me when I return from this trip, I will start teaching her Martial Arts."

"If not, tell her to give up on the idea of learning Martial Arts and just be an ordinary maidservant."

"Yes."