Chapter 223: Impressive Looks
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
To her, her elder sister had already said that they weren’t willing to go. Since she wasn’t really willing to go either, then they should hurry up and leave as soon as possible.
She couldn’t help but simply feel especially repressed, staying here and facing that big tiger. It felt as if she could hardly breathe.
This made her instinctively feel like leaving the area as soon as possible.
Therefore, she had spoken up for some reason.
Miao Ming’er let out a soft sigh inwardly. She also wanted to go home, but the two of them wouldn’t have a home anymore in the future.
As she thought about it, a hint of sadness and even stronger disappointment flashed across her tranquil and exquisite visage.
She didn’t wish to say anything more either. Instead, she lowered her head slightly and waited for the Tiger King to inform them of their fate.
As for saying things like ‘I’ve saved your life before as well, so can you let us off this once?’, she naturally understood very well that that was something she absolutely mustn’t say.
She knew how alluring her special ability was very well.
This was something she couldn’t mention to outsiders right from the start, let alone to the Tiger King who had already let her down.
At this point, w.a.n.g Hu’s heart suddenly pounded forcefully. An indescribable feeling came over him.
The mention of going home and the sadness and disappointment that had flashed across her face in front of him…
Suddenly, they gave rise to another thought in his mind.
A thought that made him somewhat hesitant.
Was it really a good decision for him to bring them back to the Tiger King’s Cave?
A short span of two seconds later, he made up his mind.
He said dispa.s.sionately, “Never mind. Since you’re not willing, then I won’t force you.”
As though a surprise that had come out of nowhere, his voice stunned Miao Ming’er. She lifted her head and looked over.
It was still the same tall and stalwart form that gave others immense pressure. Golden light continued to cover his visage as always.
Miao Ming’er was somewhat filled with disbelief. Were her ears deceiving her?
The Tiger King… His Majesty is saying that he’s not going to force us!
Was I mistaken about everything and ended up wronging His Majesty?!
The surprise came so suddenly that Miao Ming’er couldn’t quite believe it for a moment there.
She gazed at w.a.n.g Hu, her clear and gentle, elegant and tranquil eyes glimmering as though they could talk.
There was a sense of antic.i.p.ation and surprise in them.
w.a.n.g Hu also smiled somewhat inwardly. He said naturally, “The Tiger King’s Cave has never forced anyone to join it. You don’t need to be so worried.
“However, you can come to the Tiger King’s Cave anytime if you change your mind.”
Miao Ming’er smiled. Bright and dazzling, the smile came from the bottom of her heart.
As she gazed at the person in front of her, her eyes seemed to s.h.i.+ne with a different light.
An unusual look also flashed across w.a.n.g Hu’s eyes, and he awkwardly avoided her gaze for a moment.
Her smile… was very beautiful.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” a smiling Miao Ming’er said. The intangible sense of intimacy immediately returned. On top of that, it had even become a lot stronger.
w.a.n.g Hu’s tone didn’t change. As aloof and forceful as ever, he said, “You’ve already reached peak-level Second Realm. Since fate has brought you and me together, then I shall give you a hand once more.
“Should you meet with danger in the future, you may use my name to protect yourself.”
He reached out his hand as he spoke. Roughly 25 kilograms’ worth of Spirit Stones appeared, and he sent them right in front of Miao Ming’er.
She was just about to decline them when w.a.n.g Hu shoved them into her hands forcefully, his demeanor brooking no refusal.
After that, he turned around and went into the distance as though he had teleported, leaving behind only his voice.
“I hope you won’t let me down.”
Before he even finished his sentence, he had already disappeared from sight…
As Miao Ming’er and Qing Qing only stared blankly in his direction.
It was only after she stared for several seconds that Miao Ming’er finally looked away and s.h.i.+fted her gaze to the Spirit Stones in her hands. Her eyes seemed to contain both surprise and joy, as well as a feeling as though she was at a loss.
It was too fast. The surprise came so quickly that she couldn’t even react in time.
“Big Sister, that Tiger King doesn’t seem that awful after all. Not only did he give you a gift, but he even allowed us to use his name.”
Upon seeing that the big tiger had left and feeling the pressure weighing down on them had disappeared, a fairly surprised Qing Qing similarly couldn’t help but say such things now. She just heaved a huge sigh of relief.
Putting aside the gift for now, even she knew the many benefits of being able to use the Tiger King’s name for protection would bring very well.
This meant that they were now a whole lot safer than before.
The Tiger King’s name was the handiest one in this world.
Miao Ming’er snapped back to reality with a start and immediately nodded. At the same time, the smile on her face also widened.
She was indescribably happy. As expected, he was indeed different from others.
I had wronged him. He didn’t take advantage of his position to bully us.
On top of that, he even helped me again.
She sounded elated as she said, “He’s not a bad person from the start. Qing Qing, you mustn’t slander His Majesty the Tiger King anymore.”
As she spoke, she became even happier. Suddenly, she realized something, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
It seems like His Majesty still doesn’t know what my name is.
Does he find it beneath him to ask?
True, what kind of existence is he, after all? Although it seems like he regards me somewhat highly, I’m probably not qualified enough to have him take the initiative to ask me for my name.
So, the Third Realm?
Her gaze landed on the Spirit Stones in her hands again.
A hint of determination flashed across her beautiful and flawless countenance.
Elsewhere, w.a.n.g Hu—who was flying back to the Tiger King’s Cave—was thinking about what he had done just now.
It had taken only a few moments for him to change his mind and decide against bringing that little cat back to the Tiger King’s Cave.
There were quite a few reasons behind why he had changed his mind.
One of them was that his hands had misbehaved. Another was that the other party wasn’t willing. Apart from these, there were also other reasons such as forcing things never worked, and so on.
As for what he had done just now, as long as the other party knew that they should repay kindnesses that someone else showed them, barring any accidents; her impression of him would definitely improve greatly.
One could consider them the Tiger King’s Cave’s non-staff personnel now. With his parting words, he now had an excuse to visit them in the future. With enough time, the relations.h.i.+p between the two of them would naturally improve further and further.
Over time, he might be able to get her to willingly join the Tiger King’s Cave with her own initiative.
It was for the best that people with talent like hers join the Tiger King’s Cave willingly.
Shortly after he mentally made plans for all these, he sighed softly and openly. To think he had actually relented…!
That’s right, he admitted to it. While the above-mentioned reasons had certainly contributed to him making the decision, the final push that had sealed the deal in the end… was that he had relented.
He had relented because of his fondness for that little cat.
As expected, beautiful things were always so alluring.
How good one looked truly affected a lot of things.
w.a.n.g Hu was honest enough to admit it.
Everything began with one’s looks, stayed true to the process, and concluded with one’s looks.
That little cat was really very adorable.
This might not be the biggest reason why he had made that decision, but it was no doubt the most fundamental reason.
The moment he thought of that little cat, he felt the urge to stroke her fur.
His hand itched.
His hand balled up and loosened awkwardly. Suddenly, he thought of that beautiful figure again and shuddered fiercely.
At once, he dispelled the thought.
She was someone that could transform into the Dao form. He mustn’t harbor such thoughts ever again.
Otherwise, how inappropriate would that be?
Even if Silly Girl didn’t know about it, he still mustn’t let her down, should he? He was a good tiger that took care of his family.
I mustn’t harbor such thoughts anymore.
Absolutely not.
w.a.n.g Hu secretly told himself firmly.
Some things just weren’t appropriate.
For example, the little cat. She was already capable of transforming into the Dao form. It would be highly inappropriate to stroke her fur anymore.
w.a.n.g Hu was indeed aware of that.
It seemed like he had forgotten to ask her for her name, though. Surely, she couldn’t possibly still be nameless, right?
If so, he could give her one. It was just as well that it could deepen the relations.h.i.+p between them, too.
He would just try thinking of one for now and ask her again the next time he saw her.
He secretly made plans while he flew.
Before long, he returned to the Tiger King’s Cave.
Without alerting his subordinates, he entered the Tiger King’s Cave’s grand hall straight away and walked into the room.
“I’m back, Baijun.”
Upon entering the room, he immediately saw Silly Girl in the midst of cultivating. She didn’t seem to react even when she noticed that he was back.
w.a.n.g Hu wasn’t bothered at all. His smile widened, and he took a few steps forward and came to the bed.
He sat behind Silly Girl, reached out, placed his hands on her delicate shoulders, and started to gently knead them without much professional technique.
His actions had a vague sense of… eager attentiveness to them.
Di Baijun was a little unused to it. She thought: It seems like the rascal has become even clingier after his return.
Yes, that’s right, he’s being clingy.
Di Baijun, who had already stopped cultivating with her full attention by now, secretly muttered to herself. She went with the flow and stopped cultivating altogether. Then, she turned, glanced at w.a.n.g Hu, and said a little disdainfully, “What are you doing?”
w.a.n.g Hu blinked. Then, as though all was right and justified, he smiled and replied, “I’m giving my kind, beautiful, gentle, and virtuous wife a ma.s.sage on her shoulders.”
The corner of Di Baijun’s eye twitched. She almost smiled but suppressed it in embarra.s.sment in the end. She turned away, lifted her exquisite little chin, and said haughtily, “Behave yourself. I don’t need that at all.”
w.a.n.g Hu let out a scoff of laughter inwardly. He thought: Take some actual action and reject it physically if you don’t need it. What’s the point in just saying it?
Also, you silly little thing. Do you think you can hide that smile that you’re suppressing from me?
On the surface, however, his smile became even more doting. He kneaded her shoulders with all he got while saying with a straight face, “I’ve been out at work during the last few days. Not only does my wonderful wife have to take care of matters at home, but she even has to look after the kids, too. You must have been tired, so I definitely have to give you a ma.s.sage.”
Di Baijun was already close to letting the faint smile show on her face, but she was still fighting it while facing away from w.a.n.g Hu. Her large, bright eyes had already curved into crescents.
She continued to raise her little chin proudly and kept quiet.
w.a.n.g Hu knew that Silly Girl was enjoying the treatment very much, so he didn’t mind saying a little more, of course.
“Baijun, tell me, why is w.a.n.g Hu so lucky? He’s got such a wonderful wife.
“She’s peerless, has unparalleled style, exceptionally clever, has a pure heart and spirit, stunningly beautiful…”
After hearing more than ten proverbs1 in a row, Di Baijun couldn’t quite stand it anymore. Even though the rascal was speaking the truth, he shouldn’t straight-up say that much either.
She put up a token struggle with her shoulders while pretending to be aloof as she said, “Alright, that’s enough. Do I even need you to tell me that?”
w.a.n.g Hu chuckled and pulled Silly Girl into his arms. He said seriously, “It’s wonderful to have you around, Baijun.”
Di Baijun, who didn’t resist him, rolled her eyes disdainfully at him.
It was only at this point that w.a.n.g Hu finally breathed a sigh of relief for some reason. That faint sense of guilt had dispersed.
He steeled his resolve.
That’s right, I shouldn’t feel guilty at all.
I haven’t done anything for me to feel guilty about. That was just an unintentional mistake.
That little cat was just too adorable. I didn’t know beforehand that she could transform into the Dao form either.
I shouldn’t be blamed for that.
Besides, Silly Girl doesn’t know about it either, and neither did that little cat come over. Why should I feel guilty?
What’s there for me to feel guilty about?
I have nothing to hide, I have a clear conscience, and I have been utterly loyal and faithful.
I don’t need to feel guilty at all.
As he steeled his resolve, he tightened his hold around Silly Girl a little further.
Then, he started to talk about his gains this time.
Without hiding anything, he told her everything that he had learned from Li Dao.
“The Tang Empire!” The look in Di Baijun’s eyes turned a little serious as though she had recalled something.
After hesitating for a moment, she said fairly seriously, “I heard that a Great Tang Empire that was exceptionally powerful had indeed existed a very, very long time ago.
“However, I’m not informed about Li s.h.i.+min. He’s definitely no simple person, though.”
w.a.n.g Hu nodded with a look of agreement on his face. He said seriously, “If I’m not wrong, Li Dao is likely not the only one that first received legacies similar to this.
“Zhu Hongming and Liu Jixiu are also among them. It’s just that the process through which they had obtained the legacies was relatively more secretive and hadn’t caused as big a commotion as what had happened this time.”
“Zhu Hongming, Liu Jixiu!” Di Baijun had also thought of those two men. She started to ponder over the matter.
“Yes, exactly those two,” said a fairly certain w.a.n.g Hu.
After a moment’s pause, his voice became graver as he went on. He said, “The legacies that they had obtained are evidently very extraordinary. It’s likely only at this point that China finally started to officially step onto the express lane of becoming stronger.
“From now on, we must be even more on guard against them.”
The tigers might not have any intention to harm the humans, but the humans might be planning to harm the tigers.
This was also true the other way. Where benefits were involved, anything could happen. That was exactly how practical life was.
A contemplative Di Baijun nodded. She didn’t let her guard down.
“Did anything happen in the Tiger King’s Cave during the last few days?” w.a.n.g Hu changed the topic and started to talk about daily affairs instead.
…
While w.a.n.g Hu and his wife were conversing in the privacy of their home, in the capital of China…
A cabinet meeting was also officially being held.
Li Dao joined the meeting and spoke about the whole incident.
All the elderly officials listened to him quietly. Then, they asked him a few questions very amicably, gave him a few words of encouragement, and allowed him to leave.
“Reality has shown that our deductions were correct. Our ancestor Li s.h.i.+min’s tomb was indeed looking for a successor.
“It’s the same situation as what Little Zhu had described. It’s also likely more or less the same as Little Liu’s situation.
“It’s just that the two of them had done it secretly, whereas Ancestor Li’s had caused a huge commotion.
“Additionally, these three tombs are also different from the other three that belonged to w.a.n.g Mingyang, Zhang Juzheng, etc.
“There are too many secrets involved here. We’ll need to investigate this.” Zhang Jianye glanced at Dong Pingtao and took the initiative to speak.
“These secrets are of grave importance. However, at present, it seems like we have too few clues, so I’m afraid investigation will be tough. What I’m more concerned about is whether there are more of such legacies or none?
“If there are, when will they appear? And how many will there be?” Chen Jianguo said seriously and hopefully.
A few of the elderly officials nodded in agreement.
That was indeed what mattered the most—or rather, actual combat power was what mattered the most.
The existence of these legacies meant that China would come to possess even stronger legacies.
“And one more thing. Now that we’ve reached this stage, should we reveal more information to the others?
“Even the Tiger King couldn’t hold himself back from coming forward this time.
“Not to mention the other alliances. The only reason why they haven’t openly interfered is that they aren’t strong enough.
“If this goes on for long, I’m afraid it’ll be detrimental to the big picture.
“No matter what, we still need the alliances for now.
“That goes without saying in the case of the Tiger King, too. We need an ally like him,” Li Aimin said seriously.
“I agree. I also think it’s time that we reveal some information. We’ll ultimately still need to eliminate the people’s grievances as much as possible toward the end of the Unification into One Plan,” An elderly official nodded and echoed Li Aimin.
“I agree. I also think it’s about time. If we continue to drag this on, not only will it be detrimental to the big picture, but it’ll also be even more detrimental to the Unification into One Plan that comes at the end.
“We can also start to think about the final stage of the Unification into One Plan at this point.”