118: A direct confrontation! A blatant threat!
Xu Qing really wanted to know what the East River Dragon King would think if he saw this scene right now.
His original intention was indeed to let the Dragon Girl enter the mountain.
But he never expected that the Dragon Girl would not only enter the mountain herself, but also bring the entire East River Dragon Palace along!
What does this count as?
Bringing her own dowry?
The key is that the dowry is incredibly substantial; it’s practically equivalent to packing up and sending over her entire maternal family.
The Dragon Girl noticed Xu Qing's expression and rejoiced inwardly.
Sure enough, there was a chance!
Her inner guess had been confirmed—the other party was indeed not an unreasonable existence.
As long as they could negotiate, everything would be fine!
Thus, the Dragon Girl waved her hand and took out item after item from her storage ring.
Jade stones flashing with brilliant luster, long halberds radiating cold light, herbs exuding dense Spiritual Qi, plump and round cinnabar Medicinal Pills... all sorts of treasures appeared before Xu Qing.
These were all treasured collections of the East River Dragon Palace, the most precious portion of the Dragon Palace's assets.
"This is Jade Coral produced in the East Sea, which has the effect of calming the mind and condensing Qi; it is an excellent treasure for assisting cultivation. And these are Spirit Pills refined by the Nanluo Ancient Temple..."
The Dragon Girl pointed to the various treasures before her and introduced them one by one.
After a while.
After the Dragon Girl finished introducing everything, she looked up at Xu Qing and asked:
"Snake King, are you satisfied with these items?"
Xu Qing nodded, saying, "They are very good."
The Dragon Girl rejoiced again and quickly pressed on, "All of these can be given to you, as long as you return my father."
"But it's still not quite enough," Xu Qing replied.
Hearing this, the Dragon Girl's breathing hitched, and she looked at Xu Qing with confusion.
Her sincerity was impeccable; she had emptied the entire Dragon Palace of treasures, which was completely enough to exchange for the life of the Old Dragon King.
Since things had reached this point, the other party still thought it wasn't enough.
Could it be that he never intended to negotiate properly at all?
A trace of vigilance and anger flashed in the Dragon Girl's eyes, and she immediately waved her hand, storing all the treasures before her back into her storage ring.
If the other party tried to seize them by force, although her strength wasn't high, destroying the storage ring would be easy.
Xu Qing noticed the Dragon Girl's expression and said, "No need to be so nervous. The conditions you offered are very good, but you just need to add one more thing."
The Dragon Girl was puzzled. Before setting out, she had confirmed that all valuable items in the Dragon Palace had been taken, with nothing left behind.
She had just displayed everything, holding nothing back.
What else could possibly be added?
But thinking that her father's safety was involved, she suppressed the distracting thoughts in her heart and asked:
"What else can be added?"
"You."
A simple and direct answer.
That single, light word struck the Dragon Girl's ears like a thunderclap. She felt her head buzz, and the shock of Xu Qing's answer made her vision go black.
"What!?"
A sharp scream echoed on the Taihang Mountain Peak.
The Dragon Girl swayed, dizzy and disoriented, almost losing her footing and falling to the ground.
Seeing this, the two Water Demons behind her quickly stepped forward to support the Dragon Girl.
Xu Qing had seen this scene several times before and was already used to it.
When he laid his cards on the table with Bai Ling and the others previously, they all wore this same look of shock and despair.
And what happened in the end?
They still became his wives, and their married life was exceptionally harmonious.
With previous experiences, Xu Qing's expertise could be called profound.
Feelings can be developed through adjustment.
If one adjustment isn't enough, then adjust twice, thrice... The more adjustments there are, the more naturally feelings develop, and they become significantly deeper than under normal circumstances.
At the same time.
The Dragon Girl barely managed to recover, her eyes complex, filled with shock, disbelief, and a deeply hidden trace of humiliation and anger.
"What did you say?" Her voice trembled, having completely lost its previous composure.
Xu Qing seriously repeated, "It's very simple. I can forgo all those treasures, but you must marry me."
Dragon Girl Xue'er's body trembled violently.
Since childhood, she had studied various ancient texts, and many human Great Scholars praised her as extremely intelligent. Now, hearing Xu Qing's demand, the clues in her mind connected, and she instantly understood the whole story.
"Your goal from the very beginning was me?" Her autumn-water-like eyes suddenly widened as the Dragon Girl stared intently at Xu Qing.
"Mhm." Xu Qing nodded, his expression calm.
Seeing Xu Qing be so straightforward, the Dragon Girl found him even more incomprehensible and couldn't help but ask, "Why? We've never met before, have we?"
"How can matters like this be clearly explained?"
Of course, Xu Qing couldn't tell her the truth, so he chose to brush it off.
The Dragon Girl recalled the moment she arrived at the foot of the mountain; the auras emanating from the caves seemed to belong solely to Female Demons. She instantly understood something.
She sneered, "Not clearly explained? Only a ghost would believe that. I think it's lust..."
The words caught in her throat, and the humiliation and anger in the Dragon Girl's eyes deepened. She spat and didn't continue speaking.
"If that's what you want to think, there's nothing I can do," Xu Qing shook his head helplessly.
Heaven and Earth bear witness, he only married purely to become stronger; his wife's appearance was not that important to him.
If a woman with a top-tier Bloodline but an ugly appearance wanted to marry Xu Qing, he wouldn't refuse for the sake of the System's rewards.
It would simply involve blocking his five senses and operating in the dark.
Just endure it, and it would pass.
However, this situation was basically nonexistent. Generally, once Cultivators reached a certain Realm, under the nourishment of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, their appearance would definitely not be associated with ugliness.
"You!" Hearing Xu Qing's reply, the Dragon Girl felt like she was punching cotton—powerful yet unable to strike anything—making her extremely frustrated.
Xu Qing said, "This is my only condition. As long as you agree, your father will be my father-in-law. How could I possibly harm my own father-in-law?"
The Dragon Girl instinctively wanted to refuse, but upon second thought, she couldn't speak the words.
But the moment she thought of the condition Xu Qing proposed, she felt both ashamed and angry, her mind filled with chaotic thoughts, completely unable to remain calm.
She stood rooted to the spot, falling into a fierce internal struggle.
She still didn't know the situation regarding her father; perhaps he was being imprisoned somewhere and suffering torture.
If she delayed any longer, her father might pass away!
By then, it would be too late to regret.
But if she agreed... a trace of panic flashed in the Dragon Girl's eyes, and she became increasingly flustered.
After a long while.
Dragon Girl Ding Xueer raised her head, staring at Xu Qing with her autumn-water-like eyes without blinking, and said:
"I want to first understand my father's condition."
Hearing this, Xu Qing recalled the scene when he fought the East River Dragon King.
At that time, he had used his Spirit Eyes to fully observe the Old Dragon King's condition: he was perfectly healthy and could live for at least another thousand years.
Therefore.
He slowly said, "He won't die for now."
The moment these words left his mouth, the Dragon Girl's expression drastically changed.
A threat!
A naked threat!
The information contained within the word 'for now' was all too obvious.
If she didn't agree, her father definitely wouldn't live!