262: Chapter 42 Hit the ball straight

In the garden of Canhe Village.

Meng Li, Wang Yuyan, and A Bi were sitting around a stone table in a pavilion playing cards.

A Zi, A Zhu, Mei Jian, and Zhu Jian stood nearby watching.

After watching Li Qingluo interrogate Qin Hongmian and Mu Wanqing, Meng Li felt there was nothing entertaining left, so he returned directly to Canhe Village.

Upon returning, seeing nothing else to do, he organized a card game for entertainment.

After being in seclusion for so many days, it was time to relax a bit.

With the idea that sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone, the three of them also brought along A Zi, A Zhu, Mei Jian, and Zhu Jian, who had heard the news. However, they arrived a step too late and had to temporarily serve as spectators and strategists on the side.

Mei Jian and Zhu Jian stood on either side of Meng Li.

A Zi acted as Wang Yuyan's strategist.

A Zhu helped A Bi watch her hand and offer advice.

For a time, the scene was harmonious and pleasant.

But the good times did not last long. After a few rounds of cards, a servant came to report that an unexpected guest had arrived and requested to see Meng Li.

Meng Li felt a flicker of doubt.

An unexpected guest?

He hadn't been causing trouble recently, so where would an unexpected guest come from?

Puzzled, he stood up, asked Mei Jian to take his place in the game, and then went to meet the guest.

When he met the person in the reception hall, Meng Li was very surprised.

The visitor was Mu Wanqing.

Wasn't she with Li Qingluo?

Why had she come to Canhe Village?

"Miss, weren't you with my maternal aunt? Why have you come to my Canhe Village?" Puzzled, Meng Li asked directly.

"Li Qingluo let me go," Mu Wanqing replied.

Meng Li: "?!"

Li Qingluo released someone, and she released the daughter of her love rival? Had the sun risen in the west!

Before Meng Li could figure out the reason, Mu Wanqing spoke again: "You are engaged to Li Qingluo's daughter?"

Meng Li nodded.

"Then are you willing to break off this engagement?"

"I am not willing," Meng Li replied without hesitation, then feigned confusion: "Why should I break off the engagement for no reason?"

Mu Wanqing bit her lip and said with a trace of shyness: "Because I want to marry you."

"Miss, are you joking?"

Mu Wanqing glared, a faint anger appearing on her beautiful face: "How can such a major event as marriage be used for joking?"

Meng Li's mouth twitched: "This is only the second time we've met, and I don't even know your name. Yet you ask me to break off an engagement and say you want to marry me. If that's not joking, what is it?"

Hearing this, Mu Wanqing also realized the problem and quickly introduced herself: "My name is 'Mu Wanqing'."

Immediately after, she explained the matter of her oath.

After explaining the situation, she looked at the thoughtful Meng Li and said seriously: "So, there are two solutions to the matter now."

"One is that you break off the engagement and marry me. The other is that I kill you."

Meng Li shook his head repeatedly: "Fighting and killing is not advisable for a young lady."

Seeing him say this, Mu Wanqing's heart brightened: "Then you agree to break off the engagement and marry me?"

Meng Li still shook his head: "Breaking off the engagement is impossible. How about you marry me as a concubine?"

Mu Wanqing's expression stiffened, and she replied without thinking: "No."

"Why not?" Meng Li countered, then added: "This doesn't violate your oath, and it avoids fighting and killing. Moreover, in this current age, it is normal for men to have many wives and concubines. Don't believe me, go ask your mother."

Mu Wanqing replied: "My mother says that a man must be single-minded; otherwise, he is not a good person."

Meng Li chuckled: "What your mother said isn't wrong; I am not a good man. The reason I want to take you as a concubine is simply because I covet your beauty."

"After all, there are few girls as beautiful as you."

Meng Li said this sincerely.

When he watched the drama back then, he felt this version of Mu Wanqing was the most beautiful among all versions, and she was the character that represented the Peak of the corresponding actress's looks. In the drama, Mu Wanqing was also the only one who could compete with Wang Yuyan in terms of appearance.

Mu Wanqing hadn't expected Meng Li to admit he wasn't a good person and then say he coveted her beauty, praising how good-looking she was.

For a moment, she didn't know how to respond, so she could only pout angrily and spit out one phrase: "Lecher!"

Meng Li was unfazed and countered with a smile: "This is called the love of beauty being common to all. Miss Mu, when you saw my face, your first reaction wasn't to kill me, but to ask me to break off the engagement and marry you. Isn't that also because my looks are quite decent?"

"If it were someone whose appearance was unbearable to look at, you would probably have struck him down immediately."

"Right?"

Mu Wanqing opened her mouth but couldn't utter a rebuttal.

She was never good at arguing, let alone when Meng Li was stating a fact.

Finally, she cooled her expression and changed the subject: "So, you are unwilling to break off the engagement to marry me?"

Meng Li replied without hesitation: "Marrying you is possible, but breaking off the engagement is not."

"Then I can only kill you!" Mu Wanqing said sharply.

With that, she lunged towards Meng Li and struck directly at his face with an open palm.

Originally, Mu Wanqing wanted to use hidden darts, but after she and Qin Hongmian were captured by Wang Yuyan, all their hidden weapons were confiscated by the strong women under Li Qingluo and had not been returned.

Therefore, the only means she could use against Meng Li now were hand-to-hand combat skills.

However, since her primary training was in hidden weapons, her hand-to-hand combat skills were quite average.

In Meng Li's eyes, it was no different from a child's roughhousing, full of flaws.

Meng Li easily parried with just one hand, then used leverage to push and strike, repelling Mu Wanqing.

Mu Wanqing was surprised. After steadying herself, she bit her red lip lightly and attacked Meng Li again.

However, after only three to five exchanges, she was repelled again.

Mu Wanqing refused to believe it and attacked again.

Defeated!

Attacked again!

Defeated!

...

No matter what Move Mu Wanqing used to attack, Meng Li always countered with only one hand.

Even so, Mu Wanqing exerted all her skill but failed to achieve any result.

Let alone killing Meng Li, she couldn't even injure him slightly, nor could she make him shift his position.

This made Mu Wanqing feel a sense of despair.

After another failure, she closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and said hatefully: "Kill me."

Meng Li looked stunned: "Why would I kill you?"

Mu Wanqing opened her eyes and said coldly: "If you don't kill me, then break off the engagement and marry me, otherwise, I will kill you one day."

"Can't you marry me as a concubine?" Meng Li asked.

Mu Wanqing hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: "No."

Meng Li smiled: "You hesitated, which means it's not truly impossible, but just temporarily hard to accept."

Mu Wanqing wanted to deny it, but Meng Li spoke first: "How about this: you stay here as a guest first. Besides my cousin, I have quite a few excellent women around me. They are all my future concubines, and they get along harmoniously with each other."

"Try living with them for a while."

"If you can get used to and accept it later, then marry me as a concubine."

"If it is truly too difficult to accept, we can discuss something else."

"How about that?"

Mu Wanqing frowned in thought.

Meng Li continued: "Through our exchange just now, you should understand that with your current Martial Arts, it's impossible for you to kill me. If you stay here, I can arrange for someone to instruct you in Martial Arts and give you opportunities to compete with me."

"Why would you do this?" Mu Wanqing looked puzzled.

Meng Li smiled: "Because you are beautiful, and I lust after your body."

Mu Wanqing: "..."