While observing Li Mu Bai and the others, Li Liu didn't hesitate in her steps.
She quickly reached the riverbank.
Then she lowered the basin of clothes in her hand.
She smiled at Li Mu Bai, Chen Ping An, and Zhi Gui, "Aren't you three cold? It's the middle of winter, and you're actually going into the water."
Her voice was melodious and pleasant.
Her gaze was gentle as she spoke.
It was hard not to develop a favorable impression of her.
To put it simply, if Li Mu Bai hadn't known her well, he would never have imagined that this seemingly gentle girl next door was actually the Water God of the Ancient Heavenly Court, one of the five supreme deities.
Of course, Li Liu, being born with innate knowledge, was inherently proud, despite her outward gentleness.
Few in the martial world were worthy of her respect.
And as one of the five supreme deities, she naturally had the confidence to do so.
Speaking of which, Li Mu Bai was quite unhappy with Li Liu's ultimate fate when he read the book.
Li Liu's divine nature was devoured by Ruan Xiu, leading to a severe illness that left her extremely weak. Coupled with her mother's constant urging for her to marry, she chose a husband at random.
That man was Han Cheng Jiang!
Just a damn lowly fifth-rank scholar.
He actually managed to win over Li Liu.
And back then, it wasn't just Li Mu Bai who was unhappy; many of Li Liu's loyal followers were heartbroken.
How could Han Cheng Jiang do this?
What did he have to offer?
Just because he had a past encounter with Li Liu in his previous life?
Was there a so-called karmic connection?
Or was it because of a single sentence from Li Huai, 'The Heavenly Emperor'?
This is ridiculous! If she has to marry, she shouldn't marry Han Cheng Jiang.
Li Mu Bai thought, perhaps after he left the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, he would see Han Cheng Jiang and cleave him in two with his sword.
Or when Li Huai was born, he would find ways to torment him.
That little brat deserved a good beating.
Moreover, he felt he should have a chat with Chai Dao Huang, the owner of the town's wedding shop.
Although outwardly Chai Dao Huang was just a wedding shop owner, he was actually the Yue Lao (matchmaker) of the Ancient Heavenly Court, in charge of the book of yin yuan (destined relationships).
Li Liu's marriage was said to be related to a deal between Yang Lao (Old Yang) and Chai Dao Huang.
————————
"Who are you?"
As Li Mu Bai's thoughts raced, Zhi Gui heard Li Liu's words and couldn't help but turn her head to look at Li Liu, her eyes filled with confusion.
She had only been out of the Lock Dragon Well for a few days.
And this was only her second time leaving the house.
Naturally, she didn't recognize anyone in town.
"I'm Li Liu."
Li Liu smiled and replied, "What about you? I don't think I've seen you before."
"My name is Zhi Gui," Zhi Gui replied calmly.
As she answered, Zhi Gui's eyes held a hint of confusion.
She realized that she had never met this Li Liu before, yet she felt a strange sense of both familiarity and hostility when she saw her.
It was a contradiction of emotions.
Very strange.
The familiarity wasn't the kind you felt towards family.
It was a closeness between Dao (Way) and Dao.
But the hostility felt like an instinctive warning from her body.
Could this Li Liu be a cultivator?
Thinking about it, she couldn't help but look Li Liu up and down, but she couldn't see anything different about her.
This made her furrow her brow.
"Can I ask, what are you doing touching these stones in the middle of winter?" Li Liu asked with a gentle, curious expression.
"These are Snake Gall Stones. My young master said they're very valuable,"
Zhi Gui answered with a feigned innocence, but while she answered, she was carefully observing Li Liu's eyes.
She wanted to see if Li Liu would show any change in expression.
Because if Li Liu was truly a cultivator, she would certainly know that these stones were Snake Gall Stones.
Li Liu's eyes showed a flicker of surprise, "Your young master? Who is he?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Li Mu Bai and Chen Ping An.
"It's me,"
Li Mu Bai chuckled softly.
"Oh, you're Li Mu Bai!" Li Liu responded with a sudden realization, but her surprise was greater than her realization.
Li Liu believed that Chen Ping An could possibly become Zhi Gui's master.
After all, although Chen Ping An's natal porcelain was seemingly shattered, his fate was now like that of a rootless lotus.
Yet, he was like a treasure trove.
Many opportunities would automatically gravitate towards him.
However, his overall fate was like a sieve, preventing him from capturing even a fraction of those opportunities.
But Li Mu Bai becoming Zhi Gui's master was simply unbelievable.
Although Li Mu Bai was a Li family member, he wasn't someone with boundless fortune.
His natal porcelain wasn't exceptionally brilliant either.
He wasn't someone famous.
So, Li Liu was truly curious how Zhi Gui had become Li Mu Bai's servant.
How did it happen?
Or perhaps, after emerging from the Lock Dragon Well, this last True Dragon of the world didn't want revenge, nor did she want to rise again.
Instead, she was willing to be ordinary.
Was she ready to become human?
Thinking about it, Li Liu couldn't help but look at Zhi Gui again.
Although Li Liu was now human and no longer a god, she still didn't know how to be a proper human.
She was currently trying hard to restrain herself and imitate others.
Moreover, she was very aware that her divinity had not fully awakened. If it did, she would find it even more difficult to become a 'human' than she was now.
So, at this moment, she was truly curious to know if Zhi Gui was really ready to completely abandon the path of the True Dragon and become a human.
"Can I ask, how did Zhi Gui become your servant?" Li Liu asked Li Mu Bai with a warm smile.
"She fell at Chen Ping An's doorstep a few nights ago. I happened to be going out and rescued her. Then, she said that to repay her debt of gratitude, she wanted to give herself to me, but she was too young, so I naturally refused. When she saw that I wouldn't agree, she settled for being my servant.
I felt sorry for her, and since we both didn't have any family, I agreed to take her in for now."
Li Mu Bai spoke with a straight face, but he was completely making it up.
"Ah..."
However, even though Li Mu Bai was making it up, Li Liu couldn't help but widen her eyes.
She felt that this possibility was quite real.
Immediately, she looked at Zhi Gui with an odd expression.
Was the last True Dragon of the world really planning to give up completely?!
Meanwhile, Zhi Gui couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her mouth.
What the heck was that?
Her master was so good at making up lies!
Clearly, her master had held her neck and asked if she wanted to live or die.
She didn't want to die, so she had agreed to become her master's servant, okay?
Although the outcome was good, the process was pretty miserable.
(ps: I've read all the comments you guys sent. It's not that I don't want to reply, but my account is restricted. Even though I've linked it to my phone, I can't reply to messages. It's ridiculous! Also, this book won't have any female leads, cough cough... I guess you can't count Chen's mother as a lead, right?)