Sword Shatters Stars

Chapter 214 A Delightful Deal

To avoid Lin Xiufeng suddenly using the secrets of his ultimate technique to threaten him in the future, Li Ziyou decided to be frank and said with a smile:

"I don't like beating around the bush. Please keep the secret of the Shadowless Step and who can compete with it."

"As a token of my gratitude, please feel free to ask if you need anything."

Lin Xiufeng laughed and said, "We're all family, no need for such formalities."

Li Ziyou laughed and said, "You called yourself a rebel when we first met, but that was just a casual remark, just like you calling yourself a free man."

"From the past to the present, the Tianwu Group and the three major organizations have all tried to recruit me. If I were willing to be bound, I would have agreed long ago. Why would I have waited until now?"

"Brother Lin, let's talk about something practical and feasible!"

Lin Xiufeng pondered that this person's nickname was "King of Freedom," and it would indeed be difficult for him to agree to join the organization.

Besides, given Li Ziyou's behavior, his involvement in the anti-government movement would have significantly damaged his public image.

Lin Xiufeng didn't press the matter further and considered saying:
"Since the King of Freedom is a straightforward person, I won't force you. It's all up to you!"

"That means I have to say it myself until you're satisfied!" Li Ziyou sneered, feeling aggrieved.

He has been free and unrestrained for a long time, and has not been forced to bow his head for a long time.

Unexpectedly, what forced him to do this was not after the Heavenly Martial Group unified the Dream Continent!
Lin Xiufeng smiled without saying a word. Since Li Ziyou had made his point clear, there was no need for him to say anything hypocritical or pointless.

Li Ziyou took a sip of his drink and suddenly laughed:

"I guess you're quite interested in Xu Xiaoqing. On this journey south, we can share her with you."

Lin Xiufeng figured he wasn't interested at all, but not wanting to appear aloof, she smiled and said:
"Is the King of Freedom trying to get me killed by the Heavenly Might?"

"Hahaha..." Li Ziyou laughed loudly, "Poor Brother Lin, he has the will but not the courage, so many flowers he can only look at but not pick."

Lin Xiufeng feigned helplessness and said nothing.

Li Ziyou suddenly changed the subject and asked him:

"On a side note, what do you think of my Shadowless Step technique, and how it rivals the might of Heaven?"

“This…” Lin Xiufeng pretended to be embarrassed.

Li Ziyou understood and emphasized, "Tianwei's strength is known to all, Brother Lin, please speak frankly."

Lin Xiufeng smiled helplessly:
"If you're being frank, then there's nothing more to say. The power of Heaven's might—even a group of us—is no match for the Lone King Volcano, which has been half-flattened."

Li Ziyou thought to himself that this was indeed the case; no matter what special skills one discussed, it was impossible to challenge Tianwei.

But still unwilling to give up, he pressed on with the question:
"I mean, purely in terms of the technique of a unique skill."

Lin Xiufeng pondered and said:
"I can only say that Tianwei is probably not faster than Wuyingbu, but the chance of hitting her with that is not high."

"As expected of Heavenly Might, the power of the Heavenly Blade is beyond comprehension..." Li Ziyou sighed, resigned to his fate.

Li Ziyou took another sip of wine, then steered the conversation back to the main topic, saying directly:

"As the leader of the anti-heaven forces, I am just a free man, and I have nothing of value to offer you."

"All I possess is this fighting ability."

"Brother Lin promises not to pass on my special skills to anyone else. If you ever need my help in the future, I will never refuse!"

Lin Xiufeng thought this was the truth and readily agreed:
"A word is settled!"

“It’s a deal!” Li Ziyou was in a great mood. He had been worried that Lin Xiufeng would make some demands that would seriously affect his freedom.

Now it seems Lin Xiufeng is a straightforward person, so he said:
"If Brother Lin changes his mind at any time during our journey south, you may share the beauty with her. I will keep your secret."

Lin Xiufeng laughed and said, "Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm timid and henpecked."

"Hahaha..." Li Ziyou pointed at him and laughed.

Lin Xiufeng thought to himself that he wouldn't fall for such a trick. Wouldn't that be handing over leverage to Li Ziyou and Xu Xiaoqing? Only someone with a muddled mind would indulge in momentary entertainment and create long-term trouble for themselves.

Lin Xiufeng then asked about Xu Xiaoqing's situation, saying:
"But Brother Li is really open-minded, willing to share his girlfriend with someone else?"

Li Ziyou said with a smile:
"Men approach me under the guise of brotherhood; women approach me under the guise of love. They're all the same when you put it bluntly."

Lin Xiufeng feigned surprise and said:
"She doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives! Xu Xiaoqing is gentle and considerate, and her gaze is always on Brother Li. She seems to be deeply in love."

Li Ziyou chuckled and said:

"Brother Lin, you're too young!"

“Xu Xiaoqing used to have two men. I’ve met them before, and they were clearly manipulated and played with by her.”

"Later, those two men said they fought each other to the death because they were jealous of her."

But what is the truth? How would outsiders know?

“You see, Xu Xiaoqing is so obedient to me, but in this world, the most fake thing is being obedient to someone.”

"No matter how gentle and good-tempered a woman is, she has her own sore spot. She can only go along with a man most of the time, but she can never be obedient to him in everything."

"Anyone who can do this must be acting."

Lin Xiufeng discovered that Li Ziyou was actually quite clear-headed in this regard!

His mother, as his wife, was very gentle, considerate, and obedient to his father.

But what outsiders don't know, Lin Xiufeng does, is that his mother also has principles and her own limits, and in these aspects, his father goes along with his mother.

Although such cases may account for less than 10% of all cases, they do exist.

To outsiders, it seemed as if his mother was completely subservient to his father.

“Brother Li sees things very clearly; I’ve learned something new,” Lin Xiufeng said, then feigned confusion and asked, “But what is Xu Xiaoqing after?”

Li Ziyou said with a smile:
"Although the Heavenly Martial Corps accepts eight-star Heavenly Martial warriors like her, it can only be considered a partial membership."

"The more ambiguous or negative aspects are found in the investigation of past experiences, the longer the subsequent evaluation period will be."

"To put it bluntly, it's about letting time prove that even if someone has a blemish in the past, they are genuinely willing to change and have actually changed."

"Only after that can one be considered a truly complete member of the Heavenly Martial Corps."

"Xu Xiaoqing was unwilling to endure the hardships of years of assessment, simply because she wanted to get close to me, hoping that one day I would fall in love with her and then join the Tianwu Group for her sake."

"If she can accomplish the great task of recruiting me, she will be spared the torment of years of assessment."

"With me in the Heavenly Martial Clan as her backer, her status is far beyond what a mere eight-star Heavenly Martial Warrior can compare to."

Lin Xiufeng suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly as if he had been taught a lesson, saying, "A word from you is worth more than ten years of study!"

"Hahaha..." Li Ziyou was quite pleased, having already believed it to be true, and then laughed and said:
"Women do foolish things because of love. If a woman uses love as a weapon, everything she does is for her own selfish interests."

As Li Ziyou spoke, he suddenly glanced towards the cabin door.

"The fine wine and beautiful woman have returned."

Sure enough, a moment later, there was a knock on the door, and Xu Xiaoqing's gentle voice said:
"I am back."

Xu Xiaoqing pushed open the cabin door and came in, her clothes and hair soaked through. She was carrying several bottles of wine and peanuts. Without bothering to wipe the water off her face, she poured wine for them first.

Li Ziyou also changed his demeanor, tenderly tucking her wet hair behind her ear.

"Thanks a lot."

"It's nothing," Xu Xiaoqing said with a smile, her eyes revealing the joy of being cared for by him.

Lin Xiufeng watched all this and could only secretly praise: "Truly a worthy opponent, their acting is superb!"
(End of this chapter)