A Private Meeting

"When I heard that you sent all your mistresses away, I didn't believe it. I just couldn't." Wang Rouyun's stance didn't change. She was ready to fight against him, against the imposter. She glared at him. "It turns out… that was because you are no longer Li Qiang."

Li Qiang shrugged in response. "I won't convince you to believe me." That would be wasting his time. "You are here because you need something. Am I right?"

"Answer me!" Wang Rouyun hissed. "Who are you!"

"You already know who I am Lady Wang." Li Qiang held his palms up. "Are you going to kill me?"

"I won't hesitate to…"

"Naïve." Li Qiang snorted. This Wang Rouyun looked like Wang Rou but she wasn't as smart as the Wang Rou on Earth. She was a little careless and would easily let her anger win her over. What a rookie mistake.

It was something that made him a little disappointed.

It seems that he needed to stop comparing this woman to the Wang Rou that he once knew?

"You— "

"Did you think I would reveal myself and give you the time to kill me?"

"Who are you?"

"Does that matter?"

His real identity would never matter. At the end of the day, he is already the one inside this body. He was Li Qiang. Just a different Li Qiang.

"If you move any closer…"

Li Qiang smiled in amusement. Wang Rouyun, oh Wang Rouyun. This woman was too different and a little foolish. Yet, he kinda liked it.

Seeing that Wang Rouyun wasn't planning on budging, Li Qiang took a step back and started walking towards his huge bed. "If you are going to just stand there, then feel free to stay. I am tired."

"You— "

"You already sneak into my room, Lady Wang. For you to show that posture in front of me was just a little too much. If I kill you right now, I am sure no one would ask me why I— "

"Kill me?"

Li Qiang stopped walking. He turned towards Wang Rouyun. She was really underestimating him. And while she had her reasons, it is starting to irritate Li Qiang. Everyone can underestimate him. Everyone except his woman.

He frowned at the thought of it. Wang Rouyun… wasn't his woman. At least not now.

Not yet.

"Duke Li… I didn't want to say this. However—"

*BAM*

The loud impact of Li Qiang's needles, hitting the iron frame of the painting behind Wang Rouyun echoed inside his room. It was enough to earn a surprised gasp from Wang Rouyun.

Seeing his stupefied face, made Li Qiang a little giddy. It turns out that showing his abilities felt good.

"You—You can fight?"

"Lady Wang… how could someone like me who cannot use the elements, fight?"

Wang Rouyun frowned. She looked behind her and realized that the iron frame started melting. "Poison!" she uttered. "You—it was really you?" She gulped and took a few steps away from him. This time, she put away her dagger and removed her sword from its hilt.

She didn't hide the blood lust from her eyes.

But how could a mere action that was only done to intimidate him, affect Li Qiang?

He shrugged and slowly gathered the rest of the needles. "I never missed Lady Wang. You should be careful of your next actions." Now, that was a warning. He wasn't going to kill her; he knew he wouldn't be able to do something like that.

However, he is not going to let her continue acting like this.

He was pretty impatient.

In fact, if this was a different person, Li Qiang would have killed her a long time ago.

He was expecting her to attack him, maybe try to test his martial arts. However, Wang Rouyun suddenly put her sword away. "You poisoned Jing."

"Was he your lover?" he asked.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"No! Jing is like a brother to me."

"And that made him really lucky."

"What are you— "

"If you liked him… I would have used something stronger." He made a deliberate pause. "Deadlier."

"You are crazy."

"Oh, I am."

She gave him a disproving look. "I want you to give me the antidote."

"No." Still so demanding?

"What?"

"I don't have one."

"You— "

"And the poison won't kill him. It was meant to teach him a lesson." In fact, Li Qiang hasn't found any deadly poison in this world yet. So far, all of the poisons that he knew about had some hallucinogenic effects or something that could give amnesia and other various effects.

None of them could kill a person.

For a few seconds, Wang Rouyun just stared at him. Then she said, "So you poisoned him because you wanted to talk to me."

"Look at that!? You are finally getting smarter!"

"…"

"Lady Wang, you should understand. I can't talk to you when other people are around. Obviously, I can't tell you this matter as you were never alone. Your father's shadow guards were always around. And there's that Jing and that woman. Like insects."

This woman was always surrounded by shadow guards, servants that knows martial arts, and just other people. Li Qiang didn't like that. He wanted their deal to be a secret. And to do that, he needed her to come to him.

Alone.

Truth be told, she never expected him to send Ouyang Jing to fight Li Qiang. He thought of poisoning the other using other methods. He wanted to look for an opportunity to fight that man as he was really close to Wang Rouyun. Who would have thought that Wang Rouyun would actually send her right-hand man to fight Li Qiang instead?

That fight was really just a blessing in disguise for Li Qiang.

"You planned everything…" Realization registered in the woman's face.

"False! I didn't plan that fight. You did." Li Qiang smirked. "So if you wanted to blame someone… blame yourself, Lady Wang. You can only blame yourself."

Wang Rouyun scowled. "What do you need from me?"

"Nothing. Just agree to marry me."

"Excuse me? What about the previous deal?"

"I can't show my strength, Lady Wang and you knew well why I can't do that. So I will fight against you and lose."

"You could never beat me in the first place." Wang Rouyun was a first-class general. How could someone like Li Qiang beat her?

"If I managed to poison your right-hand man without being caught… did you think I wouldn't be able to do it again? This time… to the people that you love? For instance, your father… or that maidservant of yours who is already coming towards our way as we speak."

"You are threatening me…"

"Oh… I don't do threats, Lady Wang. I already told you this. I am only warning you… of what's to come."