Of course, putting his mind at ease did not mean he would accept Meng Zhao's recruitment. If he truly harbored such ambitions, he would not have holed up in the mountains for so many years. He only wished to remain here in peace, cultivate the martial path, and comprehend the Dao of Heaven. That was enough.
As for the wealth, glory, and power of the bustling mortal world, they were nothing more than passing clouds to him. He did not take them to heart at all.
"Dragon King Meng, you know as well as I do that if I truly wished to struggle and scramble in the martial world and the mundane world, I would not have secluded myself here on Hengqu Mountain. So, I can only thank you for your kind regard, but I cannot accept."
Even if the deal fell through, goodwill remained. Mountain Lord did not think his refusal of Meng Zhao was in any way inconceivable or unreasonable, and Meng Zhao did not seem like an unreasonable man either.
It was precisely because he had seen that Meng Zhao handled matters with proper judgment, was courteous and refined, possessed supreme martial skill, yet did not use strength to bully the weak, that he spoke plainly rather than making excuses to fob him off.
Meng Zhao was not at all surprised by Mountain Lord's rejection. In fact, he had anticipated it already. He did not care, merely smiling as he said,
"Just as I expected. With martial arts as profound as yours, Mountain Lord, and your mastery of so many secret arts, if you truly wished to build a great enterprise, you would not waste your time away in these mountains. I suppose I do not have the charm to make Mountain Lord change his mind on