Because her conduct was far from proper—sinister and extreme, letting those who obeyed her prosper and those who defied her perish. If she could be so ruthless toward an orphan like Li Zheng, who had neither power, influence, nor backing, she was certainly no good person.
Of course, Meng Zhao was no saint either. Compared with Widow Zhou, his schemes ran deeper and his abilities were greater. If they truly began plotting against one another—
Before an old hand like Meng Zhao, Widow Zhou was no more than a little white rabbit.
Meng Zhao put on a bitter smile.
"Do I even have the option of refusing?"
The unspoken meaning was naturally that becoming Widow Zhou's man counted as taking a shortcut. As for how many shortcuts he could take would depend on Meng Zhao's methods and just how powerful the force behind Widow Zhou was.
Widow Zhou was overjoyed. She had long thought highly of Li Zheng—not because she had any other intentions toward him, but simply because she admired the aptitude of his physique and bone structure. He was excellent material for martial arts, far beyond ordinary people.
It was only that Li Zheng's past performance had been less than satisfactory. He had seemed too slick, lacking in integrity, and she had not thought much of him.
Yet after all that had happened now—after being injured by Wen San and perhaps even nearly killed by him—she believed Li Zheng would change.
"Of course not. If you refuse me today, there will be only one outcome: death!
"I do not particularly wish to lay hands on you. After all, you are someone I know quite well. But for the sake of secrecy, I have no choice!"
After pausing, Widow Zhou continued,
"However, becoming one of my people will not