I'm Timid and Can't Take a Scare

"Uh, Aunt, you're absolutely right. I also think my brother, whom I've never met, is far too pedantic." Li Hao immediately showered Li Qingluo with flattery.

"Then tell me, in what way is your brother pedantic?" Li Qingluo perked up at once. Although she loathed men, she was somewhat interested in Li Hao.

Even Wang Yuyan beside her was curious. She hadn't seen Murong Fu in five years. The last time they'd met, she'd been only eleven, too young and naive to call it love. It had been more like a little sister's dependence on her older brother.

Women, after all, began to fall for a man once they became interested in him and curious about him.

"Murong Fu is the eldest son of the Murong Family. If his campaign to restore Yan succeeds, he'll be the future emperor of Great Yan. How can a ruler afford to be softhearted? He must be decisive and ruthless. 'Better for me to betray the world than for the world to betray me'—that's the way of a true king." Li Hao spoke with bold authority.

In truth, he wasn't saying this for Li Qingluo's benefit. He was speaking to Murong Bo, who was hiding behind the scenes.

See? I'm this impressive. I'm far better suited than Murong Fu to inherit everything at Canhe Manor.

Anyone who'd read Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils knew Murong Bo would do anything to restore Yan. If Li Hao proved superior to Murong Fu, Murong Bo could immediately abandon Murong Fu and choose him instead.

But despite all his careful calculations, Li Hao hadn't realized that Murong Bo had already made his choice between him and Murong Fu.

"Forming alliances through diplomacy can help you succeed, but there are too many cautionary tales about inviting wolves into your home. Besides, the Central Plains are still not chaotic enough for the turmoil he stirs up to affect the larger picture. He'd be better off coming back to manage Canhe Manor, recruiting soldiers, gathering wealth and provisions, and waiting for the right moment."

"His title of Southern Murong may sound impressive, but it's just an empty reputation. What good is that? Without money, followers, or territory, who'll risk their life for him? He's too idealistic. He thinks that because he's made a name for himself, all he'll have to do is call out, and hordes of people will follow him."

"Too bad there are plenty of people in the martial world with greater reputations than his. Qiao Feng, Guo Jing, Zhang Sanfeng, Yan Shisan, Xie Xiaofeng, Yan Nantian, and countless others. What's Southern Murong compared to them?"

Li Hao was no ordinary person. In his previous life, he'd been a notorious flop of a webnovel author. Whenever he had nothing better to do, he'd argue with the trolls in his novel's comment section. He could flame someone all day without repeating himself, and without using a single curse word.

"Mm, I'm thirsty." Li Hao picked up the tea on the table in front of him and drained it in one gulp.

"Fine tea. Rich and fragrant, with an exquisite aroma. A little cold, though. Where was I?" Li Hao smacked his lips.

A crisp clatter came from the doorway as a maid dropped the tray she was holding.

"What's wrong? Did my bold words scare you? Hahaha..." Li Hao laughed smugly.

"Master, Master, you drank the wrong tea! That was your aunt's!" A Bi hurried over and tugged at Li Hao's sleeve.

"Uh, no way!" Li Hao jumped in alarm. He looked up and saw Li Qingluo sitting right in front of him. An empty teacup sat to her left.

As Li Hao had gotten more and more carried away, he'd unknowingly wandered over to Li Qingluo.

"Heh heh, Aunt, forgive your nephew for his lapse in manners." Li Hao gave an awkward smile, hurried back to his seat, picked up his own tea, and downed it.

"What's your name, and when did you come to the island?" Li Qingluo asked, her pretty face turning green as she looked at the maid by the doorway.

When Li Qingluo was young, she'd been hurt in love. After a man got her pregnant, he abandoned her. With nowhere else to turn, she sought out the master of Mantuo Mountain Villa. Fortunately, he was her devoted admirer and didn't care about her past at all. Despite everyone's objections, he'd married her and raised another man's child.

Sadly, good people never seemed to live long, and devoted admirers never got a happy ending. The master of Mantuo Mountain Villa—Murong Fu's maternal uncle—had never even made it to home plate before he died. A tragic tale, wasn't it?

Of course, all these years, Li Qingluo hadn't let another man touch her either. That was why Li Hao drinking from her teacup had just made her feel a trace of shame.

"I, I'm called Duan, Duan..."

"Your surname is Duan." Li Qingluo's face darkened further.

"Yes, Manor Master." The maid was so frightened she collapsed to the ground.

"Granny Bai, take her away and chop her up for flower fertilizer," Li Qingluo said angrily.

"Please spare me, Manor Master..." The maid burst into tears.

"Little girl, don't cry. I'll be very gentle. It won't hurt." An old woman with a head of white hair appeared beside the maid. Her tender voice sounded just like the kind old granny next door.

But her words chilled everyone present. The cruelest things came wrapped in the gentlest voice.

What did she mean, it wouldn't hurt? Once someone was dead, how could they feel pain?

"Aunt, no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. This maid hasn't done anything terribly wrong. Surely she doesn't deserve to die!" Li Hao hurriedly pleaded on her behalf.

The maid wasn't especially pretty, but the thought of watching a young woman die in front of him still made him uncomfortable. What a waste.

"She deserves to die." Li Qingluo bit her lip.

"Just because her surname is Duan?" Li Hao didn't care what her reason was. No one was going to kill someone he wanted to save. If he had to fall out with Li Qingluo, so be it.

She was Murong Fu's aunt, not his. There was no need to humor her.

"You just said that a ruler must be fair in rewarding and punishing people. If I can't do that, how can I command their respect? This maid broke the rules, so I'm punishing her according to Mantuo Mountain Villa's regulations. What's wrong with that?"

Li Qingluo found herself liking Li Hao just a tiny bit. He was actually willing to fall out with her over a maid he'd just met. Now that was a man.

"Right, being fair in rewards and punishments doesn't mean slaughtering innocent people. If a ruler kills people at will, his subordinates will feel unsafe. They'll fear him, but they won't obey him."

"When one day you lose power and fall into ruin, you won't even need your enemies to make a move. They'll seize the chance to get rid of you and win their freedom at last." Li Hao scoffed at Li Qingluo's so-called fairness.

Don't think I don't know you want to kill her because her surname is Duan.

"You've got a lot of nerve, talking back to me like that. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Li Qingluo's pretty face turned black as soot.

"Uh, Aunt, I'd advise you not to threaten me. I'm timid. If I get startled, I start shaking, and when I shake, someone might end up dead." Li Hao stared at Li Qingluo's legs. At the same time, several needles as fine as ox hairs appeared in his hand.

Ox-hair needles—the perfect weapon for piercing protective qi. Given Li Hao's strength, no one in Mantuo Mountain Villa's main hall could be confident they'd be able to dodge them.