Li Ping had given Meng Wanjun two choices.
Mainly because he could not bear to let her go.
After all, someone with the dragon-tender bloodline was exceedingly rare in the cultivation world. Not only did she possess extraordinary talent for beast taming, but spirit beasts were naturally drawn to her. In her company, they remained happy in both body and mind, which benefited their growth.
More importantly, once she reached a high cultivation level, she could use several special innate divine abilities to grant spirit beasts enhancements and improve their chances of advancing.
Taking her along would make the Desolate Fire Sparrow's and Earth Spirit Mouse's growth much smoother.
Of course, Li Ping was not a sanctimonious hypocrite like Sheng Hu. He would not force her.
He respected Meng Wanjun's wishes. If she was willing to follow him, he would gladly welcome her.
But if Meng Wanjun refused to let him place a Divine Soul Restriction on her, he would not make things difficult for her, out of consideration for his late acquaintance. He would simply let her leave.
"I..." Meng Wanjun froze briefly at Li Ping's words, then conflict surfaced on her lovely face, beautiful enough to make fish sink and geese fall.
She had no objection to following Li Ping.
But allowing him to place a restriction within her divine soul, leaving her life and death entirely in his hands, gave her some hesitation.
Part of her reluctance came from not wanting to be under another person's control, but mostly, she felt hurt that Li Ping did not trust her.
It was like in Li Ping's previous life: if one partner proposed notarizing their premarital assets or signing a prenuptial agreement before marriage, the other would naturally feel hurt. After all, it was an unmistakable declaration of distrust.