Setting out for Ta Lo Village
Only then did Black Widow report to Li Qi with a serious expression. Following her master's instructions, she had recommended Daisy Johnson to S.H.I.E.L.D.
During her report, she had specifically mentioned that Daisy Johnson possessed a superpower that could release shockwaves through the air, vividly describing it as similar to a Kamehameha.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s leadership had been quite interested to hear this, and she had come this time precisely to take Daisy Johnson to S.H.I.E.L.D. for an interview. Of course, she could officially join S.H.I.E.L.D. only if she passed the interview. Li Qi nodded lightly after hearing this, indicating that he understood.
Next, Black Widow Natasha continued patiently explaining things to her master. She had originally made careful plans to bring Phil Coulson along for the interview. As a level-eight S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Phil Coulson had higher clearance than Black Widow.
The original plan had been to have Phil Coulson personally submit to her master's control so he could serve Li Qi better. However, plans could not keep up with changes. An unexpected situation had disrupted everything, and Phil Coulson had been forced to leave to deal with something.
Black Widow told her master that a mysterious meteorite from outer space had fallen into the desert in Mexico, trailing a long tail of fire like a shooting star streaking across the sky. S.H.I.E.L.D. suspected that an unidentified force had arrived on Earth, so they had urgently dispatched Phil Coulson to conduct a preliminary investigation.
Li Qi knew that this was Thor, who had been banished to Earth, and that what lay in the Mexican desert was Mjolnir. Li Qi nodded. Since the plan had changed, he calmly told Black Widow to take Daisy Johnson straight back to S.H.I.E.L.D. for her interview.
Black Widow accepted the order. It was ten past noon, and Li Qi thoughtfully told the two women to have lunch before returning to S.H.I.E.L.D. Naturally, Black Widow followed her master's arrangements without hesitation.
Li Qi instructed the artificial intelligence JARVIS to call Daisy Johnson to the master bedroom so he could explain the plan in person. Before long, almost everyone had come to the dining room to eat.
After everyone enjoyed a pleasant, sumptuous lunch, Li Qi had Black Widow and Daisy Johnson leave the villa.
As for Thor and his hammer, Li Qi planned to deal with them after returning from Ta Lo Village. That afternoon, Li Qi remained in the underground workshop, fully absorbed in upgrading and reassembling new suits of iron armor.
After two fierce battles the previous day, the armor had suffered some damage, but he had never stopped upgrading and optimizing it, intent on improving its performance to face whatever crises might arise in the future.
That evening, Li Qi had Xu Xialing spend the night with him in the master bedroom. The next morning, Li Qi called Xu Wenwu, Ying Li, and Xu Xialing over and solemnly stated that, if there was nothing else to attend to, they would set out for the mysterious Ta Lo Village that afternoon.
His divine pet Dijiang seemed to sense the joy of soon returning home, constantly circling Li Qi's feet in figure eights, as though urgently reminding Li Qi not to forget him. He, too, seemed eager to go home; who knew how long he had been wandering outside.
Li Qi gently nudged the adorable little pet with neither head nor tail with his foot, and he immediately toppled onto Li Qi's shoe like a mischievous child. According to Ying Li's description, the entrance to Ta Lo Village was quite far away. Fortunately, Xu Wenwu had left an armed helicopter there the day before.
Once everyone was ready, Li Qi decided to lead his current elite forces to Ta Lo Village. He controlled six improved, upgraded suits of armor, having them fly behind the helicopter's tail like loyal guards.
He himself wore no armor and sat in the helicopter's copilot seat as they headed toward the entrance to Ta Lo Village that Ying Li had indicated. The helicopter was fast, and after nearly two hours of continuous flight, they finally reached that mysterious mountainous region.
Looking down from the helicopter, they saw an endless primeval forest below, its lush growth resembling a green ocean. Landing directly from the air would spare them the dangers of navigating the maze of primeval forest.
According to Ying Li, traveling through the primeval forest below was almost certain death, and it was very difficult to make it out alive, so taking a helicopter was undoubtedly a shortcut.
Guided by Ying Li and Dijiang, the helicopter slowly landed on a cool, pleasant stretch of flat ground amid mountains and water. Ying Li stepped out of the cabin with the adorable pet Dijiang and looked around. Not far away, a waterfall rushed down like the Milky Way cascading from the heavens.
After the woman and pet identified the location, they confirmed that the mysterious Ta Lo Village lay beyond the waterfall. Entering Ta Lo Village required no unusual powers or incantations; they only needed to walk straight through the waterfall.
For hundreds upon thousands of years, the dangerous forest maze surrounding it had silently protected this place like a loyal guardian, ensuring that outsiders rarely discovered it. Dressed in fitted black combat clothes with the ten rings on his arms, Xu Wenwu followed closely behind Li Qi.
Li Qi had brought neither the other members of the Ten Rings nor the security personnel employed at the villa. Only the four of them proceeded together. They stepped into the cool, ankle-deep stream and walked toward the roaring waterfall pouring down from above.
Surrounded by mountains and water, the place resembled an enchanting haven secluded from the world. Fresh moisture filled the air, lifting the spirits. After passing through the waterfall and a barrier resembling a membrane of light, Li Qi's view suddenly opened up.
An emerald grassland spread out like a green velvet carpet, vast stretches of forest grew lush and verdant, and the fresh air carried a faint sweetness. Creatures recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas could also be seen everywhere: phoenixes, qilin, taotie, the dragon's nine sons...
Li Qi had already seen four or five kinds along the way, as well as flocks of Dijiang and dragon horses running merrily about. It truly was a space like a secluded paradise, and Li Qi guessed that it might be something like a pocket dimension.
After they walked a little farther, a rustic village abruptly came into view ahead. They could vaguely make out quite a few people practicing martial arts and boxing in what looked like a square in front of the village, presenting a thriving scene.
Ying Li explained to her master that the settlement ahead was where the villagers of Ta Lo Village lived. By then, the villagers had clearly noticed the outsiders and swiftly ran toward them, fanning out to either side in preparation to surround Li Qi's group of four.
Only when they drew closer did Li Qi see clearly that the vast majority of those running toward them were women around twenty to thirty years old. They wore long, skirted training outfits and held various cold weapons, including staffs and bows, their faces full of sternness and anger.
This mysterious village, like a secluded paradise, firmly forbade outsiders from trespassing. Ying Li hurriedly took two steps forward, raised both hands, and shouted.
"Sisters, don't misunderstand! I'm Ying Li, a villager of our Ta Lo Village. I left the village, and these people with me aren't outsiders."
Ying Li repeated herself twice more. The women charging over to surround Li Qi's group of four stopped a dozen or so meters in front of them. Leading them was a long-haired woman in a training outfit, who took a tai chi stance with her bare hands before lowering them again, her face full of surprise and delight.
She walked forward and pulled Ying Li into an embrace, saying excitedly, "Sister, it really is you! You've come back to the village from the outside world again. Whatever you do, don't leave again this time. Don't make me worry."
Li Qi watched the two sisters embrace. Judging by her age, the woman in the tai chi training outfit was in her thirties, in the prime of mature composure, beauty, and charm. With flowing hair, a high nose bridge, and an extraordinary bearing, she had quite the air of a heroine. Presumably, she was Ying Li's elder sister, Ying Nan.