Listening to Lu Zhanyuan's affectionate words, Li Mochou's cheeks flushed, and her eyes mixed with surprise and panic.
"But... still..."
She looked at Lu Zhanyuan with utter innocence. "My master said that men's words are all lies, and men are like rampaging beasts—they're the most terrifying things in the world!"
"Ugh..."
Lu Zhanyuan was nearly choked by this sudden statement and had to patiently explain, "Mochou, what your master said has flaws. She's right, but not entirely right!"
"Then tell me, what's wrong with what my master said?" Li Mochou tilted her head, looking at Lu Zhanyuan with curiosity.
"In this world, there are indeed many lying men, but there are also many good men! Your master is being far too one-sided; she's painting all men with the same brush!"
Lu Zhanyuan leaned forward slightly, took Li Mochou's hands, and gently stroked them. "Mochou, actually... your master has never even been around men. Everything she knows about men comes from Founder Grannys!"
"How do you know that?" Li Mochou widened her eyes, her lips parted slightly as she looked at Lu Zhanyuan in astonishment.
"Haha..."
Seeing her adorable expression, Lu Zhanyuan couldn't help laughing. "I've heard some stories about things between your Ancient Tomb Sect's Founder Lin Chaoying and Wang Chongyang!"
"Wang Chongyang?"
Li Mochou asked doubtfully, "Isn't that the founder of the Quanzhen Sect?"
"That's right, Mochou, none other than the founder of the Quanzhen Sect—Wang Chongyang!"
Li Mochou instantly became interested, leaning over the table and looking eagerly at Lu Zhanyuan, urging, "Then what else do you know? Tell me quickly!"
Seeing her so interested, Lu Zhanyuan recounted the story in a leisurely tone:
"Legend has it that when Lin Chaoying and Wang Chongyang were young, they met while traveling through the pugilistic world, and afterward they supported each other and wandered the jianghu together.
During this process, the two appreciated each other and gradually developed romantic feelings. Lin Chaoying wished to give herself to him and become Wang Chongyang's wife.
However, Wang Chongyang always regarded resisting the Jin as his personal duty and ultimately chose to throw himself into the great cause of resisting the Jin, thus failing Lin Chaoying's affection and refusing her proposal."
"Bang!"
Li Mochou angrily slammed her hand on the table and cursed, "This Wang Chongyang is truly no man! No wonder Founder Grannys hated him so much!"
"Indeed, this Wang Chongyang was too foolish. Did he really think that marrying Lin Chaoying would mean he couldn't keep fighting the Jin?" Lu Zhanyuan nodded in agreement.
"To my mind, they could have gotten married first and then thrown themselves into the grand cause of resisting the Jin together, supporting each other. Wouldn't that have been the best of both worlds?"
"Mm, indeed!"
Li Mochou conceded approvingly, "Lu Zhanyuan, what you say makes sense!"
Lu Zhanyuan's gaze locked firmly onto Li Mochou, his eyes filled with tenderness as he prepared to launch the final, fierce offensive.
"Mochou, the path of love may be full of twists and turns, but I want to walk through every single day of the future hand in hand with you. I am willing to use my whole life to guard you and give you the warmest embrace.
I want to spend every sunrise and sunset of the rest of my life with you, sharing every joy and sorrow. Let us face the wind and rain ahead together, grow together, and never be parted for a lifetime."
Lu Zhanyuan's voice was deep and magnetic, every word seeming to carry warmth as it traveled straight to the bottom of Li Mochou's heart.
"Mochou, I want to take you as my wife. Would you be willing to marry me?"
Li Mochou's eyes widened in shock as she stared straight at Lu Zhanyuan, who was proposing to her.
"But...!"
Her lips trembled slightly, her eyes holding both surprise and a trace of panic.
"Mochou, there are no 'buts'!"
Seeing that Li Mochou still had some hesitation, Lu Zhanyuan continued to gaze at her affectionately, speaking slowly with eyes full of love:
"From the very first moment I laid eyes on you, you took up residence in my heart, and my world has had brighter colors ever since.
Every look in your eyes, every smile of yours, has illuminated my life like warm sunshine."
Lu Zhanyuan gripped Li Mochou's hands tightly and continued firing his sugar-coated bullets.
"Mochou, you may not know this, but every single moment spent with you is like a brilliant gemstone embedded in my heart.
Of course, if you still have other concerns and are unwilling, I will respect your choice!"
A blush instantly flew across Li Mochou's cheeks, her heart filled with overwhelming emotion and joy.
She bit her lower lip slightly, her hands unconsciously gripping Lu Zhanyuan's tighter as she tried to calm her pounding heart.
Her gaze lingered on Lu Zhanyuan's sincere face for a moment, a flash of determination in her eyes, and she nodded gently: "Brother Lu, I am willing to stay with you for a lifetime and never part."
Hearing Li Mochou's agreement, Lu Zhanyuan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself: "It's finally completely done now. It seems the current Li Mochou is indeed very innocent. But unlike that 'scumbag Lu Zhanyuan', I won't flirt and then turn around and fall in love with someone else just because I can't handle the consequences!"
He stood up excitedly, walked over to her, pulled her up, and wrapped her tightly in his arms.
Lu Zhanyuan took a deep breath, and with a firm tone, he whispered in her ear: "Mochou, my feelings for you are witnessed by heaven and earth, and will remain unchanged for this lifetime."
"Mm, Brother Lu, I believe you!" Li Mochou looked up at Lu Zhanyuan, her eyes brimming with love.
Seeing this, Lu Zhanyuan didn't hesitate to lower his head and kiss Li Mochou on the lips.
Out in the courtyard beyond the window, a gentle breeze swept by, sending petals drifting down like blessings bestowed by the heavens upon their love.
Creak—the door of the private room was slowly pushed open. Lu Zhanyuan hastily grabbed Li Mochou's hand just as she was about to launch her silver needles.
After entering, the waiter glanced sideways at the two of them being intimate, then lowered his head and pretended not to see anything. "Two honored guests, these are the food and wine you ordered. Please enjoy!"
The waiter set out the dishes and retreated to the doorway. "Two guests, this little one will take his leave first. If you need anything, just call for me at any time!"
Creak—
As soon as the waiter closed the door, Lu Zhanyuan pulled Li Mochou into his arms and sat her down on the same bench.
Li Mochou asked Lu Zhanyuan with a hint of annoyance, "Brother Lu, why did you stop me from killing him?"
"Mochou, from now on you mustn't go around killing people on a whim just because of your mood. That is wrong!"
"Why?" Li Mochou asked, uncomprehending.
"This waiter is just an ordinary person; he's not our enemy!"
Causing Li Mochou's long hair, Lu Zhanyuan had no choice but to patiently instruct her: "We don't need to show mercy to our enemies—we kill them when they need to be killed!
But for those who haven't offended us, we cannot casually trample on others' lives just because we are stronger than them or over some trivial matter. Do you understand?"
Li Mochou nodded thoughtfully and nestled into Lu Zhanyuan's arms. "Brother Lu, then from now on, whoever you say we can kill, we'll kill, and whoever we shouldn't kill, we won't kill—how about that?"
"Mochou, the jianghu is not just about killing and fighting; there are also many human sentiments and worldly affairs to consider!"
Rubbing his temples with a mild headache, Lu Zhanyuan knew he would just have to teach her slowly in the days to come.