Of course, Liuu Tian was only saying this to intimidate Qiu Wenguang and make him back down. She and Tang Yi had only met a few times and were nowhere near being a couple; they were practically strangers.
However, if Tang Yi really did emerge from the Valley of Desolation, Liuu Tian was certain that, given his personality, he would step in to help even if they weren’t particularly close.
After all, he had been willing to help with something as dangerous as entering the Valley of Desolation to search for the Jiuli Flower. Why wouldn’t he help with a trivial matter like teaching the Qianxi Mercenary Corps a lesson?
So, what Liuu Tian said wasn’t a complete lie. Well... aside from the ’man I like’ part, the rest was more or less true.
"The man you like?"
Qiu Wenguang eyed Liuu Tian with suspicion. "Your man?"
"Yes, he’s my man. I suggest you apologize to us at once and give us your best Healing Medicine for my corps members. Otherwise, when my man gets out, none of you should even think about leaving!" Liuu Tian said, nodding as she put on a brave front.
Up on the cliffs above the canyon, Tang Yi heard Liuu Tian call him her man so matter-of-factly and nearly stumbled, almost giving himself away.
After steadying himself, he couldn’t help but grumble inwardly, ’When the hell did I become your man? Hey! We’ve only met twice... She’s really got some nerve!’
Griping aside, Tang Yi had no intention of revealing himself just yet. He wanted to see how this would play out.
"Heh, your man? Don’t try to fool me. Everyone knows you, Leader Liuu, are the infamous ’Iron Wall Woman.’ You never give any man the time of day. How could a woman like you possibly have a man!"
Qiu Wenguang looked at Liuu Tian, noticing her evasive eyes and the uncertainty in her voice. He sneered, "Let’s not even talk about whether you have a man. So what if you do? Who knows if he’s actually in the Valley of Desolation picking herbs for you. Besides, who do you think I, Qiu Wenguang, am? I am a bona fide Battle King Powerhouse. Could your man possibly be stronger than me? You think someone like *you* could find a Battle King Powerhouse for a man? Heh, besides me, there won’t be another Battle King who’d have you!"
"That’s right, HAHAHAHA! I think Leader Liuu should just give in and be with our boss!"
"Our boss has strength and money! Leader Liuu, what more could you possibly want?"
"If I were Leader Liuu, even if I already had a man, I’d dump him in a heartbeat and throw myself into our boss’s arms, HAHAHAHA!"
"Leader Liuu, a wise person knows when to yield. You should just agree while our boss is in a good mood. If you anger him, you’ll regret it when it’s too late."
The members of the Qianxi Mercenary Corps chimed in, echoing Qiu Wenguang’s words with taunts and jeers.
"Our leader isn’t lying! The man she likes, Brother Tang Yi, went into the Valley of Desolation to gather herbs. He could be out any minute! And he’s much, much stronger than you all. If he comes out and sees you bullying our leader, he really won’t let you off easy. I’m telling you, you should stop hitting on our leader and just leave. If you leave now, we can promise we won’t let Brother Tang Yi come after you," Li Qingqing chimed in.
"Heh, little girl, you think we’ll believe anything you say? Do you take us for fools?" a member of the Qianxi Mercenary Corps sneered with contempt.
"How about this, Leader Liuu," Qiu Wenguang said after a moment of thought. "Since you claim your man is in the Valley of Desolation gathering herbs for you, and you’re out here waiting for him, you two must have some way of contacting each other, right? If you can reach him and get him to return, or even just to respond, I’ll turn around and leave without another word. But... if you can’t reach him, if there’s no response and he doesn’t show up, then you will obediently come with me and be my wife!"
"I... I don’t want to disturb him. I’m telling you, just leave. My man is not someone to be trifled with. You may be a Battle King, but my man is a Battle King too, and he’s even stronger than you!"
Liuu Tian steeled herself and continued her bluff.
Of course, she had no way to contact Tang Yi!
Claiming Tang Yi was her man was just an excuse. He had simply told Liuu Tian and her people to wait at the canyon entrance before heading deep into the Valley of Desolation; they hadn’t established any means of contact.
Liuu Tian didn’t even know when Tang Yi would return from his search for the Jiuli Flower.
It could be a day, two days, or even the full seven days they had agreed upon...
If Tang Yi only returned after seven days... it would be far too late.
Therefore, the only thing Liuu Tian could do now was try to save herself by stalling for time or tricking Qiu Wenguang into leaving.
"Heh, a Battle King stronger than me? Leader Liuu, you can keep bragging. You’re really working hard to avoid being my wife, making up such an outrageous lie. But don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. I’m letting you contact your man right now. Are you going to do it or not? If you won’t contact him and you refuse to come with me, then don’t blame me for using force!" Qiu Wenguang said coldly, crossing his arms.
"I..." Liuu Tian hesitated.
"What’s wrong? Can’t do it? Since you claim your man is in the Valley of Desolation and you’re here waiting for him, there’s no way you don’t have a method of contact. I’m giving you your chance now. If you can reach him and get a response, I’ll let you all go. But if you can’t, it just proves you don’t have a man in there, that you made it all up! And you know what happens to people who lie to me, Qiu Wenguang. They never end well!" he threatened.
"Can’t do it? Who says I can’t? I... I’ll contact him right now for you! Just you wait. I’ll call my man over to deal with you," Liuu Tian said, forcing herself to sound confident.
With that, she lowered her head and began to pretend to rummage through her satchel. She put on a very serious expression, as if she really did possess an item to contact Tang Yi.
Seeing Liuu Tian’s convincing act, Qiu Wenguang began to hesitate. He was actually starting to believe her story about having a man in the Valley of Desolation gathering herbs.
He had been skeptical of her words from the start, which was why he kept testing her.
Qiu Wenguang had once heard a rumor in Mercenary circles. Someone had apparently posted a fake mission to lure Liuu Tian into a deserted Demon Beast Forest. They had then arranged for several Martial Artists at the Battle Grandmaster level and above to ambush her, intending to take her alive.
However, Liuu Tian had returned alive with a few of her corps members, while the Battle Grandmasters who ambushed her and the person who posted the fake mission all died horribly.
According to the few members who made it back alive, they had survived thanks to the help of a powerful benefactor, someone who had a very close connection to Liuu Tian.
This led to speculation that this benefactor might be Liuu Tian’s lover, and an incredibly powerful one at that.
It was precisely because of this rumor that Qiu Wenguang was so hesitant and kept probing. Otherwise, he would have just taken Liuu Tian by force long ago!