"Is this real?" Xiang Youyou reached out to touch Li Nianlong's reddened skin. Indeed, there wasn't a single scratch, and...
Ahhhh—
Shouldn't a man's skin not be smoother than a woman's?
Xiang Youyou was utterly flabbergasted.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Xiang Youyou's dejected expression, Li Nianlong looked at her curiously.
"Nothing." Xiang Youyou forced a smile and asked, "Big brother, what's the principle behind this Celestial Protection? It seems way more powerful than Iron Shirt or Golden Bell Cover."
"No particular principle, just a layer of solid protective energy formed by true energy on the skin's surface. How much defense it can enhance depends on the abundance of true energy."
"True energy?" Xiang Youyou was stunned for a moment. "Is it like inner strength?"
"No." Li Nianlong shook his head, not hiding anything from Xiang Youyou. "What I cultivate is different from inner strength; it's a higher level of true energy, which can be understood as heavenly spiritual energy. However, the spiritual energy in the world is becoming increasingly scarce, making cultivation difficult. I've cultivated for twenty years and only achieved this much."
"Big brother, are you showing off?" Xiang Youyou looked frustrated. "I always thought the Xiang family's Overlord Technique was invincible, but it turns out you cultivate heavenly spiritual energy. No wonder you're so powerful."
"Haha…" Li Nianlong chuckled. "Actually, I was muddling through, practicing blindly. I wouldn't know how to teach anyone even if I wanted to."
"Big brother, stop explaining. I'm not asking you to teach me." Xiang Youyou rolled her eyes. "But you are indeed getting more mysterious. The longer I stay with you, the more I realize I can't see through you. If you were a mountain, I could see its outline from afar, but now, up close, I see there are many unknown things on it."
"Haha, it's not that mystical." Li Nianlong laughed and then suddenly said, "Youyou, let me ask you something."
"What is it?" Seeing Li Nianlong's serious expression, Xiang Youyou tensed up. "Go ahead, big brother."
"Youyou, you know big brother isn't young anymore…" Li Nianlong looked at her and said, "My family is very concerned about my marriage. They've been urging me to find a partner soon and continue the Liu family line. But I haven't found anyone suitable yet, and it's been bothering me. Can you give big brother some advice?"
"Huh?" Xiang Youyou was taken aback, her cheeks flushing. "Why are you asking me?"
"You're my sister. If I don't ask you, who should I ask?" Li Nianlong grabbed Xiang Youyou's hand. "Youyou, good sister, big brother has always treated you well. This is about big brother's lifelong happiness. You have to give me some advice today, or you can't go back to Jingchu."
With her hand held by Li Nianlong, Xiang Youyou felt an electric current flowing through her body, making her feel tingly and causing her cheeks to blush. "Alright… alright, I'll help you. Let go of me."
"Haha, I knew Youyou wouldn't abandon big brother." Li Nianlong laughed heartily and patted Xiang Youyou's shoulder. "Come on, let's sit down and talk."
Another electric current flowed from her shoulder, making Xiang Youyou's body feel weak, almost stumbling.
Xiang Youyou felt her face heating up: What's wrong with me? Did I have a mishap in my training? But I don't feel like I've lost control!
Li Nianlong changed into a new set of clothes and sat with Xiang Youyou at the stone table in the garden. He asked the servants to bring hot tea and some snacks. "Youyou, tell me your opinion. What kind of girl should big brother look for?"
"Oh?" Xiang Youyou's face gradually returned to normal. "Actually, any kind of girl is fine. The key is what kind big brother likes. Do you prefer gentle and virtuous? Innocent and lively? Cheerful and generous? Or perhaps proud and scheming?"
"The last one, what's that?" Li Nianlong waved his hand repeatedly. "A tsundere and cunning type? No, thanks. You know, I am the head of the Liu family, so my future wife must be able to manage social occasions. As for the kitchen... it's not really necessary since I can handle it, but at the very least, she should be able to use her tenderness to help me relax when I'm tired. She also can't be reckless. After all, as the wife of the head of the family, she must manage all the household affairs. If I'm out there working hard and she turns the house into a mess, I absolutely cannot have such a woman."
"She's 20, like me, and if things work out, you can get married right away." Xiang Youyou huffed softly, "But the condition is that big brother must perform well in the martial arts tournament."
Li Nianlong laughed heartily. "Don't worry! Isn't it just a martial arts tournament? The heroes of the world are like a bunch of chickens and dogs to me. I can easily take care of them."
"Big brother, your tone is a bit too arrogant."
"This is called confidence, not arrogance." Li Nianlong placed his right hand on the stone table and pressed down hard, leaving a five-centimeter-deep handprint on it.
Xiang Youyou's pupils contracted, and she looked at Li Nianlong with shining eyes. "It seems big brother isn't just boasting."
Li Nianlong had pressed his hand into the stone table with brute force rather than chopping down with his hand, which is a completely different level of difficulty. Xiang Youyou, being an expert, naturally understood the difficulty of what Li Nianlong had done. It was precisely because she understood that she was astonished.
"Does big brother seem like a boastful fool to you?" Li Nianlong immediately gave her a hand chop.
"Ouch! When did I ever say that?" Xiang Youyou pouted and whined, covering her forehead. "If you keep this up, I won't help you anymore."
"Alright, alright, I'll stop." Li Nianlong smiled and said, "Youyou, big brother's happiness in life is in your hands. If this works out, I'll definitely reward you well."
"That's more like it." Xiang Youyou chuckled lightly, then shivered as a cold wind blew. "I can't take it anymore. I need to go back and take a bath."
"Let's go together then!" Li Nianlong stood up. "After we eat, I'll drive you to the airport."
"Okay."