Chapter 510: The Great Snow Mountain
A Kiss and a Surprise
Linda wasn't stupid. She vaguely sensed Luke's intentions and scoffed.
"I suggest you put away those filthy thoughts. If you dare try anything with me, I'll beat you up." The girl raised her fist in a show of defiance, paused, and then said shyly,
"I did what you asked. Now tell me the story."
Luke remained silent and quietly ordered Ava to establish the Red Sun Laboratory.
Seeing him remain quiet, Linda was instantly annoyed.
"I already kissed you! What more do you want?"
Her statement was so self-righteous that Luke inwardly shook his head. He asked an unrelated question.
"When is your birthday?"
"I don't celebrate my birthday."
She had lived on Krypton until she was thirteen, and Krypton didn't have the concept of a birthday.
"Then do you have any memorable dates?"
"Why are you asking?"
"If you do, I want to give you a gift on that day."
Linda was tempted. She thought for a moment and said,
"Let's say three months from now!"
"Alright, three months it is."
Luke curled his lips, a devilish smile flashing in his eyes. "In three months, I'll give you a huge surprise—one you'll never forget."
Linda pouted. "First, tell me about the book. How did you get your hands on it?"
"It's simple, yet complicated."
Luke dissipated the data stream and poured another glass of red wine. "The Daoist sect has a history of several thousand years. It holds a transcendent status and far-reaching influence, and it has powerful experts like True Master Yunshang. Bashing heads with them would inevitably cause China to interfere, and then things would become very tricky, even getting out of control."
"To get the Heavenly Master's Strategy without alerting the opponent, there was only one way: trade the Tiger Fiend Scripture."
The girl asked, "How did you know they'd trade?"
"Of course they wouldn't trade, so I had to trade and steal at the same time."
Luke swirled the wine glass, speaking calmly. "The Daoist sect has a legendary figure, surnamed Zhang, whom later generations revered as Celestial Master Zhang. He was a powerful, god-like being who compiled the Heavenly Master's Strategy. It's the general outline for the techniques of all subsequent Daoist schools."
"Legend has it that after Celestial Master Zhang died, his remains were preserved for a thousand years and placed in a highly secret location. Later, that location was converted into a Forbidden Area, specifically for storing insidious, wicked, yet highly creative Demonic Path techniques they couldn't bear to destroy. The Heavenly Master's Strategy is also kept there."
"Once I got this intelligence, I started setting the bait."
Linda hesitated. "Jiu was the bait?"
"Not him."
Luke chuckled. "Jiu was used to confuse people. Even without him, I had other candidates. But that kid is genuinely impressive. I had him go challenge them, take down the plaques one by one, and build momentum, pushing him to the top and making him famous. By the time his name spread, the real star would appear."
He paused, his eyes growing profound.
"Everyone's attention was drawn to Jiu—watching the boy rise, seeing him shine brightly, known by all. It was precisely then that a technique called the Tiger Fiend Scripture entered the public eye."
"Jiu used the momentum of the martial arts world to reach the top. The Tiger Fiend Scripture used Jiu's momentum to ascend to the clouds, becoming the coveted goal of all pugilists. Even the reclusive Daoist priests were no exception."
"That was the bait I threw out."
Linda chimed in, "And then, you had Jiu challenge the Daoist sect just to make them take the bait?"
"Correct."
Luke continued, "The Daoist sect lives in seclusion. They seem to hold a transcendent status, but they are actually a bunch of fools. Their long-term complacent life eroded their sense of crisis. They never realized what was hidden behind Jiu."
"If I were them, they should have crushed Jiu immediately, regardless of the cost. Unfortunately, there are no 'if-onlys.' The old Daoist priests cherished their reputations and refused to step down and fight, so they could only watch their plaques be taken."
Luke laughed softly. "That's the drawback of a thousand years of glory. They care too much about face."
Linda hesitated. "What if your prediction was wrong? What if they had violently intervened?"
"Don't worry! With me here, Jiu wouldn't die. And if those old priests had brazenly participated in the matches despite the rules, things would have become even simpler."
"So no matter what they did, you had a countermeasure ready."
"You can't say that. There are always unexpected events in the world. All we want is to control the unexpected to one percent. The rest is pure success rate."
Luke crossed his legs, looking supremely relaxed.
"The rest was simple. Jiu demonstrated the demonic nature of the Tiger Fiend Scripture to outsiders. I used the Tiger Fiend Scripture to push the Daoist sect into a corner. When they fully realized the terror of the Tiger Fiend Scripture, they would naturally view it as a forbidden object!"
Linda took a deep breath, staring at Luke as if he were a monster. After a long moment, she muttered,
"Was the third match your deliberate loss?"
"Yes."
"Was there something wrong with the Tiger Fiend Scripture in the box?"
"Clever."
"Luke, I feel like you're the big villain in a movie."
"You've said something similar before."
"Those Daoist priests are pathetic. They don't even know they've been tricked by you."
"You can't say that. The Tiger Fiend Scripture I gave them wasn't altered by a single word."
Linda shot him a glance and subtly moved her body, sitting slightly further away.
"What are you doing?"
"Staying away from you. I don't want to be bullied like those Daoist priests and treated like an idiot."
"I've never lied to you. I've always been sincere."
"Only a fool would believe you! How many girls have you said that to?"
"Only to you. No one else."
Luke looked at her intently, his eyes sincere and earnest. Linda felt nervous under his gaze and instinctively looked away. Luke took the opportunity to sit right next to her, putting his arm around her slender waist. Rubbing it gently, he whispered,
"These things are our secret, just between you and me. Don't tell anyone, understand?"
The masculine scent washed over her. Linda's face flushed. She was nervous and flustered. She wanted to resist but was afraid of hurting him, so she could only inch away. Luke wasn't about to let this golden opportunity slip. Like a big bad wolf, he cornered her. His fingers moved up and down, unknowingly reaching a sensitive spot.
The current Linda was no longer the little girl from three years ago. Shedding her youth, she had become mature and sexy. The prairie on her chest had transformed into a Great Snow Mountain, all while still maintaining a sweet face—it was truly overwhelming.
Luke had been living like an ascetic monk during his months in China. He hadn't been on a date or even touched another woman. The fire in his heart had been building up for a long time.
Thump, thump, thump. Heartbeats echoed in the car.
The two were getting closer and closer. Just as Luke prepared to make his next move, the driver's voice rang out in his ear.
"Boss, you have a call."
The fiery passion was instantly doused with cold water. The girl quickly covered herself, pushed the car door open, and vanished in a blink.
Luke punched the sofa, growling fiercely,
"Whose call is it?"
"The party didn't give a name, only that they are surnamed Dai and have urgent matters to discuss with you."
"Tell him to roll."
He paused, then sighed reluctantly. "Put the call through."
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