Li Xun approached Zhu Zhuqing and waved his hand in front of her eyes: "Why is it that every time we meet, you're in danger?"
Seeing the hand before her, Zhu Zhuqing instantly snapped out of her daze. Her pale face flushed with a hint of red: "Thank you..."
Being seen in such a disheveled state twice in a row made her feel somewhat embarrassed.
"What did you say?" Li Xun leaned closer to Zhu Zhuqing, tilting his ear toward her.
Zhu Zhuqing quickly lowered her head: "...Thank you!"
"It's nothing... really, just a small favor. I've only saved you twice, no big deal."
A smile spread across Li Xun's face as he waved his hand dismissively, as if he had done something trivial.
"I... I'll repay you," Zhu Zhuqing murmured, her head hanging so low it seemed she wanted to bury herself in the ground.
Her words came out in fragments.
She felt incredibly awkward. Just that morning, she had vowed to repay Li Xun, yet before she could even act on it, he had saved her again.
Given her current situation, she wasn't even sure if she could survive, making such a verbal promise seem destined to remain unfulfilled.
She felt like someone who owed a debt but had no means to repay it, and a sense of guilt washed over her.
"If you keep going like this, I'm afraid I'll never live to see the day you repay me."
Li Xun's smile faded, and his expression gradually turned serious: "Miss Zhuqing, if you truly have no family left in Star Luo, why not consider coming with me to Heavenly Dou? Perhaps you'll find better opportunities there."
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Li Xun, the personal disciple of Ning Fengzhi, the Sovereign of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. And this is Sword Grandpa, an elder of our sect."
"Let me tell you a secret," Li Xun whispered to Zhu Zhuqing, "Sword Grandpa is a Titled Douluo."
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly looked up, her gaze shifting between Li Xun and Sword Douluo.
As a member of a prominent family, she might not know much about other things, but she was well-versed in the famous powerhouses of the continent.
She hadn't expected these two to be core members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, one of the Upper Three Sects.
And the middle-aged man standing on the sword beside them was none other than the renowned Sword Douluo Chenxin.
"Greetings, Sword Douluo Chenxin. Greetings, Brother Li Xun."
Zhu Zhuqing first bowed to Sword Douluo, then turned to Li Xun.
For a moment, she wasn't sure how to address him.
He had saved her twice, and out of respect, she felt it inappropriate to call him by his name directly.
Hearing this, Li Xun's smile widened: "Sister Zhuqing, what do you think of what I just suggested?"
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had an excellent reputation on the continent, and the flying sword beneath the middle-aged man's feet indeed confirmed their identities.
Traveling with them would undoubtedly ensure her safety.
But she had grown up in the Zhu family, carrying with her a natural sense of duty and burden. If she ran away now, wouldn't she be just like that coward?
"I..." Zhu Zhuqing was at a loss for words, her heart torn with conflict.
"Your Martial Soul is the Netherworld Spirit Cat. You're a direct descendant of the Zhu family, aren't you? And given your age, you're likely the child of this generation destined for a political marriage with the royal family."
Just as Zhu Zhuqing struggled to respond, Sword Douluo sighed softly: "Little Xun, she probably won't come with us. From the moment they're born, the fate of her family is sealed. They are destined to marry into the royal family and help the princes vie for the throne."
"And this process is extremely cruel, requiring siblings to fight each other until the final victor is determined. The losers either die or are exiled."
Upon hearing Sword Douluo's words, Zhu Zhuqing's face instantly turned pale, and her hands unconsciously clenched her sleeves.
"Sword Grandpa, can't we give up?" Li Xun looked at Sword Douluo with confusion.
Sword Douluo's eyelids twitched, and he took a deep breath, reciting his lines: "No, only the strongest in the Star Luo royal family can claim the throne. And the victor, to prevent the other from making a comeback, will eliminate this threat."
Zhu Zhuqing trembled, biting her lip tightly, and covered her injured left shoulder.
The rules of the royal family were indeed this brutal—only through competition could one survive. And as sisters of the Zhu family, bound by marriage alliances, they too had to face the same choices.
Yet, under such rules, someone had actually fled, which undoubtedly meant giving up the chance for both to survive.
"Sword Grandpa, the Star Luo royal family is the Dai family, right? If the prince dies, what does it have to do with the Zhu family?" Li Xun pondered.
Sword Douluo's hands, clasped behind his back, trembled slightly. Li Xun's words had already deviated from the script they had agreed upon.
"The women of the Zhu family have been intermarrying with the Dai family for generations. When a Dai family member ascends the throne, the Zhu family woman becomes the queen. Do you think it has anything to do with them?"
"Oh?" Li Xun turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing. "Do you want to be the queen?"
Zhu Zhuqing, who had been immersed in the fear of the royal family's rules, was momentarily stunned by Li Xun's question. After a long pause, she slowly shook her head.
"Then, do you like the prince you're supposed to marry?" Li Xun stepped forward, staring into Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.
They were now quite close. Zhu Zhuqing instinctively wanted to take a step back, but she was drawn in by Li Xun's words and stood her ground, thinking for a moment before saying, "No, I don't."
Her fate had been sealed the moment her Martial Soul awakened, as she had to marry into the royal family, and her qualifications couldn't be too poor.
At nine years old, she hadn't spent much time with Dai Mubai, and the question of whether she liked him or not hadn't even come up.
It was more accurate to say that the two of them were bound by fate.
"How strong is that prince? What about his forces? And his opponents?" Li Xun thought for a moment and asked three questions.
They were so close that Zhu Zhuqing could clearly hear his breathing.
But since this involved her own fate, and the other person might very well be able to help her, Zhu Zhuqing's face flushed, and she endured the awkwardness without stepping back.
"Dai Mubai is eleven years old this year, with a Soul Power of level 25. He hasn't gained support from other forces yet. His opponent is the First Prince, whose Soul Power level should be around level 40 now." Zhu Zhuqing's voice grew softer and softer until it faded away.
"The difference in strength is that huge?" Li Xun was somewhat surprised. "How does that Dai Mubai plan to compete for the throne?"
"He ran away..." Zhu Zhuqing's mood was somewhat low.
Li Xun grinned. "Then why are you still holding on? He's already run away. Do you still want to fight for the position of queen alone?"
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned by his words, feeling a sudden tightness in her heart. "In the royal family's struggle, there's no escape. Only the victor survives."
"I want to ask, if the prince is killed, will you and your sisters from the Zhu family also die?" Li Xun asked a question he had been pondering.
"..."
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly thought of her Second Sister and was momentarily speechless.
Her Second Sister's fiancé had been assassinated this year, but instead, Second Sister had gained her freedom as a result.
However, her situation was different from Second Sister's, as Eldest Sister had already sent assassins after her multiple times.
"But... Eldest Sister will never let me go," Zhu Zhuqing said with a low spirit, her eyes filled with sorrow.
Hiss!
Li Xun took a sharp breath and scratched his head, "What is your Eldest Sister's current Soul Power level?"
If a person's thinking becomes rigid, they truly cling to their beliefs.
(End of Chapter)