Before opening the door, Zhu Zhuqing had considered that the person knocking might be Su Cheng, who had just left, or a servant who had come to deliver a message.
Perhaps even her eldest sister, Zhu Zhuyun, who saw her as a thorn in her side, had returned home from the academy.
But she never imagined it would be her father.
The father who had just been unusually cold and indifferent to her.
"Dad, you, why are you here?"
"Won't you let me in?" Zhu Hongtao's voice was deep and steady, yet it carried a hint of concern and affection for his own daughter, unlike his voice in the hall just moments before.
"A random kid entered my daughter's room, how could I not intervene?"
A blush flashed across Zhu Zhuqing's cool face, but even more obvious was her almost undisguised surprise.
This was different from the father she remembered.
As she stepped aside, Zhu Hongtao walked into the main hall, poured himself a glass of water, and sat down in a chair beside the coffee table.
Seeing his daughter's unusual expression, he fell silent for a moment.
"Xiao Qing, many things aren't as simple as you think. Don't blame your father," he sighed.
"Our Zhu family seems powerful, supposedly allied with the royal White Tiger family through marriage, but we're nothing more than their vassals. Fratricide is the tradition of the Dai family, not our Zhu family."
His expression revealed a hint of pain and resentment towards the "Dai family" he spoke of.
"In this world, strength ultimately prevails. The weak have no choice.
So-called empires are nothing more than a collection of large and small interest groups. The Dai family is indeed strong, but not strong enough to overpower all other families. The reason we've reached this point is due to the fusion of our Dai and Zhu families' martial soul techniques.
The Dai family maintains their bloody traditions, ultimately to maintain their royal status. Our Star Luo Empire is different from the Heaven Dou Empire; the strong rule. If you're not strong enough, you'll naturally be replaced."
Zhu Hongtao's voice grew increasingly low.
"But unlike the Dai family, even without the Netherworld White Tiger, they still possess the powerful White Tiger Beast Martial Soul, while our Netherworld Spirit Cat clan is much weaker.
If we cannot fuse with the White Tiger Martial Soul, the Zhu family will no longer be able to maintain its current superior status."
Zhu Zhuqing's expression was somewhat confused.
She said softly, "Does it have to be this way? To gain status at the cost of sacrificing our clansmen."
"Xiaoqing, don't be so naive." Zhu Hongtao looked at her seriously.
"Although we are actually vassals of the Dai family now, at least on the surface we are still in a cooperative relationship. If you have ulterior motives and are unwilling to follow the Dai family's wishes, then even this so-called cooperative relationship will probably cease to exist. Perhaps in the future, we will just be a tool for them to perform Martial Soul Fusion Techniques."
"Tool…"
Zhu Zhuqing opened her mouth, her pupils widening slightly, silently chewing on this somewhat heavy word in her heart.
"That's right. Only the strong have the right to choose. If you really want to change all of this, then make yourself stronger." "If you're not strong enough, then what you should be thinking about is how to maintain the existing equal relationship."
"Strong enough..."
"Yes, strong enough." Zhu Hongtao gave her a deep look. "Not just strong in terms of physical strength, but strong in every aspect. No matter how strong you are individually, you can't match a large power. Even a Title Douluo has its limits."
Saying this, he turned to ask, "Xiao Qing, what do you think of our Star Luo Empire compared to the Heaven Dou Empire?"
"Naturally, it's far stronger than the Heaven Dou Empire." Zhu Zhuqing answered without hesitation.
In terms of national strength and military power, the Star Luo Empire is far superior to the Heaven Dou Empire, and its power is concentrated, unlike the Heaven Dou Empire where imperial power is decentralized and there are many kingdoms within its territory.
The only advantage of the Heaven Dou Empire is the location of the three upper sects within its territory, but the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Clear Sky Sect never participate in these political struggles.
"Then why hasn't the Star Luo Empire invaded the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire? Is it because it doesn't want to?"
Of course, it's not because it doesn't want to.
Although Zhu Zhuqing was still young, having grown up in this kind of family environment, she was quite perceptive about many things.
The empire's resources seemed abundant now, but after being divided among the various families, there wasn't much left; it couldn't possibly feed everyone.
"Because of the Spirit Hall," she said softly.
"That's right. The Spirit Hall stands between the two great empires, and the Star Luo Empire simply can't bypass it to directly attack the Heaven Dou Empire." Zhu Hongtao nodded and continued, "Then what do you think of the Spirit Hall?"
"Very strong. The number of spirit masters controlled by the Spirit Hall far exceeds the total number of spirit masters obeying the two great empires."
"Then why hasn't the Spirit Hall become the ruler of the continent? Is it because it doesn't want to?"
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent.
Zhu Hongtao picked up his water glass, took a sip, and said calmly, "I actually know about what happened to you in the academy."
"..." Zhu Zhuqing looked up at her father in astonishment.
"To be honest, I'm very disappointed." Zhu Hongtao lowered his eyes, meeting her gaze.
"You only know how to use brute force, but you don't know how to use your brain to think things through. Someone like you can never dream of pulling your family out of this quagmire, or freeing you and your sisters from the fate of killing each other.
"Have you ever thought about that Su family kid? What makes him so influential in the academy?
"Is he stronger than you? How many times have you seen him fight? Or is his family more powerful than our Zhu family, making other students fear him and even the academy teachers respect him?
"Or has he spent money and effort to win over others, making those noble children gather around him for mutual benefit?
"The truth is, none of that.
"Have you ever thought about the reasons behind this?" Zhu
Zhuqing stared blankly at Zhu Hongtao, unsure how to respond.
Yes, for the past year, she had lived in the shadow of Su Cheng's small group.
She had never considered why those people were willing to follow his orders and target her in various ways.
What benefit did it bring them?
Zhu Hongtao stood up and paced slowly around the room.
"They could do this because of a kind of 'power'. The weak seek protection, the ambitious want to bask in his prestige, and those driven by self-interest are attracted to a leader who can bring them long-term benefits." "
A leader..."
"That's right, a leader. How Su Cheng acted, what kind of person he really is—I think no one understands this better than you, right? Is he really as gentle, refined, and approachable as he appears? Does he truly consider those people as brothers and friends?"
Zhu Zhuqing's mind was in turmoil.
The demonic threats and whispers of Su Cheng echoed in her ears, along with the rarely revealed domineering and cold nature of his character. "
Intrigue, scheming, human nature—these are the things you should be considering, not just blindly cultivating and focusing solely on increasing your strength.
" "Unless you are a god!"
Zhu Hongtao said calmly.
"If you possessed the power to defeat a hundred, then you wouldn't need to care about these trivial matters; power alone would be enough to crush everything. But can you do that?
Even Tang Chen, the ancestor of the Haotian Sect, who was invincible single-handedly, could he act solely on his own whims?"
"..." After a long silence, Zhu Zhuqing nodded. "I understand. Dad, what should I do?"
Hearing this, Zhu Hongtao smiled with satisfaction.
"I'll just remind you of one thing: no one is immune to manipulation. No one is without desires, and no one is without fear." You only need to find what he wants most, then lure him with benefits, intimidate him, and appeal to his emotions; naturally, you can win him over.
"But remember, those who gather for profit will also disperse for profit. No one is worthy of your complete trust, including me."
...
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(End of Chapter)