Good times always fly by, and three days quickly passed.
Our Zu Zong had become quite familiar with this "Zhu Qing" girl. Every day, he would either use his Nine Yang Divine Skill to heal her damaged meridians, or cook her delicious food and tell her strange and interesting stories from her past life on Earth. He made "Zhu Qing" lose her cool demeanor and completely transform into a gluttonous, story-loving little girl.
At first, "Zhu Qing" refused.
Well! Our Zu Zong wouldn't force her, only casually mentioning that it would leave a scar (a made-up comment), and the little girl
immediately became obedient. According to "Zhu Qing," since she'd already been seen, it would be a huge loss if she had a scar. But don't misunderstand, he only lifted the cover of her injured abdomen.
Taking a bite of a freshly picked wild fruit, the zu zong asked, "Zhu Qing, how's your injury healing?"
"Hmm! I'm almost healed," Zhu Zhu Qing nodded.
At first, when the zu zong used his special soul power to heal her injuries, Zhu Zhuqing thought he was deliberately taking advantage of her. But as time passed, her injuries healed at an astonishingly fast pace.
Even with the high-grade medicine provided by the zuzong, without the treatment of a healing-type soul master, it would take ten days to half a month to recover. Yet, she was almost completely healed in just two or three days.
This made her even more curious about this very handsome boy.
As they gradually got to know each other, she gained some understanding of him. Excluding strange words like "Nani" and "Yamadie," she learned an important piece of information: he was an orphan who had come to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for soul rings.
This made her think of herself.
Compared to him, was she lucky or unlucky? Even if the Zhu family was cold-blooded, at least she had a loving mother.
What did he have?
Why could he be so optimistic about everything?
With these questions in mind, Zhu Zhuqing fell into deep thought, even forgetting the wild fruit she was eating halfway through.
"After you finish eating, I'll send you out of the Star Dou Great Forest and see if we can contact your other 'elders'!"
As he spoke, the zu zong set up a grill. Today's main dish—steak—was a testament to the selfless contribution of the ten-year-old soul beast, the Azure Ox.
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing trembled, the half-eaten wild fruit slipping from her hand and rolling to the ground. "Are you leaving?"
These past three days had been the happiest time for Zhu Zhuqing. She didn't have to worry about being assassinated by her sister, nor the anxieties of cultivation, and she didn't have to think about that self-destructive "fiancé." She had begun to enjoy life here, until the zu zong suggested sending her back, at which point Zhu Zhuqing realized how reluctant she was to leave.
"Yes, I haven't found my third soul ring yet! My target is a thousand-year-old Cave Demon Spider; I plan to try my luck in the Sunset Forest."
Zhu Zhuqing was already used to the clan elder's desire to hunt for her third soul ring, after all, he was someone who could easily kill a Soul Venerable.
Zhu Zhuqing said calmly, "Then be careful!"
Leaving here meant returning to that life of constant fear!
With mixed emotions, Zhu Zhuqing asked the question that had troubled her for years, "ZuZong, do you really think fate is unchangeable?"
Fate—?
The zu zong was taken aback.
"Whoosh—" He casually tossed the leftover fruit pit with shuriken-throwing skills, embedding it in the cave wall.
"It seems this girl, though born into a noble family, is quite cunning in her destiny!"
"Now, if I just give this girl the answer she wants to hear, she will surely try to change her so-called fate!"
The zu zong thought this way.
But unfortunately, he wouldn't do that. To casually acknowledge or deny the efforts of others was arrogant.
Picking up a piece of dry firewood and poking at the fire, the zu zong said seriously, "Actually, many times, ordinary people can't change their fate, just like this firewood, weak and powerless. They can only helplessly be manipulated, going wherever they're led, until they go out. At that time, I would think, while being controlled, I'll try to change it. If I really can't change it, then so be it. Just keep moving, see where I can be pushed, how far I can go. Even if the result is bad, at least I've enjoyed the scenery along the way."
As he said this, the zu zong couldn't help but think.
If he hadn't activated the "Stealing System" before awakening his martial soul; or if he had been too unlucky and activated the system but immediately stole Gu He's "Transformation Pill," he would probably be either a nobody or already dead!
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing fell silent.
From birth, she had been burdened with a cruel fate, destined to kill her own sister. Even if they never intended to harm the other, the other would still harm them out of self-preservation. This was all they, as children of the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire, bore
—for survival.
This struggle had continued for countless generations.
"But I am not an ordinary person." Changing the subject, the zu zong gathered soul power in her hand. The Blue Silver Emperor transformed into an extreme flame, spreading out and enveloping the fire. The clan leader picked up a piece of dry firewood with her left hand and poked at it, but before it even touched the fire, it was burned by the scorching heat of the Blue Silver Emperor.
"This is?" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flashed with a dazzling light, "Your martial soul? A fire-attribute plant-type martial soul."
Putting away the Blue Silver Emperor, the clan leader first nodded, then shook her head. Instead of answering, she asked, "Do you still believe that people can change their fate?"
"I think I understand how I should walk my path from now on."
The zu zong(bewildered): What do you understand? I was just showing off, hey, hey.
As she spoke, Zhu Zhuqing walked to the fire and took the grill from beside the clan leader.
"Hey, really? You can grill meat?" Zu Zong's eyes widened in disbelief. Wasn't she supposed to be a young lady from a wealthy family, someone who never lifted a finger to cook?!
Zhu Zhuqing glared at Zu Zong and pouted, "Never eaten pork, but haven't seen a pig run? I've watched you grill every day these past few days, I've learned how. Anyway, we're parting ways soon, and who knows when we'll see each other again, so I'll let you try my cooking."
Though she said this, Zhu Zhuqing was still unsure. After all, she felt she didn't have enough time to cultivate at home, let alone learn to cook, let alone grill meat. She simply thought that putting meat near the fire for a while and sprinkling on seasonings was enough.
Ten minutes later, the aroma of steak filled the cave. Smells like a ghost! It was burnt. Zu
Zong took the steak Zhu Zhuqing handed him—well, it was dried meat. Swallowing hard, Zu Zong took a bite under Zhu Zhuqing's expectant gaze.
"Ptooey—"
Disgusting, extremely disgusting. The outside was completely burnt, while the inside was half-cooked and oozing blood. Don't give me any myoglobin advice; I'll just give you a good whack.
But who is our ZuZong? Even if it's not tasty, we can't dampen "Zhu Qing's" confidence! So he ate it with relish and urged her to eat more.
In zu zong 'swords: It's burnt, but it's crunchy and crispy!
Zhu Qing didn't suspect anything and naturally took a bite.
The steak entered her mouth, and Zhu Zhu Qing's face turned pale. "Ptooey!" "
Hahaha," seeing "Zhu Qing's" disheveled appearance, Zu Zong couldn't help but burst into laughter.