That Voice

Within the lush forest.

Facing an encirclement led by a Soul Saint, along with six Soul Kings and seven Soul Elders, Zhu Zhuqing had fallen into the greatest crisis of her life!

Just looking at that lineup, she knew her sister had sent out all her forces. This time, Zhu Zhuyun was determined to kill her.

The people sent to hunt her down in the past had, at most, been led by a Soul King with a few Soul Grand Masters. Now, a Soul Saint had actually been deployed. Clearly, this was the greatest force Zhu Zhuyun could currently mobilize.

Sure enough, after that day's Future Video broadcast revealed the future, reality had become full of uncertainties.

That dear sister of hers would certainly not allow her to take the Limit Douluo as her master, just as she had in the original future. She would do everything possible to stop it.

And the best way was to kill her.

Once and for all.

Bitterness filled Zhu Zhuqing's heart. She truly did not know whether she should be grateful to the Q&A broadcast for showing her the future and giving her hope, or resent it for exposing that future and plunging what should have been a bright life into an unprecedented crisis...

"Second Miss, surrender without resistance."

The Scarface Soul Saint stood with his arms folded before his chest, calm and composed. "That way, I can still give you a quick death. You'll die without suffering, and it won't hurt at all."

"Oh? You've never died before. How do you know it won't hurt at all?" A voice suddenly rang out.

The Scarface Soul Saint instinctively said, "Which blind idiot—" Then he abruptly stopped.

He had finally realized something.

Where had that voice come from?

"Who is it?!"

The Scarface Soul Saint immediately treated the situation like a formidable enemy. Seven soul rings shone brilliantly around him, and the phantom of a Great Brown Bear appeared behind him before merging into his body. His body instantly began to swell, brown fur grew over him, and his hands transformed into bear paws... In the blink of an eye, he truly became a Great Brown Bear!

Without even a moment's thought, he had activated his Martial Soul Avatar. It was clear he had truly been frightened by the person who had spoken from the shadows.

The other assassins also went on high alert, scanning their surroundings as if facing a great enemy. Yet they found no trace of anyone else, as though that sudden voice had been nothing more than an illusion.

This voice sounds so familiar?

Zhu Zhuqing recalled the voice from just now and inexplicably found it familiar. It was as though she had heard it somewhere before.

But where?

Where exactly had she heard it before?

Sometimes, when one cared too much about something, one would instead subconsciously overlook it.

Zhu Zhuqing was in precisely that state right now.

"Run!!!"

The Scarface Soul Saint's expression suddenly changed drastically. He had already recognized the owner of that voice.

Without another thought, he turned around and began fleeing for his life.

The other assassins also recalled Zhu Zhuyun's prior instructions: If my sister has already encountered that person, abandon the mission and run for your lives!

Thus, all the assassins scattered in several directions and fled in panic.

Watching the assassins who had just surrounded her suddenly scatter like frightened birds and beasts, abandoning their attempt to kill her in utter panic, Zhu Zhuqing blinked in confusion. She wondered what sort of person the owner of that voice was. He had not even shown himself, yet his voice alone had terrified them into fleeing in all directions.

"..."

After the assassins fled in disarray.

An inexplicable silence filled the scene for a moment.

Creak! Creak...

At that moment, a gust of wind swept through, stirring the branches and leaves.

"Excuse me..."

Zhu Zhuqing had already formed a guess about the identity of the person who had spoken from the shadows. Excitement welled up within her, and in order to leave a good impression on her future teacher, she carefully called out, "May I ask which senior secretly intervened to save me? Could you show yourself so we may meet?"

"..."

There was no reply.

The surroundings remained silent.

Yet Zhu Zhuqing keenly sensed that a gaze seemed to be observing her from the shadows. Those sharp eyes, almost tangible in their intensity, gave her the illusion that she was not wearing any clothes at all.

It made her feel both shy and angry, as though she had been completely seen through. Instinctively, she tensed her body, which only made her figure even more alluring.

"Phew..."

Zhu Zhuqing suddenly let out a breath of relief. She could no longer feel that gaze. The person in the shadows had presumably already left.

But was the owner of that voice truly the future master from the video?

If so, why had he been unwilling to come out and meet her?

If not, then who was that person in the shadows?

Zhu Zhuqing could not figure it out. There were simply too few clues at present.

Her mind was a mess, and she stood there for quite some time before finally breaking free of her tangled thoughts. Since that person had already left, all she could do next was follow her original plan and head to Shrek Academy to find her cowardly fiancé, Dai Mubai, who had run away.

As for whether she would be fortunate enough to take that person as her master, just as in the Future Video... she could only leave it to fate.

With that in mind.

After composing herself, Zhu Zhuqing resumed her journey toward Suotuo City.

Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, Ye Cheng—who had not left—watched her receding figure with a meaningful gaze. In truth, he had deliberately allowed Zhu Zhuqing to sense his stare just now. Otherwise, if he had wished to conceal himself, how could someone of Zhu Zhuqing's cultivation possibly detect a Limit Douluo watching her from the shadows?

As for why Ye Cheng had not shown himself, aside from feeling that the time was not yet right, the main reason was that he wanted to create an air of mystery and keep Zhu Zhuqing wanting more... Otherwise, a master who came knocking of his own accord would seem far too cheap.

Besides, what senior expert accepted a disciple without testing the disciple's character, talent, and comprehension?

Since Ye Cheng had chosen to fabricate such a video, he naturally had to maintain that Persona. Otherwise, rushing to take on a disciple would be far too undignified.

And beyond that, there was another reason.

That little cat Zhu Zhuqing still harbored fantasies about Dai Mubai, that irresponsible fiancé of hers. She believed that when he fled the Star Luo Empire, he had merely wanted to stay away from danger and find a place where he could cultivate in peace. She did not believe he had seen no hope of victory, given up entirely, and gone to some remote little place to drown himself in pleasure and enjoy himself before death.

So, if he wanted to take the little cat as his disciple, Dai Mubai was an obstacle that could not be avoided. Only after she became completely disappointed in that irresponsible scumbag could Ye Cheng take advantage of her vulnerability—cough, cough—could he step in to save her. He would nurture her and turn her into a successful woman capable of standing on her own!

Otherwise, if she still clung to old feelings and remained entangled with that scumbag, he felt that Zhu Zhuqing would inevitably end up walking the same old path in the future.

(Author: In the previous chapter, Tang San's alias was changed to Lan Wu. This is a special note.)