The Family's Helplessness and a "Father's" Lesson (Bonus Chapter)

Before opening the door, Zhu Zhuqing had considered that the person knocking might be Su Cheng, who had just left, or it might be a servant who had come to deliver a message.

It's even possible that her older sister, Zhu Zhuyun, who sees her as a thorn in her side, has also returned home from the academy.

But she never imagined that it would be her own father.

The father who had just been unusually indifferent and unresponsive to him.

"Dad, 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 biological daughter, unlike his voice in the hall just now.

"Some random kid came into my daughter's room, how can I just ignore it?"

A blush flashed across Zhu Zhuqing's cool face, but what was even more obvious was her almost undisguised surprise.

This is not the father I remember.

As she stepped aside, Zhu Hongtao walked into the main hall on his own, poured himself a glass of water, and sat down on a chair next to the coffee table.

Seeing her daughter's unusual expression, she fell silent for a moment.

"Xiaoqing, many things are not as simple as you think. Don't blame your father," he said with a sigh.

"Our Zhu Family may seem powerful, claiming to have a marriage alliance with the royal White Tiger Clan, but in reality, we are nothing more than their vassals. Fratricide is the tradition of the Dai Family, not our Zhu Family."

As he spoke, a hint of pain and resentment towards the "Dai Family" he mentioned were revealed in his expression.

"In the end, this world is about strength; the weak have no choice."

"The so-called empire is nothing more than a collection of large and small interest groups. The Dai Family is indeed very strong, but not strong enough to overwhelm all other families. The reason we have reached this point is because of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of the Dai and Zhu families."

"The Dai Family maintains their bloody traditions, and their ultimate goal is to maintain their royal status. Our Star Luo Empire is different from the Heaven Dou Empire. The strong rule. If you are not strong enough, you will naturally be replaced by someone else."

Zhu Hongtao's voice grew increasingly low.

"But unlike the Dai Family, even without the Hell White Tiger, they still possess a powerful White Tiger Beast Martial Soul, while our Hell Spirit Cat clan is much weaker."

"If they cannot merge with the White Tiger Martial Soul, the Zhu family will no longer be able to maintain its current superior status."

Zhu Zhuqing looked somewhat confused.

He said softly, "Does it have to be this way? To gain status at the expense of our people."

"Xiao Qing, don't be so naive." Zhu Hongtao looked at her with a serious expression.

"Although we are now actually vassals of the Dai Family, 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 use to perform Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"Tool..."

Zhu Zhuqing opened her mouth, her pupils dilating slightly, silently pondering 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."

"Is it strong enough...?"

"That's right, strong enough." Zhu Hongtao gave her a deep look. "It's not just strength, but strength in every aspect. No matter how strong you are, you can't match a powerful force. Even Titled Douluo has his limits."

At this point, he turned and asked, "Xiao Qing, what do you think of our Star Luo Empire compared to Heaven Dou?"

"Naturally, it is far stronger than the Heaven Dou Empire," Zhu Zhuqing replied without hesitation.

In terms of national strength and military power, the Star Luo Empire is far superior to the Heaven Dou Empire. Moreover, 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 presence of the Upper Three Sects its borders, but the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Clear Sky Sect never participate in these political struggles.

"Then why didn't the Star Luo Empire invade the Heaven Dou Empire's territory? Was it because they didn't want to?"

It's impossible that it's because they don't want to.

Although Zhu Zhuqing is still young, she has grown up in this kind of family environment and is quite knowledgeable about many things.

The empire may seem to have abundant resources now, but after the various families have divided them up, there isn't much left, not enough to feed everyone.

"Because of the Spirit Hall," she said softly.

"That's right. The Spirit Hall stands between the Two Empires, making it impossible for the Star Luo Empire to bypass it and directly attack the Heaven Dou Empire." Zhu Hongtao nodded and continued, "So what do you think of the Spirit Hall?"

"Very strong. The number of Soul Master controlled by the Spirit Hall far exceeds the total number of Soul Master who obey the Two Empires."

"So why didn't the Spirit Hall become the ruler of the continent? Was it because it didn't want to?"

Zhu Zhuqing remained silent.

Zhu Hongtao picked up his water glass, took a sip, and said calmly, "I actually know about everything that happened to you at the academy."

"..." Zhu Zhuqing looked up in astonishment at her father.

"To be honest, I'm very disappointed." Zhu Hongtao lowered his eyes and met her gaze.

"You only know how to use brute force, but you don't know how to use your brain to think properly. You can never dream of pulling the family out of the mire and freeing you sisters from the fate of killing each other."

"Have you ever thought about why that Su Family kid can command such a large following in the academy?"

"Is he stronger than you? How many times have you seen him make a move? Or is it that his family is more powerful than our Zhu Family, making other students fear him and the academy teachers respect him?"

"Or perhaps he spent money and effort to win over other people, causing those noble children to gather around him for the sake of interests."

"In fact, none of them are true."

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 has been living in the shadow of that small group led by Su Cheng.

He never considered why those people were willing to follow his instructions and target him in various ways.

What good does this do for those people?

Zhu Hongtao stood up and slowly paced around the room.

"What makes this possible is a kind of 'momentum'. The weak seek protection, the ambitious want to ride on their coattails, and those who prioritize self-interest are attracted to a leader who can bring them long-term benefits."

"Leader..."

"That's right, it's the leader. As for Su Cheng's actions and his true character, I think no one understands him better than you, right? Is he really as gentle, refined, and approachable as he appears on the surface? Does he truly consider those people as his brothers and friends?"

Zhu Zhuqing's emotions were in turmoil.

The echoes in his ears were Su Cheng's devilish threats and whispers, as well as the domineering and indifferent nature that he rarely showed in front of others.

"Intrigue, scheming, and human nature—these are all issues you should consider, rather than blindly cultivating and only thinking about improving your strength and cultivation level."

"Unless you are a god!"

Zhu Hongtao said calmly.

"If you had the power to take on a hundred people, you wouldn't need to care about these trivial matters. Your strength alone would be enough to crush everything. But can you do that?"

"Even Tang Chen, the patriarch of the Clear Sky Sect back then, who was invincible in the world, could he act according to his own will?"

After a long silence, Zhu Zhuqing nodded. "I understand. Dad, what should I do?"

Hearing this, Zhu Hongtao smiled with satisfaction.

"I'll just give you one piece of advice: no one is immune to manipulation. No one is without desires or fears. You just need to find out what they want most, then lure them with benefits, intimidate them, and appeal to their Emotional Stirring, and you can naturally bring them under your control."

"But remember this: those who gather for profit will also disperse for profit. No one is worthy of your complete trust, including me."