Awakening

Two days later, Yang Ming looked somewhat tiredly at the small town before him, which had an atmosphere quite similar to Soul Hunting Town in the Star Luo Empire. He let out a long breath of stale air and murmured quietly,

"Finally, I'm out!"

Yang Ming recalled what he had experienced over the past two days.

Two days ago, after parting ways with Yang Hong and Yang Yi, Yang Ming had followed the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest toward the Heaven Dou Empire. However, the Star Dou Great Forest was simply too vast. On top of that, Zhu Zhuqing had remained unconscious due to severe blood loss and physical weakness, forcing Yang Ming to stay alert and keep watch over his surroundings at all times. Fortunately, most of the Soul Beasts on the outskirts were not very strong. Over the past two days, Yang Ming had only killed two Soul Beasts for food, while the others had been frightened away by his imposing presence. Traveling and staying vigilant for two full days without rest had left Yang Ming feeling somewhat exhausted as well.

After entering the town, Yang Ming found a hotel that appeared to have decent conditions. The hotel was a five-story building. The first floor was a reception hall, the second was a restaurant, and the third floor upward contained guest rooms. Yang Ming rented a suite on the top floor. After reaching the Fifth Floor, he followed the attendant's guidance to his room.

The room was not particularly large. It had a Living Room, two bedrooms, and a Restroom. The furnishings were not luxurious either, following an overall minimalist style that suited the character of Soul Hunting Town.

After two days of travel, the wounds on Zhu Zhuqing's body needed to be redressed. Moreover, Yang Ming found it inconvenient to clean the blood and grime covering her, so he had the hotel send a Maid to help Zhu Zhuqing change her dressings and take care of her personal hygiene. Since they all made their living in Soul Hunting Town, the maids were quite skilled at such tasks.

An hour later, the bedroom door opened, and the Maid walked out with a deeply shaken expression. She could not understand it. Zhu Zhuqing's face clearly looked so young, so how could she possibly be that well-endowed?! The Maid lowered her head and glanced at herself, seeing herself from head to toe in full view. Her eyes even began to redden.

Yang Ming saw the Maid looking as though she was about to cry and was utterly baffled. How had she gone in to serve Zhu Zhuqing and come out on the verge of Collapse Technique? Although Yang Ming was deeply loved by many older and younger sisters within his clan, they were all rather reserved in front of him. They would never compare themselves over something like this in his presence!

Yang Ming could only use his trustworthy, girl-winning face to comfort her.

"What's wrong? Are you all right?"

The Maid looked at Yang Ming's young and handsome face, and her mood improved somewhat. But when she remembered that the Zhu Zhuqing inside had been brought there by Yang Ming, she completely broke down. With a loud sob, she ran out of the suite.

Yang Ming: "..."

Yang Ming was somewhat baffled, but since he could not figure it out, he stopped thinking about it. It was not anything serious, anyway.

Yang Ming entered the bedroom and looked at Zhu Zhuqing, who lay on the bed cold and beautiful, like a Sleeping Beauty. He checked her bandages and confirmed that although the Maid's emotions had been somewhat strange, she had done a good job. Seeing this, Yang Ming took out a meditation cushion, sat cross-legged in the bedroom, and closed his eyes to rest. It was also to be ready when Zhu Zhuqing woke up.

At night, the clear moonlight shone into the bedroom. Yang Ming furrowed his brows, opened his eyes, and looked toward Zhu Zhuqing lying on the bed. She was still lying there quietly, just as she had been during the day. He spoke calmly,

"Since you're awake, let's talk."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing opened her eyes. Since he already knew she was awake, there was no point in continuing to pretend. Her cold voice rang out.

"Why did you save me? Was it for me?"

Zhu Zhuqing was not narcissistic, but ever since her body had begun developing two years ago, more and more men had looked at her with desire in their eyes. That was simply reality. Moreover, she and Yang Ming had never met before, so she did not believe he would oppose the Star Luo Royal Family and the Zhu Family for her without seeking anything in return. After thinking it over, Zhu Zhuqing felt that the only thing about her capable of making him care was this body of hers.

After her words fell, the bedroom fell silent for a moment. Yang Ming could sense the lifelessness in Zhu Zhuqing's voice. Thinking of her age and what she had endured, he sighed inwardly and spoke gently.

"Miss Zhu, although I know you may not believe me, I truly want nothing from you."

"The reason I snatched you away from your sister was simply that I thought you were still young. I couldn't bear to watch you die before my eyes because of the struggle for Star Luo's imperial power."

"However, I later discovered that your sister, Zhu Zhuyun, had apparently intended to send you away from the Star Luo Empire in the first place. So even without me, you would have managed to escape!"

As Yang Ming spoke, he once again sensed Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power becoming disordered. His words struck her as somewhat absurd, so Yang Ming continued,

"We're currently in Star Dou Soul Hunting Town on the outskirts of the Heaven Dou Empire. Given your current condition, you'd better stay here and properly recover from your injuries first. Otherwise, with your beauty, you could easily encounter danger if you went outside!"

"Lastly, I'll be staying in the room next door for the next few days. If you need anything, you can come to me. I'll arrange for the hotel staff to change your dressings, handle your personal hygiene, and prepare your food each day. Once your wounds have healed, you can decide where you want to go next!"

Yang Ming said everything he needed to say. He then stood up, put away the meditation cushion, and walked straight out of the bedroom.

"Bang~"

Hearing the bedroom door close, Zhu Zhuqing came back to herself. The deadness that had filled her dark eyes in the past had faded, replaced by a hint of confusion, doubt, and hope. She did not completely believe what Yang Ming had said, but she still cared somewhat about what he had said regarding Zhu Zhuyun.

In the end, she had still stepped into the trap Yang Ming had left for her. The reason he had now told Zhu Zhuqing that her sister might have deliberately sent her away was that he hoped she would behave and refrain from running around before her injuries healed. In a place like Soul Hunting Town, it was truly dangerous!

However, before Zhu Zhuqing could figure anything out, the pain from the wound at her waist dragged her back to reality. Zhu Zhuqing laboriously performed a brief check of her physical condition. The injury at her waist was severe, while the wounds on her limbs were merely superficial. She also confirmed that she felt nothing unusual elsewhere in her body. Combined with her complete lack of strength, she finally determined that she definitely could not escape for the time being. Moreover, if what the Ghost-Faced Man had said was true and they were currently in Soul Hunting Town, then fleeing right now would indeed be very dangerous.

After considering the difficulties before her and her curiosity about the matter involving Zhu Zhuyun, Zhu Zhuqing decided to stay. Judging from the current situation, the Ghost-Faced Man had not harmed her and had even helped treat her wounds.

Treating her wounds! Thinking of this, Zhu Zhuqing also recalled the warmth and sense of security she had felt in the Ghost-Faced Man's embrace before losing consciousness, as well as the locations of her wounds. Her face flushed hot, and she was overcome with embarrassment and vexation.

Before long, before Zhu Zhuqing could sort out these questions, a knock sounded from outside the bedroom.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Zhu Zhuqing heard the sound and replied in a low voice,

"Come in."

After receiving Zhu Zhuqing's permission, the person outside pushed open the door and turned on the lights.

As the door opened, Zhu Zhuqing saw who had come in. It was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She had ordinary features and appeared to be a hotel Maid. She carried a tray in her hands. Although Zhu Zhuqing could not clearly see what was on it, the keen sense of smell granted by her Beast Spirit told her that it was food.

"Miss Zhu, the guest outside hired me to take care of your meals and daily needs for the next few days."

Zhu Zhuqing recalled what Yang Ming had said. Since she truly could not take care of herself at present, she accepted.

"Sorry to trouble you!"

The Maid understood what Zhu Zhuqing meant and replied with a smile.

"Don't mention it. It's what I should do."

"Miss Zhu, you don't look very old. If you don't mind, you can call me Sister Hong."

Zhu Zhuqing responded,

"Okay!"

In the Living Room, Yang Ming heard that the two of them were getting along fairly well, so he stopped paying attention to Zhu Zhuqing and turned around to start eating. He had not had a proper meal in the past two days!

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