Hunted Down on the Road

A black shadow flashed through the forest.

Upon closer inspection, it was a girl clad in black leather.

Judging by her face, she was not very old—at most twelve or thirteen, perhaps even younger.

But judging by her figure...

It seemed a little unfair.

To possess such a curvaceous figure at that age could only be called exceptionally gifted.

However, compared to her excellent figure, her current circumstances were far from excellent.

Though she had not yet been driven into a dead end, she was not far from one.

Three figures draped in black robes followed behind her at an unhurried pace.

Thirteen soul rings gleamed brilliantly.

Two Soul Ancestors and one Soul King—the three deputy leaders of this pursuit.

Besides those three deputy leaders, there were over forty expendable men.

Yet even these expendable men had an average Soul Power Level of nearly twenty-five.

In other words, they were practically all Soul Grand Masters.

To Zhu Zhuqing, who was also a Soul Grandmaster, these men could no longer be called expendable.

They were clearly opponents of the same rank as her!

The slightest lapse in attention would result in her being captured, only to meet her death here in the end.

After all, although these pursuers were all soul masters from the Duke's Mansion, with her current status, she undoubtedly had no way to command them!

Not only because these pursuers had long since chosen their sides.

But also because...

Her sister, Zhu Zhuyun, was here!

Although Zhu Zhuyun's Soul Power Level was not as high as those of the three deputy leaders, once Zhu Zhuyun personally led the group, the meaning of this pursuit became entirely different!

Without Zhu Zhuyun overseeing it.

This pursuit would be branded as "insubordination."

Even if they succeeded, these pursuers would face the Star Luo Duke's Mansion's relentless retaliation.

But with Zhu Zhuyun present among them.

This pursuit should be called "following the clan rules established by our ancestors."

Not only was there no risk at all, but outstanding performance might even earn them a promotion.

The victor of the duel would become the family heir.

As for the loser...

They would either be killed or imprisoned.

In a sense, this approach did indeed prevent internal family strife.

Its only shortcoming was that it was excessively cruel.

Of course, compared to the brutal struggles between generations of Star Luo Princes, the conflict between Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun was more like children playing house.

Seeing the cliff not far ahead, even Zhu Zhuqing's normally cold face could not suppress a trace of disappointment.

She had always been rather aloof.

For her to show such disappointment already meant her emotions were in great turmoil.

The pursuers behind her gradually caught up and surrounded her completely.

"Come back, my dear little sister."

A more voluptuous woman stood some distance away from Zhu Zhuqing and spoke.

Siblings turning against each other was undoubtedly a tragedy.

Therefore, Zhu Zhuyun was not determined to kill Zhu Zhuqing.

Most losers were put to death.

But over the years, there had been a very small number of losers in the Zhu Family who had their Martial Souls crippled before being imprisoned.

Though that fate was not much better, at least they kept their lives.

As Zhu Zhuyun, who was seven years older than her sister, had already secured an absolute advantage.

That advantage included not only the struggle between the Zhu sisters, but also the struggle between the two Star Luo Princes.

One hand alone could not clap.

After Dai Mubai fled, Zhu Zhuqing could clearly no longer stir up even a ripple beneath Zhu Zhuyun's suppression.

Not to mention that Dai Weisi, who had gained an absolute advantage, was also outside as Zhu Zhuyun's ally.

Therefore, as long as Zhu Zhuqing obediently submitted, Zhu Zhuyun, as her elder sister, did not mind allowing this no-longer-threatening sister to live.

But if she stubbornly insisted on her own way, Zhu Zhuyun would not gamble with her own life on whether Zhu Zhuqing might turn the tables in desperate circumstances!

By all logic, the chances of such a reversal were slim.

But what if?

Zhu Zhuyun had no desire to gamble on a "what if"!

Therefore, she would rather kill this stubborn younger sister than let her go find Dai Mubai, who was already a loser!

A trace of mockery flashed through Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

Go back?

Go back where?

Back onto that predetermined road to death?

She was not some three- or five-year-old child!

"Zhu Zhuyun, I won't go back."

"From the moment I ran away from there, I had already decided never to return!"

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly charged backward, darting toward the edge of the cliff.

Zhu Zhuyun instinctively pulled the trigger in her hand.

A short-shafted Mithril Crossbow Bolt shot out, knocking the already unbalanced Zhu Zhuqing straight off the cliff.

Because it had been an instinctive action, Zhu Zhuyun had not had time to aim, so she naturally could not see where the Mithril Crossbow Bolt had struck.

Her face darkened despite herself.

The duck that had been in her grasp had flown away.

But considering it had been her own mistake, Zhu Zhuyun did not criticize the others.

She put away the crossbow in her hand with a murderous expression.

"Pursue her!"

"Dead or alive, I want to see her!"

At the bottom of the cliff.

Looking at the smashed barbecue rack, Lu Yuan speechlessly tossed the rabbit in his hand aside.

He had merely gone out to look for food.

Could someone tell him what exactly had happened?

A hedgehog had fallen from the sky?

And then that hedgehog had crushed his barbecue rack?

But that did not seem right either!

The hedgehog was a bit large, sure, but it should not have only one spine growing out of its body!

This thing was not some decoration.

He walked closer for a look.

Oh.

It was a person.

Quite a convincing disguise.

Intense pain woke Zhu Zhuqing from her unconsciousness.

"You're awake? Congratulations, it's a boy."

"?"

The confusion rapidly faded from Zhu Zhuqing's face, and like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she sprang up from the ground with lightning speed.

Then Lu Yuan instantly pressed her back down.

"Why are you jumping around?"

"Fine if you can't take a joke."

"But what if your wound tears open again before it's even been bandaged?"

"Let go of me!"

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes were filled with panic as she struggled desperately.

"What a nuisance..."

Her curvaceous body seemed to ignite a spark.

An unintentional trace of huskiness entered the magnetic male voice.

As those words fell, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly realized that she could not move at all!

Squatting before Zhu Zhuqing, who was frozen in an odd pose, Lu Yuan took a deep breath and flicked the arrow in his hand before her eyes.

"An arrow made entirely of mithril, with the shaft and arrowhead formed as one piece."

"Do you understand now?"

Zhu Zhuqing's expression stiffened.

Clearly, she had mistaken her savior for one of her pursuers.

Thinking about it, if this boy had been a pursuer, she might not even have been able to open her eyes right now.

If he had found her alive, he could simply have finished her off.

If he had found her dead, he could have dug a hole and buried her on the spot.

Why go through all the trouble of dealing with the arrow?

Zhu Zhuqing said softly:

"Sorry."

Lu Yuan sighed.

"Looks like you still don't understand."

Seeing her puzzled expression, Lu Yuan picked up the Mithril Crossbow Bolt in his hand with a serious look and solemnly explained:

"The person hunting you down is filthy rich."

"And not just ordinarily rich—the kind dripping with money!"

"So, you get what I mean, right?"

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Still asking for the full set of three~