Spoils of War

"You..."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Zhu Zhuyun, whom Lu Yuan had carried back over his shoulder, and could not help pursing her lips.

To be honest, for some reason, she actually felt a faint trace of displeasure in her heart.

The feeling had come too suddenly, and for no apparent reason.

But when she saw Lu Yuan mercilessly throw Zhu Zhuyun onto the ground, that feeling instantly vanished.

"What about me?"

The boy countered, a hint of amusement seemingly mixed into his puzzled gaze.

Zhu Zhuqing subconsciously turned her head away, not daring to meet the boy's eyes.

Her black hair fell loose, concealing the slightly complicated expression on the girl's face.

As well as her faintly flushed cheeks.

"Nothing."

"It just feels a little too hot."

That vague explanation did not suit the girl's cold temperament at all.

"Too hot?"

Lu Yuan held his hand near the fire to test its temperature, then glanced at where Zhu Zhuqing was sitting.

"By rights, it shouldn't be."

Her face, which had only just cooled down, seemed on the verge of burning up again. Without saying a word, Zhu Zhuqing stood and moved to a spot farther away from the boy.

Though the firelight could still reach her there, her constantly fluttering heart gradually calmed down.

She had a Marriage Contract.

She had a fiancé.

Therefore, even an uncertain stirring of the heart was tantamount to betrayal in the girl's eyes.

A soft groan interrupted the girl's thoughts.

Zhu Zhuyun opened her eyes blankly.

The pain at the back of her head remained, though it had eased considerably.

Warm firelight danced in her pupils, making her exhausted self instinctively want to drift back to sleep.

Whoosh—

A sharp whistle tore through the air.

Before Zhu Zhuyun could react, she saw that a short sword had appeared beside the corner of her eye.

Her pupils involuntarily widened.

A round bead of blood slid down from the skin at the corner of Zhu Zhuyun's eye, dripping onto the blade pressed against her face.

If that short sword had deviated even the slightest bit inward during its flight, the outcome would have been entirely different.

Her full curves trembled violently, and Zhu Zhuyun instantly sat up.

Looking at her sister, whose face was filled with hatred, and then at the harmless-looking boy sitting by the fire, Zhu Zhuyun could not help giving a bitter smile.

Life was unpredictable.

One moment, she had been the pursuer; the next, she was fish on the chopping block, At the Mercy of Others.

Fate truly was full of drama.

Zhu Zhuyun did not resist, flee, or summon her Martial Soul Possession. Instead, she wiped away the blood at the corner of her eye and sat quietly where she was.

The gap in their strength was far too great.

So great that Zhu Zhuyun could not see even the slightest trace of hope.

Rather than choosing an undignified death, Zhu Zhuyun would rather leave with dignity.

"Why did you stop me?"

Seeing Zhu Zhuyun sit up unharmed, Zhu Zhuqing clenched her fists. Her sharp nails pierced her palms, and thin streams of blood ran down her hands.

But the girl paid no attention to that. Instead, she stared intently at Lu Yuan, as if demanding a satisfactory answer.

At such close range, with her accuracy, there was no way she could have missed!

What was more, Zhu Zhuyun was much larger than the targets she used during practice!

Since she had not hit her target, someone could only have interfered midway!

There were three people present.

She had thrown the sword, Zhu Zhuyun had been the target, so the remaining person had to be the one who interfered.

Lu Yuan had indeed interfered.

But no one knew how he had done it.

The peculiar mystery unique to space made it difficult for others to notice when Lu Yuan acted.

All that could be said was that a girl's sixth sense was truly sharp.

She could leap straight to the conclusion based on only the basic facts.

It really was cheating.

"I can't be bothered with your affairs."

"Your past experiences, who was right or wrong, your hatred, and so on."

"But as a stranger you just happened to meet, you have no right to decide whether my Spoils of War live or die!"

"Especially after you smashed my grill."

Lu Yuan pointed at the bewildered Zhu Zhuyun, then said to the furious Zhu Zhuqing:

"This is the Spoils of War I captured."

"So stopping you from killing her is perfectly normal."

Zhu Zhuyun looked as if she wanted to speak but stopped herself.

For no reason at all, she had become "Spoils of War."

It truly was... hard to describe.

At least for the moment, Zhu Zhuyun could not find suitable words to describe the mindset that was about to explode within her.

Yet that nearly explosive state of mind was forcibly frozen out by the boy's gaze, cold as ancient Ice.

It had gone out.

Thus, Zhu Zhuyun could only condemn the boy for lacking Martial Virtue while keeping a smile on her face and pretending to be a wooden dummy.

With the other party—her savior—having such sound reasoning, Zhu Zhuqing, full of pent-up frustration, could only glare fiercely at Zhu Zhuyun, as if she wanted to finish her off on the spot with her eyes.

My foolish little sister...

Zhu Zhuyun muttered inwardly, then gave her sister a huge smile.

What was this?

Showing off?

She was merely Spoils of War. What was there to show off about!

The girl angrily bit her lip, snorted coldly, and continued glaring fiercely at Zhu Zhuyun.

After watching the Zhu Family sisters perform their silent pantomime for a while, Lu Yuan lightly clapped his hands.

The crisp applause drew Zhu Zhuyun's attention.

"I have two paths for you to choose from."

"The first is a dead end."

"The second is to serve at my command."

"Choose."

Zhu Zhuyun could not help rolling her eyes inwardly.

Anyone with even a slightly normal mind would not choose the first path.

But the conditions of the second path were truly rather harsh.

So Zhu Zhuyun said tactfully:

"Esteemed powerful Soul Master, I truly acted without sufficient consideration today and offended you. It was indeed rather discourteous.

"However, I am willing to offer compensation for what happened today.

"Moreover, I am not only the eldest daughter of the Duke's Mansion of the Star Luo Empire, but also the Crown Princess of the Star Luo Empire. What do you think..."

The hidden meaning was:

My eyesight was poor, and I know I was wrong to kick this iron plate; name your price, and I can buy my life back. But don't think you can make outrageous demands. My backing is strong too, and if you really kill me, you won't get away with it either.

Oh?

Lu Yuan nearly laughed in anger.

Her life was in his hands, yet she still had the nerve to threaten him?

So who exactly was the Spoils of War here?

But Lu Yuan controlled his expression well and asked blandly:

"The eldest daughter of a Star Luo Empire duke, right?"

"Yes."

"And also the Crown Princess of the Star Luo Empire?"

"Yes."

Zhu Zhuyun secretly rejoiced.

It seemed that this inexperienced boy had been intimidated by those two titles.

"Since your status is so high, then the conditions I offered were obviously too low!"

"Not only too low, but they also seem terribly insincere."

"I am very satisfied with your honest and sincere remarks and suggestion, and I offer you praise and encouragement."

"As for me... I am not someone who cannot take advice from others."

"So..."

"The second path is temporarily changed to this: besides serving at my command, you must also maintain absolute loyalty to me."

"What do you think?"

"Happy?"

"Satisfied?"

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Between getting a haircut and taking a shower, I did not manage my time well. I am not sure whether there will be a second update tonight, but I will try my best.

My sincerest apologies.