You Don't Understand At All

"I only wanted to get stronger!"

Looking at Ye Qiu's back, Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and spoke softly.

She bent her legs, hugged her knees, and stared at the boundless stone platform before her, her thoughts drifting off to some unknown place.

Big sister! Maybe I can already beat you now! And Dai Mubai, too. That ridiculous engagement of ours...

At the thought of the engagement, Ye Qiu's figure suddenly flashed through her mind.

For the past half a month or so, Ye Qiu had been taking care of her in every possible way, yet she could clearly sense the invisible distance he kept from her. Perhaps... that was something she had caused herself.

Her mind replayed Ye Qiu's every movement as he treated her wounds and saved her. She thought of that accidental kiss, which didn't seem to make her dislike it all that much.

She buried her reddened face between her knees. What exactly should I do?

Just as she was grieving alone, she suddenly felt a surge of warmth.

Ye Qiu had left and returned, now standing beside her, while an extra blanket had appeared over her body.

"If there's anything on your mind, think about it tomorrow. For now, it's better to rest early, or you might end up with some lingering illness. If that happened, I'd feel very guilty!"

"Thank you! But I still want to— Hey! What are you doing?" She clenched both fists and kept hammering Ye Qiu's chest.

Without any warning, Ye Qiu picked her up, his left hand around her shoulders, his right hand curled into a fist and placed under the bend of her knees. "Nothing much. If you want to think things over, you can do it in bed just the same, right? Lie down and take your time thinking. The most important thing is to recover from your injuries as soon as possible!"

After placing her on the bed and settling her in, Ye Qiu went off to rest by himself.

Watching his back as he left, Zhu Zhuqing felt that she already had an answer in her heart. Perhaps it would be very difficult, but she truly wanted to live for herself!

The night passed without incident.

Over the next few days, Ye Qiu felt that Zhu Zhuqing beside him seemed to have changed a little.

She was always calling him to go tease those groups of soul beasts together, to ride wolves, ride snakes, ride spiders...

"Here, try the fish I grilled!"

Beside a small stream, two huge white wolves were drinking water. Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Qiu sat cross-legged on the bank, with a fire burning between them.

Zhu Zhuqing handed the grilled fish to Ye Qiu, a smile on her face.

"It tastes pretty good~ It's quite delicious!" Ye Qiu originally hadn't held much hope for her cooking skills. After all, she was a young lady from a great clan. He hadn't expected that after taking a small taste, he would find the flavor genuinely pretty good!

"Don't think I don't know what you were thinking!" She glared at Ye Qiu, then took another skewered fish and started roasting it. "Back at home, I often did things myself too!"

Ye Qiu naturally understood her situation in the Zhu Family as well. The age gap between her and her older sister really was rather big, and she simply couldn't compete with her. Who could have imagined that a young lady from a noble family would actually have to do some chores herself?

"Your Zhu Family really is twisted!" Ye Qiu first complained, then raised his index finger and tapped his head, adding, "Oh, right, and the Star Luo Imperial Family too!"

"Mm, they really are twisted!" Zhu Zhuqing nodded in agreement, and her mood started to sink again. "After all, what family's siblings are destined... to be mortal enemies from birth?"

Ye Qiu's words chilled the atmosphere, and even the grilled fish in their hands became somewhat tasteless.

Zhu Zhuqing tossed aside the grilled fish in her hand, leaned close to Ye Qiu, and knocked the grilled fish from his hand to the ground as well.

"You—" Ye Qiu was just about to flare up.

But her sleeve had already been brought to Ye Qiu's mouth, carefully wiping clean the stains at the corner of his lips.

"W-what are you doing?" Ye Qiu slapped her hand away and shifted his backside back a little.

Her own face was also a little red. "What's wrong? When I was bedridden, didn't you take care of me like this too?"

"You also know you were sick in bed back then. I'm perfectly fine!" Ye Qiu looked at her speechlessly.

"Fine. Let's go! Come wander around with me one more time..." She then grabbed Ye Qiu's hand and walked toward the two wolves by the stream.

The two of them mounted the white wolves and moved slowly side by side along the stream.

"Speaking of which, Ye Qiu, what exactly is the favor you want me to help with?" Zhu Zhuqing turned her head slightly and looked at the side of his face.

"Mm... I want you to help me protect someone!" Thinking of that rabbit, Ye Qiu still smiled.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing felt a bad premonition in her heart. "Who is it? Where are they?"

"Her name is Xiao Wu, and her Martial Soul is Soft Bone Enchanting Rabbit. As for where she is? Mm... if you go to Suotuo City in the future, you'll meet her."

"A girl?"

"That's right! Ideally, it'd be the kind of protection where you stay right by her side! Of course, when you need to cultivate, then forget it!" Ye Qiu nodded and took the opportunity to state his request.

Ye Qiu! I really have to thank you! Zhu Zhuqing gnashed her teeth. He had given her an External Soul Bone just to have her protect some girl who had an unclear relationship with him?

Then what did the decision she had made count as? Had all her actions these past few days become a joke? Had she shown him her body and let him touch her for nothing? Had she given away her first kiss for nothing too?

Zhu Zhuqing smiled bitterly. The step she had finally managed to take ended just like that. She endured it and continued walking.

"Mm? Speaking of which, how can you say I'll definitely go to Suotuo City?"

"Because that Third Prince fiancé of yours is there! Haven't you always wanted to defeat your sister and brother-in-law? I figured you'd still go look for him later! Actually, what you're doing doesn't count as changing your fate at all. You're still living inside the fate others arranged for you..."

Ye Qiu kept talking to himself, completely failing to notice Zhu Zhuqing's expression growing uglier and uglier.

"Enough! Ye Qiu!" she let out an angry roar. "What right do you have to point fingers at other people's fates! Do you think you understand me that well? You don't understand anything at all!"

Her roar left Ye Qiu frozen there. Did I say something wrong?

Her eyes were red as she stared at Ye Qiu. Already upset because of that girl named Xiao Wu, she had then heard Ye Qiu deny all the effort she had put in all this time, and even assume she would still go looking for Dai Mubai. At last, she could not hold back anymore!

"Ye Qiu! You're a bastard!"

While Ye Qiu was still completely bewildered, she cursed him again, then clamped her legs down, and the wolf beneath her shot out.

"Hey, hey! You still haven't agreed to me! Don't get too far from me! If the soul beast loses control, that'll be bad!" With no time to think, Ye Qiu called out twice, then hurriedly chased after her.

Zhu Zhuqing stopped on a wide stretch of grassland.

"Hey! What was with you just now? If I said something wrong, I apologize."

Ye Qiu approached from behind her. "Zhuqing?"

Zhu Zhuqing ignored him, staring fixedly at the distant sky without moving. Ye Qiu could only stay with her.

Only after a long time did she speak. "What you said was right, but also wrong!"

She turned back to look at him and smiled self-mockingly. "I really am stupid. Working hard to become stronger and competing with my sister really is what others want, but this is the only way I can survive! Isn't it?"

"Actually, you still have other choices!"

"Oh? Then tell me." Zhu Zhuqing sat down and patted the spot beside her, signaling for Ye Qiu to sit too.

"You could choose to join a few major powers, like Spirit Hall! They've always been eyeing the two great empires. As a direct descendant of the Zhu Family, if you were willing to join them, they'd definitely be happy to accept you, and they'd make you an example to keep recruiting other noble members. After all, in the struggle for power within noble families, there are always losers!"

Zhu Zhuqing looked at him with interest. "Anything else?"

"There's also the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! As long as your talent is sufficient, I think they'd still be very willing to take you in. After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has already reached a point where the old and new generations don't connect."

After Ye Qiu finished speaking, he quietly looked at her.

"Heh. Then what about my parents? And aren't you overestimating my importance a little? My Innate Soul Power is only level seven."

Zhu Zhuqing had not expected Ye Qiu to be so naive too. The Star Luo Imperial Family was not the Heaven Dou Imperial Family; they had their own Title Douluo!

Ye Qiu fell silent as well. That really had been a bit wishful on his part.

"Sorry. I didn't think it through."

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "It's fine! Thank you~" The last three words were as soft as a mosquito's hum, so even Ye Qiu did not hear them.

Looking at the red sunset clouds hanging on the distant horizon, she watched and watched, then suddenly laughed.

"Heh." With a self-mocking laugh, she wondered when she, Zhu Zhuqing, had become someone who would give up so easily.

She turned to look at Ye Qiu beside her, whose face was full of astonishment, and gave him a brilliant smile. Regardless of how baffled he was, she once again mounted the white wolf beside her and ran off.

"Hey! What's with you now!" Ye Qiu was really about to lose it. How could this girl be so fickle? He quickly got on his mount and chased after her!

Zhu Zhuqing wholeheartedly enjoyed the cool evening breeze brushing across her face. She felt very relaxed. She had figured it out.

She had to thank Ye Qiu for appearing and giving her a new choice, a new direction to work toward, a choice that could truly free her from this fate, a choice worth giving her life for!