Take Me as Your Master, and I'll Help You Escape

Jiang Yunzhou did not answer. Instead, his gaze swept past her.

In the brief delay, the pursuers' footsteps and shouts had become clearly audible, rapidly closing the distance.

Zhu Zhuqing turned at the sound. The moment she saw those faces, her heart sank into despair.

Then she looked at the man before her, who still wore that calm, unconcerned expression, and she nearly wanted to cry.

She raised a hand and pointed at Jiang Yunzhou, hesitating to speak.

As though resigned to her fate, she said:

"Ugh!"

"Go, quickly! Those people are here to kill me. If you don't leave now, you'll get dragged into this too!"

Though she was annoyed that he had delayed her escape, she did not want to implicate an innocent person.

Jiang Yunzhou replied, "I'm not leaving. Answer my question first."

Zhu Zhuqing halted. Was there something seriously wrong with this man's head?

Had she not made herself clear enough?

Couldn't he see the murderous group behind her?

She shook her head, abandoning any thought of communicating with this idiot.

She had already warned him. The rest was up to fate!

Forget it. He was so handsome—she would warn him one more time:

"They're after me! Their leader is a Soul Ancestor!"

"If you don't want to die, leave now!"

With that, she stopped looking at Jiang Yunzhou. Forcing her exhausted body onward, she prepared to make one last stand.

After fleeing for so long, she was already utterly spent, and her Soul Power was nearly depleted.

Her original plan had been to use the dense forest to escape. Once she reached Suotuo City, she would be safe.

But as she watched the figures slowly encircling her ahead, a profound sense of helplessness seized her.

"Are you truly going to force me to my death?" she asked, her back against a large tree, her voice filled with unwillingness and grief.

A trace of complexity flashed across the leading Soul Ancestor's face. He cupped his fists and said, "Why ask when you already know, Third Miss? We are merely acting under orders and have no choice in the matter. I hope Third Miss will not blame us."

There was a hint of admiration in his tone.

Throughout this pursuit, Zhu Zhuqing's resilience and cunning had left a deep impression on him.

Moreover, she had already recognized them, so there was no need to keep hiding their identities. He simply addressed her as Third Miss.

They had not truly given their all in trying to kill her. In fact, they had even intended to go easy on her.

As long as she could escape into Suotuo City, they would have an explanation to give.

Who could have expected some inexplicable fellow to appear midway and completely disrupt their plans?

In the struggles of powerful families, subordinates like them had no choice but to obey orders.

"No need for more words. Do it." The leading Soul Ancestor sighed and waved a hand helplessly.

"Boss, dead or alive?" a Soul Elder asked, licking his lips.

"Don't kill her. Capture her alive and bring her back!" the Soul Ancestor ordered grimly.

As soon as he spoke, the Soul Rings on several Soul Elders lit up in succession. Yellow and purple lights flickered as they swiftly formed a fan-shaped encirclement around Zhu Zhuqing.

For them to be so cautious against a mere Soul Grandmaster showed that Zhu Zhuqing had likely made them suffer before.

Zhu Zhuqing clenched her teeth. Spirit Cat Possession! Two yellow Soul Rings rose beneath her feet.

However, the gap in their realms, combined with her extreme exhaustion, made her resistance seem utterly feeble.

In just one exchange, under their deliberate attrition and blockade, she was struck hard by a blast of Soul Power. Her entire body flew backward, directly toward where Jiang Yunzhou stood.

Jiang Yunzhou calmly spread his arms and steadily caught the girl flying toward him. His movements were natural and smooth. With a casual sweep of his arms, he drew her light, delicate body into his embrace.

This woman had attacked the moment she said she would. He had not even had time to speak.

The expected agony of striking the ground never came. Instead, she fell into a firm, warm embrace.

Zhu Zhuqing's mind went blank for a moment.

This sudden sense of safety.

Zhu Zhuqing looked up and met Jiang Yunzhou's deep eyes.

Her mind crashed for a moment.

How had she ended up in his arms?

After her brief daze, embarrassment surged into her heart.

Instinctively, she raised a hand to push against that hard chest, only to discover that his arm was like an iron hoop, utterly immovable.

Heavens! Why is this man's body so hard?

Feeling the strength and warmth of his taut muscles, her heart raced as though it would leap from her throat.

She lamented inwardly, It's over. This man has a pair of peach-blossom eyes that look affectionate even when he's staring at a dog, along with a body full of hard muscle. What a pity he has no brains. He wouldn't listen when I warned him, and now he'll probably die here with me.

Looking at his excessively handsome face so close to hers, the anger in her chest somehow dissipated by more than half.

"Ugh..." She sighed as though accepting her fate.

"Didn't I tell you to leave? Why didn't you listen? I wasn't joking..."

She could not push him away, and she truly had no strength left to try.

Her Soul Power was exhausted, her legs had gone weak, and she could barely remain standing.

Having someone to lean on at a time like this actually felt rather nice!

Jiang Yunzhou could clearly feel the subtle tremble of the delicate body in his arms.

A grin spread across his lips. "Take me as your master, and I'll get you out of this predicament. How about it?"

Zhu Zhuqing froze, wondering if she had lost too much blood and was hearing things.

Become his disciple?

At a time like this, he was still thinking of making her take him as her master?

She did not know whether to laugh or cry.

However, before she could respond in any way.

"Boy! You're courting death!"

A furious roar exploded through the air!

The leading Soul Ancestor's face darkened like water, murder blazing in his eyes!

Though they had come to capture Zhu Zhuqing, she was still the family's Third Miss, of noble status!

And now, an unknown man was holding her so intimately in his arms?

Four Soul Rings rose beneath his feet, and a vast wave of Soul Power instantly locked onto Jiang Yunzhou!

"There is a path to heaven, yet you refuse to take it; there is no gate to hell, yet you barged right in. We spared your life just now, but since you refused to leave, I can only send you to your death."

The Soul Ancestor's voice was icy to the bone. Killing an ordinary person was no more burdensome to him than crushing an ant.

His five fingers curled into claws, Soul Power gathering around them. With a sharp howl through the air, he shot straight for Jiang Yunzhou's throat!

Jiang Yunzhou raised his eyes, a faintly amused curve appearing on his lips.

Just as the Soul Ancestor's face twisted into a savage grin and his surging Soul Power was about to reach him—

Jiang Yunzhou did not even summon his Soul Rings. He merely lifted a hand casually and spoke several clear words:

"Azure Leaf Sky Split."

The instant the words fell, it was as though time itself froze for a moment.

Before anyone could catch even the slightest trace of Soul Power, a faint yet lethal flash of azure light had already vanished.

The imposing Soul Ancestor suddenly stiffened. The savage grin on his face froze, and unimaginable horror appeared in his eyes.

He could not even make another sound, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly.

Then, an exceedingly thin line of blood silently appeared across his neck.

The next moment, blood burst forth like a fountain, staining the surrounding leaves red.

Thud!

His heavy body toppled stiffly to the ground. His life had ended, and he died with his eyes still open.