In a somewhat shabby little courtyard, a beautiful, slender woman stood beneath the bright moonlight. Sensing someone approaching, she took a few steps up the large tree in the yard, the nails on both hands exceptionally sharp.
"I'm back." Luo Gu knocked on the door. "A'lang, A'lang—"
The woman named Zhu Zhu Lang leaped down from the tree and opened the courtyard gate to let Luo Gu in. She vigilantly swept her gaze outside, then entered the house with him after confirming nothing was amiss.
"Why are you back so late?" Though her words sounded concerned, Zhu Zhu Lang's tone was far from intimate.
"I ran into a difficult opponent during the soul battle, so it ended late. And I had to shake off those tails on the way back." The moment Luo Gu entered, his friendly expression vanished, replaced by the same cold demeanor as Zhu Zhu Lang's.
"We've been hiding for so long to escape the marriage arrangement. Now that we've left the family's sphere of influence, we should be safe." Zhu Zhu Lang gazed at the moon outside the window, her expression briefly wistful.
At the mention of the marriage arrangement, Luo Gu irritably downed several cups of water. The two sat in silence.
As Luo Gu tore strips from his old clothes to bandage his wounds, he asked, "Once I've earned enough travel money and obtained my fourth Soul Ring, I'm going to Sunset Great Forest to find her. What are your plans, Sister Lang?"
Zhu Zhu Lang glanced at Luo Gu's wound but did nothing about it. "We're both Soul Masters. As long as we don't let any Clan Members find us after leaving the family's jurisdiction, the world's vast. Where couldn't we go?"
"Cousin, from the day I left the family, Second Miss Zhu