He Was Morax!

"Goodbye, Miss Zhu Zhuqing!"

Outside the Seven Treasure Hotel.

Paimon waved to Zhu Zhuqing and called out.

"Goodbye, Paimon."

Zhu Zhuqing raised her right hand and waved back. Then she turned to Zhongli. "Zhongli, um... goodbye."

"Mm. Goodbye."

Zhongli nodded in reply. He kept feeling that this girl with long, straight black hair was a little strange, though he couldn't say why.

During the meal, she had barely looked at the food. Her eyes had been on him instead.

Did I have flowers growing on me or something?

Zhongli couldn't make sense of it.

Inside the Seven Treasure Hotel, the owner clutched his chest, feeling the sting of the expense. He leaned against the counter, his eyes full of confusion.

"No. I can't shoulder this alone. I'll send the bills to the sect."

The owner muttered as he stared at the long bill.

But the bill was secondary. Another question occupied his mind!

Who exactly was the black-haired girl who had eaten with Zhongli?

Or rather, why had Zhongli treated her to a meal?

Once he figured that out, the bill would be a trivial matter.

"Zhu Zhuqing..."

"I should look into her."

He needed to know what had happened.

If Zhongli simply liked girls like her, they might be hard to find, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would find one for him!

A powerful man's desires were nothing to fear. What was frightening was a powerful man who wanted nothing!

Unfortunately, the owner was wrong. Completely wrong.

There was no special reason Zhu Zhuqing had eaten with Zhongli and Paimon. They had simply happened to meet.

To each other, they were familiar strangers.

Zhu Zhuqing knew the Vago Rock Emperor from her dreams.

Zhongli had read about Douluo Continent in his previous life and knew Zhu Zhuqing's story.

They knew about each other, yet had never truly interacted. Familiar strangers, indeed.

Zhongli had been a transmigrator in his previous life, and his memories from before that transmigration had awakened too.

By rights, he should have had plenty of a transmigrator's habits.

Heaven came first, earth second, and he third...

No, he should be shouting, My fate is mine, not heaven's!

Now that he was on Douluo Continent, everything should belong to him: beauties, wealth... Then he could use his foreknowledge to go grovel at Spirit Hall's feet...

Bah!

He was Morax!

Compared with Morax's six or seven thousand years of memories and habits, the dozen-odd years of his previous life were nothing.

Recovering those memories had merely given Morax more knowledge. That was all.

Could thousands of years of memories and habits really be changed just like that?

That wouldn't be an awakening of memories. It would be possession by an otherworldly demon.

"Zhongli, should we go listen to some music next, or do some shopping?"

Paimon's question caught Zhongli off guard. He glanced at her in surprise.

That little one's thinking was taking a dangerous turn. Was she already settling into a life of leisure at her age?

Hadn't she been clamoring to go traveling before?

It seemed their trip to the Star Dou Great Forest had made her give up on that idea!

"Let's go shopping. We aren't as strapped for cash as we were when we first arrived, so we can take our time."

Zhongli spoke at his usual unhurried pace.

"Yay! Let's go, then."

"I saw so many desserts last time, but I didn't have any money to buy them."

Well, it wasn't that she had no money. She just hadn't brought any.

"Once we're done shopping, we can visit the Soul Fighting Arena later. It's such a distinctive part of Douluo Continent. If we don't see it, I'll feel like we've missed something."

Paimon went on and on.

Her eyes shone with anticipation.

Come to think of it, the two of them really hadn't visited a Soul Fighting Arena despite being on Douluo Continent for so long.

The main reason was that they hadn't had the time.

Zhongli was either at a teahouse or listening to music...

The place where he listened to music was also known as a brothel. Unlike most such places, though, its performers sold their art, not their bodies.

Douluo Continent was a curious place, blending Eastern and Western styles. Nothing seemed wrong at first glance, yet the result was unusual.

It was like forcing Mondstadt and Liyue together, from their architecture to their customs.

At the Crown Prince's Mansion.

After leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, Qian Renxue and Ci Xue had made no stops along the way and soon returned to Heaven Dou City.

They had arrived in Heaven Dou City a good ten days before Zhongli and Paimon.

"Guest Elder Zhongli is back?"

Qian Renxue brightened at Ci Xue's report, a radiant smile spreading across her face. She was about to rise and go find Zhongli.

Without Zhongli's protection on that trip, she and Ci Xue would almost certainly have died. Their odds of returning had been less than one in ten.

And those odds depended on sacrificing Ci Xue.

That was how close they had come to death.

One look at Qian Renxue, and Ci Xue knew he was in trouble!

She had most likely fallen for the guest elder.

"Ah..."

I just hope the Great Worship doesn't kill me when he finds out...

Ci Xue understood how Qian Renxue felt.

Zhongli had descended like a god to save them in their hour of need.

With overwhelming power, he had killed two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts on the spot.

What young woman wouldn't fall for such a man?

Ci Xue himself had been one of the people Zhongli saved!

If only he weren't a man...

Ci Xue hurriedly shook his head. Some obstacles were hard enough without entertaining thoughts that made them harder!

"Please don't rush, my lady. Lord Zhongli is eating with Paimon at the Seven Treasure Hotel right now."

Ci Xue seemed to remember something and quickly added, "Oh, and my lady."

"A student from Blue Tyrant Academy, Zhu Zhuqing, is eating with Lord Zhongli too."

"Zhu Zhuqing?"

Qian Renxue's expression changed. Her brows drew together as she asked in a displeased tone.

That was definitely a woman's name. And probably a woman up to no good!

"Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul is the Hell Spirit Cat. If I remember correctly, she should be a daughter of the Star Luo Zhu Clan."

With a name like Zhu Zhuqing and a Martial Soul like hers, what else could she be?

Only the Star Luo Zhu Clan passed down the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul.

During his investigation, Ci Xue had discovered not only Zhu Zhuqing but Dai Mubai as well!

"Also, the third prince, Dai Mubai, who fled Star Luo City, is at Blue Tyrant Academy..."

"I suspect this may be a scheme by the Star Luo Royal Family and the Zhu Family targeting Lord Zhongli!"

At that, understanding dawned on Qian Renxue. She had thought Zhu Zhuqing's name sounded familiar but hadn't been able to place it.

So she was one of Shrek's group!

Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing!

How many Spirit Hall soldiers had their Hell White Tiger killed?

"Uncle Ci Xue, even if the Star Luo Empire has heard about Guest Elder Zhongli, it couldn't have sent a reply this quickly."

"???"

On reflection, Qian Renxue had a point.

Heaven Dou City was a long way from Star Luo City. A round trip in under two months was nearly impossible.

Only a flying Soul Master at Soul Saint level or above could possibly carry word to Star Luo City in so short a time.