Zhu Zhuqing's Dream I

The Zhu Family Mansion, the capital of the Star Luo Empire.

It was late at night, and the moon hung high in the sky.

Five-year-old Zhu Zhuqing nestled in her older sister Zhu Zhuyun's warm embrace, listening to her sister gently recount the ancient legends of the Star Luo Empire.

My sister's voice was gentle and patient.

"... So, the brave White Tiger Soul Master ultimately protected his kingdom..."

The story is coming to an end.

Zhu Zhuqing's eyelids were getting heavier and heavier.

Her thick, long eyelashes fluttered a few times before slowly closing.

His breathing became even and deep.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuyun smiled slightly, carefully tucked the blanket around her younger sister, and quietly left.

Zhu Zhuqing's dream also began, but this time the dream was completely different from the previous ones.

Zhu Zhuqing felt herself floating.

Like a transparent bubble, it floats in mid-air, quietly watching down below.

She watched "herself" slowly grow up.

When he was six years old, he participated in a grand Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony.

During the ceremony, the little "Zhu Zhuqing" stretched out her hand, and a nimble and swift black shadow leaped out from her palm— the Hell Spirit Cat.

Innate Soul Power, level seven.

Upon seeing this, the family elders smiled; however, the expressions of the father and sister in the dream seemed somewhat off.

Then, the images in the dream seemed to be rapidly flipped through by an invisible hand.

She saw her father and several dignified old men talking with the royal envoys in the family hall.

The young "self" stood in the middle, bewildered.

She heard unfamiliar terms like "marriage contract," "Third Prince Dai Mubai," and "competition for future succession."

Finally, the father placed his large hand on "his" head and said solemnly:

"Zhu Qing, from this day forward, you are the Third Prince's fiancée."

"This is an honor, and also a responsibility!"

Even Zhu Zhuqing, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but feel a strange tension.

engagement?

Dai Mubai?

But the dream didn't stop; it continued to change rapidly.

She noticed that since "herself" got engaged, her older sister, Zhu Zhuyun, had been visiting her less and less frequently.

The smile on my sister's face gradually faded.

One day, "myself" happily ran to her older sister, wanting to share the knowledge she had just learned.

Zhu Zhuyun merely glanced at her indifferently, said "Cultivate well," and then turned and left without looking back.

Zhu Zhuqing, who was watching from the sidelines, suddenly felt a little sad.

She could clearly sense the confusion and loss of the "self" in her dream.

Sister... what's wrong?

Why don't you hug me like you used to?

Time flies by in dreams.

"I" feel increasingly lonely within the family.

Practicing meditation, attending classes, eating... I'm often alone.

She had only seen her nominal fiancé Dai Mubai, a few times from afar on certain important occasions.

The outline was vague, and there was no way to understand it.

However, when he turned eight...

A message spread like wildfire within the Zhu Family.

The Third Prince, Dai Mubai, abandoned the competition and fled the Star Luo Empire alone.

When the message arrived, "oneself" was practicing alone in the training field.

The dagger in his hand clattered to the ground.

Zhu Zhuqing, who was watching from the sidelines, felt her heart suddenly clench.

She clearly "heard" her own inner voice in her dream.

He escaped!

[Are you leaving me here all alone?]

An overwhelming sense of loneliness and fear, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed the "self" in the dream, and also penetrated the dream, making the observer feel a suffocating discomfort.

She saw the "self" in her dream slowly squat down, hug her knees, and her shoulders tremble slightly.

It was very quiet around us.

No one came to comfort her.

It's so cold!

This was her clearest feeling at that moment.

The dream's visuals accelerated again.

The solitary cultivation, the increasingly obvious pressure within the family, and the increasingly undisguised complex expression in the eyes of her older sister, Zhu Zhuyun.

There was scrutiny, indifference, and even a hint of... disgust in it!

Days passed by in a state of oppression, and the scenes flashed by rapidly.

The gaze of "oneself" grew colder and colder, as if it were covered with a layer of ice.

finally.

He turned eleven.

The "self" in the dream found a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Under the guise of a training expedition, he shook off his guards and plunged into the vast mountains and forests without looking back, desperately fleeing towards the border of the Star Luo Empire.

Zhu Zhuqing, who was watching from the sidelines, also held her breath.

She could feel the resolute feeling within herself.

Run!

She couldn't help but shout in her heart for that "self".

However, this good fortune didn't last long!

The pursuers appeared soon after.

They were sent by my sister, Zhu Zhuyun.

Strangely, although the pursuers were clearly more powerful than "himself," they always fell just short at crucial moments, like a cat playing with a mouse, constantly applying pressure and driving "himself" in a specific direction.

Exhaustion, pain, fear!

The "self" in the dream was covered in wounds, and its Soul Power was nearly exhausted.

Ultimately, they were forced to the Hadrian Kingdom, into a desolate land called the Jincheng Mountains.

Ahead was a steep rock face.

And behind them, the pursuers were already upon them!

Three figures landed, blocking all escape routes.

Immediately afterwards, an even more slender and swift figure landed lightly on the rock in front of her.

It was Zhu Zhuyun!

She looked at her sister, who was covered in blood and in a disheveled state, and a mocking expression appeared on her face.

"My dear sister, aren't you coming back with me?"

Her voice was still gentle, but it carried a chilling edge.

"You have nowhere to run."

In the dream, "Zhu Zhuqing" leaned against a large tree and barely managed to stand.

She raised her head, her face smeared with blood, but her eyes were cold and stubborn.

"Don't even think about it."

The speaker's voice was hoarse when he said this, but his tone was resolute:

"I will absolutely not go back!"

Zhu Zhuyun sighed softly.

She lowered her head, her bangs falling across her forehead, casting shadows that obscured most of her face, making it impossible to discern her expression.

Only that soft yet chilling voice slowly rose into the air.

"Since that's the case..."

"Then I'll have to see you off, sister."

She slowly raised her hand, her fingertips gleaming with a faint light.

Deadly Soul Power began to gather.

Zhu Zhuqing, who was watching from the sidelines, almost had her heart stop beating; immense fear gripped her.

Don't want!

At this critical moment...

A clear, yet distinctly mocking, youthful voice came from a tall rock on the side.

"The Hell Spirit Cat, sisters killing each other."

"Tsk tsk, no wonder they're from the Zhu Family family, just like the Dai Family, they both like to do this kind of thing."

The words had barely left his mouth.

A figure landed lightly in the arena as if it were weightless, perfectly positioned between Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun.

The person who came looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old, with a tall and slender figure.

He was dressed in black with black hair, and had a handsome face, but his features were somewhat cold and hard.

What is most striking about him are his eyes; they are calm, yet reveal a detachment and indifference that is incongruous with his age.

It seemed to him that the tense life-or-death standoff before him was nothing more than a boring farce.

Zhu Zhuyun paused, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes!