"I don't know. My mind's a mess right now. For as long as I can remember, people have told me Dai Mubai was my fiancé. He often wrote to me, too. His letters were full of hopes for the future and plans for our life together.
"I've always worked hard for that future. When I heard he'd fled the Star Luo Empire, I was terrified. I kept training until I was numb.
"I wanted to help him, for our future.
"But it seems... I never really understood who he was... My past was like a dream I'd woven for myself... and today, that dream shattered..."
Zhu Zhuqing rarely spoke so much. Her eyes grew redder by the moment.
Hearing this, Oscar understood.
Zhu Zhuqing had been taught to think that way since childhood. Her feelings for Dai Mubai were based only on what she knew from his letters—or, more accurately, on her own fantasies. And today, those fantasies had fallen apart.
"Do you love him?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, then shook her head.
Oscar propped up his chin and looked at her as he spoke slowly.
"You haven't spent much time together, and you said yourself that you never really understood him. So your feelings for him are complicated. They're partly based on fantasy, and partly on the sense of duty instilled in you since childhood.
"I can tell you're disappointed, sad, even in pain.
"Perhaps you stayed because you truly had nowhere else to go. Or perhaps you still have hopes for him.
"But I hope you can truly understand your own heart. Do you genuinely love the man who wrote you letters and described a glorious future?
"Or are you unwilling to let go of all the effort you've put in? Do you miss those days when you had hopes and goals for the future, and kept fighting to reach them?"
Zhu Zhuqing still looked confused, and Oscar said no more.
Some things couldn't be understood just because someone else explained them. You had to experience them for yourself.
He didn't deny that he was fond of the girl before him. He believed anyone would find Zhu Zhuqing likable.
Because he was fond of her, he wanted her to truly understand her own heart, rather than letting him decide her future based on his far greater life experience.
"Thank you. I still don't quite understand, but I believe I'll figure it out soon."
Zhu Zhuqing managed a smile, but it was still full of bitterness.
"Feelings aren't something you can rush. You might be let down by anything, but hard work will never let you down."
While the two were talking, the dishes arrived.
"This tastes good, and it's supposed to help detoxify and improve your complexion. You should have some."
Oscar smiled and served Zhu Zhuqing some food. It was a plate of pork stir-fried with bamboo shoots.
"If you don't eat it, it'll go to waste. These bamboo shoots came from young Thunder Bamboo Shoot Soul Beasts, and the meat is Wind Baboon heart-protecting flesh. They were both shipped here from the Soul Hunting Forest, so they weren't cheap."
The restaurant was owned by a deputy manager of the Spirit Hall Branch. Just arranging to have Soul Beast carcasses shipped out of the Soul Hunting Forest had cost a fortune, so the dishes were outrageously expensive.
Oscar had really splurged this time. If Zhu Zhuqing's personality weren't so much to his liking, he wouldn't have brought her to a place like this.
"Hey, don't thank me. You've been saying thank you all day."
Oscar hurriedly stopped Zhu Zhuqing as she was about to thank him again, then smoothly changed the subject.
"Counting me, Shrek has only four students right now. With you, that makes five.
"The next Elite Continental Soul Master Tournament is coming up soon. We're pretty strong, but I hear the Soul Masters representing Spirit Hall this year are formidable. Having you with us will improve our odds.
"After all... it'll be incredibly difficult for the four of us to fight our way through the tournament alone."
At the mention of the Elite Continental Soul Master Tournament, Zhu Zhuqing perked up.
Although she had spent most of her time training, the name of the Elite Continental Soul Master Tournament still rang in her ears.
It was the highest podium in a Soul Master's eyes, and one of the greatest achievements in a cultivator's life.
It represented the pinnacle of their generation!
Standing on that podium was every young Soul Master's dream.
"But I'm only at level twenty-seven. We might have a good chance next time, but this year..."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't say the word "also-rans," but that was what she was thinking.
The Elite Continental Soul Master Tournament was limited to those under twenty. She was only twelve, and Oscar looked to be about the same age.
This year, they'd be facing talented Soul Masters who were about five years older than them!
That age gap might not look like much, but Soul Masters progressed fastest during those years. Five years was enough to create a huge difference!
"Do you lack confidence in me, or in yourself?"
Oscar asked with a smile, his eyes brimming with confidence.
It wasn't the sharp confidence of someone who believed only he could win, nor the arrogance of someone who looked down on everyone else. It was a calm confidence, the kind that would remain unruffled even if Mount Tai collapsed right in front of him.
His composure was startling, and hard to look away from.
For some reason, at that moment Zhu Zhuqing saw the fearless boy who had always written to her in Oscar, and she stared blankly for a while.
"Why are you looking at me? Eat your food. Don't tell me you've fallen for me?"
Oscar propped up his chin and tilted his head as he looked at Zhu Zhuqing. She blushed, looking like the most beautiful sunset in the world.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Who would fall for you?"
Zhu Zhuqing bit her lip and lightly kicked Oscar's shin under the table with her jade foot.
"I'm curious why you're so confident, and so calm about it. You still haven't told me your Martial Soul or your level."
Like a kitten, Zhu Zhuqing nibbled on her chopsticks, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"I should have introduced myself earlier. I'm a level-thirty-seven Battle Soul Elder with a Food System Martial Soul: the Gold-Inlaid Jade Sausage."
"Wow, level thirty-seven? How old are you? And you're a Food System Battle Soul Elder? Are you sure you're telling the truth?"
Zhu Zhuqing had completely forgotten her sadness, her mind filled with questions.
"I'll be turning fourteen soon, so remember to prepare a birthday present for me.
"And why can't someone with a Food System Martial Soul be a Battle Soul Master? If you're free tonight, we can meet at the Soto Grand Spirit Fighting Arena. I'll show you what I can do."
As he spoke, Oscar summoned his sausage Martial Soul, leaving Zhu Zhuqing utterly bewildered.
Whether it was being a level-thirty-seven Soul Elder at fourteen, or venturing alone into the Star Dou Great Forest as a Food System Soul Master, both had shattered everything she thought she knew.
"You're not joking? Accidents happen all the time at the Great Soul Arena. You don't have to—"
"Just wait until tonight and see. Try not to let your jaw hit the floor."
Oscar shook his head. He had no idea who had decided that Food System Soul Masters couldn't be Battle Soul Masters...
There was still a long time before evening. The two went to the shop and spent a while joking around with Ma Hongjun. Then, once night fell, all three headed to the Soto Grand Spirit Fighting Arena.
Zhu Zhuqing still found it hard to believe, but after hearing Ma Hongjun's assurances and seeing how completely he trusted Oscar, she wasn't so worried anymore. Now she was simply looking forward to seeing what Oscar would do.
Before you continue