Zhu Zhuqing Willingly Degrades Herself! Gu Qing Slaps Her!

Under the dim, flickering lights, Gu Qing stepped slowly from the shadows into the halo of illumination.

His slender figure stood directly in the path of Dai Mubai, blocking the latter's attempt to press forward.

"A prince of the noble Star Luo Empire, yet you act with such base depravity."

His crisp, clear voice rang out with startling clarity in the noisy bar, every word landing like a heavy hammer.

Gu Qing swept a casual glance over the two people before him, his eyes filled with undisguised mockery.

At these words, Dai Mubai, who had been filled with nothing but wicked thoughts, froze in place.

To have his identity exposed to his face and be branded with such a shameful evaluation was a direct assault on his bottom line.

The blond youth whipped his head around, and upon seeing who had arrived, his eyes were filled with shock and fury.

"It's you!"

He had only learned earlier that day at Shrek Academy that Oscar had been crippled by this very man.

New grudges and old hatreds exploded in his chest simultaneously.

Gu Qing did not even spare Dai Mubai a second glance, his gaze falling directly on the black-haired girl huddled in the corner.

"With such exceptional talent, you choose to debase yourself to this extent."

"Do you truly intend to rely on a man like this to change your fate?"

The questioning voice was like a sharp scalpel, ruthlessly dissecting the deepest cowardice in Zhu Zhuqing's heart.

The girl's body trembled violently, and her pupils, previously unfocused from terror, gradually regained their clarity.

Those words were like a basin of cold water, jolting her awake from her former despair and confusion.

Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth, pressed her hands firmly against the sofa cushion, and moved to the side without hesitation.

Using that momentum, she quickly stood up from the sofa and retreated several steps, putting a definitive distance between herself and Dai Mubai.

Seeing the prey that was almost in his grasp fly away, Dai Mubai's eyes turned bloodshot.

"Gu Qing, this is none of your business, get the hell out of my way!"

His roar echoed through the cramped space of the bar, startling the guests at nearby tables into rising and scrambling away.

Gu Qing, however, remained as calm and indifferent as ever, his footsteps never faltering, showing not the slightest intention of acknowledging the other man.

This sense of being completely ignored became the final straw that broke Dai Mubai's sanity.

"You're courting death!"

A powerful surge of soul power erupted instantly from Dai Mubai's body.

The light of the White Tiger Avatar flared suddenly; Dai Mubai's hands transformed into sharp tiger claws, and he lunged toward Gu Qing's back, accompanied by a violent gust of wind.

The intense sense of crisis made Zhu Zhuqing, standing to the side, gasp in alarm.

"Be careful!"

Just as that pair of tiger claws came within half a foot of Gu Qing's heart.

Stalks of deep blue Blue Silver Grass broke through the ground beneath Gu Qing's feet without warning.

The thick vines intertwined, instantly weaving into an impenetrable wooden shield behind his back.

Dai Mubai's full-force strike slammed heavily against the Blue Silver Grass shield.

A dull, thunderous boom echoed through the room.

The scene of the vines shattering, which he had anticipated, did not occur.

Instead, a terrifying force of recoil surged back along the tiger claws and flooded into Dai Mubai's body.

Dai Mubai's expression changed drastically; before he could even let out a scream, he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

His heavy body smashed through seven or eight tables and chairs before crashing hard into the brick wall at the end of the bar.

Blood gushed uncontrollably from Dai Mubai's mouth, staining a large portion of his chest.

Intense pain swept through his entire body; he struggled to climb to his feet, only to find that his bones felt as if they had been dismantled, leaving him completely limp amidst the wreckage.

The entire bar fell into a deathly silence, everyone staring in terror at the young man who had severely wounded the White Tiger soul master with a single move.

Gu Qing did not even turn his head, merely brushing the non-existent dust from his sleeves with a calm expression.

Zhu Zhuqing stood frozen in place, watching this high-impact scene, her heart churning with turbulent waves.

Her cold, beautiful face was etched with conflict and struggle.

For a long time, the iron-blooded rules of her family had been like an invisible shackle, tightening around her throat.

To survive, she had traveled thousands of miles to the Heaven Dou Empire to find Dai Mubai, attempting to grasp this single straw of salvation.

But Dai Mubai's shameless behavior just now, combined with Gu Qing's soul-piercing questions, had torn the hope she had been desperately clinging to into shreds.

If even this final path was wrong, then how was she supposed to go on?

She took a deep breath and, with heavy steps, walked slowly toward Gu Qing.

"I..."

Zhu Zhuqing tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with an impenetrable haze, seeking an answer from this man of unfathomable strength.

"Slap!"

A crisp, resounding crack of a palm striking a face exploded through the quiet bar.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

Zhu Zhuqing's head was knocked to the side, and five clear red finger marks rapidly surfaced on her previously fair cheek.

A stinging, burning pain radiated instantly from her face, yet she did not reach up to cover it, merely standing there in a daze.

"Self-degrading."

Gu Qing withdrew his hand, his tone laced with undisguised contempt.

"Following such a piece of trash, do you really think you can change any sort of destiny?"

"Placing the hope of survival on someone else was the most foolish choice from the very beginning."

Every word was a piercing blow, leaving no room for mercy.

Having said this, Gu Qing didn't even have the interest to spare her another glance; he turned directly and strode toward the bar's entrance.

His tall, slender figure soon vanished into the deep night outside.

Zhu Zhuqing stood alone amidst the wreckage, the pain on her face lingering, but the fog in the depths of her eyes was dissipating bit by bit.

The words Gu Qing left behind echoed incessantly in her mind.

That's right.

Why must she rely on others?

Why entrust her life and death to a piece of trash who only knew how to escape and indulge in pleasure?

She clearly possessed the top-tier Hell Spirit Cat martial soul and had cultivation talent second to none; she was never some weakling to be slaughtered at will.

If she wanted to survive, if she wanted to change that so-called family fate.

Destiny could only be held firmly in her own hands!

Zhu Zhuqing's hands clenched into fists, and a scorching flame reignited within her cold, clear eyes.

She did not look at Dai Mubai, who lay on the ground not knowing life from death, and turned to stride out of the suffocating bar.

The night deepened in a quiet alleyway within Heaven Dou City.

Gu Qing pushed open the door to an inconspicuous little tavern.

This was the meeting spot he had arranged earlier that day.

There were very few patrons inside, and the bartender behind the counter was wiping glasses in boredom.

Gu Qing walked up, tossed a Gold Soul Coin onto the counter, and dismissed the bartender to the back kitchen.

He then stepped behind the bar himself, skillfully selecting several base spirits of different hues from the liquor shelf.

His slender fingers wove between the crystal-clear glass bottles.

Ice cubes collided within the shaker, producing a crisp, melodic sound.