You're surprisingly kind

"Second brother!"

Seeing that the best fighter on their team, second only to himself, had been crippled in one move, the leader felt a sense of foreboding. He stepped forward, blocking the widening gap in their encirclement, and said:

"Kid, we're from the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire. We're under orders from the Eldest Young Lady to take that girl back. Be smart and scram, don't get in my way!"

"Oh, you're not going to kill me anymore?"

Feng Xinglie grinned, a sight that made the leader's blood boil. Just as he was about to speak, Feng Xinglie seemed to melt and began to disintegrate. In his confusion, he suddenly felt a sense of danger and quickly retreated:

"Fourth Soul Skill: Adamant Slash!"

He raised his hand, summoning his Steel Blade Martial Soul, and slashed forward. His keen senses, honed by years of dirty work, saved his life. The moment the soul skill was released, Feng Xinglie was already in front of him.

But...

To everyone's astonishment, Feng Xinglie flickered slightly, and his upper body inexplicably vanished.

No one knew what had happened. Before the leader could even raise his blade again after his missed strike, he felt a sharp pain on both sides of his neck, and his body fell uncontrollably. Only then did people realize that Feng Xinglie was already behind him, his palms striking the sides of his cervical vertebrae.

"Anyone else want to try?"

He kicked the unconscious soul master towards the remaining men and asked with a smile, as if nothing had happened. The remaining three exchanged glances and shook their heads slightly:

"He's too tough, let's retreat!"

With their two strongest members defeated instantly, there was no point in fighting. Carrying their fallen comrades, the group quickly disappeared into the forest.

Seeing that the danger had passed, the girl's taut nerves instantly relaxed. A wave of dizziness and weakness washed over her, causing her to sway and nearly collapse.

"Careful."

Feng Xinglie caught her, carefully led her to the campfire, and sat her down before sitting opposite her:

"Judging by your condition, you must have been chased quite fiercely. Rest here for a while. By the way, my name is Feng Xinglie."

The girl seemed unaccustomed to male physical contact. She gently rubbed her arm where he had held her, pouted, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke:

"Thank you, my name is Zhu Zhuqing."

"So you're Miss Zhu Zhuqing, a pleasure to meet you."

As they were exchanging pleasantries, a rumbling sound came from Zhu Zhuqing's stomach. The usually composed Zhu Zhuqing blushed instantly and turned her head away.

"The porridge I was cooking should be ready soon. If you don't mind, Miss Zhu Zhuqing, would you like to share some to fill your stomach?"

Seeing this, Feng Xinglie, like a gentleman, ladled a bowl of meat porridge and offered it to Zhu Zhuqing. The girl turned her face back, stared at the steaming bowl of porridge, and swallowed. Her long-empty stomach finally couldn't resist the temptation:

"Thank you..."

But just as she was about to take the bowl, Feng Xinglie suddenly pulled it back. Meeting Zhu Zhuqing's gaze, which was a mixture of confusion and annoyance, he said seriously:

"Miss Zhu Zhuqing, you just escaped pursuit, shouldn't your guard be higher? What if I had poisoned the food?"

As he spoke, he poured a little porridge onto the back of his hand, took a bite, and then offered the bowl again:

"Now, this bowl of porridge is safe to drink."

Zhu Zhuqing was stunned. It took a moment for her to regain her senses:

"I understand, thank you for your guidance."

She took the bowl and, ignoring the heat, began to eat ravenously. After filling her stomach, her panicked heart gradually calmed down. Seeing this, Feng Xinglie took out a box of medicine from his Storage Soul Tool and handed it over:

"You're injured. I have some medicine here, you should treat it first."

However, this time, Zhu Zhuqing did not reach out to take it. She just stared at the box of medicine, opened her mouth, but said nothing. Seeing this, Feng Xinglie smiled:

"You are a wise young lady."

He then picked up a little medicine and put it in his mouth. Seeing Feng Xinglie swallow it, Zhu Zhuqing finally took the medicine:

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suspected you of poisoning..."

"No, you should. In these deep mountains and old forests, you must remain vigilant no matter who you meet. Don't use anything anyone gives you until you've confirmed it's safe."

"Mhm..."

Zhu Zhuqing gave a weak hum and fell silent again. The atmosphere between them became somewhat awkward. After regaining some strength, Feng Xinglie spoke first:

"Actually, I was planning to enroll at Shrek Academy near Suotuo City. I intended to rest here for a night and then enter the city tomorrow. But after what just happened, it's no longer safe here. If you can still manage, let's leave now. We should arrive just in time to enter the city gates at dawn, and we can find an inn to rest properly. What do you say?"

Zhu Zhuqing naturally knew that this place was not safe to linger. She immediately nodded and stood up:

"You're going to Shrek Academy too?"

"Yes, are you? What a coincidence. Since we're future classmates, please take care of me in the future."

The two of them tidied up their belongings and, chatting intermittently, hurried towards Suotuo City through the night. After their figures had completely disappeared, three figures suddenly stood up from the darkness and bowed in the direction they had left. Just then, the dark clouds parted, and the bright moonlight shone down, illuminating their faces. One of them was the coachman who had brought Feng Xinglie here. As the moon was once again shrouded by clouds, the three figures retreated back into the darkness.

In this world, there are never any coincidences, only interconnected arrangements.

A year ago, Feng Xinglie had deliberately timed it to infiltrate the Star Luo Empire with ten waves of spies. They didn't need to make contact or gather intelligence; they just needed to lie low near the Zhu family. Some posed as beggars, some opened small shops, and some joined the city patrol. Working in shifts, they monitored the Zhu family's movements 24 hours a day.

Their sole purpose was to confirm when Zhu Zhuqing would escape from home.

Long before, Feng Xinglie had meticulously planned an escape route for Zhu Zhuqing. The moment she began her escape, all her movements fell under Feng Xinglie's control. When she was about to deviate from the planned route, soul beasts or bandits would inexplicably appear to block her path. When she encountered danger, she would always encounter "coincidences" that helped her escape.

And the pursuers chasing her were the same.

Not long after Zhu Zhuqing escaped, Zhu Zhuyun received a report. Although pursuers were immediately dispatched to hunt her down, they always lost her due to various accidents. But when they completely lost track of Zhu Zhuqing, they would encounter kind people who would point them in the right direction.

Thus, the two groups maintained an ambiguous distance, unable to catch up but also unable to escape, following the pre-planned route and appearing before Feng Xinglie precisely on time.

To ensure the accuracy of the timing, the people from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had rehearsed countless times. In order to ensure that the pursuers sent by Zhu Zhuyun would definitely be dealt with by Feng Xinglie, they used the influence of the Martial Soul Hall and the propaganda of the Martial Soul Newspaper to impose curfews, martial law, and entry restrictions in the cities along the way, strictly screening the enemies who appeared before Feng Xinglie.

Finally, through a series of meticulous arrangements, the first step of this operation was perfectly accomplished.