Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at Lin Yi's departing back. She hadn't been facing off against Godwind Academy again, but in that moment, she had felt death closing in.
Was she really still alive?
Lin Yi's final words had been branded into her mind: "From now on, your life is mine to give. You're my woman now."
His words carried unquestionable possessiveness, but they also stated a fact she couldn't refute.
"Miss Zhu, how are you feeling?" A cool, gentle voice spoke from beside her.
Zhu Zhuqing turned her head slightly and saw Ye Lingling standing beside the bed, her elegant bearing veiled by a thin layer of gauze.
She recognized the auxiliary Soul Master from Heaven Dou Royal Academy, who possessed the top-tier Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul.
"I'm all right... Thank you." Zhu Zhuqing's voice was hoarse and weak.
Ye Lingling shook her head gently. "You don't need to thank me. Team Leader Lin Yi spent a great deal of Soul Power and mental strength repairing your meridians and setting your broken bones. Your injuries were extremely serious—your ribs were shattered, and your meridians damaged. If not for the team leader's extraordinary skill, I'm afraid you..." She left the rest unsaid, but the meaning was clear.
After a pause, she continued, "People from Shrek Academy came earlier, but Team Leader Lin Yi and Chief Meng Shenji asked them to leave.
"The team leader said... since he saved you, you're no longer part of Shrek.
"You need complete rest now. Don't move around, or the bones that were just set might shift again."
After hearing Ye Lingling's words, Zhu Zhuqing fell into a long silence.
No longer part of Shrek...
The words echoed through her mind again and again.
She thought of all the moments she had shared with Shrek: the half-hearted bond of her engagement to Dai Mubai, her sisterly friendship with Ning Rongrong, and the sweat and laughter she had shared with Tang San, Oscar, and the others during training and battle... Those things had once been rare points of light in her dark life.
But this injury had been like a basin of ice water, jolting her awake.
For the team's victory, she had been willing to give everything—even to the point of getting hurt.
But she hadn't expected the team—or rather, Grandmaster's decision—to force her onto the field with a banned drug while she was still badly injured.
And she had never imagined that when her life was truly in danger, the one who reached out to save her would be Lin Yi, the very person they had always regarded as an "enemy."
Did her companions matter?
Yes. But only when they cherished and protected one another.
Did rankings and victory matter? Yes, those mattered too. But they shouldn't come at the cost of a team member's health and future.
If Feng Xiaotian's final strike had landed at a trickier angle, or carried just a little more force, she would probably be a cold corpse now.
Students had been struck down by accident at the Soul Master Tournament before...
Only after passing through this brush with death had she finally understood: hatred, obsession, proving herself, family, marriage alliances—all of it seemed so pale and powerless in the face of life itself.
Being alive was wonderful. Better than anything.
An unprecedented sense of confusion and weariness swept over her.
She didn't know where to go from here, how to face her former companions, or how to face Lin Yi—the man who had saved her with such force and then domineeringly declared her his.
The next day, Ning Rongrong quietly arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy's residence, carrying some nourishing medicinal soup to visit Zhu Zhuqing.
Because Ning Rongrong was the young mistress of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Lin Yi knew her too, the guards from Heaven Dou Royal Academy didn't stop her.
Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing's face was still a little pale but her breathing was steady, with her life clearly no longer in danger, Ning Rongrong let out a long sigh of relief. A genuine smile spread across her face. "Zhuqing, I'm so glad you're all right! You scared us half to death yesterday!"
Looking at the concern in Ning Rongrong's eyes, Zhu Zhuqing felt a little warmth in her heart and gave a slight nod. "Mm. I'm all right now."
Ning Rongrong sat beside the bed and took Zhu Zhuqing's hand. In a low voice, she said, "Zhuqing, come back with me.
"Everyone's worried about you. Shrek will never abandon any of its companions!"
As if afraid Zhu Zhuqing might have reservations, she hurriedly added, "Besides, the semifinal draw is out!
"Spirit Hall Academy will face Star Luo Royal Academy, while Shrek... will face Heaven Dou Royal Academy! The match won't be held for another half a month. By then, you should be almost healed. We still need your strength!"
Ning Rongrong spoke with anticipation and a hint of nervousness she couldn't quite hide.
She knew how Zhu Zhuqing felt about Shrek, and she believed in the bond between companions.
Yet after hearing her, Zhu Zhuqing didn't answer right away.
She fell silent, her gaze lowered to the hand Ning Rongrong held.
Go back? Keep fighting for Shrek?
Face... Heaven Dou Royal Academy?
Face Lin Yi, who had just saved her life?
Before, she would have chosen to rejoin the team without hesitation.
But now, her heart was in turmoil.
The warmth Shrek had once given her clashed violently with the cold reality this injury had exposed.
The team needed her strength... but what had the team given her when she needed it?
A decision that made her injuries even worse?
Or helplessness while she teetered on the brink of death?
She raised her head and looked at Ning Rongrong. Her eyes were complicated, and her voice was still weak, but it held a trace of distance. "Rongrong, thank you for coming to see me. But I'm sorry—I can't come back yet... I need time to rest, and I also need to... think things through."
The smile froze on Ning Rongrong's face. She looked into Zhu Zhuqing's cool eyes, now seemingly deeper and more inscrutable than before, and felt her heart sink.
She suddenly realized that this time, Zhuqing might truly be... different.
"Zhuqing, you..." Ning Rongrong tried to persuade her again.
"Leave me alone for a while, Rongrong." Zhu Zhuqing gently cut her off and closed her eyes, clearly unwilling to say more.
Looking at Zhu Zhuqing, whose mind had clearly changed, Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, but in the end all she could do was let out a helpless sigh. She set the soup beside the bed, then left, looking back again and again.
Once more, Zhu Zhuqing was alone in the room. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, her gaze filled with conflict and confusion.
The semifinal in half a month: Shrek versus Heaven Dou Royal Academy... What should she do?
Night fell, and the bustle of Spirit City gradually faded.
Zhu Zhuqing lay on the soft bed. Though Lin Yi had stabilized her injuries with extraordinary skill, her body was still weak. Her healing bones and meridians throbbed with a dull, prickling ache.
She kept her eyes open, staring at the cold moonlight spilling in through the window. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and Ning Rongrong's words from earlier that day and Lin Yi's cold declaration kept echoing in her mind.
Just then, the door opened softly, and a familiar figure walked in. It was Lin Yi.
He seemed to have recovered somewhat after regulating his breathing, but a trace of exhaustion still lingered between his brows. Without saying much, he went straight to the bed and, as if following a routine, reached out his hand. Gentle Snow Lotus Soul Power, mixed with pure life energy, flowed from his palm and slowly enveloped Zhu Zhuqing's injuries like a warm spring, nourishing her meridians and speeding the healing of her bones.
The warm, powerful energy coursed through her body, soothing her discomfort and bringing a sense of comfort she couldn't quite describe.
Zhu Zhuqing silently felt it all. Only when Lin Yi's treatment had ended and he was about to withdraw his hand did she speak softly, breaking the silence.
"Thank you... Thank you for saving me." Her voice was faint with the weakness of someone recovering from serious injuries, but perfectly clear. It was the first time since waking that she had properly thanked him.
Lin Yi's hand paused slightly as he lowered his eyes to look at her. In the moonlight, the girl's pale face looked especially fragile, and her cool eyes reflected a glimmer of light, their expression complex and hard to read.
The faintest curve touched his lips, almost cold in its indifference. His voice was calm and flat. "You don't need to thank me. I didn't save you for free."
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