Hu Liena's Charm

As the words fell, the phantom of Gu Chensha transformed into a streak of dark golden light, vanishing into the center of Zhu Zhuqing's brow.

Zhu Zhuqing dared not delay, immediately centering her mind and drawing the Primordial Demon Spider Emperor into her body in an instant.

"Click."

The wooden door was gently pushed open from the outside.

The moment she looked up, Zhu Zhuqing's breath hitched slightly.

The first thing to strike her eyes was a sense of vivid, radiant brilliance.

The young woman outside the door had a tall, well-proportioned figure, her form-fitting combat attire outlining near-perfect curves.

Her shoulders and back were straight, her waist slender; there was not a hint of fragility about her, but rather the air of a lone wolf poised to strike, every line concealing coiled, explosive power.

Moving upward, her skin was as delicate and fair as porcelain.

Her peach-blossom eyes, with their slightly upturned corners, held an innate charm, complemented by a high-bridged nose and full, crimson lips.

The entire person was like a red rose blooming under the scorching sun, beautiful with an aggressive edge.

Zhu Zhuqing could sense that the soul power fluctuations radiating from her were condensed and heavy, far surpassing her own current level.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing already standing up from the bed, the young woman spoke first.

"You're finally awake? How do you feel? Is there anywhere you're uncomfortable?"

Her voice was slightly hoarse, yet inexplicably filled with charm.

Zhu Zhuqing, however, reacted like a startled kitten, her spine instantly tensing as she displayed a look of utter wariness.

"Who are you? Where is this?"

She mentioned nothing else, acting as if she remembered absolutely nothing of the past.

This behavior left Gu Chensha, within her sea of consciousness, quite satisfied.

She was very obedient, following his instructions to the letter without the slightest deviation.

An obedient child, naturally, would be greatly rewarded later.

The young woman paused, as if she understood something in an instant, and immediately softened her tone to soothe her.

"Don't be afraid, this is Martial Soul City, I'm not a bad person."

"My name is Hu Liena. An elder and I found you in the Star Dou Great Forest. You were covered in wounds, so we brought you back."

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's tense posture, she did not step any closer.

She simply tried to soften her expression as much as possible, dissolving her own sense of aggression.

"Do you remember anything? For example, what happened before you fainted? Where is your home? Why were you unconscious in the Star Dou Great Forest?"

Zhu Zhuqing's eyelashes fluttered gently, and after a few seconds of silence, she spoke in a low voice.

"I... I only remember that my name is Zhu Zhuqing. Everything else... I don't remember."

"Is that so?"

Hu Liena locked eyes with her, the charm at the corners of her eyes deepening.

"...Yes."

The moment Zhu Zhuqing replied, her eyes suddenly widened.

As their gazes remained locked, a faint, sweet fragrance drifted into her nostrils with her breath.

Watching the corners of Hu Liena's mouth curl up, watching those full, crimson lips, she was suddenly seized by an absurd impulse.

She wanted to lean in and taste if those lips were as soft and sweet as they appeared.

Her heartbeat inexplicably accelerated, her breathing grew shallow, and a thin layer of heat spread across her skin.

The person before her was clearly standing several steps away, yet that lazy, dangerous allure wrapped around her like a tide, leaving her limbs feeling weak.

Right now, she only wanted to follow the other's lead and confess everything cleanly, unwilling to hide a single thing.

Suddenly.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound of fingers snapping in her mind instantly dragged her out of that muddled, bewitched state.

Immediately following, Gu Chensha's cold, demonic voice echoed in her sea of consciousness:

"It is merely a bit of vixen's trickery."

Zhu Zhuqing snapped back to reality.

A cold sweat broke out on her back, and even the tips of her ears burned hot.

She had almost drowned in it just now, without even noticing when the other party had used her technique.

"Do not be nervous. She used a soul skill on you the moment she pushed the door open; it is normal that your current cultivation could not detect it."

"Do not lose your focus. Continue to do as I said, and there will be no slip-ups."

Zhu Zhuqing felt a lingering fear; had it not been for Gu Chensha, she likely would have already revealed all her secrets.

She responded subconsciously within her sea of consciousness.

"Many thanks, Senior Demon Emperor..."

"I told you, do not call me Senior."

"Yes, Senior..."

"...Fine, suit yourself."

Gu Chensha said helplessly; as expected, habits formed are hard to break.

"Next, continue playing along with her act."

At this moment, Hu Liena's voice rang out once more.

"Zhuqing, think carefully again. Do you really not remember anything at all?"

Following Gu Chensha's instructions, Zhu Zhuqing deliberately let her gaze become unfocused and dazed, as if she had yet to recover from that charm.

"I... I remember at the beginning, it seemed like I was being hunted... I just kept running and running..."

"And then? Do you remember who was hunting you?"

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head, her voice trembling: "I don't remember."

"Then do you remember what happened afterward?"

"There... there was a terrifying Man Faced Demon Spider that appeared... and then... I... I can't recall... my head hurts so much!"

Zhu Zhuqing clutched her head and groaned in pain.

She curled up by the side of the bed, her shoulders trembling violently.

Seeing this, Hu Liena immediately stepped forward half a pace and soothed her in a soft voice.

"Alright, alright, if you can't remember, then don't think about it. It's fine."

"Your injuries haven't healed yet, so rest well for now. Someone will come to check on your recovery later."

After saying this, she turned and walked out the door, closing it gently behind her.

Yet, behind the door, Zhu Zhuqing maintained her pained appearance, groaning softly as if she were truly trapped in the despair of a fractured memory.

This entire scene fell into the eyes of Hu Liena, who was secretly observing through the crack in the door.

It truly seemed that there was nothing amiss.

She finally closed the door completely and turned to look at the person leaning against the wall.

It was a person of ambiguous gender with an eerie, bewitching appearance.

His skin was as delicate as an infant's, his alluring features carried a unique sense of seduction, and he was twirling a golden chrysanthemum as eerie as himself.

If not for the clear Adam's apple on his neck, no one would believe this was a man.

He wore the grand red ceremonial robes that only Title Douluo were qualified to wear, embroidered with gold and silver patterns, and the infant-fist-sized golden gem on his chest made him look all the more luxuriously imposing.

It was none other than the Martial Soul Hall elder, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.

"How is it?"

He spoke, his voice androgynous and impossible to pin to an age.

"She should truly have amnesia; she only remembers her own name."

Hu Liena shook her head, lowering her voice.

"I have repeatedly tested her with my soul skills and examined her body over these past few days, and I haven't found anything abnormal."

Chrysanthemum Douluo's fingertips, which were twisting the petals, paused slightly, and he rubbed his chin in thought for a moment.

"Three days ago in the Star Dou Great Forest, she did indeed collapse near that Demon Emperor."

"We later captured a few soul masters from the Star Luo Zhu family and clarified the reason."

"This girl was indeed hunted by her family and fled in a panic deep into the Star Dou, so it seems that encountering the Demon Emperor was indeed a coincidence."