Woke Up and Everything Had Changed

Inside the cave.

The night deepened, and the campfire had burned down more than halfway.

Zhu Zhuqing remained lying on her side; although her eyes were narrowed, her consciousness was completely clear.

Ever since Xiao Wu had left, she had been waiting.

Waiting for Lin Yi to wake up, to see that Xiao Wu was gone, and to see what kind of scene he would put on.

Yet, two hours had passed, and that guy was still sleeping soundly.

Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Lin Yi, a wave of speechlessness rising in her heart.

However, just at that moment, a faint sound of footsteps came from outside the cave.

As the footsteps grew clearer, that familiar aura followed along with them.

It was Xiao Wu returning.

Xiao Wu walked into the cave silently and took a look at Lin Yi; he was still sleeping deeply, and Zhu Zhuqing was maintaining the same posture as before.

Everything was normal.

She quietly let out a sigh of relief, walked over to the campfire to add a few pieces of firewood, and then returned to her original spot to sit down.

The time she had been away was not long, about two hours, which happened to be the quietest part of the late night.

That guy Lin Yi was sleeping like a pig, completely unaware.

As for Zhu Zhuqing...

Xiao Wu's gaze lingered on her for a moment.

She did not know if Zhu Zhuqing had discovered anything, but even if she had, given her personality, she likely wouldn't say much.

After all, everyone had their own secrets.

The next day, the sun was high in the sky.

Lin Yi finally woke up.

He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and instinctively looked toward the cave entrance.

Then, he froze.

At this moment, Xiao Wu was sitting at the entrance, her hands cupping her chin, looking like a well-behaved girl waiting for someone.

Seeing him wake up, Xiao Wu immediately revealed a brilliant smile: "You're awake? How did you sleep?"

Lin Yi did not answer, only staring at her.

[What's going on? Why is this little rabbit still here?]
[Logically speaking, since she volunteered to keep watch last night, she should have gone to see Erming, and then she wouldn't have come back.]
[Or even if she did come back, it shouldn't have been this fast.]
[Could it be that she didn't go to see Erming?]
[Wait!! This little rabbit's aura... she's broken through to Soul Elder?]

Lin Yi's eyes widened abruptly as he carefully sensed the fluctuations of soul power on Xiao Wu.

Although he couldn't sense exactly what level she was at now, she had indeed reached the rank of Soul Elder.

"You..." Lin Yi's voice was a bit dry, "You broke through?"

Xiao Wu blinked, looking innocent: "Yeah, I suddenly broke through while keeping watch last night, and I was lucky—when I went out to find firewood, I ran into a thousand-year soul beast."

Lin Yi's mouth twitched.

[Lucky? Why does that sound so familiar?]
[Oh... I remember now, isn't this the exact excuse I used before?]
[No, no, that's not the point. The point is, why did this little rabbit come back so soon?]
[It's rare for her to come back; shouldn't she spend more time with Daming and Erming?]

Lin Yi rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

For five years, he had been waiting for this opportunity.

Waiting for Xiao Wu to return to the Star Dou Forest, waiting for her to meet Erming, and then for her to logically stay behind in the forest so he could retire successfully and go off on his own.

And the result?

Not only did this little rabbit successfully obtain her third soul ring, but she could also continue to follow him?

This script was all wrong.

Seeing that his expression wasn't very good, Xiao Wu chuckled inwardly, then leaned in, tilting her head to look at him: "Lin Yi, what's wrong? Did you not sleep well?"

Lin Yi took a deep breath, struggling to maintain his composure: "It's nothing, I'm just a bit groggy from just waking up."

[Can I say it's because of you?]

Well, things have reached this point, so I'll just have to find another way.

He stood up, stretched his limbs, and then looked toward where Zhu Zhuqing was.

Zhu Zhuqing had already woken up and was sitting on the straw mat tidying her clothes. Seeing him look over, she gave a faint nod, acknowledging him.

Lin Yi returned a polite smile, though his mind was already calculating other matters.

Zhu Zhuqing is easy enough to handle; she was planning to go to Suotuo City to find Dai Mubai anyway. Once we leave the forest, we should be parting ways.

The problem is still the little rabbit...

Just as he was thinking this, Xiao Wu suddenly spoke up.

"Lin Yi, where are we going next?" She rested her chin on her hand, looking as if it were a matter of course. "I've broken through now, and I have my spirit ring, so we should really discuss our next steps, right?"

Lin Yi was taken aback.

Next steps?

Obviously, it's for me to ditch you and head to Heaven Dou City alone.

Thinking this, he said aloud, "Well... do you have any ideas?"

Xiao Wu's eyes darted around as she put on a look of deep thought. "I think we should stick to the original plan and go to Heaven Dou City."

She paused, then continued, "I've heard you say that Heaven Dou City has many prestigious Soul Master Academies. Even if we might not get into the best ones, we can surely find a suitable place."

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "We?"

"That's right." Xiao Wu nodded. "The three of us, going together."

Lin Yi: "???"

Wait, when did Zhu Zhuqing get included in this?

And the way this little rabbit is talking, it sounds like Zhu Zhuqing is actually going to follow along.

He looked at Zhu Zhuqing, trying to find even a hint of refusal on her face.

But Zhu Zhuqing only remained silent for a moment before giving a slight nod.

"I have no objections."

Lin Yi: "..."

You're the second young lady of the Zhu Family from the Star Luo Empire; why aren't you looking for your fiancé instead of running around aimlessly with us?

And what's with that tone? What do you mean you have no objections? Who asked for your opinion?

He took a deep breath, attempting one last struggle. "Miss Zhu, I recall you saying you were going to Suotuo City?"

Zhu Zhuqing glanced at him, her tone calm. "The plan has changed."

Four simple words, with no further explanation.

The corner of Lin Yi's mouth twitched.

The plan has changed?

Isn't that a bit too casual?

You traveled thousands of miles from the Star Luo Empire; how can you just change your plans so easily?

Just as he was about to say something more, Xiao Wu leaned in, hooked her arm through his, and smiled with her eyes curved into crescents.

"Alright, Lin Yi, it's settled then. The three of us together will be able to look out for each other on the road. Zhuqing isn't weak, and as for me... I'm a level thirty-one power attack system spirit master now. Plus you as a support, what a perfect combination!"

Lin Yi looked at her radiant, smiling face and felt his headache worsen.

Perfect? Perfect my foot!

One I can't shake off, and the other following for no reason—you call this perfect?

Forget it, forget it. Let them be. I'll have a chance eventually anyway...

He sighed and nodded in resignation. "Fine, let's go to Heaven Dou City together."

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up, and she turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing. "Zhuqing, did you hear that? Lin Yi agreed!"

Zhu Zhuqing nodded, the corners of her mouth curling up for a fleeting second before she returned to her usual cold demeanor.

Lin Yi watched this scene, a strange feeling rising in his heart.

When did these two develop such rapport?

Then again, in the original story, they were good sisters, but now that the plot has gone off the rails, this doesn't make sense.

Wait, could it be that the little rabbit already made some sort of deal with her?

Thinking of this, Lin Yi looked at Xiao Wu with suspicion.