Everything Changed After Waking Up

Inside the rocky cave.

Night deepened, and more than half the campfire had burned away.

Zhu Zhuqing was still lying on her side. Though her eyes were half-closed, she was completely awake.

Ever since Xiao Wu left, she had been waiting.

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

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

Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Lin Yi, feeling speechless.

Just then, faint footsteps came from outside the cave.

As the footsteps grew clearer, that familiar presence came with them.

Xiao Wu was back.

Xiao Wu silently entered the cave and glanced at Lin Yi. He was still sleeping deeply, while Zhu Zhuqing remained in the same position as before.

Everything was perfectly normal.

She quietly breathed a sigh of relief, walked over to the campfire and added a few pieces of firewood, then returned to her original spot and sat down.

She had not been gone long, around two hours or so, right during the quietest hours of the latter half of the night.

That guy Lin Yi slept like a pig and had noticed absolutely nothing.

As for Zhu Zhuqing...

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

She did not know whether Zhu Zhuqing had noticed, but even if she had, with her personality, she probably would not say much.

After all, everyone had their own secrets.

The next day, the sun was already 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.

Xiao Wu was currently sitting at the entrance, her chin resting in both hands, looking like she had been obediently waiting.

When she saw him wake up, Xiao Wu immediately flashed a brilliant smile. "Awake? How did you sleep?"

Lin Yi did not answer. He only stared at her.

What's going on? Why is this Little Rabbit still here?

Logically, since she volunteered to keep watch last night, she should have gone to see Erming, and then she shouldn't have come back.

No, even if she did come back, it shouldn't have been this soon.

Could it be that she never went to see Erming?

Wait!! Little Rabbit's aura... she broke through to Soul Elder?

Lin Yi's eyes suddenly widened as he carefully sensed the fluctuations of Xiao Wu's Soul Power.

Although he could not tell what level she was now, she had indeed reached the Soul Elder realm.

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

Xiao Wu blinked, looking innocent. "That's right. I suddenly broke through while keeping watch last night. And I got pretty lucky too. When I went out to gather firewood, I ran into a thousand-year soul beast."

The corner of Lin Yi's mouth twitched.

Pretty lucky? Why does that sound so familiar?

Oh... I remember now. That was the excuse I used before.

No, no. That's not the point. The point is, why did this Little Rabbit come back so quickly?

She finally got a chance to return. Shouldn't she have spent 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 Star Dou Forest, waiting for her to meet Erming, then naturally leaving her behind in the forest so he could retire with honor and roam freely on his own.

But what happened?

Not only had this Little Rabbit successfully obtained her Third Soul Ring, she could continue following him?

This was not how the script was supposed to go.

Seeing that he did not look too well, Xiao Wu secretly laughed. Then she leaned closer, tilting her head as she looked at him. "Lin Yi, what's wrong? Didn't you sleep well?"

Lin Yi took a deep breath and tried hard to keep his expression under control. "Nothing. I'm just still a little dazed after waking up."

Can I say it's because of you?

But things have come to this. I can only think of another way.

He got to his feet, stretched his limbs, and then looked toward Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing was already awake. She was sitting on the bed of dry grass, arranging her clothes. When she saw him look over, she merely nodded faintly in greeting.

Lin Yi returned a polite smile, but he was calculating other matters in his mind.

Zhu Zhuqing should be easy enough to deal with. She was originally heading to Suotuo City to find Dai Mubai. Once we leave the forest, we should go our separate ways.

The problem is still Little Rabbit...

Just as he was thinking, Xiao Wu suddenly spoke.

"Lin Yi, where are we going next?" She rested her chin in her hands, looking as though it were only natural. "I've broken through now, and I have my Soul Ring too. We should discuss what to do next, right?"

Lin Yi was stunned for a moment.

What to do next?

Obviously, ditch you and go to Heaven Dou City by myself.

That was what he thought, but he said, "Well... what do you have in mind?"

Xiao Wu's eyes shifted as she put on a thoughtful expression. "I think we should stick to the original plan and go to Heaven Dou City."

She paused, then continued, "I heard you mention that Heaven Dou City has many powerful Soul Master Academies. We might not be able to get into the best ones, but we can surely find somewhere suitable."

Lin Yi raised a brow. "We?"

"That's right." Xiao Wu nodded. "The three of us will go together."

Lin Yi: "???"

Wait, since when was Zhu Zhuqing included?

And why does Little Rabbit sound as though Zhu Zhuqing is definitely coming with us?

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

But Zhu Zhuqing merely fell silent for a moment before gently nodding.

"I have no objection."

Lin Yi: "..."

You're the second young lady of the Zhu Family from the Star Luo Empire. Why aren't you going to find your fiancé instead of running around with us?

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

He drew in a deep breath and tried to make one last struggle. "Miss Zhu, I remember you said you were going to Suotuo City?"

Zhu Zhuqing glanced at him, her tone calm. "Plans have changed."

Four simple words, without any explanation.

The corner of Lin Yi's mouth twitched.

Plans have changed?

Isn't that changing a little too casually?

You came all the way from the Star Luo Empire. How can you just change your plans like that?

Just as he was about to say something else, Xiao Wu had already leaned over, hooked her arm around his, and smiled until her eyes curved into crescents.

"Alright, Lin Yi, it's settled then. The three of us can look after one another on the road. Zhuqing is quite strong, and as for me... I'm now a level thirty-one assault-type Soul Master. Add you as support, and it's the perfect team!"

Looking at her radiant smile, Lin Yi only felt his headache worsen.

Perfect? Perfect my ass!

One won't leave no matter how hard I try to ditch her, and the other is following us for no reason. That's perfect?

Forget it, forget it. Let them do as they please. There'll be opportunities later anyway...

He sighed and nodded resignedly. "Fine. Then we'll go to Heaven Dou City together."

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

Zhu Zhuqing nodded. The corners of her lips lifted slightly for an instant, but she quickly returned to her usual cool expression.

Watching this scene, Lin Yi felt something strange.

When did these two become so in sync?

Then again, they were good sisters in the original story too. But the plot has already gone completely off course, so this makes no sense.

Wait, could Little Rabbit have made some kind of arrangement with her?

With that thought, Lin Yi looked at Xiao Wu suspiciously.