Zhu Zhuqing stood there in a daze, silent for a long time.
Her hands hung at her sides, clenched tightly into fists. She had gripped them so hard that her nails had pierced the skin of her palms.
A thread of crimson blood seeped between her fingers, but she seemed not to feel any pain.
In her mind, the cruel training she had endured in the family since childhood, her elder sister's merciless pursuit, and the elders' cold, calculating faces flashed by like lantern slides.
Suddenly, deep sorrow appeared on her face.
It was the numbness and hopelessness of someone who had recognized reality.
"So be it..."
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly understood.
All her life, ever since she had been born into this world, she had been used as a bargaining chip.
All along, she had been nothing more than a tool for her family to consolidate imperial power and secure its own interests.
Now that the Star Luo Empire had been utterly defeated, her family had discarded her without hesitation and sold her to a new master.
She was like an object that could be bought and sold at will. What use was there in struggling?
Why bother struggling in vain?
The last glimmer of defiance in her eyes went out.
Zhu Zhuqing unclenched her fists and drew in a deep breath of the chilly air.
Then she moved her leaden legs and slowly walked toward Tang Yu.
With every step, she felt herself severing another tie to her past.
When Dai Mubai saw that Zhu Zhuqing was actually walking toward that murderous god, he panicked.
His expression grew frantic, and he even forgot his fear.
"Zhuqing! Don't go!"
He instinctively lunged forward, reaching out with both hands to grab the black-clad figure who haunted his dreams.
But the instant he moved,
Tang Yu's calm yet oppressive gaze drifted over to him.
It was no more than a casual glance.
Dai Mubai's outstretched hands froze in midair, as if he had been struck by a body-binding spell.
Looking at the black-clad young man, his mind uncontrollably churned with the other man's mountain of terrifying rumors.
Famous in his youth, his might shook the world.
A true Titled Douluo.
The Asura god of slaughter, who had left the battlefield strewn with corpses and struck terror into all who heard his name.
He was nothing but a coward who didn't even dare to face the rivalry between brothers, and could only flee to a foreign land to hide from trouble.
The gulf between them was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth. He couldn't even summon the thought of resisting.
Dai Mubai knew very well that even if the other man merely lifted a finger, he would die without a whole corpse today.
Defeat this man?
That was something he wouldn't even dare dream of.
Every impulse and grievance was ground to dust before the absolute disparity in strength.
Dai Mubai could only stand rigidly in place, like a soulless statue.
He could only watch as Tang Yu turned around.
He watched that lofty young man calmly walk away, step by step, with the fiancée who should have belonged to him.
The two figures gradually receded into the distance, without the slightest reluctance.
The moment they disappeared from sight,
all the strength seemed to drain from Dai Mubai's body.
Dejected, he collapsed with a thud onto the cold stone tiles.
"Zhuqing..."
On the wide, level street paved with bluestone, Tang Yu walked at the front, his pace unhurried.
Zhu Zhuqing followed silently behind him, keeping a distance of five paces between them.
Around them swirled the bustling clamor of Suotuo City.
Carriages rolled by, and pedestrians crossed paths.
Zhu Zhuqing's lovely eyes kept darting around. Her gaze swept several times over the maze of alleys and the crowded street corners.
The thought of escape grew wildly in her mind, like weeds she couldn't hold back.
The Nether Civet Martial Soul she took pride in granted her incredible speed. If she could find the perfect cover, a few leaps would be enough to disappear into the city.
Her long legs, wrapped in black boots, had nearly stopped several times as her muscles tensed instinctively.
But whenever her gaze fell on the black-clad young man ahead, the courage she had just gathered crumbled at once.
Even though he hadn't looked back, and not the slightest trace of Soul Power radiated from him,
that earlier scene still weighed on her chest like a massive mountain.
He didn't even need to release his Soul Rings.
His mere presence could crush a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor into a puddle of mush.
This insurmountable gulf in strength made Zhu Zhuqing understand clearly that any attempt to escape from Tang Yu would be tantamount to seeking her own death.
She bit down hard on her lower lip, then finally let her eyes fall in dejection and abandoned that ridiculous impulse.
Before long, the two stopped in front of a sprawling mansion.
Two imposing white jade lions stood guard on either side of the tall vermilion gate. A plaque edged in gold hung above the entrance, bearing the words "Wuyang Marquis Mansion."
Magnificent and luxurious, it carried a stern air that commanded respect.
Zhu Zhuqing lifted her head and stared blankly at the heavy gates.
This was where she would live from now on.
The Star Luo Empire had been defeated, and her family had sent her away as compensation.
From now on, she would be like a canary in a cage, locked forever inside this sprawling residence.
Tang Yu didn't care what she was thinking. He headed straight up the steps.
The guards at the gate immediately knelt and saluted respectfully.
After crossing the front courtyard, Tang Yu led her to a spacious room on the first floor and casually pushed open the door.
"Go in."
Zhu Zhuqing drew a deep breath and stepped over the threshold.
Her eyes had barely adjusted to the light inside when she stopped short.
A woman sat on the soft couch in the center of the room.
She wore a luxurious purple-black gown and had an elegant, cold demeanor. Her face bore a striking resemblance to Zhu Zhuqing's, though it was more mature and alluring, making her all the more eye-catching.
Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted. Her heart missed a beat.
Zhu Zhuyun!
The elder sister who had relentlessly oppressed her since childhood and had even sent people to assassinate her more than once.
Hearing the door open, Zhu Zhuyun also raised her head.
When she recognized Zhu Zhuqing, surprise flickered across her cold, beautiful face. She immediately rose from the couch.
Tang Yu stood by the doorway, his gaze sweeping over the sisters.
"I know the two of you had some knots you couldn't untie back in the Star Luo Empire."
"But from now on, you're both my women."
"Once this door is closed, settle your differences yourselves."
After leaving them with those few words, Tang Yu showed no intention of lingering. He turned and left the room.
The heavy wooden door slammed shut with a bang.
The room fell into deathly silence.
Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun stood several paces apart, their gazes meeting in the space between them.