In an instant, countless questions flooded Zhang Lexuan's mind, making her head throb as if it would split.
What was her relationship with the Sun Moon Royal Family?
Why had she been born in the Heaven Dou Empire?
Was her family's destruction connected to her Moon Martial Soul?
And what role did the royal families of the two empires play in all this?
And then...
Shrek Academy...
At the thought, Zhang Lexuan suddenly came to her senses and clutched her head, shaking it frantically.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"Mu En once saved me from the flames of disaster. It's true that he did so on the condition that I become his child bride, but... but..."
Yet halfway through, her voice grew quieter and quieter.
Where had those flames come from?
Her long-faded childhood memories suddenly surfaced, while her experiences at Shrek swirled and intertwined in her mind.
Flames blazing fiercely.
Her parents' sorrowful, despairing faces.
A vow no different from taking advantage of someone in their hour of need.
And finally, the fleeting image of the Radiant Giant Dragon.
One scene after another flashed through her mind.
That was right...
Though Mu En had spent these past years cultivating himself and nourishing his mind, his aura had grown ever gentler.
Yet he was an unparalleled expert who had sat for years in one of the most esteemed positions on the continent.
How could an ordinary person fathom the strength of his power and methods?
Perhaps she had never truly understood him at all...
Despair filled Zhang Lexuan's beautiful eyes as her faith teetered on the verge of shattering.
She had no idea what to do now.
She simply slumped in her chair, clutching the book to herself and murmuring under her breath as tears streamed down her face.
"Ah... being softhearted is a bad habit. I need to change~"
"Ning Huan, you're here..."
His sudden self-deprecating remark did not fully bring the girl back to her senses.
Her response was merely instinctive.
But for Ning Huan, that was just right.
She could hear him, yet she wouldn't be too alert.
"Now that you know where your Martial Soul came from, what do you plan to do next?"
At his words, a faint glimmer suddenly appeared in Zhang Lexuan's despairing eyes.
She lifted her lovely, tear-streaked face. Her pitiful expression stirred an involuntary ache in Ning Huan's heart.
But the feeling vanished in an instant.
"Uh... I doubt anyone's ever seen you looking like this."
As he spoke, he hurried forward and casually took a handkerchief from his Soul Tool, then handed it to her.
"Here, wipe your face. Oh, it's clean. No one's used it."
"Ning Tian prepared a whole bunch for me."
Zhang Lexuan blinked.
Then she looked down at the pink handkerchief embroidered with a little bear and instantly broke into a smile through her tears.
"Sniff... I can tell. No little boy would like pink~"
"But... thank you."
As expected, anyone who could stand out among countless top talents was no fool.
Even if a major upheaval left them shaken, they could pull themselves together in a short time.
Zhang Lexuan was undoubtedly one of the best.
In just two and a half minutes, she managed to rein in her emotions and tidy up her appearance.
She even touched up her makeup, leaving Ning Huan utterly dumbfounded!
"All right, let's settle accounts."
"Hm? I gave you a chance to learn the truth and even lent you a handkerchief, and now you want to settle accounts with me? Is this a case of biting the hand that feeds you?"
"I'll always remember your kindness, little brother! But that's separate from how you schemed against me!"
"..."
Ning Huan was a little shaken.
Had this big sister really recovered too quickly?!
Sure, he'd been pretty blunt when he came downstairs.
But that look on her face, like she wanted to kill herself—she hadn't seemed in any state to take in a word!
He'd felt sorry for her, so he'd kindly changed his attitude and his plans!
"Fine, what do you want? I won't pay up, and I won't give up my life!"
"Hmph~ Where'd all that swagger from earlier go~"
"Come on, that was then and this is now."
"Oh, spare me. You're so young, yet you can't say one honest thing."
Watching the boy pretend to resign himself to his fate, Zhang Lexuan gave a disgruntled snort.
Yet the slight curve of her lips showed that she was in a fairly good mood.
"It'll be dawn soon. Let's get down to business!"
Ning Huan glanced at the sky, which was already growing pale, then put away his smile and sat up straight.
"Fine, ask away. What do you want to know?"
"When did you start scheming against me?"
"Of course, I... Hm? You stammered and hesitated for ages, and that's all you wanted to ask?"
"What else?"
With most of her guard down, Zhang Lexuan smiled brightly and spoke gently:
"The Martial Soul comes from one's bloodline. That's an unchanging truth throughout the ages."
"So no matter how strange my true identity may be, it's still an inescapable reality."
"As for the roles the academy and... Mu En played in all this, there's no point in dwelling on it right now."
"After all, a Limit Douluo and the strongest academy on the continent are far beyond what either of us can stand against."
"So why torment myself with needless worry and put myself in danger?"
"...You're incredible! If anyone ever says everyone on Douluo Continent has a failing grade in intelligence, I'll smack them right across the mouth."
After hearing the girl's heartfelt explanation, Ning Huan's eyes twitched wildly.
The little superiority he'd felt from being a "foreknower" vanished in an instant.
There was no helping it. If everyone at Shrek were as clearheaded as Zhang Lexuan, he was bound to suffer a major loss before long.
Then he remembered the bold things he'd said to Ning Hao a little over a month ago, and shuddered without thinking.
If Chen Xin weren't protecting me, and Uncle Ning didn't put the sect above everything else, I'd probably have been locked in a dark room and turned into a tool by now!
Thinking about it, I'm really just lucky to be alive!
"Did I get careless because I was strong... even though I kept warning myself to be cautious..."
"Ning Huan? What's wrong?"
"Ah, nothing. I was thinking about how to answer you!"
The gentle voice by his ear interrupted Ning Huan's self-reflection.
He suppressed his wavering thoughts for the moment and straightened his expression.
"Actually, I've known about you for a long time."
"A long time... since the Soul Fighting Tournament?"
"More or less."
Ning Huan nodded lightly.
Although they weren't talking about the same tournament, the end result was about the same.
"I don't have many hobbies. Aside from cultivating, I mostly slack off and read."
"So when I found out your Martial Soul was the Moon, I started to have my suspicions."
"But as for scheming against you... well, I'd had the idea for a while, but I never expected you to show up at just the right time."
As he spoke, he kept an eye on the changes in Zhang Lexuan's expression.
Only after confirming that she hadn't shown any unusual emotion did he allow himself to speak more freely.
"I can't tell you my ultimate goal. It concerns the sect's great cause."
"There's just one thing I can tell you for certain: neither I nor the entire sect harbor the slightest ill will toward Zhang Lexuan."
"Secretly guiding you to learn the truth about your Martial Soul was just a move in a casual game."
At this, Zhang Lexuan, having pieced together what had happened, picked up the conversation, her expression remarkably calm.
"If it works, it'll weaken the academy. If it doesn't, it won't have much of an impact."
"Because you're certain I wouldn't dare tell anyone about this... right?"
"...That's right."
At that moment, Ning Huan answered with great resignation.
Before you continue