Uncle, You Died So Tragically!

What was a level-twenty Soul Master supposed to do when facing a level-eighty Soul Douluo?

What else could he do? Lie flat and accept it.

Cheng Xiao did not believe his current strength could handle a Soul Douluo. He might as well stop resisting.

Seeing Cheng Xiao give up struggling, the man flashed to his side, grabbed him by the collar, and with a blur before his eyes, Cheng Xiao was thrown before the two young women.

"I have a few questions for you. Why were you running?" the man asked with a half-smile.

"Ha, haha. Senior, you sure know how to joke." Cheng Xiao landed hard on his backside. After grimacing in pain, he got up, dusted himself off, and said awkwardly, "You were trying to seize me without a word. How could I not run? The elders in my family always told me that in the Star Dou Great Forest, no one could be trusted."

The man neither agreed nor disagreed. The boy was not wrong. He did not consider himself some great villain, but they were strangers. It was perfectly normal for the boy to be wary.

"I'm asking you—how long have you been hiding here?" the man asked.

Why was he asking that? Cheng Xiao could not figure out what he wanted, so he made something up. "Less than half a day..."

"Half a day?" The man's gaze gradually turned strange. He raised a hand and pointed at the towering crystal tree in the distance. "Was this tree already like this when you arrived?"

Fuck! Cheng Xiao's heart skipped a beat. How was he supposed to answer that?

Should he just go along with it and say it had already been like this when he arrived?

No!

He could not pin it on the Crystal Bear, could he? The Crystal Bear's crystallization ability could probably last a day. All they had to do was wait until tomorrow, and they could roughly work it out! Besides, there were no signs of soul beasts moving around nearby. If soul beasts had been active here, how could he have safely hidden here earlier? There were holes everywhere in that story!

Tell the truth?

Did he think he had two hands too many?

He still was not sure whether the External Soul Bone had fully fused with him. If, like Tang San, he had only absorbed it initially, they could chop off his hand and take it!

An External Soul Bone was even more precious than the other six soul bones. Soul Masters coveted External Soul Bones only slightly less than hundred-thousand-year soul rings, and Soul Douluo were no exception!

Even if the man himself was not interested, did he not have two daughters? The Left Palm Bone paired with Hell Stab—just thinking about it made them seem like a perfect match!

He could not lie, but telling the truth was even more dangerous!

In that flash of a moment, Cheng Xiao's mind raced wildly. Suddenly recalling the seven people he had killed, he blurted out, "No, my elder did this."

"Your elder?" The man raised a brow.

"We encountered a three-thousand-year Crystal Bear earlier. After my elders killed it, they obtained a Right Arm Bone!"

Cheng Xiao's thoughts spun as he raised his blood-covered left hand. "Then a Dreadclaw Bear suddenly rushed out and attacked us. Flying stones wounded me, so my elders had no choice but to bring me here first to hide and recover. Then my Seventh Uncle absorbed the Right Arm Bone, and while testing its Soul Bone Skill, he crystallized this tree."

"A Right Arm Bone?" The man glanced at Cheng Xiao's left hand and stroked his chin, feeling as though he had overlooked something. "Where are your elders? Why did they leave you here alone?"

"My elders said that Dreadclaw Bear had gone mad, so they went to investigate. They told me to hide here."

Zhu Zhuyun let out a cold laugh. "That wasn't what you said earlier. Didn't you say they had gone on ahead and told you to catch up? Now it has become them telling you to hide here?"

With her arms folded, Zhu Zhuqing leaned against a nearby tree with a cold expression, watching Cheng Xiao indifferently without saying a word. She was like an ice sculpture devoid of all warmth.

Cheng Xiao glanced at the man, then swept his gaze across the two sisters and the others before muttering quietly, "Isn't it because there are so many of you? I'm only a Soul Master. How could I dare fight you for a place to stay?"

"..." That did make sense.

The man pondered for a moment, but the thread of doubt in his heart remained. "Stay here for now. It's nothing. You're merely a Soul Master; it wouldn't be safe for you to go out alone. Otherwise, we would seem overbearing. Wait until your elders come back to collect you before leaving."

Was he genuinely kind, or was he waiting for his "elders" to return so he could take the Right Arm Bone? Cheng Xiao did not dare be certain. One could never be too careful.

But Cheng Xiao had no room to refuse. If he acted too eager to leave, he might expose himself immediately. Why would a mere Soul Master be in such a hurry to venture into a danger-filled great forest alone? No matter how one looked at it, it was suspicious!

"Thank you, Senior." The more he did, the more mistakes he could make. Cheng Xiao chose to lie flat and let whatever happened, happen.

"Father, you're being softhearted again." Zhu Zhuyun pouted and muttered.

The man shot Zhu Zhuyun a mildly reproachful yet indulgent glare.

"Fine, fine!" Zhu Zhuyun turned her head and stretched lazily, making the soft white curves at her chest look even more imposing. Then she pointed across from them. "This side is ours. That side is yours. Don't come over unless you have to!"

Cheng Xiao shrugged, moved away from them, and rested off to the side. Only then did he have the chance to pay closer attention to the silent Zhu Zhuqing.

Compared with Zhu Zhuyun, Zhu Zhuqing was much shorter, but her figure was not inferior by much. Her temperament was colder, her long black hair draped over her shoulders, and her cool pale skin added even more chill to her presence.

She was always alone. She neither spoke with anyone nor showed the slightest emotional fluctuation. Her icy demeanor was enough to make anyone who wanted to approach her keep their distance.

So this was the most hardworking cultivator among the Shrek Seven Devils?

In the original story, this girl had innate level-seven Soul Power, yet by the time she enrolled at Shrek more than five years later, she had reached level twenty-seven. Her cultivation speed could not be called anything but swift. Without some determination, it would likely have been impossible to cultivate that quickly.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard she cultivated, it would be difficult for her to catch up to her sister. Zhu Zhuyun had cultivated seven years longer than her and was probably already level forty. Such an early lead could never be overturned through effort alone.

As Cheng Xiao was thinking, Zhu Zhuqing seemed to sense something. She turned her head, and her gaze immediately met his.

She was still as indifferent as ever. Her eyes did not shift in the slightest as Zhu Zhuqing stared directly at Cheng Xiao without questioning him aloud.

Cheng Xiao was the first to yield. The corners of his mouth twitched as he showed a trace of apology, then his gaze drifted away.

Time slipped by bit by bit. Cheng Xiao replayed everything that had happened in his mind many times and felt that there were no obvious flaws in what he had said.

Lies were easily exposed, but a mixture of truth and falsehood could fool people quite well. His words should be enough to hold them off for a while.

But the longer this dragged on, the greater the chance that something would go wrong.

After all, he had no so-called "elders." How could anyone possibly come back for him?

After thinking for a long while, Cheng Xiao gradually began to show an anxious, impatient expression, glancing outside from time to time.

Zhu Mo, the father of the Zhu Family sisters, had been observing Cheng Xiao's every move. When Cheng Xiao began showing anxiety, Zhu Mo seemed thoughtful. The corners of his lips rose slightly as he closed his eyes and began to rest.

Night fell, and a campfire was lit. The Zhu Family put up several tents and took turns standing watch. Cheng Xiao also set up his tent, though he acted too anxious to sleep.

Until deep into the night, Cheng Xiao took the opportunity to greet the person on watch and cautiously head outside. His expression shifted unpredictably as he hesitated over whether to take this chance to escape. Right now was the perfect time...

"Are you trying to run away?"

A cold voice, like an icy spring, suddenly sounded behind him.

Cheng Xiao jolted, nearly frightened out of his wits. He whirled around and saw Zhu Zhuqing standing not far behind him, her eyes dark and cold.

"Hiss, what are you doing? Do you know people can scare people to death? You nearly scared my soul right out of me." Especially when he had a guilty conscience...

While Cheng Xiao was exasperated, he was also somewhat relieved. Luckily, he had hesitated for a moment. Otherwise, if this girl had shouted, he would have exposed himself before anyone even discovered the truth.

"I only came out to relieve myself! Escape? What escape? I haven't done anything. Why would I run?"

Zhu Zhuqing did not respond. She tilted her head slightly, as though considering whether Cheng Xiao's words were true.

Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing had nothing further to say, Cheng Xiao sighed in relief, then feigned anger. "What? Why are you still standing there? Don't tell me you want to watch!?"

At that, Zhu Zhuqing immediately turned around and went back.

Cheng Xiao wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead. He really did take a piss, but he no longer dared to entertain thoughts of escape.

After that scare, his mind had become incomparably clear.

Even if he ran, he would not get far. There was a whole group of Agility Attack System Soul Masters. They could catch him even if they gave him a fifteen-minute head start. It looked as though they were letting him move freely, but in truth, he had very few choices.

Cheng Xiao crawled back into his tent.

Early the next morning, Cheng Xiao packed up his tent. When Zhu Mo emerged, he went before him and respectfully cupped his hands. "Thank you for your protection yesterday, Senior. My elders have not returned after an entire day, so I fear something may have happened. I can no longer remain here in peace. I wish to go look for them, so I have come to bid you farewell."

Zhu Mo twisted his slightly stiff neck. "Perfect. We are preparing to leave as well. It isn't safe for you alone, so why not travel with us? If we encounter your elders in the forest, all the better. If not, once we have hunted a soul beast, we will take you out."

Cheng Xiao's expression froze. So kind? If they were not in the Star Dou Great Forest, Cheng Xiao would have suspected that he had transmigrated again into some wonderful world where everyone helped one another.

"Yes. Thank you, Senior."

Naturally, Zhu Mo was not being so kind-hearted. But only he knew what he was thinking...

After everyone packed up, they headed together toward the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Along the way, Zhu Mo did not charge recklessly ahead just because he was a Soul Douluo. Instead, he was extremely cautious, carefully avoiding all kinds of soul beasts.

Logically speaking, he did not need to be so careful. Unless they encountered a soul beast over eighty thousand years old, few could pose much of a threat to him.

As they walked, Zhu Mo pointed things out and instructed his two daughters, teaching them what they needed to watch out for when entering the Star Dou Great Forest.

"If your strength is insufficient, you must always be careful. Before you find your target, avoid fights whenever possible. Don't kill every soul beast you see along the way. If the scent of blood becomes too strong, it can easily attract more powerful soul beasts. Only when there is truly nowhere to hide and a soul beast has its eye on you is it not too late to kill..." Zhu Mo warned his daughters.

"Got it, Father." Zhu Zhuyun nodded, but the slightly flippant tone of her voice made it clear she had not taken it to heart.

Zhu Zhuqing remained as cold as ever. She merely nodded silently without speaking.

Cheng Xiao silently watched this touching scene of fatherly love and filial daughters. His expression shifted as his gaze landed on Zhu Zhuqing's somewhat lonely back, and he could not help inwardly grumbling, This father is rather biased.

When Zhu Mo taught them, his gaze fell more often on his eldest daughter, Zhu Zhuyun. Zhu Zhuqing seemed more like an accessory, receiving little attention.

It was no wonder. Zhu Zhuyun was seventeen and level forty. Her talent might not be exceptional, but it was certainly impressive. Unless something unexpected happened, the eldest daughter would inevitably become the future Empress of Star Luo. It would be difficult for Zhu Zhuqing to turn the tables.

A little favoritism was understandable.

Partway through the journey, everyone stopped to rest. Cheng Xiao took the opportunity to say he was going to the river to fetch water. When he returned, he squeezed his stiff cheeks and immediately put on an excited expression before finding Zhu Mo. "Senior, m-my elders are very likely nearby! I have to go find them!"

"Hm? How do you know?"

Cheng Xiao hurriedly took out an item. "I just saw this by the river. It belongs to my Uncle Dai!"

"Oh?" Zhu Mo accepted it. It was a Spirit Hall mercenary token.

A flash of realization suddenly struck Zhu Mo, as though he had recalled something. He asked, "What are your elders called?"

"My Uncle Dai is called Dai Chong. He is a Soul Ancestor. There are seven people in their team in total..."

They had introduced themselves when hiring him earlier, so Cheng Xiao answered without the slightest pause.

If revealing their martial souls would not have made his purpose too obvious, Cheng Xiao would have loved to tell Zhu Mo Dai Chong and the others' martial souls as well to make his story more convincing.

"Let's go. We'll look for them." Zhu Mo stood up, no longer intending to rest at all.

Then Zhu Mo sent everyone out to search while they advanced at an extremely slow pace.

After a while, the people who had spread out returned one after another, all shaking their heads to indicate they had found nothing. Then one person returned and immediately leaned close to Zhu Mo to whisper a few words.

"Really?" Zhu Mo narrowed his eyes.

The man bowed, indicating that he would not dare speak recklessly.

Zhu Mo's gaze fell upon Cheng Xiao, but all he saw was Cheng Xiao's expectant expression. Zhu Mo frowned, then jerked his chin. "Lead the way."

"Senior, did you find my elders?" Cheng Xiao pretended to be overjoyed.

Zhu Mo remained silent.

Led by that man, they finally stopped wandering aimlessly and instead headed straight toward the direction where Cheng Xiao had ambushed Dai Chong and the others.

The closer they got, the faster Cheng Xiao's heart beat. Success or failure depended on this one move. But he knew this was the most critical moment and that he could not reveal the slightest flaw. He forcibly calmed himself, putting on an excited, eager expression.

This really was testing his acting skills. Cheng Xiao felt that in his previous life, he should have applied to film school.

Suddenly, Cheng Xiao sensed something. He looked up, only for his gaze to collide with Zhu Zhuqing's cold eyes. Her eyes were fixed on him, and Zhu Zhuqing did not look away for a long time. Her obsidian-like pupils were like a cat's eyes in the darkness, making his skin crawl.

For some reason, Cheng Xiao's heart trembled. He had the absurd feeling that this girl had seen through him. With guilt in his heart, he did not dare continue meeting her eyes and casually looked away.

Stay calm, stay calm! She's just got an ice-cold face! There's no way she can see through me! Cheng Xiao kept reassuring himself, forcing that unblinking gaze from his mind.

They finally arrived. Before them was a scene of utter devastation. Several corpses had been mangled beyond recognition, and the Crystal Bear's body was gone. Cheng Xiao held his breath, overwhelmed with joy.

It was time to show off his acting!

Cheng Xiao looked as though he had been struck by lightning. His face instantly turned deathly pale as he staggered toward a mangled corpse that had been bitten into pieces. His tears came flooding out at once, and his grief-stricken cries echoed through the forest.

"Seventh Uncle, you died so tragically!"

One person approached Zhu Mo and respectfully handed over the items he had gathered. "They were mercenaries registered with Spirit Hall. The captain was Dai Chong, and the identities of the others were... They should have been ambushed, and someone also finished them off afterward. Judging by the look of it, the culprit was an experienced black-on-black robber."

"Did you find it?" Zhu Mo's gaze was sharp as lightning.

The man shook his head. "No. One corpse is missing its right arm."

The comments have made me lose confidence. I rewrote it several times over. Sigh. I don't know whether everyone will be satisfied.

The mercenaries fighting over treasure was meant to set this up. I really wanted to introduce the Zhu Zhuqing sisters and give them some interactions, after all, the female leads in Douluo are still important seasoning. I didn't expect some people to reject it.

I spent the entire day doubting myself. I feel terrible...

When no one is around, I worry that what I wrote isn't good enough and that no one will read it.

When people are around, seeing negative reviews makes me doubt myself again.

My mindset is too weak. As a newcomer, I have absolutely no confidence. (:з"∠) If the writing isn't good, please forgive me.

This is a four-thousand-word long chapter, basically two chapters combined into one.