Liu Lin watched Xu Jiawei and Eunuch Liu leave, then closed the gate, turned around, and went back to sit in the pavilion.
He picked up the History of the Star Luo Empire from the desk and flipped through a couple of pages. Then he suddenly realized his stomach had started rumbling.
Only then did he remember that he hadn't eaten for several hours—not since the meal Dean Zhang had made for him at the orphanage.
"Xiao Xue." Liu Lin called toward the side hall.
Xiao Xue, who had been resting in the side hall, heard his voice and hurried out, heading toward the pavilion.
"Lord Liu, may I ask what you need?"
"Well, I'm a little hungry. Could you get me something to eat? Anything that'll fill me up is fine."
Hearing the embarrassment in Liu Lin's voice, Xiao Xue covered her mouth and giggled. Then she nodded and hurried out of the courtyard.
About twenty minutes later, Xiao Xue arrived at the pavilion carrying a food box.
"My lord, I asked the Imperial Kitchen Hall to prepare this especially for you. Please give it a try."
As she spoke, Xiao Xue set the food box on the stone table and opened it, taking out all the dishes.
"Thanks. Also, you don't have to call me 'my lord.' I'm not used to it. Just call me Liu Lin or little brother."
With that, Liu Lin picked up his chopsticks and started sampling the food Xiao Xue had brought back.
Xiao Xue looked hesitant at his words. She was about to say something, but when she saw him eating, she silently stepped aside, deciding to wait until he was finished.
Before long, Liu Lin had swept every dish from the stone table.
Seeing that Liu Lin had finished, Xiao Xue, who had been standing nearby, packed the plates into the food box.
"My lord, this servant doesn't think it's appropriate to call you by your name. I'd better keep calling you 'my lord.'"
Looking at Xiao Xue's uneasy expression, Liu Lin sighed and nodded.
"Then this servant will take her leave." Xiao Xue said gratefully, then left with the food box.
As time passed, darkness settled in. Liu Lin glanced at the sky, then left the pavilion and headed into the palace.
Meanwhile, at Xu Jiujiu's chambers.
After telling Liu Lin about the Soul Beast hunt, Xu Jiawei had brought Eunuch Liu to Xu Jiujiu's chambers.
The palace maid standing outside saw Xu Jiawei approach and bowed respectfully. She was just about to announce him to Xu Jiujiu when he waved her off.
Xu Jiawei then gestured to Eunuch Liu that he would go in alone and that he should wait there until he came back out.
Xu Jiawei pushed open the door and entered Xu Jiujiu's chambers. He saw his younger sister with her face buried in a pillow, her short legs kicking up and down.
Hearing the palace door open, Xu Jiujiu lifted her head from the pillow. She was about to say something when she saw her elder brother, Xu Jiawei, come in.
"Elder brother, what brings you here?" Xu Jiujiu sat up, trying to make her voice sound as normal as usual, but the blush on her cheeks gave away how she felt.
"But I just heard you'd come back from Liu Lin's place, and that you'd climbed over the wall to get in." Watching his younger sister try to act as though nothing had happened, Xu Jiawei couldn't resist teasing her.
"So what..." Xu Jiujiu muttered when she heard her brother's words.
"I also heard from Eunuch Liu that you ran back from Liu Lin's place with your face all red. Jiujiu, why was that?"
"Eunuch Liu said that?" Xu Jiujiu raised her head in embarrassment and annoyance. Seeing Xu Jiawei's amused expression, she hurriedly tried to explain, "It was just because it was so hot today, and climbing over the wall took a lot of effort. So it's only natural that my face was red."
At that moment, Eunuch Liu, standing outside the palace, suddenly sneezed.
"Ah, why did it suddenly get so cold? Looks like I'll have to take another day off tomorrow."
Xu Jiawei didn't call her out. He only smiled and shook his head. After a moment of silence, he asked, looking somewhat guilty, "Jiujiu, do you blame your brother for suddenly arranging this marriage for you?"
Xu Jiujiu froze, clearly not expecting her elder brother to ask her such a sudden question.
"At first, I really was unhappy. Not because of him, but because you didn't tell me before you did it." Xu Jiujiu fell silent for a while, then answered.
"This was my fault. I was too eager and didn't consider how you felt."
"But after I met him, I understood why you chose him. Twin Martial Souls, both with Ultimate Attributes—there's no doubt it was the right choice."
She paused, then smiled. "He's pretty interesting, too, so I agreed."
Xu Jiawei fell silent at his younger sister's words. As he looked at his nine-year-old sister, a jumble of feelings welled up in his heart.
At her age, she should have been playing, but her status as a princess had already placed too much on her shoulders.
Xu Jiawei stroked her head and said solemnly, "If Liu Lin ever treats you badly, or if you fall in love with someone else in the future, your brother will void this imperial decree. No one can force you."
Xu Jiujiu met Xu Jiawei's determined gaze, then buried her head in the pillow.
"All right, I understand, elder brother. I'm going to sleep now. Hurry up and leave."
Seeing his younger sister like this, Xu Jiawei shook his head helplessly and left her chambers.
Xu Jiawei walked out of the chambers with a smile. He could tell that Xu Jiujiu felt differently about Liu Lin.
Two days later, early in the morning.
Before dawn, a convoy was already waiting north of Star Luo City.
A middle-aged man with the cultivation of a Soul Emperor sat on horseback at the front. Behind him, five Soul Kings stood around three carriages.
Outside the gates of Star Luo City, Xu Jiujiu and Liu Lin stood side by side, with an old man in a gray robe behind them.
The old man was Elder Lin, sent to protect Xu Jiujiu and Liu Lin on this trip. He was a Level 92 Power Attack System Titled Douluo.
Looking at Xu Jiujiu standing beside him, Liu Lin felt utterly helpless.
Two days earlier, before they left, Xu Jiujiu had heard that he would be heading to Star Dou Forest to obtain a Soul Ring. She'd wanted to go with him and see the place for herself.
Then she went to tell her brother. When Xu Jiawei heard, he nodded and agreed to let her go to Star Dou Forest.
After all, they had a Titled Douluo with them to hunt Soul Rings, and they were only going to the outskirts. How could they possibly run into danger?
Xu Jiawei had said that if they still managed to run into danger, perhaps he should hand the throne over to someone else.
The middle-aged man by the carriage saw Xu Jiujiu and Liu Lin arrive. He dismounted and came over to them.
"My lords, please get into the carriage. We'll be heading to Star Dou Forest shortly. My surname is Wang. You can call me Old Wang."
Xu Jiujiu nodded at his words. She led Liu Lin and Elder Lin into a carriage.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Old Wang said to the five men behind him, "Let's go. We're heading to Star Dou Forest."
With that, Old Wang mounted his horse. The others nodded and took their places at the fronts of the carriages. They swung their whips against the horses' flanks. The horses pulling the carriages neighed, then began to move slowly.
The entire party set off for Star Dou Forest in a grand procession.