Saving Zhu Zhuqing (Trial Period, Please Keep Reading)

At the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire lay a primeval forest stretching hundreds of miles. Few people ever ventured here, and soul beasts roamed freely, making it a natural buffer zone between the two nations.

By the time Lin Chen and Xiao Wu arrived, night had already fallen.

Clear signs of battle marked the ground at the forest's edge. Trees had been snapped, earth had been churned up, and several rocks still bore dark red bloodstains.

Lin Chen crouched down, dipped a finger in the blood, and brought it to his nose.

"Fresh. Less than two hours old."

Xiao Wu stood behind him, scanning their surroundings with a slight frown. "Is the person still alive?"

"Alive." Lin Chen rose to his feet and looked into the depths of the forest. "The blood trail leads that way. They should be fleeing."

The two followed the trail of blood.

Lin Chen moved quickly, as though the wind itself lay beneath his feet, gliding through the dense forest as if on level ground. Xiao Wu followed close behind, as light and nimble as a rabbit leaping through the woods.

After chasing for roughly fifteen minutes, they heard the sounds of fighting ahead.

Lin Chen made a hand signal. The two slowed down and approached without a sound.

When they pushed aside the last cluster of bushes, the sight before them made Xiao Wu suck in a sharp breath.

In the middle of a clearing, a little girl covered in blood leaned against a large tree. She gripped a short dagger in one hand and watched the people before her with wary eyes.

She looked only ten years old and wore black night clothes, but the fabric had been slashed open in many places, exposing wounds so deep that bone could be seen.

Blood dripped from her arms, spreading into a small patch of dark red mud at her feet. Her face was smeared with dirt and blood, obscuring her features. Only her eyes shone with startling brightness.

They were the eyes of a feline, their pupils vertical and glimmering faintly in the darkness.

Zhu Zhuqing.

The owner of the Netherworld Spirit Cat martial soul, the second daughter of the Star Luo Empire's Zhu Clan.

Four people stood opposite her.

At their head was a woman in her thirties, dressed in fitted black clothing with a silver badge pinned to her chest.

Three others stood behind her—two men and a woman. All were Soul Ancestors.

One Soul King and three Soul Ancestors, hunting down a ten-year-old girl.

A cold smile curled across Lin Chen's lips.

Of course, he knew the truth.

Zhu Zhuyun had never intended to kill Zhu Zhuqing. If she had truly wanted her dead, one Soul Ancestor would have been enough. Why send a Soul King to lead the group? Not to mention specifically ordering them to "keep her alive."

The three Soul Ancestors had clearly held back when they attacked. Otherwise, Zhu Zhuqing would have died hundreds of times over.

All Zhu Zhuyun wanted was to drive Zhu Zhuqing out of the Star Luo Empire and keep her away from Star Luo City's center of power.

After all, the Zhu Clan's rules were right there: when sisters fought, the loser died.

Zhu Zhuyun did not want to kill her younger sister with her own hands, but she could not violate the clan's rules either. She could only force Zhu Zhuqing away in this manner.

Unfortunately, Zhu Zhuqing was too stubborn. She would rather die than admit defeat.

"Little girl, stop running." The leading Soul King spoke, her tone carrying a trace of helplessness. "Come back with us. The eldest miss won't do anything to you."

"Go back?" Zhu Zhuqing's voice was hoarse and icy. "Go back so she can kill me?"

"The eldest miss won't kill you."

"Then why did she send you to chase me?"

The Soul King opened her mouth, but no words came out.

What could she say? That the eldest miss did not actually want to kill her and only wanted to drive her out of the Star Luo Empire? Even she found that ridiculous.

"Why waste words with her?" a male Soul Ancestor behind her said impatiently. "Just seize her and bring her back to finish the job!"

As he spoke, he strode toward Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing tightened her grip on the dagger, prepared to fight to the death.

But just as the male Soul Ancestor was about to reach her, a gray light suddenly fell from the sky and landed between them.

Boom!

Dust billowed into the air.

The male Soul Ancestor was blasted back five or six steps by a powerful shockwave before steadying himself. His expression changed drastically. "Who's there?!"

No one answered him.

As the smoke and dust dispersed, a twelve-year-old boy stood in front of Zhu Zhuqing, blocking everyone's path.

He wore simple white clothes, with black hair, black eyes, and handsome features. What drew the most attention, however, were the five soul rings circling his body. Nine-colored light flowed across them, breathtakingly dazzling in the night.

"F-Five rings?!" The male Soul Ancestor's eyes widened. "A Soul King?!"

The others froze as well.

A boy who looked no older than eleven or twelve was actually a Soul King?

What the hell kind of joke was this?

"Who are you?" The leading Soul King's expression turned grave, and her hand had already moved to the weapon at her waist.

"Just a passerby," Lin Chen said calmly. "I'm taking this child with me."

"Do you know who she is?" the Soul King asked in a low voice. "She belongs to the Zhu Clan of the Star Luo Empire. Are you sure you want to meddle in this?"

"So what if she's from the Zhu Clan?" Lin Chen smiled. "I'm taking her today. Are you going to stop me?"

The Soul King's expression shifted.

She could sense the fluctuations of Lin Chen's soul power. He was around level fifty-five, several levels higher than her.

Combined with those strange nine-colored soul rings, she had no certainty of victory if they fought.

Besides, three Soul Ancestors stood behind her. If they truly fought, the commotion would be too great. If they attracted anyone else, things would only become more troublesome.

"Retreat." The Soul King gritted her teeth and gave the order.

"Captain?!" The male Soul Ancestor looked at her unwillingly.

"I said retreat!" The Soul King glared at him. "Report back to the eldest miss. Tell her that a mysterious young man rescued the target."

The three Soul Ancestors exchanged looks, but in the end, they followed her back into the dense forest.

Only after their figures had completely vanished did Lin Chen turn around and look at Zhu Zhuqing, who was leaning against the tree.

The little girl was nearly at her limit. Her consciousness was beginning to blur, her hand holding the dagger trembled slightly, and blood had already dyed all the soil beneath her feet red.

"Don't be afraid. It's all right now." Lin Chen crouched and spoke softly.

Zhu Zhuqing raised her head. Her feline eyes watched him with wariness and vigilance, but even more than that, there was a stubborn resolve in them.

Lin Chen extended his hand, and a gray mark appeared in his palm.

His fourth soul ring lit up—the Law of Life.

A gentle green glow surged from his palm and enveloped Zhu Zhuqing's body.

The wounds on Zhu Zhuqing's body began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Zhu Zhuqing froze.

She lowered her head and watched the wound on her arm heal completely within a few breaths, leaving not even a scar behind. A trace of disbelief flashed through her eyes.

"You..."

"Don't talk. Rest first." Lin Chen withdrew his hand and stood. "Once you've recovered a little, I'll take you somewhere safe."

Xiao Wu emerged from the shadows of the trees then. She walked over to Lin Chen's side, looked at Zhu Zhuqing, then at Lin Chen, and curled her lips. "Those injuries were pretty serious."

"They're fine. Just flesh wounds," Lin Chen said. "Her sister never intended to kill her. She only sent people to drive her away."

"How do you know?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

"I guessed." Lin Chen smiled. "If she truly wanted her dead, she wouldn't send a Soul King and three Soul Ancestors to chase a ten-year-old child. She'd just send an agility-type Soul Ancestor to finish it with one strike. Besides, you heard the Soul King's tone just now. She kept trying to persuade Zhu Zhuqing to go back instead of attacking her directly."

Xiao Wu thought it over, then nodded. "Makes sense."

Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the tree and listened to their conversation in silence for a long time.

She knew Lin Chen was right.

Her sister truly had not intended to kill her. If she had, Zhu Zhuqing would never have survived until now. Yet that was exactly why she felt even more unwilling to accept it. Her sister had treated her like a weakling who needed protection, driving her out of the Star Luo Empire in this way and keeping her away from the struggle.

But she did not want to be protected.

She wanted to become stronger. She wanted to live by her own strength.

"Why did you save me?" Zhu Zhuqing raised her head and looked at Lin Chen.

"Because you needed saving," Lin Chen said.

"I don't need anyone's pity."

"This isn't pity." Lin Chen looked into her feline eyes and spoke seriously. "It's an investment. I think you'll become an incredible soul master someday, so I'm giving you a hand now. When you become stronger in the future, maybe you can repay the favor."

Zhu Zhuqing was taken aback.

She had not expected Lin Chen to say that.

She stared at him for a long time, as though judging whether he was telling the truth. In the end, she lowered her head and quietly said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lin Chen held out his hand. "Can you stand?"

Zhu Zhuqing hesitated before taking his hand and using it to pull herself up.

Most of her injuries had already been healed by the Law of Life. Though she was still somewhat weak, she could stand on her own now.

"Let's go. We'll find somewhere to rest for the night first," Lin Chen said. "Tomorrow, I'll take you to Nuoding City."

"Nuoding City?" Zhu Zhuqing looked up. "What are we going there for?"

"We'll get settled first, then think about the future." Lin Chen looked at her. "You're not thinking of going back to the Star Luo Empire, are you?"

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent.

She truly did not want to go back. At least, not before she became stronger.

"Okay." At last, she nodded. "I'll go with you."