Poaching Someone's Partner

Zhu Lu called out, "Huabin!" and hurried after him.

Dai Huabin stopped and turned around. His face was as dark as the sky before a storm, and his voice carried suppressed fury. "Why didn't you make a move just now?"

Seeing the bloodshot eyes, Zhu Lu felt an inexplicable wave of disappointment rise within her, but she still explained calmly, "Even if we joined forces, we wouldn't have been his match."

Wouldn't have been his match. Wouldn't have been his match. Those words completely enraged Dai Huabin.

He suddenly reached out and shoved Zhu Lu to the ground. The force was so great that her back slammed into the hard floor with a dull thud.

"Trash!"

After spitting out those two words, he turned and left without looking back, his retreating figure resolute and cold.

Zhu Lu sat on the ground, watching his back grow farther away. Her eyes instantly reddened, tears welling in them, but she bit her lip and stubbornly held them back.

She murmured softly, "You're completely unreasonable..."

"Sob... sob..."

Unable to hold it in any longer, she hugged her knees, buried her face in her arms, and began to cry quietly. Her shoulders trembled like those of an abandoned kitten.

"My, my. It seems you really are completely dispensable to him."

A teasing voice suddenly sounded beside her ear. It was so close that it seemed to be speaking right next to her, yet there was no one around.

Zhu Lu abruptly raised her head and looked around, but she saw no one. The only people on the training field were students still attending their practical combat classes in the distance, and no one had noticed what was happening here.

"Stop looking. This is a voice transmission formed from soul power. I'm still right where I was, eating hotpot."

The voice sounded again, carrying a hint of laughter.

"So, are you interested in having a chat? About your future, perhaps. Or about that man who isn't worth your tears."

Zhu Lu froze for a moment, then nodded. She did not know why she nodded. Perhaps those words had struck the softest part of her heart.

"Find a private room. I'll be there shortly."

Zhu Lu stood up, dusted herself off, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, then took a deep breath and headed toward the commercial street.

She found a quiet teahouse, booked a private room, and sat by the window. Watching the crowds passing along the street outside, her thoughts were a complete mess, like a ball of yarn clawed apart by a cat.

The instant she had settled down, Xuan Xiao suddenly appeared in the seat across from her. It was as though he had been sitting there all along. There was no warning and no sound.

Zhu Lu jumped in fright and instinctively shrank back, but she quickly regained her composure.

Xuan Xiao noticed the wound on her hand, scraped open against the ground and still beading with blood. He casually tossed over a bottle of wound medicine from his storage ring. The bottle arced through the air and landed precisely on the table in front of Zhu Lu.

"Treat it yourself. Scars don't look good on girls."

Zhu Lu paused, looking down at the bottle of medicine before lifting her eyes to Xuan Xiao, her expression complicated.

She picked up the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and carefully poured the medicine over her wound. A cool sensation spread through it, and the stinging pain immediately eased considerably. The effectiveness of the medicine secretly startled her.

She put down the bottle, raised her head, and looked at Xuan Xiao. "What do you want to talk about?"

Xuan Xiao leaned back in his chair, his hands folded on the table, calmly watching her. His tone was as casual as if they were discussing the weather.

"Your future. Are you planning to keep following Dai Huabin forever? Be his accessory? Be his punching bag?"

Zhu Lu's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but the words reached her mouth and were swallowed back down. She did not know how to answer, nor did she know what to say.

Xuan Xiao continued.

"You saw it yourself. In his eyes, you're just a tool. He keeps you when you're useful and throws you away when you're not."

"Today, he took out his anger on you because he couldn't beat me. Tomorrow, he could abandon you over something else."

"Do you think someone like that is worth your devotion?"

Zhu Lu lowered her head and remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, her voice filled with confusion and uncertainty.

"But... this is the mission of our Zhu Clan. The Netherworld Spirit Cat Clan has been a vassal of the White Tiger Duke's Estate for generations."

"I've known since I was little that I would marry Dai Huabin when I grew up. It's my family's responsibility."

Xuan Xiao snorted disdainfully. "Family responsibility? What about you? What about your own wishes? Have you ever thought about what you truly want?"

Zhu Lu looked up at him, her eyes filled with bewilderment.

She had never considered that question.

From childhood to adulthood, the path of her life had already been arranged: cultivate, become stronger, then marry Dai Huabin, assist him in becoming the next White Tiger Duke, and continue the Zhu Clan's glory.

She had never once asked herself what she wanted.

Seeing her confused expression, Xuan Xiao continued.

"Do you know? Your Zhu Clan's ancestor, Zhu Zhuqing, also ran away back then with anger burning in her chest. Yet in the end, she still returned to Dai Mubai's side. Do you know why?"

Zhu Lu shook her head. The clan had never gone into detail about those old events. They only mentioned them briefly, saying that their ancestor had ultimately chosen love.

Xuan Xiao snorted, his smile tinged with mockery.

"Because Sea God Tang San gave the two of them immortal herbs, ensuring they wouldn't die at the hands of their elder brothers."

"Honestly, when she ran away, I truly admired her courage."

"But what happened afterward proved exactly this: the women of your Zhu Clan are indeed only suited to being dependents."

Zhu Lu's expression changed, and her voice trembled with anger. "Are you mocking our Zhu Clan?"

Xuan Xiao shook his head and replied calmly.

"No, no, no. I only want to tell you that there's nothing wrong with being someone's dependent, but the premise is that the person you depend on can give you what you want, rather than making you sacrifice everything alone."

"You gave your youth, your feelings, and your loyalty. But what did you get? A man who shoved you to the ground? One word: trash?"

Zhu Lu fell silent.

She had to admit that every word Xuan Xiao said had struck straight at her heart.

She knew Dai Huabin's personality better than anyone: proud, arrogant, hot-tempered, and unable to tolerate anyone being stronger than him.

Today, he lost to Xuan Xiao and vented his anger on her. What about later?

If he suffered an even greater setback outside, would he use her as an outlet for his anger too?

The more she thought about it, the colder her heart became. The more she thought about it, the more despair she felt.

Seeing how shaken she was, Xuan Xiao stood up, walked over to her, and extended his hand.

That hand was long and powerful, its palm open as though waiting for her to take it.

"I already told you. If you're going to be someone's dependent, why not be mine? Come with me. I can let you completely escape the fate your Zhu Clan has been bound to for ten thousand years."

Zhu Lu looked up into his deep eyes. There was no contempt in them, no pity—only calm confidence, as though he were simply stating something obvious.

She hesitated for a long time, torn between her family's mission and her own future.

In the end, she took a deep breath, slowly reached out, and clasped his hand.

That hand was warm and strong. The warmth it conveyed seemed to ease the chill in her heart.