Zhu Zhuqing's Hired Help? A Five-Person Squad!

In a residence in the eastern part of Waterfall City.

Zhu Zhuqing, lying on the bed, fluttered her eyelids. Forcing herself to open her eyes, she was momentarily unable to adjust to the blinding light.

"You're awake?"

A gentle voice reached her ears. Before she could react, something cool was placed against her forehead.

"You need to rest more. You still have a slight fever, and you've lost too much blood. You won't recover without a period of proper recuperation."

The gentle voice advised Zhu Zhuqing. She felt utterly exhausted, but she was clearly no longer sleepy.

"I... Where am I?"

Parting her lips, Zhu Zhuqing's voice was somewhat hoarse. She had gone a day and a night without food or water; it would have been strange if her throat did not feel parched.

"My name is Qian Yin. You're in my house right now. Here, have some water first." Qian Yin, who had been caring for Zhu Zhuqing all along, carefully helped her sit up without disturbing her wounds.

"Thank you."

Taking the teacup with her weak arms, Zhu Zhuqing felt the warmth of the tea and was sincerely touched by it.

She instinctively thanked Qian Yin. She did not doubt Qian Yin's intentions, because she was still alive.

Qian Yin smiled and shook her head. "I was only entrusted to take care of you. You'll be leaving once you recover."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded. Although the wound on her chest still throbbed faintly, she had survived.

If she remembered correctly, everyone pursuing her was already dead, so she was safe for the time being.

"By the way, how did you end up in such a miserable state?"

Qian Yin was rather curious. The girl before her was only twelve or thirteen at most—how had she suffered such terrifying injuries? And she had actually been saved by Lord Holy Pillar and was connected to Lord Haiming. That made Qian Yin especially curious.

"I..."

Zhu Zhuqing opened her mouth, yet did not know what to say.

Was she supposed to tell the person before her that she had been severely injured because the people sent by her own sister had hunted her down?

"Forget it. If it's something difficult to talk about, that's fine. I don't really care anyway." Qian Yin smiled and waved her hand, then took the towel from Zhu Zhuqing's forehead. Before Zhu Zhuqing woke up, Qian Yin had been changing the towels to bring down her fever.

"Thank you."

The aloof Zhu Zhuqing thanked her again, though Qian Yin did not think much of it.

"Get some more rest. I'll go prepare something for you to eat. It looks like you can only have porridge and light soup for now."

After changing the towel on Zhu Zhuqing's forehead, Qian Yin carried the basin out, leaving behind Zhu Zhuqing, whose mind was clear but whose body remained exhausted.

By evening, after drinking a bowl of soup and resting for the entire afternoon, Zhu Zhuqing was finally able to get out of bed by herself. She sat at the dining table and ate with the Qian Yin sisters.

Qian Yin was the one caring for Zhu Zhuqing, while the other was Qian Yin's cousin, Qian Yu.

From them, Zhu Zhuqing learned that they were both Sea Soul Masters who had failed the Sea God Island trials and could only leave Sea God Island to make a living elsewhere.

"Isn't that cruel? To leave the home you've lived in for so long."

Zhu Zhuqing did not quite understand. Wasn't Sea God Island's rule rather heartless? They underwent the trial at eighteen, and if they failed, they had to leave home. That was far too unreasonable.

Qian Yin and Qian Yu did not feel much about it, because it was a rule Sea God Island had followed for ten thousand years. Besides, it was not as though they could never return; they simply could not reside permanently on Sea God Island.

After explaining, Qian Yin began probing Zhu Zhuqing about her relationship with Haiming.

Haiming was a celebrity on Sea God Island. Not only did the Seven Holy Pillars like him, but the ordinary people of Sea God Island also liked the clever, lively, and exceptionally brave young man.

"Wait, brave and clever?"

Zhu Zhuqing recalled the instant she had met the Haiming Qian Yin had mentioned. Although it was indeed impressive that he had repelled a Soul Emperor and two Soul Kings, his reason for saving her, along with his later teasing...

Zhu Zhuqing's face reddened, made even more obvious by her excessive blood loss!

Qian Yu clearly noticed this, and her eyes darted as her interest was piqued.

Could it be that this land Soul Master actually knew Haiming, and that their relationship was unusual?

Otherwise, why would Haiming suddenly ask the two of them to care for her, even promising that after Zhu Zhuqing left, the sisters could return to Sea God Island for half a year every year!

Though it was not the same as returning to Sea God Island permanently, it was still an enormous blessing for the two sisters!

(At this time, the sisters did not know about Haiming's Sea God's Nine Trials. Sea Dragon had merely agreed to it.)

"Zhu Qing, you and Haiming, could it be..."

Qian Yu leaned closer to Zhu Zhuqing. Although no one else was around, she still lowered her voice. Her expression was teasing as her hand rested on Zhu Zhuqing's chest—something that even she envied!

A mature woman's skill level was far beyond what Zhu Zhuqing, a girl who had just turned twelve, could compare to. After blushing furiously, Zhu Zhuqing told them everything that had happened before: being hunted down, then meeting Haiming after being seriously injured, and finally waking up here.

"Your sister has gone too far!" Qian Yu was furious.

After leaving Sea God Island, Qian Yu had lived with her cousin Qian Yin the entire time. Their relationship was extremely close, so Qian Yu could not understand the mindset of an older sister who constantly wanted to take her younger sister's life.

The more mature Qian Yin did not offer any opinion. Some great families had their own ways of passing down their legacy.

It had to be said that people raised through such methods shared one trait.

They would not be blinded by emotion, and they also possessed the potential for ruthlessness.

"Still, Zhu Qing, although you came to Waterfall City by doing the opposite of what they expected, didn't you consider that they might catch up to you?"

Qian Yin found it strange. Zhu Zhuqing did not seem like the careless type. A deception was still just a deception; without a follow-up plan, once her pursuers came to their senses, Zhu Zhuqing would have no chance of escaping.

At Qian Yin's question, Zhu Zhuqing's lips twitched. The icy beauty actually revealed an embarrassed expression.

"What! You're saying that you had hired Soul Masters to help you escape the Star Luo Empire, but when it was time to meet up, the Soul Master squad never came?"

Qian Yu was greatly surprised, then her face immediately puffed up with anger.

Most of Waterfall City's residents were Sea Soul Masters. Wasn't that hired squad's behavior bringing shame upon Sea Soul Masters?

If she saw that squad, she would definitely... definitely... definitely condemn them harshly!

Qian Yu pouted. After all, Zhu Zhuqing had said that the squad she hired for five thousand Gold Soul Coins was a soul-hunting team with a Soul Saint in command!

The squad members addressed one another by codenames, and their leader was called Boss!

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Some might say that Zhu Zhuqing arrived safely at Shrek, right? Well, isn't that coming soon? Hehehe~