"By the way, why were you being hunted?" Lin Qing asked curiously. "Of course, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Pretend I never asked."
In truth, Lin Qing was not curious at all, because he knew the entire story. Still, if he acted completely indifferent to it, Zhu Zhuqing might become suspicious and wonder whether he had deliberately approached her. Though for Lin Qing, this really was nothing more than a coincidence.
Zhu Zhuqing fell silent for a moment before revealing the truth. "I come from the Zhu Family, the Dukes of Nether, in the Star Luo Empire. Once we awaken the Nether Civet Martial Soul, we are bound to princes of the Star Luo Imperial Family and made to participate in the Star Luo Empire's struggle for the imperial succession."
"I was betrothed to the third prince of the Star Luo Empire. In the future, I will have to fight the eldest prince and my elder sister—the person who led those people to hunt me down before. The winners get to live. The losers have only one fate: death."
"Is that so? So she was your sister. No wonder you two looked so alike." Lin Qing spoke as if recalling something.
As for Zhu Zhuyun, Lin Qing could sense that she and that Soul King were undergoing transformation. It could not be helped; they were too weak, and they had used Lin Qing's blood. They were also in the wilderness, without a treasured place like Infinity Castle to assist them, so the transformation would take a long time. By Lin Qing's estimate, it would be at least three days before Zhu Zhuyun and that Soul King completed their transformations.
"Yes. She sent people to hunt me down, perhaps because she was afraid I would find my fiancé and become a threat to them." Zhu Zhuqing sighed.
"So you're going to Suotuo City to find that fiancé of yours?" Lin Qing put on an Oscar-worthy performance.
"Yes, but don't misunderstand. I have never met that fiancé, and there are no feelings between us." Zhu Zhuqing seemed afraid that Lin Qing would misunderstand something and hurriedly explained.
"I said I would take responsibility for you. I'll go with you to meet that fiancé of yours. If he is a man who can shoulder responsibility, then so be it. But if he isn't, I will never hand you over to him!" Lin Qing declared.
Hearing Lin Qing's domineering words, Zhu Zhuqing did not feel repulsed. Instead, she felt deeply happy at his concern for her.
"But our fates have long been bound by the Star Luo Imperial Family. If you interfere between us, I'm afraid you'll offend both the Star Luo Imperial Family and the Zhu Family." Zhu Zhuqing grew worried again.
"So what? I'll just become a Titled Douluo! If the Star Luo Empire refuses to be decent when the time comes, then I'll make them be decent. Zhu Qing, don't worry. I won't let anyone force you. If they refuse, then even if I have to set foot in Star Luo and punch a hole through the heavens, I will pull you out of this vortex!" Lin Qing's spirit surged with boundless pride, as though he had already seen himself suppressing the entire Star Luo Empire with his own strength.
"Thank you." Zhu Zhuqing was deeply moved. A thousand words became nothing more than a single thank you.
"Alright, get some rest first. Your injuries still need time to recover. Once you're mostly healed, we'll set out for Suotuo City." Lin Qing ended their conversation, helped Zhu Zhuqing lie down, and prepared to leave the room.
"Lin Qing, wait!" Seeing that Lin Qing was about to leave, Zhu Zhuqing called out to him instinctively, not knowing why.
"Is there something else, Zhu Qing?" Lin Qing turned around and asked.
"You don't actually need to go outside. You can cultivate in this room." Zhu Zhuqing did not know what she was thinking. The words slipped out almost without passing through her mind.
"Alright." Lin Qing was stunned for a moment, but he did not ask further. He simply agreed, sat cross-legged on the floor three or four meters from the bed, and began cultivating.
Over the next three days, Lin Qing took meticulous care of Zhu Zhuqing. As a result, Zhu Zhuqing's favorability toward him rose rapidly throughout those three days. On the final night, perhaps feeling that it was inappropriate to keep making Lin Qing cultivate on the floor, Zhu Zhuqing invited him onto the bed after an internal struggle, and they shared the bed.
However, they did not do anything they should not have. It was simply a single room, and the bed was rather cramped for two people. Thus, Lin Qing could only hold Zhu Zhuqing tightly against him, making it difficult for either of them to fall asleep.
In the end, they still fell asleep.
The next morning, Lin Qing slowly woke up. Looking at the girl in his arms, he could not help but think, Isn't this moving a little too fast? Is favorability really this easy to raise?
However, Lin Qing did not dwell on the matter. He patted Zhu Zhuqing's butt to wake her up. After tidying themselves up, they set out for Suotuo City.
Once they arrived outside Soul Hunting Town, Lin Qing waved his hand and summoned a twenty-thousand-year Unicorn Pegasus.
Lin Qing had encountered this Unicorn Pegasus while riding the Titan Python through the mixed zone after absorbing his Spirit Ring. Considering that it would be inconvenient to use the Titan Python as a mount in the human world, Lin Qing had the Titan Python suppress it, injected his blood into its body, and then tossed it directly into Infinity Castle to transform.
The Unicorn Pegasus had completed its transformation several days ago and become a Demon, yet its beauty remained impossible to conceal. Lin Qing had also obtained a complete set of twenty-thousand-year Unicorn Pegasus Spirit Bones, as well as a Unicorn External Spirit Bone.
"This is..." Zhu Zhuqing stared at the Unicorn Pegasus that had suddenly appeared before her, her eyes filled with shock.
"This is my mount, a twenty-thousand-year Unicorn Pegasus," Lin Qing introduced.
"What? Twenty thousand years?" Zhu Zhuqing had originally thought it was merely a hundred-year Soul Beast or one that had just passed a thousand years. After all, once Lin Qing summoned it, he had immediately made it restrain its aura, preventing Zhu Zhuqing from sensing the pressure that belonged to a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
"I named her White Cloud. It suits her well, doesn't it?" Lin Qing said. "Alright, don't just stand there. Get on. With White Cloud carrying us, we should reach Suotuo City in about half a day."
"Oh, alright." Only then did Zhu Zhuqing come back to her senses and hurriedly respond.
Lin Qing let Zhu Zhuqing mount first, then swung himself onto the horse behind her. He protected her within his embrace, holding the reins in both hands as his chest pressed tightly against her back.
Feeling Lin Qing pressed tightly against her back, a blush spread across Zhu Zhuqing's face.
"Zhu Qing, sit tight. We're leaving." Lin Qing spoke softly beside Zhu Zhuqing's ear.
"Mhm." Feeling the masculine scent that belonged solely to Lin Qing behind her, Zhu Zhuqing's heart pounded wildly, like a startled deer crashing about in her chest.
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