Early Morning

After crying her heart out, Zhu Zhuqing felt the entire world had changed. Hatred no longer entangled her, and fratricidal torment no longer tortured her.

The heaven and earth were so vast.

"Since you temporarily have no companions and no place to stay, and I happen to be alone too, how about you come with me?"

"Welcome a new life in Tiandou."

Lu Shi smiled and extended his hand.

Zhu Zhuqing wiped away her tears, sniffed, handed over her hand, and said with a smile:

"Mm!"

Once her emotions recovered, she wanted to find a clean water source to wash her face. On the way, she learned Lu Shi's purpose for coming to the forest alone. Upon hearing that Lu Shi was at level 30, her eyes were filled with adoration:

"Lu.. Shi." She felt a bit shy calling him by name.

"What kind of soul ring are you going to obtain? I can help you too."

Lu Shi stood nearby: "A White Tiger. I need to find a White Tiger Soul Beast."

Hearing White Tiger, Zhu Zhuqing's hand trembled, "You.. your Martial Soul is a White Tiger?"

Her gaze drifted.

Lu Shi shook his head, "No, my Martial Soul is a ball. Judging from soul ring matching, I need a White Tiger."

Hearing that it was not a White Tiger Martial Soul, Zhu Zhuqing breathed a sigh of relief. It was not a matter of liking or hating the White Tiger; simply, the White Tiger had influenced her entire life and her family for generations, making her a bit sensitive upon hearing those two words.

Wait!

She suddenly remembered that Lu Shi's soul rings were two purple ones!

A Purple Soul Ring required at least three rings to absorb!

"But.. I saw your soul rings just now..."

Lu Shi smiled and summoned the Millennium Soul Ring. The surface had faint, imperceptible markings—soul rings only displayed patterns once they reached ten thousand years.

"My Martial Soul is very special. The soul ring can grow and upgrade as my level increases."

A casual sentence, yet it struck Zhu Zhuqing's mind like a thunderclap. Her cherry lips parted wide, her eyes filled with shock.

A soul ring... that could increase its age!

In an instant, she realized what kind of heights Lu Shi could reach in the future.

He could become a Titled Douluo, or even... become a god!

Zhu Zhuqing was so shocked she couldn't say a single word. Even born in a top family like the Zhu Family, she had never heard of such a Martial Soul.

Unbelievable!

Lu Shi put away his soul ring and smiled mysteriously: "Remember to keep it a secret for me."

She nodded heavily, determined to keep the secret.

Toward a genius, major factions would scramble to recruit them, and if they couldn't be recruited, they would only feel regret. However, in the face of a genius who could change the pattern of the continent, if there was no way to absorb them into one's own faction, the only option was to find every possible way to eliminate them to prevent future trouble.

It must never be exposed.

This was also proof of Lu Shi's trust in her.

Rumble~

Right as the atmosphere peaked, Zhu Zhuqing's stomach inappropriately made a sound.

True to form, water could not stave off hunger. After just one hour, she was hungry.

It made her pretty face flush red, and she lowered her head.

She hadn't eaten anything along the way, too busy running for her life.

"It's almost dinner time, and I happen to be hungry too. If we go to the restaurant outside the Great Forest, it'll take an hour and a half of walking. We might as well eat right here."

Lu Shi calculated that the distance was too far, and Zhu Zhuqing's overly overdrawn body might not be able to endure it.

Doing it on the spot was also more convenient.

He lit a pile of fire on the spot. The orange-red flames rose, and fine sparks were blown up by the air currents, falling back down after extinguishing. The firelight flickered, shining on both of their faces.

He took out the skewered meat from the Storage Soul Tool and placed it on the fire to roast.

Lu Shi and Zhu Zhuqing sat side by side, very close to each other, occasionally poking the bonfire with a small twig.

The wood burned, making popping sounds.

It grew dark, and the meat skewers were also roasted. The fragrance wafted out, making Shiyu drool: "Come and have a taste."

Knowing you've been hungry for a long time.

Turning his head, he found that Zhu Zhuqing was curled up, her face resting on her knees, her long hair scattered casually, breathing evenly.

The shadows of her eyelashes were drawn very long by the firelight, twitching unconsciously, countable root by root.

She had fallen asleep.

Lu Shi breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at her, ever since the escape began, Zhu Zhuqing had never rested properly.

She must be exhausted.

Then he started burying his head in eating skewers.

Mmm, mmm, he didn't know what kind of vegetable it was, but the taste was really good...

Mmm... the meat left on the sticks couldn't be wasted either.

Lighting a campfire in the Star Dou Forest at night was practically provoking all the soul beasts in the surrounding area directly, but fortunately Lu Shi had subdued two Mandala Snakes and a Flame Spirit Eagle that could be considered peerless fierce beasts to other soul beasts.

Other soul beasts could come over if they weren't afraid of dying.

"Mmm~"

Zhu Zhuqing groaned in a daze, having not slept so comfortably in a long time.

She had a dream, dreaming that a handsome youth saved her...

It was a pity that it was all a dream, and she had to leave immediately...

Her escape career lasting as long as half a year had long since made her used to it, or even numb.

Her beautiful eyes opened hazily, and she saw an unfamiliar tree canopy, with sunlight casting mottled spots of light from the gaps in the leaves.

Where am I?

Zhu Zhuqing abruptly stood up, executing Martial Soul Possession, her gaze solemn, her cat ears alertly twitching on her head, and even her tail scared straight.

"You're awake," Lu Shi stood on another thick branch, "The morning dew in the Star Dou Forest is very heavy, and standing on you is very uncomfortable, so I carried you up the tree."

The trees here were at least a hundred years old, covered with all kinds of vines, moss, and parasitic plants, and could be used as a bed without any treatment.

It was much better than sleeping on the grass.

"I just boiled some wild boar meat, come down and eat some."

Yesterday's memories were gradually awakened, and Zhu Zhuqing only came back to her senses that she had scared herself.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and even the cat tail behind her drooped and relaxed, the tip of her tail swaying lightly without her realizing it.

Carried me up the tree...

Zhu Zhuqing's heart trembled, and a blush appeared on her pretty face once again.

A young girl of marriageable age could completely imagine what kind of intimate posture it was.

After the blush of embarrassment, she took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.

Jumping to the grass and looking towards the sound, on a pile of rocks near a stream ahead, stood a cooking pot supported by three wooden sticks, and Lu Shi stood aside stirring the pot.

The soup in the pot was boiling, and the aroma drifted out, hooking her into drooling: "Come and try some."

"Ten-year wild boar meat soaked in soup, supplemented with ingredients like ginseng and Sunward Grass, has the effect of invigorating qi and nourishing the body."

Zhu Zhuqing's heart felt warm.

There was still fresh soil and leaves that had not been washed away in the stream, obviously collected early in the morning, and invigorating qi and nourishing the body was precisely prepared considering her weak body.

Although he didn't say it directly, she felt Lu Shi's care.

Zhu Zhuqing held the bowl with both hands, the temperature of the meat soup was just right, and she drank it in one gulp. Fresh fragrance filled her taste buds, like a ball of fire spreading in her belly, warming her entire body, and the fatigue of the past few months was swept away.

Lu Shi was equally very satisfied to see his labor fruit recognized.

It wasn't in vain that he went to pick medicinal herbs early in the morning.

"After eating, we will leave the Star Dou Forest. Your body is weak right now, and you need more rest."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing immediately shook her head, her delicate little face revealing a resolute expression:

"I'll recover after sleeping for a night, I won't hold you back."

Compared to her cold appearance, her personality was actually sensitive and persistent, cold on the outside and warm on the inside, and she attached great importance to companions, repeatedly going all out for the Shrek team.

Her current keep-strangers-at-a-bay appearance was more of a disguise to protect herself in the cruel competition among the Star Luo nobles.

Who would have thought that the aloof goddess even had the habit of eating her fingers in private.