Zhu Zhuqing

After the power of the Azure Origin Ancient Cypress's Soul Ring had fully settled, Jiang Baiyu and Su Wu did not hurry to leave the secluded valley.

Jiang Baiyu stood beside the Spirit Spring, eyes closed as he sensed the changes within himself.

His Ten Thousand Year third Soul Ring, marked with distinctive azure patterns, glowed faintly. Vast yet gentle wood-aspected Soul Power flowed through his body without the slightest trace of violence. Even his sea of consciousness had suffered no shock to the soul. Instead, it felt as though an ancient cypress had taken root deep in the lake of his heart, leaving his spirit steadier than ever.

"Baiyu, your Soul Ring has only just formed. Stabilize it before you try out the skill," Su Wu reminded him.

Jiang Baiyu nodded and slowly opened his eyes. The black Soul Ring behind him flashed, and he raised a hand. "Azure Jade Barrier."

Hum—

His Shennong Cauldron Martial Soul vibrated.

A pale azure halo spread from beneath his feet. Layers of cypress phantoms appeared, forming an ancient, sturdy barrier of living wood that sheltered the ground around him. Light flowed faintly across its surface. It was understated, yet it gave off a weighty sense of being unbreakable.

With a thought, Jiang Baiyu made the barrier contract, then expand abruptly.

Su Wu watched and said, "Looks like a defensive Soul Skill. Come on, let me test it."

He summoned his Jade-Green Nine-Jointed Bamboo, gradually raised his Soul Power, then lashed it hard against Jiang Baiyu's barrier.

At level thirty, the barrier did not budge.

At level forty, it shook and began to contract.

At level fifty, the layered Ancient Tree phantoms shuddered violently, and the barrier shattered.

Su Wu withdrew his power and looked at Jiang Baiyu. "Whew. This skill's defensive limit is that high? That Azure Origin Ancient Cypress gave you a fine Soul Skill!"

Jiang Baiyu grinned. "That's not all. I can pair it with my first Soul Skill."

With that, his first Soul Ring flashed.

"Domain: Hundred Herbs!"

A golden-red domain spread outward and instantly resonated with the Azure Origin Barrier.

The plants' spiritual energy surged within the domain. The cypress's clear energy, the vitality of Medicineheart Wood, and the gentle power of the Spirit Deer Nine Seals all emerged at once. The energies of his three Soul Rings flowed together completely.

Before, when Jiang Baiyu used his domain, he had seemed like a medicinal plant freshly transplanted into the soil. Now he was more like an Ancient Tree rooted deep in the earth of Star Dou, his presence as steady as a mountain.

Su Wu was just about to test Jiang Baiyu's skill when a rapid rush of air came from deep in the distant forest. Several angry shouts followed.

"That girl's injured. She can't have gone far!"

"Catch her! The eldest miss gave the order. Find her, now!"

"She's fast, but she's only a two-ring Soul Master. With her injuries getting worse, she won't last much longer."

Su Wu's face darkened. "Someone's being hunted. Shall we take a look?"

Jiang Baiyu frowned too, and the two concealed themselves.

He had just withdrawn the Azure Origin Barrier when a slender figure in black shot out of the dense forest.

She moved with astonishing speed, light on her feet as a cat. Several afterimages trailed behind her; she was clearly skilled at speed and stealth. But she was injured. Her clothes were torn, blood stained the corner of her mouth, and her Soul Power fluctuated unsteadily.

The instant she emerged from the trees, her foot faltered and she nearly fell.

Her pursuers were right behind her.

There were three of them. They kept a low profile, their Soul Power was around level forty, and the blades in their hands gleamed coldly. They were clearly professional killers.

"Second Miss, you can't escape!" the leader said. "Come back with us quietly."

The girl was plainly at the end of her strength. She braced herself against a tree, blood seeping from her forearm. Her black eyes fixed coldly on her pursuers as she panted for breath, but there was no fear in them.

"If you want to catch me, the three of you aren't enough." Her voice was cool, though she could not quite hide her breathlessness.

"Second Miss, we're only following the eldest miss's orders. Please don't make this difficult for us," a man in black said.

"Get lost!" the girl snapped.

"Forgive us." One of the pursuers attacked without warning. His Soul Power became a black gust aimed straight at her vitals.

She dodged in haste but was half a beat too slow. The strike cut her arm.

After several exchanges, she gradually lost ground.

Then, while she was too slow to evade, one of the men drew his blade and drove it straight toward a vital point.

At that critical moment, a pale azure barrier suddenly appeared before her.

Bang!

The black gust slammed into the Azure Origin Eternal Guard. Nine cypress phantoms lit up together, and the barrier trembled slightly before blocking the attack completely.

The pursuers froze.

The girl turned back in astonishment.

Jiang Baiyu stood half a step behind her, his expression calm as his third Soul Ring slowly revolved.

"Who are you?" the three assassins barked.

"Nobody you know," Jiang Baiyu said. "But she's under my protection."

From what he had observed, Jiang Baiyu had realized that the girl was Zhu Zhuqing. He had not expected to meet the cold beauty here, so he had stepped in to save her.

The three assassins eyed his sudden appearance uncertainly. If they had seen correctly, that had been a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

They were only pursuers the eldest miss had casually sent after her sister. They had no intention of dying in a fight with a Soul King. Besides, the eldest miss had not truly wanted her own sister killed.

Still, there were things they had to say.

With that in mind, the leader said coldly, "We're from the Star Dou Zhu Family. This is a family matter. Please stay out of it."

Now that they had named their family, Jiang Baiyu was certain the girl before him was Zhu Zhuqing.

"What if I won't?" As Jiang Baiyu spoke, Su Wu appeared beside him and stepped forward. Soul Power at the Soul Douluo level poured from him, and his gaze was cold.

"Get lost."

The three men felt that Soul Power and immediately went pale. They hurriedly bowed.

"Greetings, Your Eminence. Since the young master has taken an interest in her, we'll be on our way."

Come on. Before a Soul Douluo, three Soul Ancestors would be dead men. Even three Soul Emperors would be throwing their lives away.

Their posts with the Zhu Family paid only ten Gold Soul Coins a month. There was no reason to risk their lives. Besides, from the looks of it, the young master had seen how pretty their second miss was and wanted to take her as a Female Slave.

In the blink of an eye, all three vanished.

For the moment, the danger had passed.

But Zhu Zhuqing still did not lower her guard. She looked at Jiang Baiyu and asked in a low voice,

"Why did you help me?"

Why else would someone appear out of nowhere and offend the Zhu Family for her sake? He had to want something.

Jiang Baiyu withdrew the barrier and answered calmly,

"I happened to be testing a Soul Skill, and you happened to run into it."

He paused, then added,

"Besides, there's no rule in the Star Dou Great Forest that says you may hunt someone down but may not save them."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at him, a complicated expression entering her dark eyes. After a long silence, she said softly,

"All right. I owe you one. My name is Zhu Zhuqing."

"Oh," Jiang Baiyu said. After a moment's thought, he added,

"Treat your wounds first. Your Soul Power is in chaos. If you leave it much longer, your injuries will get worse."

He took a medicine bottle from his Soul Tool and handed it to her.

"It's for your injuries."

Zhu Zhuqing accepted it without hesitation, took out the medicine, and swallowed it.

Jiang Baiyu was pleased to see that. Once she had chosen to trust him, she had not held back.

He admired Zhu Zhuqing. She was resilient and talented, and more importantly, she was beautiful... Ahem. No, more importantly, she worked hard.

Still, she had put her trust in the wrong man. Thinking of that, Jiang Baiyu could not help criticizing Dai Mubai. That lecherous tiger was living it up in Heaven Dou while his fiancée was hunted in Star Luo Empire. Yet in the end, the engagement would still hand him the beauty. Jiang Baiyu looked at Zhu Zhuqing, speechless. Why cling to one man like that? He was envious—no, critical.

But as he watched Zhu Zhuqing regulate her breathing and tend to her internal injuries, Jiang Baiyu sighed. He might as well see his good deed through.

He activated the Hundred Herbs Domain, letting the plants' spiritual energy gently envelop Zhu Zhuqing.

At the same time, the Azure Origin Ancient Cypress's Tranquil Heart Power spread out, helping suppress her injuries and steady her spirit.

Feeling the immense vitality pouring into her, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flew open and she tried to rise. Jiang Baiyu said, "Don't rush. Heal first."

There was no arguing with his tone, and warmth was already flowing through her meridians. She slowly closed her eyes again and focused on recovering.

After a while, Zhu Zhuqing's breathing gradually steadied. The gentle spiritual energy of the Hundred Herbs Domain continued to surround her, while the Azure Origin Ancient Cypress's calming power soothed her turbulent Soul Power bit by bit. Her torn flesh began to heal at a visible rate. Under the nourishment of exceptional Medicine Dao spiritual energy, even her sluggish meridians, which had been close to breaking, eased open again. Zhu Zhuqing let out a long breath, and her body finally relaxed a little.

She raised her eyes to the older man and the boy before her. The endless wariness and coldness in her gaze had faded, leaving genuine emotion.

Since childhood, she had lived amid schemes, rivalry, and assassination attempts. No one had ever saved and protected her like this, asked for nothing in return, and helped heal her grave injuries. The strife within the Star Luo Zhu Family, the plots of her own kin, and her endless flight had long since left frost around her heart.

But today, Jiang Baiyu had healed her with one hand and guarded her with the Azure Origin Eternal Guard in the other. His gentle, pure devotion to the Medicine Dao and the life force he wielded were the purest powers she had ever seen.

After resting a little longer, Zhu Zhuqing slowly stood. Enduring her lingering injuries, she bowed deeply to Su Wu and Jiang Baiyu with utmost solemnity.

"I, Zhu Zhuqing, owe you my life. Thank you, Senior, for saving me and giving me medicine to heal my wounds."

She then looked earnestly at Jiang Baiyu and said,

"If I ever have the chance, I'll repay you."

Su Wu looked at the beautiful young girl, then thought of another girl far away in Heaven Dou City. He glanced at the troublesome boy beside him and sighed. Oh, well. "Young lady, how old are you? You don't look very old, yet you escaped three Soul Ancestors. Your Soul Power must be fairly high."

Zhu Zhuqing answered directly. "Yes, Senior. My name is Zhu Zhuqing. I'm nine years old, and I've reached level twenty." Two yellow Soul Rings appeared beside her. She was rather proud of it; a nine-year-old Soul Grandmaster was among the greatest talents in Star Luo Empire.

"Mm, very good," Su Wu praised her. After seeing someone as extraordinary as Jiang Baiyu, though, he had grown somewhat accustomed to talent.

Unable to tell whether Su Wu was impressed, Zhu Zhuqing felt a little lost. Are his standards that high?

But remembering why she had come here, she rose slowly despite her lingering injuries and knelt before Su Wu with utmost solemnity.

"I, Zhu Zhuqing, am deeply grateful to you and this senior disciple for saving me. I've spent my life adrift, never found a good teacher, and never known what fate holds for me. Seeing your extraordinary strength, Senior, I beg you to take me as your disciple!"

She bowed her head to the ground. "My Soul Power may be weak, but I'm willing to train hard. Please accept me, Senior."

She had already seen Jiang Baiyu's strength. With a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, he had to be at least a Soul King. Though he looked young, he must have some way to preserve his appearance. Surely that, too, showed the power of the Medicine Dao.

So she wanted to become a disciple and learn from Su Wu. She did not need to grow strong overnight. She only wanted to strengthen her foundation and protect herself so she would no longer be hunted and bullied. Su Wu was undoubtedly one of the best teachers she could find.

Su Wu was startled, then chuckled gently and helped her up. "What, seeing how strong this boy is, you want to improve quickly too? I won't lie to you, young lady. You truly are talented, and I wouldn't refuse to take you as my disciple. But the Medicine Dao you saw from him, and those plant abilities that can both attack and defend, all come from his Martial Soul Origin and the Great Dao he cultivated himself. I'm afraid I can't make you as strong as him. I'm only a level eighty-six Soul Douluo, after all. Little Yu, tell her yourself." He turned to Jiang Baiyu.

Here it comes! Jiang Baiyu was thrilled. This was his chance to show off. He had been waiting three years for it.

Zhu Zhuqing's request had startled him at first; for a moment, he had almost expected her to pull out some enormous halberd. But none of that mattered now.

He wiped the smile from his face and said gravely, "Zhu Zhuqing, my name is Jiang Baiyu. I'm ten years old and a Soul Elder." Three brilliant Soul Rings appeared behind him: purple, purple, and black!

As the final Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring appeared, Jiang Baiyu closed his eyes, ready to hear Zhu Zhuqing's amazement. But no sound came. After a long wait, he opened his eyes. "Hey, what happened?" Su Wu was staring at him in exasperation and pointing at Zhu Zhuqing, who had fainted beside them. "She was injured already. The moment she saw your Soul Rings, the shock was too much, and she passed out."

"Ah?" Jiang Baiyu had forgotten that might happen. "What do we do?"

"She'll come back to the courtyard with us and rest properly. I can teach her the Medicine Dao in time."

"All right." Jiang Baiyu was a little disappointed. Chances to show off were so rare.

"And once I take this girl as my disciple, you little brat, I'd like to see how you explain it to your friend!" Su Wu said.

"Uh, what?" Jiang Baiyu had not expected Su Wu to notice his interest in Zhu Zhuqing. He did have some interest in her, but he was certain he liked Qian Renxue more.

"All right, all right. They're both good girls, and I'm staying out of it. Star Dou isn't safe. Let's go."

"Right!" Jiang Baiyu carried Zhu Zhuqing on his back and followed Su Wu home.