Li Chen walked up to the old woman's house where Ju Zi was staying and raised his hand to knock twice.
There was a brief silence inside, followed by soft footsteps. The door opened a crack, revealing a small face-a girl of about twelve with a tousled head of orange hair.
"...Who are you looking for?" Her voice was soft and slightly tentative.
Li Chen looked down at her. "Ju Zi."
At those words, alarm bells rang in Ju Zi's mind. Over the past few days, she had learned that she was now on the Douluo Continent of ten thousand years ago, in an era when Spirit Hall still existed.
Moreover, she had been using the alias "A-Qiu" all along. Yet someone had suddenly appeared who could say her name. Even in her original world, she had only been a homeless child, and few people knew her.
"...Who did you say?" Her voice was even quieter than before, tinged with panic she could not suppress. "My name is A-Qiu. You have the wrong person."
With that, she tried to close the door.
Li Chen gently braced his foot against the gap. He used little force, just enough to keep the wooden door from closing.
"You're exactly who I'm looking for. Don't you want to return to your original world? Don't you want to go back and take revenge? Think about the White Tiger Duke, who destroyed your family."
Ju Zi's hand froze on the doorframe, and she stood as though nailed to the spot.
She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. Her lips trembled twice before she managed to speak. "...How do you know? Who exactly are you?"
"My name is Li Chen. You'll find out the rest tomorrow. For now, just answer my question. Do you