Although the Star Luo Empire lay in the south of the Douluo Continent, and its weather was much warmer than that of the Heaven Dou Empire in the north, the breeze at night still carried a chill.
Beside the balcony by the window stood a potted plant, perhaps placed there to decorate the guest room.
But for some reason, perhaps because the staff here had not tended it carefully lately, the plant was not doing very well. Its leaves were a sickly yellow, and when the evening breeze blew, they fluttered down.
For some reason, Zhu Zhuqing remembered a scene she had encountered while crossing the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest. There had been a towering tree, snapped in two by a Soul Beast. Afraid that there might still be Soul Beasts nearby, she had hurried away.
But she still vaguely remembered that the broken tree had not died. New branches had sprouted from its stump, their green leaves brimming with life.
Later, she had encountered another tree, also a towering one. This tree had not been snapped, but it had long since lost its leaves, and its trunk had long since been hollowed out, perhaps by termites or something else. But that did not matter.
Zhu Zhuqing knew that this tree was dead. Though it still stood there, it had no future...
Zhu Zhuqing did not know why she had recalled this, but she still remembered the disappointment and anger she had felt when listening to Lou Gao's complaints earlier. She did not know why those feelings had arisen.
Yet she remembered the excitement she and her sister had felt as children when they heard others speak of the valiant, wise emperors in Star Luo's history, and the pride they had felt upon hearing people around