In the carriage, Zhu Zhulin patiently explained to her younger sister what she needed to watch out for when entering the Soul Master Academy.
Zhu Zhuqing listened intently. It all felt so warm. Her spirits had lifted since coming to the Heaven Dou Empire, especially after Grandma Ruth had insisted on taking her as her granddaughter.
She cherished that long-lost feeling of family affection.
Every morning, Grandma Ruth brought her breakfast. She did not even have to prepare lunch or dinner herself, and her sister handled all her clothes and such. Zhu Zhuqing was pampered like a little lazybones.
"Little sister, you absolutely must keep your twin martial souls a secret. And whatever you do, don't absorb soul rings carelessly. Do you remember?"
Zhu Zhulin offered earnest advice until her mouth nearly ran dry. She did not want anything to happen to her younger sister. People with twin martial souls were so rare that the consequences of exposing them were unthinkable.
During her time with the Star Luo Imperial Family, she had read through old records and learned a few things about twin martial souls.
The imposing city of Nuoding stood ahead, its walls over ten meters high. Soldiers constantly patrolled around them, while the flags of the Heaven Dou Empire fluttered atop the battlements.
Through the enormous city gate, Zhu Zhuqing could just make out the densely packed crowds inside.
"Relax, relax. I'm not stupid. Don't worry, big sis. Shh, we're at Nuoding City. Stop talking. I'll help you set up the stalls first, then go register afterward." Zhu Zhuqing pressed a finger against her sister's little mouth.
The carriages slowly approached Nuoding City's gate.
The ten carriages eased to a halt. All the horses lifted their hooves, snorted white clouds from their nostrils, and let out loud neighs.
A guard at the gate stepped forward and barred their entry with his weapon.
"What are you here for? Everyone get out for inspection!"
Grandma Ruth, the village chief, slowly came over from the second carriage. After some discussion, the guard finally agreed to let them through.
Just as the convoy was about to move again, dozens of fully armed soldiers emerged from the city, escorting a large, luxurious carriage behind them.
The soldiers at the gate instantly stood ramrod straight, as though some important figure had arrived.
The luxurious carriage was a pale gold, with elaborate decorations on its exterior. Even the curtains on either side were made of the finest silk.
A curtain parted slightly, and a little head poked out.
It belonged to a boy with a sleazy face. Despite his young age, he already had a little beard on his chin. Dressed in lavish clothes, he scanned his surroundings as though searching for prey that would please him.
Suddenly, as though he had spotted something entertaining, he jumped out of the luxurious carriage.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, he rushed toward the crowd on the left, where a woman stood with two little girls.
The two little girls were adorable, but now they were so frightened that they fled into the crowd.
"Ah! Let go, you bastard! Is there really no one who can control the city lord's son? Someone, please save me and my daughters!" The woman clung desperately to her two daughters.
Quite a few people nearby wanted to step forward and help, but the moment a soul ring appeared around the boy, they lost their nerve. Slowly, they backed away.
The boy threw his head back and laughed wildly. "Hahaha! My father is the city lord! Who dares stop me? Aren't you afraid of getting arrested?"
He kept kicking the woman while clutching one of the girls by the arm with both hands. The brat was actually abducting a girl in broad daylight.
Yet despite his vile behavior, the soldiers at the gate acted as though they saw nothing at all, as if they were already used to it.
Some people had already abandoned the idea of entering the city and slowly retreated the way they had come. Meanwhile, the carriage blocked the gate, leaving those inside unable to get out.
Both Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhulin wanted to intervene. This was simply intolerable.
But Zhu Zhuqing acted first, just as her sister was about to climb down.
She caught her sister by the hand, then activated her Spiritual Power skill: "Nine Nether Yellow Springs!"
In the distance, Xiao Chenyu, who was still tormenting the woman, suddenly felt the sky and earth plunge into darkness. He froze in place, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
His strange behavior immediately made the mother and daughters cry out in alarm. They frantically backed away, and when they saw that Xiao Chenyu was not following, all three ran like mad toward the outskirts.
The soldiers assumed the city lord's son was indulging in some peculiar preference, so they paid it no mind.
A short while later, Xiao Chenyu slowly returned to his luxurious carriage like an idiot. The carriage began moving, and the gate soon cleared.
Those entering the city entered, and those leaving left, as though nothing had happened at all.
Douluo Village's ten carriages entered the city safely, without being stopped again.
In the carriage, Zhu Zhulin leaned close to her younger sister's ear and whispered, "Have you reached the second level of the first realm in your Spiritual Power cultivation?"
Zhu Zhuqing gave a discreet nod. For some reason, her Spiritual Power cultivation seemed to encounter no bottlenecks at all. Once she passed the first level, she had flowed naturally into the second, like water finding its channel.
The first realm had three levels in total. The first involved the initial condensation of Spiritual Power, the second its initial use, and the third its initial control.
Outside Nuoding City, in the Tianshui River.
"Quick! Save the city lord's son! Hurry!!!"
A carriage had just plunged into the river, and numerous soldiers rushed anxiously into the Tianshui River to rescue him.
They were utterly frustrated. The city lord's son had suddenly taken fright and kicked a horse, startling it into charging straight into the river beside them.
After spending a good while on the rescue, they finally pulled the soaking-wet Xiao Chenyu out. They checked his breathing with their fingers and were relieved to find he was still alive.
Only after quite some time did Xiao Chenyu emerge from his daze. He remembered having a nightmare in which he saw terrifying things he had never encountered before.
In any case, from that day on, he never wanted to touch a woman again. It had been far too terrifying. They had clearly been beauties at first, but suddenly the whole scene had transformed, frightening him into running wildly through his nightmare.
Douluo Village's convoy slowly arrived outside the Wholesale Market in the city.
The convoy split into two groups. Several village aunties and uncles led the first four carriages toward the Wholesale Market's back entrance.
Grandma Ruth, the village chief, led the other six toward their own fruit shop.
Along the way, Zhu Zhuqing was like a little girl fresh from the countryside, looking here and there. Before long, her hands were full of things to eat and use.
There were Blue Silver Buddha-Hand Pancakes, a local specialty of Nuoding City, fragrant fried popcorn chicken, and grilled Fragrant Piglet skewers made from a ten-year soul beast.
Grease covered her mouth as she ate. Everything was so delicious, tasting exactly like childhood.
"Slow down, don't choke. Hohoho-" Grandma Ruth happily wiped Zhu Zhuqing's little mouth.
Grandma Ruth had bought all of it as a reward for Zhu Zhuqing defeating Holy Soul Village on Douluo Village's behalf.
They led the convoy along the street outside Nuoding City's Wholesale Market and soon reached the bustling city center ahead.
As they slowly led the horses and carriages farther into the city center, Grandma Ruth said that Douluo Village's fruit shop stood on the busiest street.
Sure enough, the Spirit Hall Branch stood ahead on the left, while numerous hotels, a blacksmith's shop, general stores, and other establishments lined the right.
PS: Thanks to Flop's Big Pig Trotters for the tip.
Before you continue