The City Lord's Mansion

Zhu Zhuqing actually wanted to ask for help too, but the question was whom to ask.

Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang?

Forget it. He was only rank twenty-nine, and probably wasn't even as strong as she was in a fight. His martial soul in particular was a weakness-it could only attack a few times.

Other than him, there was only the Dean. But the Dean came and went like a ghost and would probably be difficult to deal with. After all, she wasn't Tang San, nor was she the Grandmaster's disciple.

Besides, once she alerted anyone else, her secret of having twin martial souls would be exposed. Zhu Zhuqing had no intention of revealing it while she was still weak.

She dismissed Tang San and Xiao Wu outright. How strong could two children in their twenties in rank possibly be?

Zhu Zhuqing smoothed her long hair, then gave a bleak smile. "Sister, who can we rely on besides ourselves?"

Zhu Zhulin's expression immediately dimmed, and she fell silent.

That's right. We're only discarded pawns of the Hell Spirit Cat Family. We even obtained our first and second soul rings ourselves. Did coming to the Heaven Dou Empire mean we suddenly had someone to rely on?

Zhu Zhulin stood up and studied the map of the Heaven Dou Empire again. Seeing the soul beast ages marked over the Soul Hunting Forest, she asked, "When are we leaving? Aren't we choosing the Sunset Forest a little farther away?"

The Soul Hunting Forest was clearly labeled with the soul beasts' ages: 10-3,000 years (mostly hundred-year beasts).

The more distant Sunset Forest was labeled: hundred-year to ten-thousand-year beasts (mostly thousand-year beasts).

Zhu Zhuqing held her stomach and laughed. "Third Sister, it's safe here! With our strength, couldn't we march straight across the Soul Hunting Forest? Even if thousand-year beasts are scarce, we can still find one we're happy with. But in the Sunset Forest, we'd have to tread very carefully."

Zhu Zhulin glared at her younger sister. This little girl was getting more and more disrespectful. She had only had a momentary lapse, hadn't she?

"Do you have a permit to enter the Soul Hunting Forest? I heard you can't get in at all without one."

Zhu Zhulin had finally hit the nail on the head. She had examined the Soul Hunting Forest on the map more than a dozen times without finding a single gap they could slip through. Practically every checkpoint had a tall watchtower.

Zhu Zhuqing brushed her left hand over her Storage Soul Tool bracelet, and an exquisite token suddenly appeared in her hand. It bore only one martial soul emblem: a chrysanthemum.

"That's a token from the Spirit Hall Branch?" Zhu Zhulin exclaimed.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded, then gave her sister an approving look. She slowly explained how she had obtained it. As it turned out, she had invited Su Yuntao's girlfriend, Sisi, out for meals. After treating her a few times and buying her a set of cosmetics, the token was hers.

The two discussed things a little longer before going to rest.

Early the next morning, they headed straight for the city gate. Once they reached a secluded spot outside it, they changed back into their black outfits, black masks, and black bamboo hats, then hurried down the small path leading northeast.

Outside the three-bedroom home with two living rooms and two bathrooms in Nuoding City, Tang San knocked on the door and called, "Xiao Wu, open up! It's time for school."

Wearing pink pajamas, Xiao Wu stumbled over sleepily to open the door. She yawned as she glanced at Tang San, then went straight back to her bedroom to change.

Tang San didn't dare enter, but he sensed something was off. Normally, that enchantress Zhu Zhuqing would come out to ask him for breakfast at this hour. Why hadn't she appeared yet?

"Xiao Wu, where's Zhu Zhuqing?" Tang San asked.

Xiao Wu had already changed. It was only a dress, after all, so putting it on took a few seconds. Holding her toothbrush and brushing away, she asked him in return, "Didn't you see her?"

Toothpaste foam nearly sprayed onto him, and Tang San made a show of disgust as he blew it away.

"No, I didn't." Tang San spread his hands, nearly dropping the custard buns in his right hand. Luckily, he reacted in time, spinning around to catch them.

Xiao Wu picked up her cup and rinsed her mouth, then wiped her face with a towel. Tossing the towel and toothbrush cup onto the table, she spun around with a mischievous smile and said:

"Heehee, I'll check her bedroom. Don't tell me Sister Zhu Zhuqing is sleeping in!"

"Ah!"

A moment later, Xiao Wu's panicked scream rang out from the bedroom.

Now Tang San panicked too. He put the breakfast in his hands straight onto the table and rushed into Zhu Zhuqing's bedroom, though he covered his eyes as he entered, afraid he might see something he shouldn't.

"Third Brother, Sister Zhu Zhuqing is gone!" Xiao Wu cried in alarm.

Only then did Tang San open his eyes. This was his first time entering Zhu Zhuqing's bedroom, so he felt a little embarrassed. The pink bed was neatly made, and a number of moisturizing cosmetics sat on the dressing table.

"Maiden's Heart" was a hand cream. Xiao Wu had given him a tube last time. Supposedly, it cost ten Silver Soul Coins per tube, which had shocked him so badly that he had nearly dropped it.

There was a reason it was so expensive: its main ingredient was the flower's heart of a hundred-year plant soul beast, the maiden flower.

His gaze shifted again, landing on a letter hanging by the windowsill.

Tang San walked over and read softly, "Dear Xiao Wu, Third Sister and I have gone back to Douluo Village to visit family. We may be gone for several days, so don't worry! If you can't sleep at night, you can..."

"Written by your dear Sister Zhu Zhuqing."

Xiao Wu grew impatient. She hated it when people stopped halfway through what they were saying. "Why did you skip a part? Read it! What can I do if I can't sleep at night?"

Tang San was utterly embarrassed. How was he supposed to read that aloud? That vixen Zhu Zhuqing had definitely done it on purpose. She must have known he would come in, so she had deliberately written that line.

"Hmph, move aside! I'll read it myself!"

Fuming, Xiao Wu shoved Tang San away from the window and began reading carefully. After only a few lines, her little face flushed bright red.

Riiip-

Xiao Wu tore the sheet of paper from the window, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it straight at Tang San's head. "It's all your fault! Look, now even Sister Zhu Zhuqing is making fun of me! Hmph!" she shouted angrily.

Xiao Wu stormed out of the bedroom.

"Xiao Wu-"

A fragrance unique to girls lingered in the room. Tang San didn't dare stay there. He bent down to pick up the paper ball, then used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to hurry out.

Click-the bedroom door was gently pulled shut.

A shadow swiftly snatched the breakfast from the living room table, and then the front door of the three-bedroom, two-living-room, two-bathroom home slammed shut.

Meanwhile, at the magnificent City Lord's Mansion in the very center of Nuoding City.

Several soldiers hurried over from the city gate and anxiously reported to their superior. As their report was passed along, a plump middle-aged man with a brutal-looking, fleshy face emerged from the most luxurious building.

"What is it?" the plump middle-aged man asked in an oily voice, staring coldly at the two soldiers before him.

His stare made their skin crawl, but they dared not conceal anything. They reported immediately, "Lord City Lord, Zhu Zhuqing and her sister Zhu Zhulin have left the city. They're heading northeast, possibly to obtain soul rings."

"Mm, understood. You may leave!" the plump middle-aged man said in an authoritative voice.

"Yes, sir!" The two soldiers hurriedly withdrew.

Delight now spread across the plump middle-aged man's face. The corner of his mouth twisted upward, and his ugly words carried far: "I'll kill you two bitches!"