Dai Weisi's fondness for little girls was a secret no one else knew, so the look on his face vanished in a flash. Feigning ignorance, he asked the beauty beside him.
"Zhu Yun, that little girl in the corner is your younger sister, right? She's that brat Dai Mubai's woman?"
Zhu Zhuyun's expression instantly turned cold. How could she not know what her own man was like? Imperial princes really did keep one eye on the pot while eating from their bowls.
Still, she smiled and feigned surprise. "Oh, you troublesome man. You beat Dai Mubai so badly today that he doesn't dare show his face. Surely you don't want me to go beat my little sister too?"
Just hearing about his younger brother angered Dai Weisi. That fellow was always opposing him, and yesterday he had actually challenged him on behalf of their long-dead second brother. He simply didn't know his place. Dai Weisi said coldly:
"That brat dares defy my orders? The beating he got today was letting him off lightly. It makes no difference whether he comes or not. No one cares whether he lives or dies."
An evil idea sprang into Dai Weisi's mind, and once it took root, he couldn't rein it in. He grabbed Zhu Zhuyun and whispered into her ear.
"Good!" Zhu Zhuyun's eyes lit up after hearing him, and she silently applauded the idea. She had already intended to teach her disobedient little sister a lesson today. Now that her man had said this, she was eager to get started.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing sat alone in the corner, quietly sipping her drink and eating pizza. No one came to bother her. She felt perfectly at ease and had enjoyed her food tonight.
Best of all, the man who should have appeared hadn't shown up. The family celebration would be over soon, and she could return to her room and rest in peace.
A blond little boy suddenly appeared opposite Zhu Zhuqing, wearing what he thought was a handsome expression. He planted one hand on his hip, took a rose from inside his clothes, and smiled.
"Little sister, do you need a big brother's warm embrace?"
Zhu Zhuqing didn't even look at him and continued quietly eating her pizza. Beside it, a bowl of steaming soup gave off a delicious aroma. She gently stirred it with her spoon.
The boy felt a little awkward when Zhu Zhuqing ignored him, but he shamelessly set the rose on the table anyway and slowly sat down. Picking up a small bowl, he tried to help himself to the soup beside her.
"Hands off!" Zhu Zhuqing smacked his little hand away with her spoon. There wasn't even enough fish soup for her alone. How could she possibly share it?
Now the blond boy seemed genuinely furious. He sprang to his feet and shouted, "Zhu Zhuqing, don't spit on the face I'm giving you! Who knows where that man of yours has run off to? Be with me, and I'll have my imperial father grant you to me. I'll spoil you from then on."
Zhu Zhuqing fell silent. No wonder Dai Mubai hadn't come today. He had already fled. Could today have been the day he escaped to the Heaven Dou Empire?
She slowly sank into thought, recalling the connections between the original novel and the animated adaptation. She remembered that Dai Mubai seemed to be four years older than her. She was six this year, which made him ten, and he had been not quite twelve when he entered Shrek.
Then could he have spent those nearly two years on the run?
Having said his piece, the blond boy looked immensely proud. He thought Zhu Zhuqing had stopped resisting, so he walked over to her and tried to get handsy.
Just as his hand was about to touch Zhu Zhuqing's delicate little cheek, he felt a nearly unbearable pain in it.
"Ah-you damned woman-"
A pair of chopsticks had struck his hand. The blond boy exploded with rage, and a yellow soul ring rose from beneath his feet, circling him continuously.
Suddenly, the soul ring flashed brilliantly, and the blond boy activated Martial Soul Possession.
Pale light spilled from his body. His little suit burst apart, exposing his bulging muscles. His blond hair instantly turned black and white, and the character for "king" appeared on his forehead.
Razor-sharp claws about an inch long extended from his hands. His eyes turned vicious, and ugly words spilled from his mouth.
"You damned woman, I'll kill you! First soul skill: White Tiger Protection Barrier!"
The blond boy accelerated into a charge. Today, he would beat this girl and teach her that the imperial family's majesty could not be profaned. Even if Dai Mubai came, he would still vent his hatred today.
Zhu Zhuqing was truly angry now. The members of the Dai Family were so utterly unreasonable, even their children.
Today is my sixth birthday, the day of my martial soul awakening! By all rights, I should be the guest of honor at this banquet!
Splash-
Zhu Zhuqing flung an entire bowl of scalding soup straight at him. She had never fought anyone before, so she was somewhat at a loss.
Chopsticks and bowls followed the soup, all hurled at the blond boy.
"Awoo!"
The soup hit dead center. It couldn't be helped: the boy had grown rather large after his Martial Soul Possession, and he was charging straight ahead. The result was a tragedy. Scalded, he rolled all over the floor. His body hair had grown dramatically after his Martial Soul Possession, and that boiling soup loved nothing more than a thick coat of fur.
As he rolled, several bowls struck his head too, instantly raising several large lumps.
Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun had only wanted to enjoy a good show, which was why they had sent the little prince over. Instead, things had turned out like this, and they hurriedly rushed over from their seats.
Zhu Zhuyun darted in front of Zhu Zhuqing and unleashed a torrent of abuse. "Zhu Zhuqing, are you trying to get yourself killed? Do you think the little prince is someone you can hit? Get on your knees and apologize right now!!!"
By now, the little prince had canceled his Martial Soul Possession and was soaked all over. Several other princes had already carried him away for treatment.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't think she had done anything wrong today. Was she supposed to sit there and be humiliated instead of fighting back? It seemed her elder sister really did have something against her.
Is the position of empress really that important? More important than family?
"I refuse to apologize! He came over to bully me. Are you blind?" Zhu Zhuqing shouted. Today, she was throwing caution to the wind.
Zhu Zhuyun shouted too. She intended to pin the blame on her little sister today, so how could she possibly admit that she herself was at fault? Pointing her right hand at the furious Zhu Zhuqing, she said:
"You're rebelling against heaven itself! You were clearly the one seducing the little prince. You're already attracting bees and butterflies at such a young age! Do you think I didn't see it?"
Zhu Zhuyun was thoroughly practiced at turning the tables and accusing the victim. Her voice was loud, her tone brimming with righteous indignation.
The noise of their argument immediately drew the attention of the adults at the adjoining banquet.
A man in black armor bowed to the man in gold armor seated at the place of honor, then came over. The moment he arrived, everyone fell silent.
Zhu Zhuqing stopped speaking, while Zhu Zhuyun put on an obedient act and stood silently beside her father.
After getting a rough understanding of what had caused the incident, he darted away and returned to stand below the seat of honor to explain.
"Where is Dai Mubai? Damn it! Dai Weisi, get your ass over here!!!"
The man in gold armor flew into a rage and roared, his tremendous soul power fluctuations spreading into every corner of the banquet hall.
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