Following the route in her memory, Zhu Zhuqing arrived at an utterly ordinary single-story house.
The house stood close to the magnificent traditional building beside it, yet the difference between them was enormous. The neighboring building blazed with light, while this one lay in boundless darkness.
The stark contrast left little Zhu Zhuqing uneasy. We're all our parents' children, so why are we treated so differently? Am I adopted?
She quietly pushed open the door. The instant she stepped inside, goosebumps nearly rose all over her body as an intense sense of unknown danger surged from within.
Zhu Zhuqing swiftly spread soul power throughout her body and rolled twice diagonally back to the left, narrowly escaping the unknown danger.
Steadying herself, she looked behind her and saw a blood-red arrow embedded in the ground, its shaft still quivering.
"Zhu Zhuyun!"
Zhu Zhuqing trembled with rage. Her eldest sister had actually attempted an assassination on the very day she awakened her martial soul. How much did she hate her? Zhu Zhuqing had nearly been injured just now. With slightly worse luck, she could have died.
Am I really that unwelcome in this family?
Her father disliked her, and so did her sister. The brother who loved her had already left for the frontier.
Zhu Zhuqing no longer wanted to enter this house. There was no telling what other dangers awaited her inside.
Where else can I go? To the mother I know nothing about, or to my widowed third sister?
Knock, knock, knock-
Inside another ordinary single-story house, ten-year-old Zhu Zhulin was getting ready for bed.
She had not attended the clan celebration that day. A widow like her was not allowed to show her face. If anyone branded her unfaithful, it would bring all sorts of gossip upon the Zhu Family.
At first, she thought the wind was rattling the door, so she ignored it. Her shabby little house might be run-down, but it was reasonably safe, and no one came to disturb her.
Knock, knock, knock-
The knocking sounded outside again. Zhu Zhulin now knew it was not the wind, but who would come knocking so late at night? Could it be a stray animal?
She had already changed into snug-fitting pajamas. As the sounds outside continued intermittently, she grew wary. She tossed a black, close-fitting outfit into the air, slipped into it in one swift movement, then stood beside the bed.
To be safe, she took a dagger from beneath her pillow. Its blade was incredibly sharp, and she believed no one would dare underestimate it-not even a high-level soul master.
Two Yellow Soul Rings appeared as Zhu Zhulin made her way to the door with a distinctive pattern of steps.
Her expression was solemn beyond her years. She gripped the dagger so tightly that veins bulged on her small, pale hand. She was like a cat with its fur standing on end.
At the slightest threat, she would slash ruthlessly with the sharp dagger in her hand.
In the darkness, Zhu Zhulin pressed herself into a corner and slowly edged toward the door.
Through the crack, she saw a familiar, petite figure dressed in a black formal skirt suit, huddling outside the door and trembling.
It was her younger sister, Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhulin checked both left and right through the crack in the door.
Creak-
The crude door swung open. Zhu Zhulin hurriedly pulled her younger sister into the room, then poked her little head outside. After checking both ways and finding no one, she shut the door.
"What happened? Who bullied you?"
Zhu Zhulin hugged her younger sister and draped a piece of clothing over her.
She could not quite understand it. Wasn't the clan holding a celebration today? It was essentially a birthday banquet for Zhu Zhuqing. Wasn't her fiancé, Dai Mubai, supposed to appear today? Normally, her younger sister should have gone to the imperial palace that evening.
Zhu Zhulin looked at her sister in puzzlement, then lit the room's little oil lamp and led Zhu Zhuqing over to the bed.
"Third sister, can I stay here with you?" Zhu Zhuqing asked softly.
Zhu Zhulin was puzzled. What was wrong with her younger sister today? Did she have a fever? She pressed a hand to her sister's forehead and found its temperature the same as her own. To make sure, she even touched their foreheads together.
"Silly girl, if you want to stay with me, how could I possibly turn you away?"
She dearly loved this sister, who was a few years younger than her. However, because of the clan rules, she had avoided becoming too close to her and usually maintained only an ordinary relationship with her.
"Third sister, where's Mom?" Zhu Zhuqing asked with a pout.
Zhu Zhulin suddenly found herself unable to answer. How many years had it been since she had been close to her parents? She had already forgotten their embraces, and even the sound of their voices.
Even as their daughter, she had to have a request announced before she could see them. That magnificent building was like a mountain, blocking the bond between her and her parents.
"Mom is too busy." As Zhu Zhulin said this, tears began to well in her eyes.
Her parents' distance, her clansmen's indifference, and her beloved's death suddenly overwhelmed the fragile little girl. Her tears flowed like spring water, pouring down without end.
Now it was Zhu Zhuqing's turn to feel awkward. Isn't my third sister a little too fragile? I only asked a few questions, and she's already like this.
"Don't cry, sister. I'm here."
Zhu Zhuqing spent the entire night comforting her third sister. Eventually, utterly exhausted, the two fell asleep in each other's arms.
Early the next morning, neither of them got out of bed. They lay facing each other, looking into one another's eyes. After that night, both had opened their hearts.
Zhu Zhuqing learned what weighed on her third sister's heart, and Zhu Zhulin learned of her younger sister's current predicament.
"Third sister, does anyone in the clan help us obtain soul rings?"
"They help the others, but not us. Hmm? Isn't your soul power only at rank eight? Why are you asking about this?"
Hearing her third sister's answer, Zhu Zhuqing's heart sank. One damned prince's struggle for the throne has actually brought things to this. With Dai Mubai away from me, will even obtaining a martial soul be difficult?
"Can I attend a Soul Master Academy?" Zhu Zhuqing refused to give up. She wanted to find help and strengthen herself by learning about soul beasts and other aspects of the Douluo Continent.
"You can, but you have to attend the same school as Dai Mubai. You must accompany him to every class, because the two of you need to improve your compatibility for your Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
"But since you said Dai Mubai has disappeared, I'm afraid you'll have to spend your whole life in the clan unless he comes back."
At this, Zhu Zhulin looked at her younger sister with the sympathy of someone suffering the same plight. She did not consider any worse possibilities, nor had she ever imagined that Dai Mubai really had disappeared.
How miserable. Zhu Zhuqing felt her life was truly a tragedy, saddled with a character like Dai Mubai. Who could she learn about soul masters from now?
She fixed her gaze on her lovely sister before her, and her heart immediately warmed with excitement. Hasn't my third sister attended a Soul Master Academy? Can't I just ask her to teach me?
"Third sister, teach me. Your little sister's future happiness depends entirely on you."
Zhu Zhuqing threw her arms around her third sister and began pleading. Her little hands also started making mischief, tickling Zhu Zhulin until she giggled nonstop.
"Hehehe, all right, all right! Stop it!"
And just like that, Zhu Zhuqing settled down at her third sister's home.
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