Misunderstanding

Zhu Zhuqing's expression held both bashfulness and anger. "What's wrong? You... you... you know perfectly well!"

Zhu Zhuqing instinctively covered her chest. She was just about to get up when she pulled at the wound on her back.

Her mind was a jumble, and she could not help wondering what the person before her had done to her while she was unconscious.

The more she thought about it, the hotter her face grew.

Jiang Che scratched his head awkwardly and explained, "Your back was injured. If I hadn't treated you in time, your life would have been in danger."

As for Zhu Zhuqing's chest wrap, Jiang Che had naturally ruined it outright because it was his first time and his technique was clumsy.

At the time, Jiang Che had thought only that he was finished.

Now, even jumping into the Yellow River would not wash him clean.

Just imagining her taking him for some petty scoundrel who took advantage of an unconscious woman made Jiang Che's scalp prickle.

This concerned his reputation.

By then, Zhu Zhuqing had gradually calmed down as well. She had also noticed the pain coming from her back and the fragrance of medicinal herbs.

The white cloth and leftover herbs on the ground all showed that Jiang Che had not lied.

Yet at that moment, for some reason, a different thought suddenly arose in her heart.

Did this young man before her really not have even the slightest thought of that kind about her? Did she hold no attraction for him at all?

After all, she had been completely unable to resist on both occasions, yet he had done nothing?

She cut off that thought the moment it surfaced.

Zhu Zhuqing, what are you thinking? You're already engaged.

Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing did not continue dwelling on the matter, Jiang Che knew she had believed what he had just said.

"Come over. I've grilled some fish," Jiang Che said evenly.

Zhu Zhuqing had actually smelled the fragrant fish long ago, but her mind had been such a mess that she had forcibly suppressed her cravings.

Now that Jiang Che had reminded her, her mind had barely recovered before her stomach betrayed her with a growl.

Grrr-

Jiang Che pretended not to hear and continued seasoning the grilled fish.

Zhu Zhuqing's face reddened again.

Jiang Che handed Zhu Zhuqing one of the cooked fish.

Its skin was golden and crisp. When torn open, it revealed snowy-white, tender flesh steaming with heat.

Zhu Zhuqing took a bite. A hint of heat ran through the sweetness, and the seasoning was just right.

"It's delicious!" she blurted out, surprising even herself.

However she looked at him, Jiang Che did not seem like someone who could cook, yet the fish he had made was quite respectable.

Jiang Che took a bite too and chewed. "The fish is very good quality. As long as you don't grill it into charcoal, it probably won't taste bad."

Once her emotions had fully settled, Zhu Zhuqing began thinking about more things.

While her consciousness had been hazy, she seemed to have noticed that the young man before her had escaped with her by flying.

And his Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass.

Wasn't Blue Silver Grass universally acknowledged as a Trash Martial Soul? That was leaving aside how astonishing it was for a mere Soul Grandmaster to possess a flying Soul Skill.

Zhu Zhuqing found it hard to believe that a blade of Blue Silver Grass could have such formidable toughness.

"I still don't know your name," Zhu Zhuqing said, breaking the silence.

"Jiang Che," Jiang Che replied evenly.

Silence. The atmosphere fell quiet once more.

Looking at the silent Zhu Zhuqing, Jiang Che asked, "Why were they trying to kill you? Aren't you from the same family?"

Although Jiang Che knew the brutal rules of the Zhu Family and the royal family, the atmosphere was simply too awkward, so he could only find a topic to keep the conversation going.

But in the next instant, Jiang Che realized he had said the wrong thing. "Sorry. Pretend I didn't ask."

Zhu Zhuqing, however, calmly recounted her past, her connection to the royal family, her engagement to Dai Mubai, and the rivalry between their pair and the pair formed by her elder sister and Dai Weisi.

The pairs joined through marriage between the two families were locked in a life-or-death competition. Almost all the losing pairs were imprisoned or killed to prevent future internal strife in the Star Luo Empire.

Ever since she had been paired with Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing had stepped onto the thorn-covered path of a Star Luo Empire successor.

What followed were Zhu Zhuyun and Dai Weisi's endless open spears and hidden arrows, their suppression trailing her like a shadow.

In the end, Dai Mubai had been unable to withstand that crushing pressure.

He had fled, abandoning her to head alone for the Heaven Dou Empire.

Zhu Zhuqing, however, had remained forever trapped in the Star Luo Empire. Every failure, every disparaging remark, every cold look from her family had come pouring down onto her shoulders.

Everyone in the city said that the second prince's fiancée had long since been sentenced to death by fate and was merely waiting for time to carry out the execution.

And so she could only swallow all that pressure alone.

Last month, she had happened to piece together Dai Mubai's current whereabouts from scraps of conversation within her family.

Shrek Academy, in the Heaven Dou Empire.

She knew better than anyone that, unless she made a change, she would ultimately be the one abandoned.

Discarded by her family like a worn-out shoe, forgotten by Dai Mubai in the depths of time.

Late at night, she had encouraged herself again and again. Finally, on a night when the moon was hidden and the stars were sparse, she had slipped silently out of the Zhu Family and plunged into the boundless darkness of the Star Dou Great Forest.

In the original story, without the help of the Immortal Herbs Tang San had brought out of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai could never have defeated Zhu Zhuyun and Dai Weisi.

There was no helping it. Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun were no less talented than Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, they were older than Zhu Zhuqing, and their standing within the family and royal family was higher than theirs.

Zhu Zhuqing told her story as though she were recounting something perfectly ordinary.

As Jiang Che looked at Zhu Zhuqing, he genuinely admired her courage and determination.

Looking at Zhu Zhuqing, whether out of admiration for her determination and courage or for the sake of breaking up the Shrek Seven Devils, Jiang Che decided to offer her a small piece of advice.

Looking into Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, Jiang Che said, "Since you've chosen to fight fate to the end, there's one thing you must always know: on the road of fighting fate, the only person you can trust is yourself."

"Staking your fate on someone else is the most foolish thing you can do."

Zhu Zhuqing countered, "My only chance now is the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Dai Mubai. Only then will I have a chance of beating my elder sister."

"From the moment Dai Mubai ran away, you should have stopped staking everything on him. Someone cowardly and degenerate isn't worth trusting. I think you can go find this fiancé of yours and see whether he's working as hard as you are to fight fate."

Jiang Che knew full well what sort of fellow Dai Mubai was.

If Tang San's Immortal Herbs had not let Dai Mubai see hope of defeating his elder brother, he would probably still have been that playboy who spent every day in the arms of a pair of gorgeous twins.

After hearing Jiang Che out, Zhu Zhuqing felt that his words were not entirely without reason.

If Dai Mubai truly had sunk into complete degeneracy, then she would rely on herself to resist this goddamn fate.

But what could I possibly use to resist it on my own? Without a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, there's no way I can defeat my elder sister alone, Zhu Zhuqing asked herself.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Zhu Zhuqing.