"Wait a second. Let me sort this out first."
"So, according to what you just said, you sensed a powerful aura coming from me, and that's why you want to come with me, right?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, then added something.
"Yes. I'm a descendant of the empress's lineage of the Star Luo Imperial Family. My family has intermarried with the White Tiger Lineage for generations, so we're extremely sensitive to the auras of tigers."
"I sensed an aura from you far more powerful than the Evil-Eyed White Tiger's, so I want to leave this place and follow you."
Because of what had happened earlier, Zhu Zhuqing had completely given up on Dai Mubai.
But having fled the Star Luo Empire, she had no way of going back. Without Dai Mubai, all that awaited her was lifelong imprisonment or death.
She didn't want that. She wanted to live, and Mo Lin's appearance had pointed her toward a path-a path to survival.
"Are you out of your mind? Do you even know who I am, and you already want to come with me?"
What kind of sick joke was this? He wasn't in the habit of dragging dead weight around.
In his eyes, Zhu Zhuqing was reasonably pretty, but otherwise, she could be considered utterly useless.
He couldn't think of any use for having someone like her tagging along.
Now she had suddenly run up and said she wanted to follow him, and her reason was rather baffling.
Was there something wrong with her head?
Uh... that wasn't impossible. After all, someone who had traveled so far for a whorehound probably wouldn't find doing something outrageous all that unusual.
Also, that sensing ability of hers was rather interesting.
Speaking of which, had she relied on that ability to come all the way from the Star Luo Empire to find Dai Mubai?
"Hurry up and leave. Stop interrupting my barbecue."
He waved at Zhu Zhuqing, signaling that she could get lost.
He had thought there might be some entertainment, only to end up being the entertainment himself. Who could stand that?
Faced with Mo Lin's merciless dismissal, Zhu Zhuqing froze on the spot.
She had already prepared herself for the possibility that he might defile her.
Instead, he had flatly rejected her request and even seemed rather impatient.
Was she really that worthless in his eyes? She wasn't bad-looking.
"Still not leaving? Waiting for me to throw you out?"
Mo Lin glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, who stood there motionless, his face full of impatience.
"Why? Clearly, I'm no worse than those two just now..."
Before she could finish, an invisible pressure bore down on her, cutting off the words she had yet to say.
Under that sudden pressure, Zhu Zhuqing dropped straight to her knees.
Her knees struck the ground heavily with a dull thud.
The pain made her let out a muffled groan.
"You think you're worthy of comparing yourself to her? Get lost while I'm still in a good mood, or don't blame me for showing you no mercy."
Yet faced with Mo Lin's threatening words and the faint killing intent emanating from him, Zhu Zhuqing showed not a trace of fear. Instead, there was a hint of willingness to die.
Perhaps, to her now, death was not frightening.
Mo Lin's interest was immediately piqued, and he eased the pressure on Zhu Zhuqing somewhat.
Then he stood, walked over to her, and lifted her delicate chin with a bamboo skewer he had just finished eating grilled meat from.
"Aren't you afraid of dying?"
"I am. But compared to living like this, death isn't necessarily unacceptable."
At her answer, the smile on Mo Lin's face deepened.
"Interesting. Very interesting."
"I'm quite satisfied with your answer. Forget about following me, though. But I can point you toward a way forward."
As he spoke, he took a standard-issue token from the Storage Soul Tool he carried.
A large character for "Xue" was engraved on the token, beside the distinctive insignia of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
Qian Renxue had given it to him back then. There were two in total.
One represented the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, while the other was connected to Spirit Hall.
She had said they would make traveling easier for him, but she actually wanted to use them to keep track of his movements.
However, he had never used the damn things. And since Qian Renxue still didn't know about the Tiger Talisman, she had always assumed he was right under her nose.
"Take this token to Heaven Dou City and find Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. He'll make arrangements for you."
Didn't Spirit Hall want to rule the entire Douluo Continent? Then he would give them a push.
Zhu Zhuqing carried the blood of the Star Luo Imperial Family. Her birth was noble, and her position was special.
If she became the woman of the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince, and word of it was sent back to the Star Luo Empire, quite a few people would probably be so furious they spat blood.
"Xue Qinghe? The crown prince? What are you trying to do?"
She seemed to have realized something. She was born into nobility, after all, and had some degree of political awareness.
"Have you become the crown princess, of course. Your lineage was born to produce empresses anyway."
"The Star Luo Empire's empress is an empress, but the Heaven Dou Empire's empress isn't? Don't discriminate."
If he was going to stir things up, he might as well go big.
"Do you know what the consequences would be?"
Zhu Zhuqing hadn't expected him to make such a demand.
Her status was special. If another man defiled her while she was away, the Star Luo Empire would, at most, fly into a rage and silence the man who had defiled her. That would more or less be the end of it.
But if that man was an empire's crown prince, the matter wouldn't be so easily swept under the rug.
"Consequences? What consequences? You'd be the one doing it. What would it have to do with me?"
Mo Lin smiled amiably, as though this matter had absolutely nothing to do with him.
"I've given you the choice. Whether you go is up to you. Also, since you've amused me today, I suggest you leave now. Otherwise, you might not be able to leave at all."
Something had happened to Tang San, and she had run out alone to find him. Once Tang Hao learned of this, she definitely wouldn't survive.
Of course, whether she lived or died didn't matter. It had little to do with him anyway.
Without waiting for Zhu Zhuqing's reply, Mo Lin tossed the token onto the ground, then returned to the table and scooped Xiao Hei up.
"Oh, and pay for this table while you're at it."
With those words, Mo Lin vanished from the spot.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at where Mo Lin had disappeared, then at the token he had thrown onto the ground.
She said nothing, merely picking up the token in silence and tucking it into her bosom.
After paying for Mo Lin's meal, she left Suotuo City that very night.
In the darkness, Mo Lin stood atop the city wall, silently watching it all.
"She has some brains, at least."
At first, he had only thought there was something wrong with her head.
But after thinking it over, he found it reasonable enough.
It wasn't as though he had never seen the filth among nobles. As long as the price was high enough, there was nothing they wouldn't agree to.
The Heaven Dou Empire was somewhat better in that regard. At least they knew to conceal it.
The Star Luo Empire, on the other hand, was much more direct.
Someone like Zhu Zhuqing could even be considered relatively restrained.
Mo Lin stretched and was just about to leave when he sensed an invisible aura approaching him.
"Finally found me? I thought you weren't coming."
He grinned. The next instant, a massive hammer descended from the sky, smashing straight toward his face.
Boom-!
A thunderous crash rang out, the city wall collapsed, and everyone in Suotuo City felt the tremors coming through the ground.
Dust billowed everywhere, and two figures stood amid the rubble left by the collapsed wall.
One held a heavy hammer, while the other had one hand raised before his face, stopping the hammer.
At the same time, elsewhere, Qin Ming had led Flender and the others to Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan, who had just returned.
Looking at the crowd blocking her doorway, Ye Lingling's face was filled with confusion.
"Teacher Qin Ming, what are you all doing here?"
Before you continue