Zhu Zhuqing nodded gently, her voice very low, and took out a simple map she had drawn and spread it on the table.
"There's a brief lull in the guard rotation at the back gate of the west corner. We can climb over there, go through the back streets and alleys, and leave the main city area."
However, upon hearing that thieves had infiltrated the Zhu Family, the royal family dispatched twenty city guards to patrol the Zhu Family; all of them were at least Soul Ancestor.
Lu Yu sat at the table, pretending to be weak, listening attentively to Zhu Zhuqing's arrangements, while secretly making plans in her heart.
If they were surrounded, they could simply take Zhu Zhuqing and escape on Somersault Cloud, but that would be too easy, and it would be difficult for the two of them to develop a bond.
Lu Yu wanted to use this escape to make Zhu Zhuqing truly feel that someone was willing to go through life and death with her, instead of running away alone like Dai Mubai.
"Let's go when we're ready."
Zhu Zhuqing peeked outside the courtyard, made sure there were no patrolling guards nearby, and then walked towards the door first.
"Etc!"
Lu Yu suddenly raised her hand to stop Zhu Zhuqing and pointed to the package on Zhu Zhuqing's back.
"Are you planning to keep carrying this on your back forever?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing nodded awkwardly. As the second young lady of the second largest family in the Star Luo Empire, she didn't even have Storage Soul Tool.
I felt a little embarrassed.
Lu Yu smiled but didn't say much, instead reaching out and shaking the ring on her finger.
"Give it to me, it's inconvenient for you to carry it around like that."
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at the ring on Lu Yu's index finger, immediately understood, and took off the package and handed it to Lu Yu.
The night was pitch black, and torches occasionally swept across the ground in the courtyard, while the sound of patrolling footsteps rose and fell.
The two men crouched low, using the shadows of the trees and walls to carefully make their way towards the back door in the west corner.
Zhu Zhuqing led the way, her Martial Soul Hell Spirit Cat, possessing keen senses that allowed her to detect any sudden anomalies. She would occasionally turn back to check on Lu Yu, whose injuries had not yet healed.
Lu Yu waved her hand and said softly, "I'm fine. Just be careful of your surroundings."
With only a dozen or so feet left to the high wall at the back gate, several figures suddenly emerged from the shadows on both sides, blocking their path.
Leading the group was the captain of one of the Zhu Family's guards. His gaze swept over Zhu Zhuqing and then settled on Lu Yu behind her.
"Second Miss, please wait! We are here on the orders of the Eldest Miss to prevent you from leaving the manor without permission. Please come back with us!"
Zhu Zhuqing tensed up instantly, her cat ears perking up slightly as she stood in front of Lu Yu.
"Get out of the way."
"I cannot comply! The eldest young lady instructed that if the second young lady insists on escaping, she and her entourage should be apprehended as well!"
The captain of the guard waved his hand, and several guards slowly surrounded him from behind.
Lu Yu reached out and gently pulled Zhu Zhuqing behind her, then stood up despite her injuries.
Lu Yu remained calm despite the encirclement. He was now a Soul King, and he was no match for these weaklings.
Lu Yu used his feet to strike first, and quickly dispatched the five people in front of him.
"Cough cough, let's go!"
Lu Yu turned around and waved to Zhu Zhuqing, even coughing twice on purpose, pretending that her old injury had relapsed.
"Are you alright?" Zhu Zhuqing asked incredulously as she stepped forward to help Lu Yu up.
She hadn't expected the person she saved from near death last night to be so strong; how strong must the person be to injure him to this extent?
"I'm fine, hurry up and get out of here before anyone sees us!"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded and helped Lu Yu climb over the courtyard wall.
In the shadows of the distant pavilion, Zhu Zhuyun stood quietly by the window, her eyes fixed on Lu Yu's back.
Zhu Zhuyun naturally witnessed what had just happened; two Soul Elder and three Soul Ancestor were dealt with so easily.
A genuine smile appeared on Zhu Zhuyun's lips; it seemed her silly little sister could finally be free.
Although he felt sorry for Zhu Zhuqing, she was Dai Weisi's fiancée, and Zhu Zhuqing was Dai Mubai's fiancée.
The princes were vying for the throne, and the two sisters had been enemies ever since the day their Martial Soul Awakening.
As the eldest prince's fiancée, she couldn't openly let Zhu Zhuqing leave, nor did she want to watch her sister be captured and ultimately executed.
Zhu Zhuyun clenched her fists slightly and turned her head slightly to speak to the guards behind her.
"Take a few men with you. If necessary, you can handle any other troubles. Make sure Zhu Zhuqing leaves safely. You know what to do next!"
"Yes, Miss!" The man in black behind her acknowledged the order and withdrew.
As soon as the two climbed over the courtyard wall, shouts came from behind them.
"Who's there!"
Both of them felt a jolt in their hearts at the same time. Zhu Zhuqing was afraid of being captured and taken back; Lu Yu, on the contrary, was overjoyed. It was good that someone was chasing them! A life-or-death escape!
In the alley, the two ran for their lives, the shouts of their pursuers growing ever closer.
As Zhu Zhuqing ran, she glanced sideways at Lu Yu, who was gritting her teeth and persevering. Lu Yu's old wounds were aggravated, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, but she did not utter a single word of retreat.
At least that's how Zhu Zhuqing sees it!
Zhu Zhuqing's heart trembled.
When faced with pressure from the royal family, Dai Mubai chose to leave alone and bear all the pressure by himself.
But this man in front of her, who could have abandoned her and run away, still risked his life to help her escape from the cage.
The two traversed winding alleys, shaking off their pursuers, until they reached a grove of trees on the outskirts of the city, where they stopped and leaned against tree trunks, panting heavily.
Seeing that the time was right, Lu Yu used his Soul Power to forcefully expel a mouthful of blood.
Pfft--cough cough--
Blood splattered onto Zhu Zhuqing's cheek. Looking at Lu Yu's pale face, her voice choked with emotion.
"You can run by yourself, why do you insist on taking me with you?"
Lu Yu wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and opened her mouth twice before finally managing to speak.
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be in this state now. The trouble started because of me, and I couldn't just leave you there to die."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing lowered her eyes, her fingertips clenching slightly, as if she were talking to Lu Yu, or perhaps to herself.
"Speaking of my older sister, Zhu Zhuyun, she was the one who loved me the most when I was little."
But everything changed after she got engaged to the eldest prince and I became the second prince's fiancée.
She targeted me at every turn, suppressing me at every step, as if I were her mortal enemy.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yu's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, and he coughed twice before teasingly replying.
"If you run off with me now, your fiancé will be furious when he finds out!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing's initial melancholy vanished instantly, replaced by a cold gaze as she looked at Lu Yu.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault! If you hadn't saved me, none of this would have happened!" Lu Yu took a half step back and said in a teasy tone.
Zhu Zhuqing also realized that her emotions were not right and quickly calmed herself down.
"It's alright. Even without you, I would have left sooner or later anyway."
Lu Yu leaned closer, her tone dripping with gossip. "What, is your fiancé ugly? Don't you want to marry him?"