chsdbacks Chapter 42 A Star's Journey Encounters a Calamity, Helping Zhu Qing
Chapter 42 A Star's Journey Encounters a Calamity, Helping Zhu Qing
As they continued their journey, around noon, the group entered a dense coniferous forest. The light in the forest suddenly dimmed, and the air became damp.
"Brother Azu, there's fighting ahead!" Xiao Wu suddenly perked up her ears; her keen senses as a soul beast allowed her to be the first to detect the anomaly.
Yan Zu's eyes narrowed. Through the layers of branches and leaves, he could clearly see three black-clad Soul Masters besieging a black-haired girl in the open space ahead. Two of the black-clad men, both at the Soul Venerable level, launched fierce attacks, while the other, a Soul Master, released a snake-shaped Martial Soul. The dark green soul power coiled around the girl, making it difficult for her to escape.
The girl was about twelve years old, tall and voluptuous. Her black outfit was stained red with blood, but it still couldn't hide her exquisite beauty. Her eyes were sharp as knives, and even in dire straits, she showed no sign of backing down. After her martial soul was activated, sharp Nether Claws shot out from her fingertips, and she struggled to hold on against the combined attacks of two Soul Masters.
"They're ganging up on us! This is outrageous!" Ning Rongrong immediately raised the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, its pale purple light shimmering. "Ancestor Yan, I'll buff you!"
"Xiao Wu, keep those two Soul Masters at bay, focus on dodging, don't fight head-on," Yan Zu said in a deep voice. "Rong Rong, boost our speed and strength first, for me and Xiao Wu."
"Okay!" the two replied in unison.
Xiao Yu propelled herself forward like a bolt of jade lightning. When she was still more than ten meters from the battlefield, Xiao Wu leaped down, activated Moon Shadow Step, and her pink figure transformed into several afterimages, instantly cutting between the two Soul Venerables.
"Bow down!" Xiao Wu shouted, bending her body at an incredible angle, her right leg whipping towards the Soul Master's wrist on the left. Caught off guard, the Soul Master's short sword flew out of his hand, and a piercing pain shot through his wrist.
A hint of surprise flashed in the black-clad girl's eyes, but she quickly realized what was happening. With the help of Xiao Wu, she used the Netherworld Claw to instantly force back the two Soul Venerables.
"Rongrong, amplify me!" Yan Zu leaped off Xiaoyu, using the Spiral Nine Shadows Step, leaving afterimages in the forest as he charged straight toward the snake-shaped martial soul master.
Seeing that Yan Zu was just a boy who looked to be twelve or thirteen years old, Soul Sect's eyes flashed with disdain. His snake-shaped martial soul suddenly swelled up, and his dark green snake head opened its blood-red mouth, biting down with a foul smell.
Yan Zu remained unfazed, gathering pure Nine Yin Soul Power at his fingertips. Just as the snake's head approached, he precisely struck the acupoint below the snake's snout. That was the crucial point for the flow of the snake-shaped martial soul's soul power. Struck by the Nine Yin Soul Power, the dark green soul power instantly became chaotic, and the snake-shaped martial soul let out a mournful hiss before dissipating into specks of light.
Soul Master's expression changed drastically. He felt his soul power surging uncontrollably like a kite with a broken string, and his meridians throbbed with pain. He knew he had met a formidable opponent and, not daring to linger, turned and fled.
Seeing the Soul Sect defeated, the two Soul Venerables dared not linger. After exchanging a glance, they hurriedly disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.
Yan Zu withdrew his hand and turned to look at the center of the battlefield. Xiao Wu was supporting the girl in black, handing her a bottle of healing pills: "Eat these quickly, they were given to you by your brother, A Zu, and they're very effective at healing."
The girl in black took the pill but didn't take it immediately. Instead, she warily eyed Yan Zu and the other two. Her gaze was sharp as an eagle's, sweeping over the small jade pendant on Yan Zu's shoulder, then landing on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in Ning Rongrong's hand, finally settling on Yan Zu: "Who are you? Why are you helping me?"
"My name is Yan Zu, this is Xiao Wu, and this is Ning Rongrong." Yan Zu said calmly, "We were on our way to Shrek Academy and happened to pass by here. When we saw you being attacked, we naturally couldn't just stand by and do nothing."
"Shrek Academy?" A complex emotion flashed in the black-clad girl's eyes—surprise mixed with a barely perceptible hint of anticipation. "You're going to Shrek Academy too?"
"I suppose so. I'll go check it out first," Yan Zu said with a smile. "Judging from your appearance, you seem to be on your way as well. Are you also heading to Shrek Academy?"
The girl in black was silent for a moment, then nodded: "My name is Zhu Zhuqing. There is someone at Shrek Academy that I must find." She did not continue.
Yan Zu's heart skipped a beat; it really was Zhu Zhuqing. He casually asked, "Where are you from?"
Zhu Zhuqing pursed her lips and said, "The Star Luo Empire."
Yan Zu: "..."
Yan Zu paused for a moment, exchanged a subtle glance with Ning Rongrong, and then carefully chose his words before slowly saying, "Is it possible... you've already left?"
Zhu Zhuqing was taken aback, a rare hint of confusion appearing in her sharp cat-like eyes: "You've already passed by? What do you mean?"
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but chuckle, leaning closer to explain, "It means Soto City is ahead of us! We're currently heading from Notting City to Soto City. Since you came from the Star Luo Empire, it means you've already passed Soto City and gone much further ahead!"
Zhu Zhuqing: "?"
Zhu Zhuqing froze on the spot.
For the first time, those eyes, which were always sharp as knives and calm as ice, showed obvious blankness, confusion, and astonishment.
She looked down at her dusty boots, then looked up at the completely unfamiliar coniferous forest, and then at Yan Zu and the other two with an expression that said, "I'm not lying to you."
For the first time, the cold and aloof girl's expression cracked.
"..."
"I……"
Ning Rongrong covered her mouth and chuckled, "Zhu Qing, you're not... hopelessly directionally challenged, are you?"
Zhu Zhuqing's ears visibly turned red, but she stubbornly pursed her lips, neither admitting nor denying it. Her forced composure coupled with barely concealed embarrassment was a stark contrast to the sharp and decisive black-clad girl she had just been.
Yan Zu looked at her expression and understood, but he didn't press further. He simply said gently, "It's alright. We're going to Soto City anyway, so you can come with us. We can turn back from here and get there in two days at our speed."
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement. She lowered her head and began to silently treat the wound on her arm, her movements swift and efficient, as if the embarrassment she had just experienced had never happened.
Yan Zu shook his head helplessly and changed the subject, saying, "Alright, it's getting dark. Let's find a place to camp and rest. Zhu Qing is still injured and shouldn't travel at night."
The four climbed back onto Xiaoyu's back. Yan Zu had Xiaoyu release the Vitality Corridor, and a pale green light enveloped Zhu Zhuqing. Her wounds healed at a visible speed, and her soul power slowly recovered.
Along the way, Zhu Zhuqing gradually lowered her guard and occasionally answered the questions asked by the group.
As evening fell, Xiaoyu stopped to rest in a valley. Just as Yan Zu sat down, a system notification sounded in his mind:
[Ding! Key event check-in successful! Rescuing the main heroine Zhu Zhuqing triggers a rare reward!]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: The Landscape and the Book of Mountains and Rivers (Soul Beast Distribution Edition)!]
[Congratulations, host! You have gained: +1 more invitees to the Training Ground!]
[Reward Description: The Landscape Records (Soul Beast Distribution Edition) records the habits, approximate distribution, and strength levels of soul beasts in the main regions of Douluo Continent. It also marks safe routes and dangerous restricted areas, making it suitable for core areas such as the Star Dou Great Forest and Sunset Forest. It can assist in soul hunting and danger avoidance.]
Yan Zu was overjoyed. This illustrated guide had arrived just in time. With it, he could avoid unnecessary dangers when hunting soul beasts. Especially for Yan Zu, many of the soul beasts he needed to hunt were rare and difficult to find.
As night deepened, the four sat around the campfire. Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong were already fast asleep, while Zhu Zhuqing leaned against a tree trunk, her eyes warily scanning their surroundings. Yan Zu walked to her side and handed her a pot of warm water: "Don't worry, Xiao Yu's aura can be concealed enough to fool even soul beasts under a thousand years old. It's safe tonight."
Zhu Zhuqing took the kettle and said softly, "Thank you."
"You seem to have many stories to tell," Yan Zu said slowly.
Zhu Zhuqing was silent for a moment, then her voice deepened: "I am a direct descendant of the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire. Our family has a rule that direct descendants must compete for the inheritance, and the loser... will either be imprisoned or die. My sister Zhu Zhuyun is far stronger than me, and staying in Star Luo will only make me inferior to her."
She raised her eyes, her resolve even stronger than before: "My fiancé is Prince Dai Mubai of the Star Dou Empire. We should have worked together to fight against fate."
But he escaped—he's the heir to the Dai family, and the person I've been betrothed to since childhood. Our martial spirits complement each other; only by finding him and growing stronger together can we survive the competition between our families. I heard he's at Shrek Academy, so…”
She didn't continue, but the logic in her words was clear—Shrek wasn't her "target"; finding Dai Mubai and fighting for her own chance to survive was her obsession.
Yan Zu understood, and gazing at the leaping flames, he suddenly spoke:
"Zhuqing, have you ever heard the story of the frog in the well?"
Zhu Zhuqing was slightly taken aback and turned her head to look at him. The firelight reflected on his handsome profile, and his dark eyes were calm as water, revealing no intention whatsoever.
"I've heard of it," she replied casually. Who hasn't heard this story?
"Have you ever thought about—" Yan Zu didn't look at her, his voice as calm as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary, "when did that frog realize it couldn't get out?"
Zhu Zhuqing was taken aback.
Yan Zu continued, "At first, it must have tried to jump over it. But the well wall was too slippery and too steep, and it fell every time it tried. After falling so many times, it stopped trying. It told itself: the sky is only as big as the well opening, and this is all I'll see even if I jump out. Gradually, it forgot that it had ever wanted to jump out."
He picked up a dry branch, poked at the campfire, and sparks flew up before going out in an instant.
"Then one day, a passing bird told it that the sky outside wasn't as big as the well opening, but rather boundless. The frog didn't believe it, saying it had seen it with its own eyes and that the sky was only that big. The bird had no choice but to leave."
"The frog continues to stay at the bottom of the well, clinging to what it believes to be the truth."
As Yan Zu finished speaking, he turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing. In the moonlight, the girl's eyes were no longer sharp as knives, but rather held a hint of bewilderment and emotion.
"But what that bird said is true," he said softly. "The sky is really vast. It's the frog itself that's trapped."
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and stared at her hands, which were covered in dust.
"You're looking for Dai Mubai," Yan Zu's voice was completely flat, as if stating a fact, "not because you can't live without him, but because you see him as your only way out. You think that by finding him, the marriage agreement can be fulfilled, the family rules can be defied, and your life will be safe."
He paused, then added:
"But a way out is never given by others."
Zhu Zhuqing's body stiffened slightly.
"You managed to escape all the way from Xingluo to here, and you were able to fight against three Soul Masters all by yourself—" Yan Zu's gaze fell on her bandaged arm, then moved away, "You already had the strength to survive; you don't need anyone to prove it to you."
He stood up, dusted off his robes, and said in his usual tone, "The world is vast. Now that you've already stepped out, don't dig a well and crawl back in."
Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at his retreating figure.
The campfire crackled, the night wind blew, and she suddenly felt something loosening in her chest.
"...Thank you." She lowered her head, her voice soft but gentle like never before.
"You're welcome." Yan Zu didn't turn around, but simply waved his hand. "Get some rest. We have a long journey ahead tomorrow."
He took a couple of steps, then turned back, smiling as he added, "By the way, if you really get lost, remember to ask for directions. There's nothing shameful about it."
Zhu Zhuqing was taken aback, then the corners of her lips turned up slightly, revealing a very faint smile that even she herself did not notice.
"……Um."
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