435. Not Even In Death

Qian Renjue’s words made Zhu Zhuyun tremble as she clutched her body, her heart filled with unease.

She never wanted to endure that kind of pain again!

She nodded repeatedly.
“I’ll do it properly. I won’t play any tricks.”

“Good.”

Qian Renjue nodded slightly.

His violet eyes seemed to pierce straight into her soul as he stared at Zhu Zhuyun thoughtfully.

Unable to meet his gaze, Zhu Zhuyun lowered her head, her glossy black hair veiling her face. She bit her lip, her mind still torn.

She didn’t want to suffer like that again, but she also didn’t want to help bring down the Star Luo royal family.

It seemed her only choice… was death?!

Qian Renjue withdrew his gaze without saying another word.

“Sister, let’s go,” he said.

“Alright,” Qian Renxue replied, standing up.

With Ice Emperor perched on her shoulder, she walked toward Qian Renjue.

Receiving her response, Qian Renjue rose and moved past Zhu Zhuyun. He paused, noticing the sorrow in her tear-filled eyes.

He suddenly remembered her cries of despair earlier—how she had even wished for death.

Qian Renxue, holding his arm, looked up curiously.

“Jue, what’s wrong?”

“…”

Without responding, Qian Renjue raised his hand and rested it gently on Zhu Zhuyun’s hair.

“Ah~!”

Zhu Zhuyun shuddered in fear, letting out a soft gasp before quickly suppressing it.

Tears welled in her eyes again, this time born of her deep fear of death.

Qian Renjue softly stroked her hair and spoke gently:
“Do you want the Zhu family’s women to remain nothing more than bargaining chips? Fighting among themselves, clawing desperately to depend on others to survive?”

Hearing this, Qian Renxue finally noticed Zhu Zhuyun’s lifeless demeanor. Her once-vibrant spirit had dimmed completely.

It seemed Qian Renjue’s self-created soul skill was indeed formidable.

Zhu Zhuyun bit her lip, tears streaming down her face like a broken dam.

Anything… anything was better than enduring this torment at Qian Renjue’s hands!

“The Zhu family is the Zhu family; the Dai family is the Dai family,” Qian Renjue said calmly.

“I don’t want to kill anyone.”

“Zhuqing is my student. She’s outstanding, and I like her very much.”

“If you want to die, you should think it through first.”

“And make sure you can actually succeed.”

Before he even finished speaking, his hand was already gone from her hair.

Zhu Zhuyun clutched her chest, feeling the faintly pulsing mark on her skin.

“Not even death is allowed?”

Her hoarse voice broke the silence.

Perhaps, even if she dared to take her own life, this mark would activate again, plunging her into torment worse than death—making even suicide impossible.

“Of course you can. But if you die, how would I explain it to Zhuqing?”

The voice suddenly whispered in her ear, cold as ice.

Zhu Zhuyun felt her blood freeze. She jumped to her feet in terror, spinning around to look for the source of the voice.

But there was nothing there.

Was that man a ghost or a human?!

“If you had a chance to change the Zhu family, would you still refuse?”

“Did you enjoy the process of sisters fighting and scheming against each other? Is that it?”

“You’re lying!” Zhu Zhuyun screamed, her voice trembling.

“I’ve never wanted to harm Zhuqing! I… I was protecting her…”

As she spoke, even Zhu Zhuyun felt her conviction waver.

The surrounding silence pressed down on her, the only sound her own uneven breathing.

She couldn’t even tell if Qian Renjue had really left.

Biting her lip, Zhu Zhuyun stared at the pair of dolls lying on her bed—dolls that were supposed to represent a harmonious pair.

Tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

She had never thought about killing Zhuqing!


---

“Jue~ You said so much just now. Sister’s worried that woman might start clinging to you.”

On the mountain path leading to the Zhu family’s back hills, Qian Renxue leaned against Qian Renjue’s shoulder, her arm looped through his as they walked.

“Sister, how could that happen?”

Qian Renjue smiled wryly, shaking his head.

“She probably wishes I’d die on the spot.”

“That’s true for now. But who knows about later?”

Qian Renxue grinned knowingly, fully aware of how things might change.


But now, whenever Qian Renxue looked at any woman, it seemed like they could be captivated by Qian Renjue. Species, age—none of it seemed to matter.

Turning hatred into love—was that difficult for Qian Renjue?

Qian Renxue thought it was entirely possible.

"Sister, stop overthinking. Let’s find Zhuqing first and grab something to eat."

"Let’s wait and see."

"..."

At this moment, Ice Emperor had already transformed into her human form and was following behind Qian Renjue.

Watching the pair of siblings, she pursed her lips in annoyance.

Judging from appearances alone, one would never guess that the one radiating warm earlier was actually the most ruthless. She had definitely chosen the wrong host for her martial spirit!

Suppressing her inner complaints, Ice Emperor quickened her pace to catch up.

“Qian Renjue, why haven’t you summoned the Blue Silver Emperor yet?”

“No rush. Soon.”

With Evil God's Heart active, Qian Renjue led Qian Renxue and Ice Emperor quickly toward Zhu Zhuqing’s training spot.

At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing was practicing her hidden weapon techniques.

She wore a bracelet on her wrist—a storage soul guide that Qian Renjue had specially obtained for her.

Inside it were various types of hidden weapons, all extremely convenient to use.

In the forest ahead, thick wooden stakes were erected between the trees.

Under the watchful gaze of Qian Renjue and the others, Zhu Zhuqing’s eyes glowed with a faint purple light, her hands transforming into a jade-like texture.

Taking a deep breath, she began to move. Her jade-like hands danced rapidly, sending crystalline objects flying out.

At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing’s hand speed reached its peak.

At her current level, even a Soul King wouldn’t be able to discern the movements of her arms or hands—they seemed to have multiplied into thousands.

Both sides of her body were completely surrounded by shadowy afterimages of her arms.

Brilliant light radiated from her hands as she unleashed a variety of hidden weapons: pointed, barbed, serrated, bladed, curved, arched, conical, needle-like.

The sheer variety of hidden weapons burst out as if detonating, flying in all directions.

Some flew straight, others diagonally, some traced arcs, and others collided mid-air.

In just a few breaths, the hidden weapons bloomed before her like a vibrant, destructive flower.

Amidst the crisp sounds of collisions, they avoided the surrounding vegetation with precision, leaving faint white trails in their wake as they hurtled toward the wooden stakes.

The overwhelming rain of hidden weapons formed a massive sphere, enveloping the entire stake.

In theory, this technique left no room for the enemy to dodge.

However, Zhu Zhuqing clearly hadn’t mastered it yet.

The sphere was imperfect—her hidden weapons varied in timing and trajectory, resulting in a disorganized attack that left exploitable gaps.

Thud!

A dense sound echoed as the wooden stake was riddled with holes, resembling a porcupine in the blink of an eye.

“Huff… huff…”

Zhu Zhuqing bent over, panting heavily, her arms hanging limply by her sides.

She glanced at the outcome of her attack, her eyes tinged with disappointment, and murmured softly to herself:
“As expected… I still can’t achieve the same perfection as Teacher.”

“Hehe~ You’ve already done very well!”

A gentle voice rang in her ears, and Zhu Zhuqing immediately turned around.

Her face lit up with joy as she called out eagerly:
“Teacher!”

“And… and Senior Aunt, as well…”

Zhu Zhuqing’s gaze landed on Ice Emperor, the twin-tailed woman standing beside Qian Renjue, her eyes filled with curiosity.

“She’s Ice Emperor, my eighth spirit ring,” Qian Renjue said, stepping forward to pat Zhu Zhuqing on the head as he introduced her.

“Eh?!”

Zhu Zhuqing was about to greet her but froze mid-thought, realizing the weight of Qian Renjue’s words.

Her mind raced, unsure whether to be more curious or astonished.

Her teacher was already a Spirit Douluo!

But how was the eighth spirit ring… a woman?!