stonecrandall Chapter 24: Zhu Zhuqing Comes to the Door!
Chapter 24: Zhu Zhuqing Comes to the Door!
……
Cao Kun looked at the seven people with different expressions, but his heart was not stirred.
Instructing them was partly Flanders' entrustment, and partly part of his "Mount Buzhou" plan.
These future geniuses, who will be renowned throughout the continent, have sown the seeds of influence in advance, and may reap unexpected rewards in the future.
Of course, the most important goal: Tang San, has already been initially achieved.
They sowed discord, making him realize that he had gone astray in his cultivation of Blue Silver Grass and that someone was deliberately trying to harm him.
It also points out that "extreme poison" is... a seemingly correct direction.
This was enough to change Tang San's growth trajectory and also laid the groundwork for his possible future plans.
That concludes today's lesson.
Cao Kun concluded by saying, "What I have said is merely one person's opinion. Whether to adopt it and how to cultivate it is up to you."
"The next few days are for free practice. Dismissed."
After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned around and drifted away, his white-clad figure quickly disappearing at the entrance of the training ground.
The seven people remained standing there, unable to recover from the shock and contemplation for a long time.
The sun was still warm, but in everyone's heart, it was as if a pebble had been thrown in, stirring up ripples.
Especially the freshmen,
Their first lesson at Shrek Academy was etched into their memories in a way that surprised everyone.
The remaining time was spent cultivating on their own.
……
Time passed slowly.
The day passed quickly.
As dusk settled, the setting sun shone like blood.
Shrek Academy.
The daytime hustle and bustle gradually subsided, and the freshmen dispersed with their own thoughts, digesting the impact brought to them by the mysterious "senior brother" Cao Kun.
For Zhu Zhuqing, this impact was particularly complex.
The girl in black stood alone by the simple window of the dormitory, the cold moonlight outlining the beautiful yet tense profile of her face.
Cao Kun's comments about "solitude" and "unity" during the day were like an icicle, piercing through her habitually protective, cold shell and pointing directly to her deepest, most hidden fears and desires.
She came from the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire, a cold, cruel family that practiced a kind of vicious competition.
Her fate, from birth, was inextricably linked to another name: Dai Mubai.
Only by defeating all her competitors and standing shoulder to shoulder with Dai Mubai to the very end can she survive and break free from the suffocating shackles of her bloodline.
She was used to being alone, used to using indifference to mask her inner unease, and used to placing all her hopes on improving her own abilities.
Because she knew all too well that in that game called "survival,"
Anyone can become an enemy.
Including... the blond boy who was engaged to her, yet was also struggling in the vortex of fate.
Cooperation? Trust?
For her, those were words of luxury and danger.
But... Cao Kun's words were like a ray of light, illuminating the barriers of her ingrained beliefs.
A true assassin is not a lone wolf... A dancer in the shadows needs to know how to utilize the environment, and even the opportunities created by their companions...
Was she really wrong? The way of survival that she had always believed in was so narrow and full of flaws in the eyes of a true strong person?
What disturbed her even more was the faint, yet unmistakably clear, voice that had echoed in her mind as Cao Kun left:
"If you wish to change your destiny, come find me in the back mountain tonight."
Change your destiny?
These four words held an indescribable magic for Zhu Zhuqing.
She cultivated with all her might, wasn't it all to break free from that predetermined fate?
But deep down, didn't she also feel a sense of despair?
Dai Mubai may seem powerful, but how cruel is the infighting within the Star Luo Royal Family?
Can the two of them really break through the encirclement?
Even if she succeeds, will she truly gain the freedom she desires?
This suddenly appearing "senior brother," whose strength is unfathomable and whose insight is chillingly sharp, truly has the ability to... change her fate?
Doubt, hesitation, struggle, and a flicker of hope, suppressed beneath the ice, intertwined repeatedly in her heart.
She thought about it for an entire day, until night fell completely and the starlight dimmed.
Finally, as eight o'clock approached, the last trace of hesitation in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes was replaced by determination.
She quietly changed into a more practical black outfit, blended into the night, avoided everyone, and stealthily made her way to the depths of the back mountain, to the area that the freshmen considered a "forbidden zone."
The moonlight was fragmented by the dense forest, a light mist hung in the air, and the air was colder than at the academy, with a seemingly denser concentration of soul energy.
Zhu Zhuqing remained vigilant, maximizing the keen senses granted to her by the Netherworld Cat Martial Soul to capture even the slightest movements around her.
There were no traps or mechanisms as I had imagined, nor were there any powerful spirit beasts to stop me.
There is only one cleared, winding path leading deep into the mountains and forests.
After walking along the path for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the view suddenly opened up before me.
In the center of a well-maintained open space, a quaint and elegant courtyard sits quietly under the moonlight.
Walls of bluestone, houses of bamboo and wood, a pavilion with upturned eaves in the courtyard, and a silent ancient well.
The courtyard wall was surrounded by some exotic flowers and plants that she had never seen before, emitting a faint, refreshing fragrance.
What's most peculiar is that, even though the courtyard is right in front of her, it gives her a sense of ethereal isolation from the surrounding mountains and forests, as if she were living in a world apart.
At the entrance of the courtyard, a girl in a light green dress was already waiting there.
Her appearance was exceptionally beautiful, her emerald eyes shone like jewels in the moonlight, and she wore a gentle yet aloof smile.
Zhu Zhuqing was curious about who this person was and what their relationship was with her senior brother, Cao Kun. "You've arrived."
Dugu Yan spoke, her voice clear and melodious: "Young Master said you would come tonight, and you were right."
Zhu Zhuqing paused, a slight chill running through her.
How could Cao Kun have predicted that she would come?
"Come with me, the young master is waiting for you." Dugu Yan turned around, pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate, and went inside.
"It's your good fortune to be chosen by the young master!"
"Lucky?"
Zhu Zhuqing paused for a moment upon hearing this.
After a slight hesitation, he clenched his fist and took a step to follow.
The courtyard looks more tranquil than the outside.
The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the smooth stone path, where flowers and trees lined both sides, their fragrance wafting in the air.
Inside the central octagonal pavilion, a faint, warm orange-red light emanated, along with... a strange aroma, rich in spices and meat.
Dugu Yan led Zhu Zhuqing straight to the main room.
The door was open, and the scene inside made even the usually aloof and self-possessed Zhu Zhuqing pause slightly in surprise.
The room was not luxurious and simply furnished, but the tables and chairs were made of fine sandalwood, and several landscape paintings with profound artistic conception hung on the wall.
In the center of the room, however, was an "object" that was completely different from what she had imagined.
A uniquely shaped copper pot, with a blazing charcoal fire underneath, was bubbling with red oil and steaming hot. Inside were various thinly sliced meats, fresh vegetables, and some other ingredients that she couldn't name but looked delicious.
And Cao Kun, the "senior brother" who appears unfathomable and otherworldly in white robes during the day...
But at this moment...
……