บท 39: Chapter 35: Beauty Under the Moon, Heart-to-Heart Talks, The Ambitions of a Man_1
The crescent moon hung askew in the tranquil forest, where birds chirped and insects hummed.
"Crackle."
Sparks leapt from the bonfire intermittently as Luo Yu lay flat on his back, resting on his arms, his face relaxed while gazing at the starry sky.
On the other side, Zhu Qing stealthily stuck out her tongue, quickly licking off the grease at the corner of her mouth, then pursed her red lips, a curious light flashing in her eyes.
After a few exchanges and having eaten the man's food, her wariness towards him had greatly diminished.
There was something about this man that seemed a little different.
It was an indescribable feeling.
In the Tiandou Empire, whenever the sons of nobles saw her, most of them would fawn over her, and even Dai Mubai was no exception, always trying to ingratiate himself with her.
As an agile-attack class Soul Master, her observational skills were sharp, and she had seen through them long ago.
Those men claimed to be good to her but secretly lusted after her body.
However, this guy...
She was certain that since they met, not once had a lecherous glint flashed in his eyes.
Zhu Qing touched her cheek; it was smooth and fine, not tarnished by any filth.
Her gaze gradually sharpened.
If there was no problem with her charm, then there must be something off about him.
How many young men could ignore a beauty?
There would usually be at least a slight ripple of interest.
This guy was probably not as simple as he seemed.
To be cautious, Zhu Qing felt a probing intention.
She gathered strength secretly and flicked a narrow shadow into the air.
"Whoosh!"
The shadow cut through the air, seemingly about to hit Luo Yu.
As if he had eyes on the side of his head, he raised his arm, his two fingers accurately pinching the shadow with precision.
Zhu Qing's pupils suddenly contracted.
Her attack, though not lethal,
at such a short distance and so sudden... how could an ordinary Soul Master react in time to catch it?
This guy was indeed unusual.
"Tsk tsk, using a golden soul coin as a hidden weapon, such extravagance, beauty,"
Luo Yu said, a smirk on his face as the coin spun nimbly between his fingers.
"Who are you!" Zhu Qing asked warily.
"Shouldn't that be my line?"
"Such a delicate little thing, yet resorting to sneak attacks instead of martial ethics. Turns out the roasted meat earlier was all fed to an ungrateful wolf?"
Zhu Qing, knowing she was at fault, pursed her red lips: "That golden soul coin is my thank-you gift."
"Oh? Seems like if I didn't have some skills, I wouldn't really be able to appreciate your deep gratitude."
Hearing the obvious teasing in his voice, Zhu Qing felt her face starting to lose face.
"Sorry, I've been constantly targeted, and I've grown overly anxious."
"Tsk, who could be so heartless to chase and kill such a blooming and delicate beauty?"
At the mention of this, Zhu Qing's face instantly turned cold, and she shook her head without a word.
"There's no need to talk about things you don't wish to discuss; everyone has their own privacy."
Hearing Luo Yu's considerate words, Zhu Qing's icy complexion softened slightly.
She hesitated: "Didn't you hear me? I'm being hunted, aren't you afraid of getting involved by letting me stay here?"
Luo Yu spread his hands, "Well, if you leave now, won't that mean you won't trouble me anymore?"
Zhu Qing was momentarily taken aback.
Normally, when a man sees a damsel in distress, doesn't he offer his help?
What damsel in distress wouldn't hope to encounter a hero, swooping down like a divine savior?
Even if Zhu Qing was cold by nature, she was still at the age of a young girl's springtime fantasies.
And now, instead of meeting a hero, she'd encountered an average-looking coward who added insult to injury...
Heh, as expected, men are unreliable.
Just like that guy, Dai Mubai.
Fearing familial clan strife, he abandoned her to seek refuge in this corner of the Tiandou Empire, hiding away.
Men truly are unreliable.
Zhu Qing's voice grew colder and more distant: "Rest assured, my pursuers won't catch up for a while, and if they do, I'll divert them myself and won't involve you."
"Let me rest here for a moment to recover some Soul Power, and then I will leave."
Luo Yu raised an eyebrow, his gaze teasing as he looked at her: "What, disappointed?"
Zhu Qing frowned, "What am I disappointed about?"
"Stop pretending. That dejected expression is clearly written all over your face. You must be regretting not encountering a hero but running into a wimp like me, right?"
Zhu Qing spoke frankly: "Disappointed? Maybe, who never dreams?"
"But I'm not some naïve girl fresh from the countryside; I can understand."
"You're a stranger to me; it's only natural that you wouldn't help me. Why would you take a risk?"
"If you could offer me meat and not be in a hurry to send me away, I should already be thankful."
Luo Yu looked at Zhu Qing's tender young face, his heart touched by the resolve not fitting her age, and he inwardly scorned Dai Mubai fiercely.
Absolute scum.
What was that fool thinking, running off secretly because he was scared, and leaving the woman to take the fall?
Utterly lacking in responsibility.
```
He wouldn't have looked down on him if he had just run off to the Tiandou Empire with Zhu Qing.
It really was too embarrassing for a man.
If it weren't for Tang San giving him a hand by chance, he would have probably been killed by his own brother by now, and Zhu Qing would have died with him.
"Sigh," Luo Yu heaved a long sigh.
"I'm being hunted and I'm not complaining, what are you sighing for?" Zhu Qing rolled her eyes.
Luo Yu shook his head, sizing Zhu Qing up and down, "I can't think of anyone who would be heartless enough to let a beauty like you end up like this. If you were my woman, I'd definitely spoil you like a Little Princess."
Those words seemed to strike right at Zhu Qing's heart, her eyes suddenly filled with desolation, the pain inside her sharp as a knife's edge.
Her father allowed the sisters of her clan to slaughter each other.
Her fiancé cowardly fled.
In her life, she couldn't rely on anyone but herself.
She had traveled thousands of miles, what was she even hoping for, and where could her home be?
"Don't say so many nice things," Zhu Qing scorned, "Didn't you chicken out as soon as you heard someone wanted to kill me?"
Luo Yu retorted, "That's not chickening out, that's called cherishing one's feathers."
Zhu Qing pursed her lips, indicating disbelief.
Luo Yu asked, "Did you ask me for help?"
Zhu Qing shook her head, "Nope."
"There you go," Luo Yu spread his hands, "If I helped you and you didn't appreciate it, wouldn't that make me seem infatuated? So why bother wasting affection?"
Zhu Qing snorted, "How do you know I wouldn't appreciate it!"
"Then go ahead and ask me," he said.
"I've never begged anyone before," Zhu Qing turned her head away.
Luo Yu smiled, "See, someone's willing to risk their life to help you, and you won't even ask. You can't blame anyone else."
Zhu Qing took a deep breath, looked at him intently, and ultimately shook her head.
"Forget it, if we really fought, you probably wouldn't be a match for me, let alone those hunting me."
"The help I need, you can't provide."
"But I still want to thank you for chatting with me. Today was really strange, I actually haven't spoken this much in a long time."
Luo Yu smiled faintly and returned his gaze to the night sky, spoke calmly, "Maybe we just get along well."
"Maybe," Zhu Qing didn't refute, feeling a strange sense of comfort in this man's company.
She also looked up following his gaze, her red lips curving upwards, "What's so good about this, anyway?"
Luo Yu spoke softly, "Do you have a goal?"
His question caught Zhu Qing off guard, causing her to hesitate.
"A goal..."
"I guess... I don't have one."
"What about you, what's your goal?" Zhu Qing fluttered her eyelashes.
Luo Yu's lips curved slightly upward, his deep eyes appearing even more profound, a hint of confidence quietly rising.
A slow but penetrating chant emerged from the man's mouth and began to echo through the woods.
"Across the vast night sky,"
"Stars hang as the moon ascends."
"With my three-foot Jian,
"I aim for the pinnacle of Douluo."
Zhu Qing's casual expression tightened as she heard Luo Yu's last line, her spirit shocked.
Her bright eyes stared at the man dumbfounded.
Full of disbelief.
This guy... how dare he have such ambition??
Quite daring, his goal was really too lofty.
"What's wrong?" Luo Yu turned to look at Zhu Qing.
The girl opened her mouth but didn't come out of her shock.
"You're too..."
"Too arrogant?" Luo Yu shook his head.
"I don't find it arrogant. Having a goal to chase is always better than living a life of drunken oblivion and confusion."
A flicker of admiration crossed the depths of Zhu Qing's eyes; although the man in front of her looked ordinary, and probably didn't have any remarkable talent, his state of mind definitely crushed that man without any sense of responsibility.
"Giggle, you're killing me with laughter. A country bumpkin who's never seen the world, a nobody from the boondocks, dares to dream of the peak of Douluo. You really don't know how the world works."
A flamboyant laugh sounded as a tall, fiery figure suddenly appeared.
She resembled Zhu Qing somewhat, but her attire was bolder, with a black leather outfit that barely covered half of her snowy white skin, exposing a deep, eye-catching cleavage.
"Whoosh!"
Zhu Qing sprang to her feet, her Martial Soul instantly enveloping her, her face as cold as ice.
"What's wrong, dear sister? Don't you miss me?"
"It seems you really have fallen, actually having such a good time chatting with the likes of him."
"Shut your mouth!" Zhu Qing shouted sternly, "Zhu Yun, my affairs are none of your business."
"Oh, someone's gotten bold, daring to talk back to your sister like that?" Zhu Yun's features wore a wanton, carefree smile.
Zhu Qing furrowed her brows tightly, nervously glancing backward, "What are you still sitting there for? Run for it!"
Luo Yu chuckled.
"Run, why should I run?"
"Is it that any stray dog can make me move?"
```
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