As soon as Nangong Lingyun asked that question,
The temperature in the entire tent seemed to drop several degrees instantly.
Zhu Zhuqing clenched her delicate fists tightly until they trembled. Her head hung low, and the rare warmth in her eyes vanished, replaced by a piercing coldness.
It wasn't just her expression, nor merely her personality—it was a bone-deep, soul-chilling aura of deathly silence.
If one had to describe this aura in words, there would only be two: deathly stillness.
Nangong Lingyun'sChaotic Holy Spirit Martial Soul had an emotional attribute.
His third soul skill, Mind Control, aside from passively enhancing his spiritual power, actively developed his ability to sense emotions.
Once cultivated to a certain level, the emotions of all living beings nearby—joy, anger, sorrow, happiness—could fall under his control. It was terrifyingly powerful.
The God Kings of Evil and Good were especially adept at this.
Thus, he could sense even more clearly than Xiao Wu that what was erupting from this little cat wasn't just simple anger, hatred, or despair—
It also carried the power of emotion, which greatly surprised him.
Emotion and emotional power are worlds apart. The former is mere impotent rage, while the latter is an extremely rare innate gift.
It has nothing to do with martial soul quality or innate soul power. It's a unique ability belonging solely to the soul master.
Of course, the traditional soul master system couldn't make use of such a talent. Only advanced martial cultivation techniques with matching attributes could develop it.
For instance, the Extreme Yin Inscription of the Longevity Technique.
In other words, this little cat was a one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy—and even among prodigies, she was an especially rare one.
Even better, her martial soul matched it perfectly, as if made for it by the heavens.
"I've really struck gold this time!"
The more Nangong Lingyun looked at Zhu Zhuqing, the more satisfied he became. His heart itched; he wanted to max out her affection bar right then and there and pull her into his arms to comfort her hard.
But his expression remained calm, his slightly curious gaze revealing nothing.
Just then, Xiao Wu beat him to it.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing so heartbroken, her motherly instincts suddenly flared. She ran over, sat beside her, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said boldly:
"If something's wrong, talk to Big Sis Xiao Wu. I've got your back."
Nangong Lingyun gave the bunny girl a mental thumbs-up. All his nightly "watering" efforts weren't wasted—she was proving quite dependable at a critical moment.
If he had said the same words, it would've come off as too calculated. But coming from another girl, it naturally lowered Zhu Zhuqing's guard.
Seemingly aware that her earlier reaction was a bit over the top, Zhu Zhuqing forced a sorrowful smile and said,
"It's nothing, thank you both."
"What? Are you not treating Big Sis Xiao Wu as a friend? Or do you look down on me, think I can't help you?"
Xiao Wu pretended to be furious, and with a strong tug, pulled the little cat entirely into her embrace.
That did it—Zhu Zhuqing had no choice but to talk. Social anxiety is powerless against overly friendly types.
Within just a few minutes, though the full story wasn't yet out,
Xiao Wu slammed the table with such force it nearly cracked and shouted indignantly at Nangong Lingyun:
"Brother Yun, let's wipe out that damn Star Luo Empire! That country is too evil—it's basically begging to be destroyed!"
"Aren't you scared?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked completely stunned—not just by Xiao Wu's insane idea, but also by how little she seemed to care.
After all, there were only two major empires on the continent, and Star Luo's national strength far exceeded Heaven Dou's.
To most people, even those from elite families, the Star Luo Empire was an untouchable colossus.
Living under such oppressive rules, surrounded by powerful figures who could decide life and death, even breathing felt restricted.
"Tch, so what if it's an empire? My Brother Yun can flatten it with one punch!"
Xiao Wu launched into an epic bragging spree. Especially after receiving an approving glance mid-speech, she became even more spirited—tongue like a machine gun.
Nangong Lingyun said nothing, simply watching the bunny girl's performance quietly.
Train an army for a thousand days to use it for a single moment—and that moment had come. Time to let her go all out.
"The general marches south, full of courage,A sword at his waist sharp as autumn water.The wind stirs the drums, the land trembles,Lightning flashes, banners rise with the sun and moon.Heaven-born qilins have their roots,How can cave ants hope to escape?When peace returns and the war ends,I shall share my robe with the learned man."
When the time came, she'd be handsomely rewarded.
Under Xiao Wu's divine-level performance, Zhu Zhuqing's expression went from shocked, to utterly shocked, to completely numbed.
The kicker was that Xiao Wu wasn't just talking—she lit up four over-limit soul rings in yellow, purple, purple, black.
At that moment, all of Zhu Zhuqing's doubts vanished. She could only lament her own lack of knowledge.
After a good ten minutes, sensing the mood had been built up enough, not wanting to overdo it,
Nangong Lingyun quickly stepped in to stop Xiao Wu.
"That's enough. Zhuqing just recovered—you don't need to go on about all that.By the way, that woman who came with you should be waking up soon. Let's go check on her?"
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing's face changed dramatically, then filled with guilt.
"Ah… Aunt! My aunt…"
Zhu Lanling was almost the only source of warmth in her family. Without her aunt's comfort and help, she wouldn't have lasted this long.
And she was only in danger because she helped Zhu Zhuqing escape from Star Luo. Yet now that she was awake, Zhu Zhuqing had completely forgotten her.
Utterly inexcusable.
The cat girl asked anxiously:
"Where is my aunt? Is she okay?"
"She's in the tent next to yours. I infused her with pure life energy, so her physical wounds and even the poison in her system were healed on the spot.As for her spirit… it's been over thirty hours now, she should be mostly fine too."
"That's a relief."
Hearing her aunt was safe, Zhu Zhuqing clearly let out a sigh of relief.
She dashed out in a flash, dove into Zhu Lanling's tent, and stared at the gentle, silver-haired woman—eyes instantly blurred with tears.
At that exact moment, Zhu Lanling's consciousness began to return, and she muttered like in a dream:
"Zhuqing… run… run, run!"
Seeing that even in her dreams her aunt was still worried about her, Zhu Zhuqing's tears burst forth like a dam breaking.
To her, Zhu Lanling was unlike anyone else—
She was almost her only source of warmth. If even her aunt left, then her heart would likely fall into eternal silence.
Moments later, Zhu Lanling fully awoke. The two embraced and wept, the emotional storm that followed needs no further words.
Over ten minutes passed before
The two of them finally emerged from the tent arm-in-arm, eyes red and swollen, but their expressions strangely light and carefree—
As though they'd broken free of some invisible shackle.
(End of Chapter)