As the familiar voice sounded, Ju Zi walked into the tent once again.
Lin Xiao turned his head slightly toward the entrance upon hearing the sound and saw that Ju Zi had already changed out of her armor, now wearing light and simple casual clothes instead.
"What are you looking at?" Ju Zi seemed to notice Lin Xiao's gaze and smiled faintly.
"Is there something wrong with that soul tool of yours?" Lin Xiao withdrew his gaze. "The army is dangerous; it's better to have some protection."
"As long as we don't take the initiative to attack, the Heavenly Soul Empire is probably even more eager than we are to avoid starting a war." Ju Zi did not answer Lin Xiao directly. She waved her hand, signaling the other soldiers in the tent to leave.
"The Heavenly Soul Empire's army is still within Star Luo Empire territory. They don't have our technology for using charged soul tools to conserve soul power. For their people to use flight-type soul tools for cultivation, they need at least four rings at a minimum."
"It will take their army several days to withdraw back to Heaven Dou City. They're probably hoping we stay right here. Why would they take the initiative to attack?"
As Ju Zi spoke, she walked over and sat down beside Lin Xiao.
A faint, clear fragrance stood out sharply in the military camp filled with the smell of blood, causing Lin Xiao to furrow his brow slightly.
"Have a drink with me."
Ju Zi's palm swept across the table, and a faint light flashed from her storage-type soul tool. A set of exquisite drinking vessels appeared on the table. "Consider it a celebration that my plan is proceeding smoothly."
Seeing that Lin Xiao still made no move after she finished speaking, Ju Zi did not mind. She poured herself a full cup, tilted her head back, and drank it in one large gulp, then picked up the wine pot again.
"I still remember a sentence you said back then." Ju Zi looked at Lin Xiao; she already seemed to have a bit of drunkenness. "If one day I no longer want to live like this, you will take me away."
Lin Xiao let out a soft sigh upon hearing this and did not speak for a long time. After quite a while, he gave a slight nod. "Yes."
"Does it still count now?"
"It counts."
"Then…" Ju Zi paused for a very long time. "Then where will you take me?"
"To a place that even the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology cannot find."
"If I go there, what would I do?"
"Perhaps become a chef like your father."
"A chef, huh…" Ju Zi suddenly drained the wine in her cup in one go. Her eyes stared blankly outside the tent, as if she could see through the command tent to the patrolling soldiers in the camp.
Every one of those soldiers was fully armed and ready, as though with just one word from her, they would charge forward without regard for anything.
"For a very long time, when I was little, I always thought the White Tiger Duke was my lifelong enemy. For revenge, I didn't hesitate to sell myself out."
"Learning how to be cautious and prudent, learning soul tools, learning how to lead troops in battle, all for the sake of one day eliminating the hatred in my heart."
"But… when I heard the news of the White Tiger Duke's death, I suddenly found that there was no satisfaction in my heart as I had expected."
"Sometimes I wonder, if I had never met all of you back then, what would I be like now? Would I be more relaxed than I am now, or more painful?"
Lin Xiao finally turned his head again to look at Ju Zi. "Many times, we have no other choice."
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Lin Xiao had agreed to help Ju Zi back then. He had simply gone through too many moments of having no other choice, which was why he gave that girl back then another chance to make a choice.
"Yes." Ju Zi nodded. "The night I learned your true identity, I thought that you probably also had unspeakable difficulties."
As she spoke, Ju Zi filled the wine cup in front of Lin Xiao and gently pushed it forward a little, then blinked at him.
Lin Xiao's gaze swept across Ju Zi's face, lingered on the wine cup on the table for a long time, and finally picked it up and drank it in one gulp.
"This is tribute wine for the palace. If you drink it too fast, you'll get drunk very quickly."
"Is that so? My tolerance for alcohol isn't very good anyway."
Lin Xiao shook his head slightly and let out a soft sigh. Then, with a "thud," he collapsed onto the table.
The drinking vessels on the table were knocked to the ground, making several crisp sounds.
"Marshal!"
Someone outside the tent hurriedly called out upon hearing the noise.
Ju Zi did not respond. She simply stood up, walked in front of Lin Xiao, and at some point, a sharp blade had appeared in her hand, glinting with cold light under the illumination of the soul tool.
With some effort, she turned Lin Xiao over. Ju Zi gazed at him for a long time, then slowly, inch by inch, drove the blade into his chest.
Dazzling blood instantly gushed out along the wound, and in no time at all, it dyed the ground beneath red.
"Come in!"
Ju Zi's voice now carried no trace of drunkenness. With a sharp shout, one person suddenly rushed into the tent.
"Marshal."
The moment Fire Phoenix Douluo entered the tent and looked up, she saw Lin Xiao with the blade still embedded in his chest.
"Marshal, this…" Fire Phoenix Douluo's expression stiffened slightly.
Although no one in the camp had ever mentioned it, as the vice-captain of the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion and someone often by Ju Zi's side, Fire Phoenix Douluo had vaguely sensed that the relationship between the person before her and the Marshal was not merely that of former classmates.
However, she had not expected the Marshal to act so decisively.
"What, have you forgotten the palace's orders?"
Though her cultivation was lacking, at this moment, Ju Zi's aura faintly suppressed Fire Phoenix Douluo. "Has there been any movement from the Holy Spirit Cult's side?"
"There hasn't been any movement, but our people only managed to overhear half of what they said before they could no longer hear anything. We don't know what they're plotting."
"Hmph." Ju Zi gave a cold snort, her gaze sweeping over Lin Xiao. "A bunch of despicable, scheming rats. I can more or less guess some of it."
"Never mind. First, pass down the word that Shrek Academy has agreed to the betting battle." Ju Zi's eyes turned cold as she spoke. "Remember the palace's orders."
"Yes!"
"Also…" Ju Zi hesitated for a moment, a complicated look appearing on her face. "Give this person a proper burial."
Fire Phoenix Douluo was not too surprised. After responding "Yes," she took Lin Xiao's body and left the command tent.
The tent fell silent once more. Looking at the now-empty space inside, Ju Zi suddenly sat down on a nearby seat, her gaze fixed on the direction of the entrance.
"I'm sorry. I know you have something you need to find, but this operation against the Holy Spirit Cult is far more dangerous than you imagine. I cannot let you go back and take the risk."
"Just rest quietly for a while in the cemetery prepared for the soldiers in the army."
Ju Zi's lips moved slightly, as though speaking to herself. "I know. I've always known. But… the Ju Zi of today is no longer the Ju Zi who only had revenge in her heart back then."
She lowered her head slightly to look at her palm. Ju Zi could no longer remember whether these hands had held cooking utensils more often or weapons more often.
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