Chapter 73 – Eloping with Zhu Zhuqing
Zhu Zhuyun was still wounded.
Though all the Dragon Beard Needles had been removed from her body, her movements remained stiff and painful.
Feeling reluctant but helpless, Qi Tian decided to help wash away the dried blood from her body.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Zhuyun found herself drawn to the strange intimacy of the moment.
"Sister, you've also got blood on you. If you don't mind... why not wash up too?" Zhu Zhuyun suggested softly.
"Alright!"
Before Zhu Zhuqing could react, Qi Tian had already slipped into the wooden bath barrel—right beside Zhu Zhuyun.
Moments later, Zhu Zhuyun shuddered slightly, her tense body slowly relaxing as she leaned back against the tub's edge.
That unfamiliar sensation made her doubt her own thoughts.
'What's happening to me? she wondered.
Could it be... I'm actually starting to like Zhuqing?'
But the thought jolted her.
'No! She's a woman... and my sister at that!'
Confusion clouded her heart.
Qi Tian, having enjoyed more than his fill of the situation, eventually scooped Zhu Zhuyun out of the tub and gently dressed her.
"Sis, you should rest well. I'll be leaving first."
He paused, then added with a faint smile:
"If you hear that I've gone missing, don't worry about me, okay?"
After laying Zhu Zhuyun down on the bed and tucking her in, Qi Tian emptied the water from the bath.
Zhu Zhuyun watched her "sister" move about the room, a tangle of emotion welling in her chest. There were countless things she wanted to say—but in the end, only one sentence escaped her lips:
"Take care of yourself."
Controlling Zhu Zhuqing's body, Qi Tian made his way back to her home.
The girl stayed utterly silent the entire way—so unlike her usual self.
"Zhuqing? Why so quiet? Shouldn't you be happy after defeating your destined opponent?" Qi Tian asked curiously.
A cold snort echoed within his mind.
'What's this? Jealous, perhaps? Women really are impossible to read,' Qi Tian sighed helplessly.
But he didn't forget his true purpose.
"Zhuqing, I plan to take you away from Star Luo City. Will you come with me?"
After a long pause, Zhu Zhuqing finally responded.
"Leave Star Luo City? Where would we even go? Don't tell me… to Spirit Hall?"
As a soul master from a noble family, she naturally knew of Spirit Hall—the sacred ground of soul masters. She had always suspected Qi Tian's origins lay there, even though he'd never admitted it.
"No," Qi Tian replied instantly. "To the Heaven Dou Empire."
"The Heaven Dou Empire?" Zhu Zhuqing was taken aback. Her runaway fiancé had fled there as well. Did he really think that by escaping to the Heaven Dou Empire, he could avoid his inevitable clash with Dai Weisi?
Even if Dai Weisi ascended the throne, would the Heaven Dou Empire truly dare to shield him?
"But... wouldn't it be dangerous if I went there?" Zhu Zhuqing asked hesitantly.
Crossing borders between empires was no small matter. If Dai Weisi or the Zhu Family sent people after her, she could easily be captured.
Although Zhu Zhuyun had let her go, the Zhu Family still served the royal family—they might not all agree. Some might even seize the chance to curry favor with Dai Weisi by turning her in.
Even if she escaped first, the elders of her family could easily catch up.
"Don't worry," Qi Tian said calmly. "I have my own way."
He was planning to test the Sea Calming Pearl—a divine artifact said to have a spatial teleportation function. He had already succeeded in teleporting inanimate objects... and even a living rabbit. But he'd yet to test it on a human.
Now seemed like the perfect chance.
Of course, he didn't act immediately. He first intended to have Zhu Zhuqing capture a criminal to use as a live test subject.
If that succeeded, he could then safely teleport Zhu Zhuqing to his side.
Three days later, Qi Tian once again possessed Zhu Zhuqing's body.
Before he could even speak, she looked at him with a hint of grievance in her eyes.
"Sister came to see me several times these past few days… but I feel like she's been acting strange."
Qi Tian paused.
"Strange? In what way?"
"It's like... she wasn't looking for me," Zhu Zhuqing said softly. "She was looking for you."
Qi Tian froze for a moment. He knew exactly what she was referring to. After all, Zhu Zhuqing had shared every sensation when he'd used her body to treat Zhu Zhuyun's injuries.
In the days since, she had done her own research on what she'd experienced—learning far more than she probably should have.
Qi Tian gave a dry laugh.
"How could that be? Anyway, let's drop that topic. Did you catch the death row convict I asked you to find?"
"Yes. He's tied up in the woodshed," Zhu Zhuqing replied.
Qi Tian immediately went to check.
Inside the shed, he found a scar-faced man, bruised and battered, bound tightly with rope. The man had clearly suffered a great deal.
Afraid that Qi Tian might mistake her for a cruel person, Zhu Zhuqing quickly explained:
"I saw him trying to kidnap children from the city, so I taught him a lesson first."
Qi Tian nodded approvingly.
"He deserved it. You did well, Zhuqing."
He stepped forward, grabbed the man by the collar, and focused on the spiritual imprint of the Sea Calming Pearl embedded in his soul.
In that instant, five-colored light burst forth, blinding and all-encompassing. Qi Tian's soul power drained rapidly, and the scar-faced man vanished without a trace.
"Th-this... what just happened?"
Zhu Zhuqing stared in utter disbelief.
A full-grown man had simply disappeared right before her eyes!
"A secret," Qi Tian replied casually.
Meanwhile, his true body activated the Sea Calming Pearl from afar, and the man reappeared beside him. Qi Tian examined the convict's body carefully—he was alive, completely unharmed, exactly as before he entered the pearl.
Qi Tian exhaled in relief. The experiment was a success. Then, without hesitation, he killed the man and tossed the corpse to a Bloodthirsty Thorn Vine lurking in the nearby forest.
"Are you ready?" Qi Tian asked through Zhu Zhuqing's lips.
Zhu Zhuqing knew exactly what he meant.
She had already prepared herself over the past few days.
Cold and reserved by nature, she had few friends to bid farewell to. She had said goodbye to her sister, but as for her father, there had been no bond between them for a long time.
"I'm ready," she said quietly.
A flicker of anticipation stirred in her heart.
Would she finally see the true form of the mysterious "Elder Yao" who had been guiding her all this time?
The next moment, Qi Tian activated the Sea Calming Pearl once more. Five-colored light enveloped Zhu Zhuqing's body, and in a flash, she vanished.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself standing in the middle of a lush forest.
"Where... is this?"
All around her grew clusters of Blue Silver Grass—but these were different. Some stalks towered above her, vibrant and full of life, exuding an aura far stronger than ordinary Blue Silver Grass.
The air was fresh and brimming with vitality, reminiscent of a Blue Silver Domain. Her body felt light and invigorated, as if every breath renewed her spirit.
But she couldn't move. Qi Tian still controlled her body.
Then, as her gaze followed Qi Tian's movement, she saw it—a small wooden cabin nestled among the greenery.
And standing before the cabin was a handsome young man. He seemed to blend seamlessly with the forest itself, his presence as natural and harmonious as the breeze.
"Who... is that?" Zhu Zhuqing whispered in shock.
Though she already had her suspicions, she wanted to hear Qi Tian confirm it himself.
"Could it be… you're the real Elder Yao?"
Before she could receive a soul reply, the young man smiled and said aloud:
"You guessed right. I am your 'Elder Yao.'"
"You... you were lying to me all along!"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened, disbelief and realization flashing across her face.
But she didn't doubt his words for long.
After all, she had always communicated with Qi Tian through her soul. If the young man before her weren't the one who had possessed her, there was no way he would know what she was saying.
—
End of Chapter