The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

"You dare to say such crazy things!" Orange, who had just calmed down, glared at Keke in annoyance, then glanced at Xu Zihuang with a blush on her face.

Fortunately, Xu Zihuang did not have any special reaction. He just looked up at the small town in front of him, feeling a strange feeling in his heart.

Although he was willing to sacrifice everything he could for revenge and to fulfill his ambitions, he always remembered his father's teachings: that royalty should protect their people.

His grand ambition to unify the continent was not without the desire to end the conflicts on the continent.

The small town where Orange grew up was within his father's fiefdom. Strictly speaking, everyone in this town, including Orange, was his subject.

That's why he showed anger when he saved Ju Zi. He also felt a little guilty towards Ju Zi.

However, in Orange's eyes, his behavior is a different story altogether.

"What's wrong?" Orange asked softly, watching Xu Zihuang's facial expression.

Xu Zihuang said with a wry smile, "To be honest, Senior Sister Ju Zi, I passed through here a few years ago when I was training in the Mingdou Great Forest. I remember that back then, this place was still a scene of devastation."

Ju Zi's gaze softened as she looked at Xu Zihuang, but she didn't rush to reveal that she was the girl Yu Tianhuang had saved.

"That's because this town was caught up in the war between the Star Luo Empire and the local area. When the war broke out, it was only the ordinary civilians who suffered." Orange sighed softly, her eyes misty. Large, glistening tears slid down her cheeks.

“My father was forcibly conscripted to the front lines because of that war and never came back. My mother also fell ill from excessive grief and passed away.”

"Sister Orange, don't be sad. It's all in the past, and dwelling on it will only add to your sorrow. We have to look forward, there are so many wonderful things waiting for us in the future, aren't there?" Keke comforted Orange while holding her, and glared fiercely at Xu Zihuang.

"It's all your fault! It's all your fault! It's all your fault for bringing up Sister Orange's painful memories."

Xu Zihuang remained silent for a moment, then took out a silk handkerchief from his soul tool and handed it to Ju Zi.

"Sorry, Senior Orange."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. You came to my house, and as the host, I should have treated you well. Instead, you're the ones who have to comfort me." Ju Zi took the handkerchief Xu Zihuang handed her and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about these things anymore. Let's get to the town first; we're exhausted after traveling all day." Seeing that Orange's mood had improved, Keke quickly changed the subject. She didn't even notice that Orange, whom she remembered never accepting any gifts from men, had actually accepted Xu Zihuang's handkerchief.

Orange pulled Keke along the mountain path, her tears turning into laughter.

"It's getting late, let's go now."

"Sister Orange, are you alright? Why are you crying and laughing all the time?" Looking at Orange's unusual behavior, Keke was completely confused.

Xu Zihuang simply followed silently behind the two women.

However, Ju Zi and Ke Ke soon started talking in hushed tones again, falling behind him.

Fortunately, the town was within sight, so there was no need to worry about getting lost.

The outline of the town gradually became clear. At the entrance of the town stood a wooden watchtower about ten meters high. Several torches were placed on the watchtower, their flames flickering and dancing in the wind.

A middle-aged man, over forty years old, who was leaning against the railing with his eyes closed, suddenly became alert. The man was thin and only about 1.7 meters tall. His long, messy hair was draped behind him, and half of the originally grayish-brown hair had turned gray.

His deep, weathered eyes gleamed with a sharp light, but his right hand was severed at the root.

Black soul power overflowed from his body, and his skin quickly turned black. His eyebrows curled up, as if they had turned into two tentacles.

Two spirit rings, one white and one yellow, emerged one after the other from beneath their feet.

In such a remote town, there is actually a Great Soul Master.

As he released his martial spirit, he leaped forward and spotted three indistinct shadows approaching him. He swung his left fist and slammed it heavily into the ground.

The second soul skill is seismic wave.

A strong yellow halo instantly bloomed.

The middle-aged man's martial soul is called the Thousand-Pound Ant, a type of spirit beast that can be found everywhere in various spirit beast forests. The Thousand-Pound Ant's status among beast martial souls is equivalent to that of the Blue Silver Grass among weapon martial souls.

A very standard low-level martial spirit.

His second soul skill, Earthquake Wave, uses the power of the earth's tremors to cause opponents within a certain range to lose their balance.

It wasn't powerful, but it was enough to scare away the pack of Nether Wolves that had been harassing them for the past ten years.

To the middle-aged man's surprise, his yellow aura was forcibly sealed within a certain area.

Upon closer inspection, he saw a tall, slender boy with purple eyes standing before him. It was this boy who had used his soul power to repel his second soul skill, the earthquake wave.

The person who came was undoubtedly Xu Zihuang.

Orange and Coco emerged from behind Xu Zihuang and their eyes lit up when they saw the middle-aged man.

"Uncle Lü?"

"Orange? Coco?" The middle-aged man opened his mouth in surprise, and his tense body relaxed.

"Ju Zi, why are you back so early this year? Isn't it still before the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's holiday? And who is this young man?"

The middle-aged man, whom Ju Zi and Ke Ke called Uncle Lü, looked at Ju Zi with doting eyes, but when his gaze fell back on Xu Zihuang, a hint of ambiguous smile appeared on his face.

"Uncle Lü, he's my classmate, just like Keke. We're here for training and taking the opportunity to go home for a visit," Orange quickly explained, seemingly afraid that the misunderstanding would spread.

Xu Zihuang greeted Uncle Lü with a smile.

"Hello, my name is Yu Tianhuang. I study under the same instructor at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy along with Senior Sister Ju Zi and Senior Sister Ke Ke."

"Young man, don't be so polite. My name is Lü Li. If you don't mind, you and Ju Zi can call me Uncle Lü." Lü Li chuckled, his attitude very friendly.

Keke asked curiously, "Uncle Lü, when was a watchtower built here? I don't remember it being here last year."

"Sigh. I don't know what's going on lately, but a pack of Nether Wolves has wandered out of the Mingdou Great Forest and onto a branch of the Mingdou Mountains that's closer to us. They've been coming to harass us quite often lately. To prevent any accidents, I came here to keep watch." Lu Li sighed helplessly.

"Ju Zi, Ke Ke, how many days are you planning to stay this time? Everyone will be so happy to see you back."

Orange shook her head.

"Uncle Lü, let's not disturb everyone's rest tonight. We'll visit each of you tomorrow."

"That's fine then. I won't keep you any longer. You should go back and rest early." Lu Li nodded, then, as if he had thought of something, he tiptoed to the watchtower and took out two pheasants whose feet and wings were tied with rope.

"These are two pheasants I just caught today. Orange, take them back and treat Keke and this young man well."

"Thank you, Uncle Lü," Orange said with a sweet smile. Keke, on the other hand, hurriedly caught the two pheasants and giggled.

"Yay, we'll have Orange Sister's roast chicken tonight!"

Before leaving, Xu Zihuang suddenly took out a bottle of white wine from his soul tool and tossed it to Lü Li on the watchtower.

"Uncle Lü, we'll be going now."

Lu Li subconsciously took the bottle, staring blankly at the clear amber liquid inside.

Having spent many years traveling and working in his youth, he had gained some experience. He could tell that this bottle of white wine was of exceptional quality.

But when he looked up again, Xu Zihuang and the other two had already disappeared into the town.

Lu Li smiled knowingly.

"This young man has a good character, is good-looking enough to be a good match for Ju Zi, and is also very capable. What's most remarkable is that he has actually won the approval of Ju Zi."

The buildings in the town are mostly three-story wooden lofts, which is to adapt to the humid and rainy climate here.

The road was paved with stones of varying sizes, and could only be described as barely smooth.

Orange led Xu Zihuang and Keke toward the center of the town, saying to Xu Zihuang, "Uncle Lü is a very good person. When the war broke out with the Star Luo Empire, he was the one who escorted everyone in the town to safety. Unfortunately, when Uncle Lü was young, his right hand was infected by the venom of a poisonous soul beast in the Soul Beast Forest, and he had no choice but to cut off his right arm."

Chapter 262 Heartbeat

The tranquil moonlight, like a veil, enveloped this secluded border town, elongating the shadows of the three people.

After explaining something to Xu Zihuang, Ju Zi fell silent again. Her steps became somewhat heavy.

The town itself wasn't large, and even though Orange deliberately slowed her pace, she would eventually return to this place that was destined to stir up her deepest emotions. The carefree and happy childhood with her parents by her side, and the subsequent grief and hatred.

Orange looked up at the slightly larger three-story wooden pavilion, her eyes misty. Images involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

She seemed to see her kind and gentle mother holding her in her arms, and her father who doted on her and tried to make all kinds of delicious dishes for her.

But in the next instant, these warm scenes began to crack, shattering and vanishing. In their place, the marks of time were left on every part of the wooden attic.

This small town is located at the junction of the Mingdou Mountains and the Mingdou Forest. Without the Mingdou Mountains blocking the humid air of the South China Sea coast, it receives ample rainfall throughout the year.

It's perfectly normal for a wooden attic to become worn and softened after being soaked in rainwater.

But in order to preserve as much of her parents' legacy as possible, Orange insisted on never renovating the place.

She lost so much in that war. The only thing that brought her solace was that her home was located in the center of town and was fortunate enough to have escaped being reduced to ruins in the war.

"Sister Orange, are you alright?" Keke shook Orange's arm.

Orange gently shook her head, took out a copper key from her soul tool, and pushed open the wooden door with a 'click'. At the same time, she stretched out her jade-like hand and placed it on the metal protrusion beside her.

With the infusion of soul power, several bright soul-guided lamps illuminated the hall. The hall wasn't large, only about thirty square meters. The tables and chairs were arranged quite compactly, with an aisle between them. At one end of the aisle was a reddish-brown wooden reception desk.

It was very clean and tidy, and it was obvious that someone came to clean it regularly.

"Keke, take Tianhuang upstairs to tidy up the room. I'll go cook now," Orange said softly.

Although Keke usually seems carefree, she has an innate sensitivity to certain things.

"Okay. But Sister Orange, you have to make a lot. I've only eaten one sesame seed cake on the way here so I can save room for this meal." Keke said with a smile, then winked at Xu Zihuang.

Orange said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you eat until you're stuffed."

Keke walked upstairs with satisfaction, and Xu Zihuang followed knowingly. The stairs were right next to the reception desk, and the two walked one after the other, their footsteps making a dull thud. The sound of footsteps and the soft soul-guiding light intertwined, adding a touch of human warmth to this long-abandoned attic.

A genuine smile spread across Ju Zi's beautiful face. With Ke Ke by her side, she was no longer alone. And there was also Yu Tianhuang, who had once saved her…

This wasn't Keke's first time visiting Ju Zi's house, so she was quite familiar with the layout of the attic. She easily led Xu Zihuang to a spacious room.

The room's overall conditions were similar to the dormitory assigned to him by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, even including a balcony. The difference was that, apart from the soul-guiding lamp protruding from the ceiling, everything else in the room was made of various types of wood.

Wooden bed, wooden table, wooden chair, wooden wardrobe, and wooden railing at the balcony.

With her back to Xu Zihuang, Keke took out brand-new bedding from her soul tool and began making the bed. Blushing, she said shyly.

"Um, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that to you. I saw that Sister Orange was in a low mood, and I was a little anxious, so I said it without thinking. I'm making your bed now as an apology. You're a grown man, you won't hold it against me, will you?"

After saying that, she turned around and winked playfully at Xu Zihuang, showing no trace of her previous shyness.

He's obviously a seasoned actor.

"Senior Keke, I almost forgot about it if you hadn't mentioned it," Xu Zihuang said with a laugh.

He knew that Keke was kind and straightforward. He had always harbored feelings for Keke.

Of course, the most important reason is that Coco, like Orange, comes from the southern part of the Sun Moon Empire. She was a subject of her father's fiefdom.