Lu Mingfei starts from Douluo.

But now that I think about it, this little girl is no threat at all.

"I, I... don't know." Zhu Zhuqing shook her head blankly. On the way here, she had thought a lot, thought about saying goodbye, but when they met, the words always stuck in her throat and she couldn't say them.

She felt a sudden emptiness in her chest, as if nothing could fill it.

Over the years, she thought she had gotten used to this feeling, but now she still feels a little uncomfortable.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's appearance, Qian Renxue shook her head and smiled: "Since that's the case, have you considered joining our Spirit Hall? If I remember correctly, you barely survived under the Dai family's control. Don't you want to truly take control of your own destiny?"

Qian Renxue's words immediately silenced Zhu Zhuqing.

Qian Renxue didn't say anything, but simply took out a tea set and brewed two cups of water.

After a moment, Zhu Zhuqing spoke up quietly, "What do you mean by that, Holy Maiden? If I remember correctly, the Spirit Hall has never accepted members of the royal family in the past few hundred years, has it?"

Just like how ordinary Soul Master families prohibit their Martial Soul from leaving the family and forbid marriage outside the family, the Zhu family and the Dai family would not allow their children to join the Spirit Hall.

In the past, those princes who were destined to die when participating in the family trials had considered asking the Spirit Hall for protection, but without exception, they were all rejected by the Spirit Hall.

The inheritance of martial spirit bloodline is above all else. This is something that goes against the will of the entire soul master world. Even the Spirit Hall would not dare to do it.

Chapter 298 Thoughts

As the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, she couldn't possibly be unaware of such matters. Unless the Spirit Hall was prepared to completely break with the two great empires to protect her, joining the Spirit Hall today would mean being sent back to Star Luo for execution and public display tomorrow.

But how could this be? Even though she had been cultivating at home all along, she knew that the Haotian Sect was now the most powerful sect on the continent.

It boasts a total of six Title Douluos, among whom Tang Chen, the strongest on the continent, single-handedly intimidated the entire Spirit City.

Wuhun City has abandoned even the temples of the two great empires. How could I possibly give the two great empires an excuse to start a war at this time?

However, Qian Renxue on the table simply smiled calmly: "Of course I'm not joking."

Zhu Zhuqing was full of doubts, but when she met Qian Renxue's confident smile, she suddenly understood.

The situation on the mainland may really be about to change drastically.

She subconsciously clenched her fist: "What will happen if I don't agree?"

Such news is something the Spirit Hall would never allow to be easily spread.

"It's nothing. I won't hurt you for Mingfei's sake, but it doesn't matter if you tell your family when you get back. Actually, your presence here today already says something." Qian Renxue pushed her water glass forward.

"The Dai family sent you out of Xingluo City to find this place, weren't they just planning to send you to your death?"

"As far as I know, they have already been secretly in contact and cooperating with the Heavenly Dou Empire for some time."

Speaking of which, she was involved in the entire alliance between Tian Dou and Xing Luo, and all those communication lines were staffed by people from their Spirit Hall.

Although she left Tiandou, the connection wasn't severed.

After Tang Chen's return, the Spirit Hall's show of weakness further fueled the ambitions of the two great empires.

They all wanted to get in touch with the Clear Sky Sect, launch a continental war to completely destroy the Spirit Hall, and finally unify the entire continent.

Even without this divine test, the two great empires would still have started a war within ten years.

The two empires must be aware that she and Lu Mingfei are here. The Dai family only let Zhu Zhuqing out with the hope of getting something for nothing.

Whether Zhu Zhuqing can seduce Lu Mingfei or bring back useful information, it's all good.

Zhu Zhuqing was able to survive only because of Lu Mingfei's intimidation. But now that Lu Mingfei has stood against them, what use is there in keeping Zhu Zhuqing, this woman who has disgraced the Dai family?

They might even be hoping Zhu Zhuqing would come here to die, as it would be a way to make use of her and Lu Mingfei by causing them some trouble and resentment.

This is the royal family; Emperor Xingluo and Davis are certainly not benevolent people.

Zhu Zhuqing grew up in the Zhu family and was well aware of the hypocritical principle of prioritizing interests in the royal family.

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent again, suddenly feeling a chill all over her body.

Originally, she was only shocked by the news that Lu Mingfei and Qian Renxue were together. Now, after Qian Renxue reminded her, it was strange that she was not locked up but escaped so easily.

"Stay and become my maid." Qian Renxue had found something interesting.

In fact, she never intended to use Zhu Zhuqing to persuade the Zhu family to surrender, since Zhu Zhuqing's status was completely insignificant.

Her only concern was that during the battle with Xingluo, Lu Mingfei might be distracted by Zhu Zhuqing.

No man is a good one, especially towards women who have liked them, particularly soft-hearted men like Lu Mingfei.

She cared more about this war than anyone else, and the key to it was Bibi Dong and Lu Mingfei.

Bibi Dong might not be able to be relied upon; for her, Lu Mingfei is everything.

She had carefully considered all the reasons that could lead to Lu Mingfei's failure. Originally, she had planned to send a Title Douluo to the Star Luo Empire to kidnap Zhu Zhuqing before the war began.

But now those idiots in the Dai family have actually given her their only valuable bargaining chip for free. It's like a pillow being delivered when you're sleepy, saving her a lot of trouble.

"I understand." Having figured everything out, Zhu Zhuqing nodded directly, knowing that she had no other choice.

She has only survived this long because of Lu Mingfei's brilliance; now it's just a different way of doing it.

"Very good, no wonder you can make Mingfei remember you." Qian Renxue stood up and nodded with satisfaction as she looked at Zhu Zhuqing, whose mindset had changed.

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare," Zhu Zhuqing said respectfully, bowing his head.

Qian Renxue walked up to her with a teasing smile, and lifted her chin. This second young lady of the Zhu family was equally beautiful.

Looking into the other person's stubborn eyes, she said with amusement, "It's not that I don't want to, but that I dare not."

Zhu Zhuqing stiffened, wanting to shake her head, but was stopped by Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue chuckled softly and whispered in her ear, "But it's alright, maybe you'll have that chance."

The voice was very soft, so soft that even with Zhu Zhuqing's cultivation level, it sounded like a breeze. But it was this breeze that made her heart skip a beat.

"From now on, all the housework will be your responsibility. Also, stop wearing that tight-fitting outfit and change into something loose and comfortable so you can do the work. Mingfei needs to focus entirely on his cultivation from now on," Qian Renxue said, turning around to give her instructions.

Actually, she had wanted to arrange a maid at home for a long time, but Mingfei had never agreed, on the grounds that he felt it was unnecessary to have another person. Now, he had no reason to refuse this person.

"Your subordinate obeys." Zhu Zhuqing quickly replied. Unlike Ning Rongrong, she was not pampered since childhood. On the contrary, she could handle simple tasks, as for cooking.

She glanced at Qian Renxue as she walked into the kitchen.

When Lu Mingfei returned after purchasing the ingredients, he almost had a heart attack when he saw Qian Renxue and Zhu Zhuqing playing with fire in the kitchen. Good heavens, they actually used the true fire of the sun to start a fire and melted the pot.

Qian Renxue smiled awkwardly, while Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and dared not speak.

Lu Mingfei felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange: "You guys go out, I'll leave this to you. And Zhu Qing, you're a guest, how can I let you do the work?"

After saying that, he tried to shoo the two of them out, but Qian Renxue suddenly spoke up: "Mingfei, you're wrong about that. Zhuqing has already accepted the invitation and joined the Spirit Hall. Now she's my maid, and we'll be taking care of our daily needs from now on."

“Your Highness is right,” Zhu Zhuqing immediately chimed in.

That speed, are you the Flash?

Lu Mingfei stared wide-eyed at Qian Renxue. Although he had mentioned this last night, he had managed to win her over in the short time it took him to buy groceries.

In the end, Qian Renxue sat in the courtyard waiting, while Zhu Zhuqing listened to Lu Mingfei's explanation and took notes by the window.

Qian Renxue looked at the moonlight, listened to the sea breeze, and felt a strange sense of peace as Lu Mingfei murmured to her, yet also felt somewhat dazed.

In fact, she always knew that Lu Mingfei was hiding something in his heart.

The more you try to hide your feelings, the more they will show in your eyes; the less you say, the easier it is to see them elsewhere.

During the two years they spent together, there were several times when she almost couldn't hold back, but Lu Mingfei seemed to be restraining himself the whole time.

He was afraid she would get hurt, just as he was afraid he himself might disappear at any moment.

Chapter 299 Unworthy Son

Qian Renxue didn't know where Lu Mingfei's subtle sadness came from.

But she wouldn't ask. That might be something even gods couldn't reach, but at least she had the present, this moment.

And that distant future, she will experience it together, face it together.

As for Zhu Zhuqing, a mere maidservant was more of a condiment than anything else.

Thinking of this, Qian Renxue couldn't help but smile, as if she had thought of something particularly interesting.

"Dinner is ready."

Lu Mingfei and Zhu Zhuqing carried the food out of the kitchen. He glanced cautiously at Qian Renxue, who seemed to be lost in some indescribable thought, and couldn't help but shudder.

Although he knew Qian Renxue wasn't that petty, something still felt off.

This complex relationship is simply bizarre.

Is it that he can't keep up with the version updates, or is the world changing too fast?

"Could it be some kind of perverse hobby?" Lu Mingfei thought to himself, trembling as he recalled various tropes from the visual novels he had seen before.

However, even if it's just some kind of perverse quirk, Qian Renxue probably wouldn't do anything too outrageous to Zhu Zhuqing.

Furthermore, becoming a handmaid of the future Angel God is an opportunity that every female Soul Master in the Spirit Hall would fight tooth and nail for.

Moreover, judging from Zhu Zhuqing's reaction just now, there was no obvious sign that she had been wronged. Thinking about it, given Qian Renxue's status, the benefits of giving Zhu Zhuqing a little guidance would be unimaginable, and Zhu Zhuqing might even be willing to do so.

Thinking of this, Lu Mingfei finally relaxed a little. He really needed to seize the time and give it his all in the coming year.

Even without Zhu Zhuqing, he would have mentioned finding a maid to take care of him. Now that everything is settled, he needs to focus his attention on cultivation.

After the meal, Zhu Zhuqing neatly cleared the table of dishes, and Lu Mingfei also got up to go back to his room to tidy up.

"You're sleeping at my place tonight."

"Huh?" Lu Mingfei was stunned for a moment, still not quite used to the change in his identity.

"Don't you even consider whether your dilapidated house is habitable?" Qian Renxue said, her face slightly flushed, and turned to go back to her room.

Lu Mingfei touched his forehead, and two little figures in his mind immediately started arguing.

"What happened to your promise to study diligently? How can you act like a beast every day?"

"But you can't be worse than an animal. Tomorrow, definitely tomorrow."

"Going to play cards again tomorrow, right, Lu Shizhi?"

……

Lu Mingfei was torn between his inner thoughts and his physical actions, but his body had already been slowly making its way towards Qian Renxue's door.

As a faint, self-deceptive sound of a door closing rang out, Zhu Zhuqing, who was silently washing dishes in the kitchen, glanced at the moon outside the window and sighed inwardly.

Although he had realized his true identity, this blatant act of arrogance was truly baffling.

Especially tonight, it seems the two of them have no intention of turning on the soundproofing at all.

So they really don't treat her like an outsider, right?

-

Just as Lu Mingfei was caught in some strange and precarious situation, a well-organized group of people slowly emerged from an ordinary forest at the foot of an inconspicuous mountain range outside Tiandou City, along a winding and secluded path.

The dim moonlight shone almost imperceptibly into the dark forest. The strong figure in the black robe at the head tilted his head, and his men immediately spread out to remain on guard.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, the moonlight flashed across the sky, and everyone felt a chill run down their spines, as if they were being watched by something terrifying. They even had to be careful with their breathing.

Only the leader breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hand to remove his hood, revealing a cascade of golden hair like a lion's.

An unusually hearty and unrestrained laugh came from his mouth: "Sect Master Xiaotian, it's been a long time."

"Your Highness Davis, it's been a long time."

Tang Xiao emerged from the shadows of the woods, and everyone present bowed deeply to him.

The Star Luo Empire and the Haotian Sect have been allies for hundreds of years, and even during the past ten years or so since the sect was sealed, the Star Luo Empire has provided a great deal of assistance.

Otherwise, even if Yue Xuan were highly sought after by nobles in Tian Dou, Haotian Sect would not be able to support the daily cultivation needs of its disciples with just Yue Xuan.

Because the Haotian Sect is located in the Tiandou Empire, they have special, secret channels for contacting the Star Luo royal family, and this forest is one of them.

Even Davis hadn't expected that the sect leader of the Haotian Sect would come to see him in person.

"My father has asked me to convey his regards to the elders of the Haotian Sect, as well as to Senior Tang Chen." Davis performed a royal salute.

"Please convey this to His Majesty, and I will certainly relay it." Tang Xiao nodded slightly, but his face remained largely expressionless.

Everyone knew perfectly well why Xingluo had come today—it was nothing more than another attempt to win people over. The reason he came in person wasn't because he valued the matter, but because he had absolutely no one else to rely on.

Before leaving, Tang Chen ordered that, apart from himself as the sect leader, all disciples of the Haotian Sect were forbidden from participating in any further conflicts on the continent.