Chapter 538: What Zhu Zhuqing Needs to Do

"Well, let's just let things take their natural course..."

Qin Jian scratched his head awkwardly.

"Bang!"

The next moment, he flew up as if riding the clouds and mist, spun seven hundred and twenty degrees in the air, and slammed into the lake surface, limbs splayed.

Water splashed everywhere; there was no need to calculate the height of the spray—it was a zero score.

"Glug, glug..."

The lake surface calmed, a few gurgling sounds came from where he had fallen, and it was a long while before a human head finally popped up with a splash.

"Dong'er, don't be like this..."

Qin Jian climbed out of the lake, his face covered in liquid.

Bibi Dong's pretty face was filled with fury; she flipped her hand and slapped down. With a boom, Qin Jian was once again slapped to the bottom of the lake.

"Dong'er, I'll tell you a law: the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen..."

Qin Jian surfaced again: "You have to face your worries head-on..."

Another slap sent him back down...

Everyone: "..."

"Have you vented your anger yet?"

After being slapped down seven or eight more times, Qin Jian finally had the good fortune to stand before Bibi Dong again.

Bibi Dong's expression was helpless: "Can't you just say you won't touch her?"

"This..."

Qin Jian looked ashamed.

"She can't even be fully considered your child, is it really that repulsive?" he asked tentatively.

Bibi Dong sighed softly: "My feelings for her are very complicated. Because the other half of her heritage makes me feel disgusted, I feel both loathing and a certain degree of closeness..."

She looked at Qin Jian and said: "But regardless of whether it is out of loathing or feelings of closeness, I do not want to see any relationship develop between you and her. Do you understand?"

Am I supposed to understand this or not...

Qin Jian's eyes went blank, slowly becoming dazed: "I really don't understand this..."

Bibi Dong was so angry she wanted to slap him again: "Aren't you the one who understands human relationships best? A ten-thousand-year-old monster who has lived so clearly, why are you playing innocent?!"

"Speaking of which, I still need to tell you about the situation with the Star Luo Empire," Qin Jian said, suddenly composing himself.

"Your change of topic is too abrupt."

Bibi Dong glanced at him, showing a look of disdain.

"Ahem, I was just afraid you wouldn't know and it would end in a blunder, wasn't I?"

Qin Jian felt his scalp tingle and forcibly changed the subject: "Dai Mubai is dead this time, and the Star Luo Empire must hate me to death. But they are the ones in the wrong, so even if they have to grit their teeth, they have to agree to my conditions..."

"Dai Mubai is dead?!"

Behind them, the little cat's voice sounded in disbelief.

Qin Jian patted his head, only then remembering that Zhu Zhuqing could barely be considered one of the parties involved.

"Zhuqing, the person who hunted Xiao Wu this time was Dai Mubai."

Qin Jian turned around and said to her: "Not only that, he schemed against me, forcing me into a desperate situation."

"He..."

The shock on Zhu Zhuqing's face faded slightly, replaced by a look of disgust: "You were the one who helped him seize the position of Crown Prince back then; how could he be so ungrateful to this extent?"

"I suppose it's because greed moves the human heart?"

Qin Jian spread his hands, noncommittal.

"Then if he's dead, so be it..." Zhu Zhuqing shook her head.

Although she was somewhat shocked when she first heard it, now that she had accepted it, she felt an unprecedented sense of relief instead.

Finally, she had completely severed ties with her past.

From now on, she was only herself.

Qin Jian smiled and touched her cheek: "I also helped you get some benefits while I was at it."

"What?"

Zhu Zhuqing wore a confused little expression.

"I demanded the position of Head of Family of the Zhu family for you," Qin Jian smiled.

"Ah?!"

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened in confusion: "Can that be demanded? Father would absolutely never allow it, right?"

"He'll have to allow it whether he wants to or not..."

Qin Jian gave a cold smile: "This time, it's not up to them."

"Qin Jian, you're sending a young girl who knows nothing to handle the most complex political family relations; aren't you afraid something will go wrong?" Bibi Dong suddenly interjected.

Qin Jian smiled and patted Zhuqing's head: "It's fine, I will have Guibao Douluo follow her, so even if she messes up, there won't be any danger."

"My point is, you've gone to such lengths to create this situation; can she really handle it well?"

Bibi Dong looked at Zhuqing with great distrust.

Zhuqing frowned: "What situation? What do you need me to do?"

Bibi Dong looked at her, appearing condescending: "The Star Luo Empire has always been an iron bucket, extremely difficult to infiltrate. This time, he demanded two things: one is for all academies in Star Luo to be transferred under the name of the Spirit Hall and be under its jurisdiction, which determines the future of every Spirit Master born in Star Luo. As for the upper echelons of the Star Luo Empire, he demanded the position of Head of Family of the Zhu family..."

She crossed her arms and squinted at Zhuqing: "The goal is simple: to make the Zhu family drift further and further away from the Star Luo Royal Family. This will greatly weaken the power of the Star Luo Royal Family and lay the foundation for us to suppress the Star Luo Empire in the future. So, do you understand now? You are the nail embedded inside the Star Luo Empire."

"Is this for the unification of the Spirit Hall?" Zhuqing realized.

Qin Jian then said to her: "Although it is in preparation for the Spirit Hall to unify the Dalu, it is also to reduce the possibility of war; it is not entirely for selfish gain."

Bibi Dong curled her lip slightly.

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head, looked at Qin Jian, and blinked her beautiful eyes: "Is it you who wants me to do these things? Can splitting the power of the Star Luo Royal Family help you?"

Qin Jian nodded.

"Then leave it to me, although I might not be good at it..."

Zhu Zhuqing touched her long hair: "But I will learn. I needed to learn these things anyway, because I have to change the family's system."

"This kind of thing really isn't useful just by learning it."

Bibi Dong turned to look at Qin Jian: "Do you want to give her some support? Otherwise, she will only have the title of Head of Family, and those old schemers who play dirty tricks will surely be able to easily sideline her."

"I have thought about this, and the support I'm giving is very simple: the supervisory authority over all academies within the Star Luo Empire."

Qin Jian smiled: "As long as these Star Luo Empire nobles still want to send their children to academies to cultivate, they must beg Zhuqing. In this way, the external momentum is formed. As for the internal, with Guibao Douluo there, no one will dare to openly oppose the Head of Family Token, so it will be much easier to operate."

"You thought of all this in such a short time back then?"

Bibi Dong glanced at him sideways: "I often think sometimes, if you didn't advocate for open schemes but instead liked underhanded ones, would I have already fallen into your hands?"

"No, no, no, everyone has things they are good at and things they are not. Old schem—ahem, you are better at being a schemer." Qin Jian tucked his hands into his sleeves.

Bibi Dong rolled her eyes at him: "In the end, didn't I still fall into your hands..."

Qin Jian spread his hands.

"I say..."

Just at this moment, Xiao Wu, who had not spoken the whole time, suddenly opened her mouth, her voice clear and beautiful, with a cute, fierce little expression: "This Pope, can you leave the Star Dou Great Forest? You are not welcome here..."

(End of this chapter)