Chapter 154: with translation of chapter title

Inside the Princess's residence, Su Yun huddled, head down, standing in the shadow on one side.

Just now, Xu Jiu Jiu and Xing Yun Douluo used a mix of intimidation and enticement; she told the other everything she knew. Though she wasn't sure if this was a bit unfair to the young lady of her family, Su Yun inexplicably felt it was fine, after all…

Those who understand the times are heroes… Miss… she probably wouldn't blame me, right?

On the other side, Xu Jiu Jiu sat alone on that familiar soft couch, Xing Yun Douluo standing nearby, watching Xu Jiu Jiu's tangled expression, and gently said, "Your Highness, don't overthink it. Shu Yan has lived with us for almost ten years; you know him best, he's not that kind of person…"

Xu Jiu Jiu lifted her azure eyes, then gently shook her head.

"Of course I know Shu Yan isn't that kind of person; I'm only worried that this matter will affect him personally."

"He is extremely rational in his cultivation plans and in handling other matters, but when it comes to emotions he has a notable flaw. I'm glad he can find his family and relatives, and I hope he can reunite with them soon. Though he has given up investigating his origins these years, I can feel he still deeply yearns for familial affection…"

Xing Yun Douluo chuckled while looking at Xu Jiu Jiu, then remarked, "Your Highness truly is the one who knows Shu Yan best; it's just this old woman overthinking…"

Xu Jiu Jiu gave a helpless smile and then said:

"Grandma Man Yi, please don't joke, you're still young; after you break through to Super Douluo in the future, you'll have at least a few more decades of life."

Xing Yun Douluo only smiled lightly and said nothing more.

A faint sound came from outside; as soon as Xu Jiu Jiu glanced that way, Shu Yan entered, bringing Su Tong with him.

"Shu Yan…"

Xu Jiu Jiu's eyes flickered, then she quickly rose to meet her.

Shu Yan spread his arms to catch the rushing girl, stroked her soft golden hair, lowered his head to glance at her pale feet, then said helplessly, "How many times have I told you not to run around barefoot? You just don't listen…"

Xu Jiu Jiu's gaze swept over Su Tong and Xing Yun Douluo, then she lowered her head a bit embarrassedly.

She worried Shu Yan might be overdoing it, almost forgetting there were others present.

As for Su Yun, after asking her question she almost forgot this person existed.

Su Yun, seeing Su Tong return safely, hurried forward to stand behind her and whispered something.

Throughout, Su Tong's expression never changed; she only twitched slightly when Xu Jiu Jiu fell into Shu Yan's arms, then returned to calm.

Shu Yan placed Xu Jiu Jiu back onto the couch, Xing Yun Douluo smiled lightly at the two, then vanished, while Shu Yan began introducing Su Tong to Xu Jiu Jiu.

"This is Su Tong, my… biological elder sister."

Shu Yan paused, then said.

Xu Jiu Jiu looked at Su Tong, her expression a bit dazed, and after a moment said softly, "Hello, I am Xu Jiu Jiu, Shu Yan's lover."

Su Tong gave a courteous nod; for some reason, watching the intimacy between Xu Jiu Jiu and Shu Yan made her feel uneasy, especially recalling Shu Yan's feelings toward his childhood friend—if she guessed correctly, their early dynamic resembled that of siblings…

There seemed little to discuss between the two women, and Shu Yan sensed the odd atmosphere. He helped Xu Jiu Jiu put on a pair of soft shoes, seated Su Tong and her, then said to Xu Jiu Jiu, "Later I need to go see my… parents. Their condition isn't good; these years, my disappearance has severely damaged their spirits and their health has declined. Jiujiu, will you come with me?"

Xu Jiu Jiu's mind went blank for a moment, then quickly flushed with a faint pink.

She had thought meeting the parents would never happen to her, but now it did, catching her completely off guard.

"I… I will go."

After a moment of hesitation, she quickly made her choice.

Shu Yan patted her head, then looked at Su Tong and said, "There are plenty of rooms in the Princess's residence; you stay for now. I need to handle something, at most two days."

Su Tong quickly nodded. Su Yun watched Shu Yan with a complex, surprised expression, but said nothing; in fact, she had no right to speak at all.

Don't be fooled by her being a titled Douluo; her soul power is only level 92, and her martial soul isn't strong—it's an Ice Butterfly, one of the weakest soul beasts in the far north, at the bottom of the food chain. Ice silkworms and snow rabbits have their own specialties, but the Ice Butterfly, aside from flight, is remarkably mediocre in all other aspects.

Even its sole usable skill—flight—has notable drawbacks; compared to other same‑level martial souls with flight, the Ice Butterfly's speed and stamina are far inferior. If there's no benchmark it's okay, but once compared, the gap is obvious.

Shu Yan doubted how she could achieve a titled Douluo at this age, and judging by her displayed temperament, she truly is an outlier among titled Douluos…

…

Elsewhere, on the fourth floor of the Star Emperor Grand Hotel.

Han Ruoruo, wrapped only in a bath towel, stepped out of the steam‑filled bathroom. Under the bright lights, her graceful figure was fully visible, her fair skin warm as jade, her face stunningly beautiful. She glanced at Zhang Lexuan, who sat at the head of the bed in pajamas looking dazed, then pulled back the blanket and got onto the bed.

Leaning against Zhang Lexuan's shoulder, Han Ruoruo let out a soft sigh and said:

"Lexuan, what do you think of today's incident?"

Zhang Lexuan was momentarily stunned, then said softly, "I'm not quite sure, but based on what we know, our arrival was oddly timed; we happened to encounter this situation."

Su Tong was in the hotel at the time, so they heard everything clearly, recognizing each other… Honestly, Zhang Lexuan never expected such a thing.

Han Ruoruo saw Zhang Lexuan still looking obviously preoccupied, and asked, "What do you plan to do next?"

"Hmm?"

Zhang Lexuan didn't grasp it right away. Han Ruoruo wasn't annoyed, just said softly, "They unintentionally avenged your family's deep blood feud. If the other side asks you to leave the academy and join them, what would you choose?"

"This…"

Zhang Lexuan was at a loss; Han Ruoruo's question wasn't something she hadn't thought about before, but now that it was laid out, she truly didn't know how to decide.

"The academy has nurtured and trained me, and they avenged my family's deep blood feud—a great gratitude. If the situation you described, Ruoruo, truly arises, I genuinely wouldn't know what to choose."

Zhang Lexuan said softly that she has feelings for the Steele Academy; that cannot change. Yet beyond that, she values this gratitude more. Her original purpose in joining the Steele Academy was to uncover the truth and avenge her parents' family; although she hasn't been able to slay the enemy, the obsession in her heart has faded, which is a kind of alternative liberation.

Han Ruoruo looked at Zhang Lexuan with a complicated expression, then suddenly said softly:

"Lexuan, tell me honestly, what exactly is your view of Beibei…?"

Zhang Lexuan's expression froze, a hint of bewilderment appearing in her eyes.

"I don't even know what I'm thinking; since learning the family's great revenge was fulfilled, I've suddenly felt much lighter. Later, with Elder Mu's counsel, I seem… no longer place that much importance on it…"

Han Ruoruo stared at Zhang Lexuan for a while, then smiled lightly and said:

"You can ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………… …………………… …… …… …… …… ……… …………………… ……………………… ……… ……………… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …"

"Honestly, when I saw that white‑haired boy today, I actually felt a flutter. If his aura weren't so cold and a bit warmer, I think he'd be the type I like."

Zhang Lexuan looked at Han Ruoruo's pretty face with particular surprise, suddenly finding this side of Ruoruo somewhat unbelievable.

Han Ruoruo's beauty is recognized throughout the inner courtyard; she carries a gentle scholarly aura, yet she isn't entirely soft—she's quite strong, her watery eyes inspire imagination. In terms of looks, she even subtly outshines many.

Such is Han Ruoruo: after years of cultivation at Steele Academy, she has never shown affection toward any opposite sex. Among the many female disciples of the inner courtyard, few have partners; now Ruoruo saying such words is truly rare.

"That boy should be far younger than us, yet his aura is far from weak; his cultivation must be at least Soul King level, definitely a top‑tier prodigy."

"However… I see that the princess and that young man have a rather close relationship. What? Are you going to go and steal a man from a princess of a nation?"

Zhang Lexuan teased Han Ruoruo with a remark, but recalling her own feelings at that time, she couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised.

Her moon martial soul had already been an extreme existence among the yin-cold attribute, but today she simultaneously felt a chill on the three of them; recalling the scene in the hall today, her brows involuntarily furrowed slightly.

Han Ruoruo, on the other hand, completely failed to notice Zhang Lexuan's oddness; she was immersed in her own world, her snow-white pretty face slightly flushed, completely the look of a lovestruck maiden.

"Although snatching a man from a foreign princess isn't very realistic, he really does match my aesthetic perfectly. Speaking of which, I only just realized that I actually like this type of man. Too bad, my first love, which hadn't even begun, was cut off midway. I really don't know how long I'll have to stay single before I meet someone suitable……"

Zhang Lexuan merely smiled upon hearing that, then softly said:

"With your talent and looks, let alone a man, if you're willing, Shrek Academy and even the Three Great Empires would likely have tens of thousands of men for you to choose from……"

"Lexuan!"

Han Ruoruo felt a bit embarrassed, she directly pounced on Zhang Lexuan, the two close friends tussled for a moment, then turned off the still-lit desk lamp, preparing to rest.

In the darkness, Han Ruoruo's breathing gradually became slow and steady, but Zhang Lexuan just couldn't fall asleep; she got up, went to the wine cabinet outside the bedroom, took out a bottle of red wine, then came to the balcony, casually sat on a rattan chair, and poured herself a glass of red wine.

The crimson liquid swirled in the cup; Zhang Lexuan took a light sip, then promptly set the glass down.

She didn't particularly like this flavor; as for alcohol, she could accept certain specific tastes, such as the fruit wine brewed by the inner academy dining hall of Shrek Academy, and for example, the moonlight brew, a specialty of the Heavenly Soul homeland, but she found it hard to adapt to the overly mellow wine of the Star Luo Empire.

Han Ruoruo's question just now woke her up; if what she spoke of were to really happen, what should she do, how should she decide—this problem troubled her, leaving her completely sleepless, and instead she grew increasingly bewildered about it.

She had said before that, to repay this kindness, she could even offer her own life. Just as she had unhesitatingly accepted Master Mu's conditions back then, if the other party took a fancy to her, frankly, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.

And while Zhang Lexuan was wistfully pondering, Su Tong in the princess's residence likewise fell into a hint of wistfulness.

Vast courtyards were filled with all kinds of flowers and plants; under the night sky, specks of luminous light flickered, very beautiful.

Su Tong sat at a stone table; even the guest rooms in Xu Jiu Jiu's princess mansion still had a not-small courtyard where one could gaze upon the endless stars or enjoy tea and conversation, but Su Tong merely stared blankly at the table before her, lost in thought.

Shu Yan's attitude toward them held no blame whatsoever; although he didn't show much, Su Tong sensed both care and worry from him, proving he still cared for this sister of hers and for their parents, whom they'd been separated from for over a decade.

Su Yun had been dispatched by her to deliver a letter; her attitude was firm, not allowing Su Yun to rebut, and she firmly believed Shu Yan would not harm her—of course, even if he did, she wouldn't say much more.

From Shu Yan's account she gained a rough understanding of his childhood living beside Xu Jiu Jiu; a nameless emotion surged in her heart—on one hand, she felt grateful to Xu Jiu Jiu and the Star Luo imperial family for their care and nurturing of Shu Yan; on the other hand, she sensed she might be envying Xu Jiu Jiu.

From childhood she had sworn to be a good older sister, yet her younger brother, due to an accident, had been separated from her for over ten years; when they met again, he was like a stranger, every gesture formal and distant; she longed for Shu Yan to regard her as a true older sister, not as a guest or friend—this feeling made Su Tong uncomfortable, but she could do nothing about it.

She missed Shu Yan's entire youth, also missing the golden period to cultivate feelings with him; were the events of those years truly unrelated to her, or even to her parents?

Su Tong did not think so.

If it weren't for the father suddenly deciding to bring along the mother, who had just given birth not long ago and was unwell from the journey, and their sister and brother to go to Star Luo to visit a friend; if it weren't for her being playful and going to the carriage where her aunt was; if it weren't for her being afraid of thunder and wanting her mother to keep her company a little longer; if it weren't for the father's negligence causing them to lose the best rescue opportunity—then would all this perhaps become a completely different picture? Su Tong thought and thought, and tears slowly streamed down, because in this world there never are any 'ifs'; 'if' is merely an expression of regret and pain. A small request made at age four has, to this day, become the cause of a tremendous change in her disposition, and furthermore makes her, in countless midnight dreams, recall that tender, lovable face, involuntarily shedding tears. If possible, she very much hopes that all the 'ifs' in her life never appear again……

……

8k done, today I'm exhausted to death; now really, doing anything is a hassle, the previously simple steps have become ridiculously complicated—let alone the elderly, even I'm dazed; various documents needing stamps and such have to be run to different places, no wonder those people's work efficiency is low; if it were me, I probably wouldn't have the patience to get one person done.

(End of Chapter)