Heavenly Thief System: Starting in Douluo

Chapter 43: Hello, My Name is "Zhu Qing"

Zhu Zhuyun was someone who cherished her life above all. To survive, she was willing to sacrifice anyone—be it her parents, even her own younger sister.

After a brief moment of hesitation and weighing the pros and cons, Zhu Zhuyun ultimately chose to retreat.

Without knowing the opponent's background or exact strength, she would not act rashly. That was why she had sent the Hyena Lady Soul Elder to take the lead.

Of course, she wouldn't let it end here. Once she found the burly man "A Biao" and the other two Soul Elders, she would make that boy who had ruined her plans understand what cruelty truly meant.

Zhu Zhuyun's departure caused the heavily blood-lost Zhu Zhuqing to finally collapse from weakness, falling limply to the ground.

Zu Zong had always been one to cherish delicate beauty. How could he bear to let such a lovely little girl remain alone in the dangerous Star Dou Great Forest, where soul beasts roamed?

After performing a simple emergency blood-staunching procedure, he scooped her up in a princess carry and brought her back to the hiding spot he had used earlier.

It was a cave that used to house a century-old Black Bear soul beast. After seizing the cave and harvesting its meat, Zu Zong had made it his temporary shelter.

Laying a cotton quilt over the grass bedding, Zu Zong gently placed the little girl down.

Only then did he take a proper look at her: Hmm! Her face was prettier than that rabbit girl's, and she wore a set of black leather clothes. But her chest hadn't developed yet—flatter than that rabbit girl's even. Probably just too young.

However, there were quite a few injuries on her body. Seeing that, Zu Zong couldn't help but frown.

Zu Zong said, "This won't do. If her wounds get infected, it'll be dangerous—and scars are even more unacceptable. I have to treat her. In that case…"

Gulp—he swallowed a mouthful of saliva and slowly unfastened the first button on the little girl's clothing.

Dai Mubai (wearing a green hat): Achoo! Why does it feel like my blond hair is turning green?

By the time Zhu Zhuqing opened her eyes again, night had already fallen.

She saw that her originally blood-soaked black leather outfit was gone, replaced by a form-fitting black outfit similar to Zu Zong's.

As she tried to sit up, she felt a searing pain that made her wince.

Zu Zong, who was roasting bear meat nearby (Zu Zong: Don't ask where the meat came from—the former cave owner donated it), noticed the girl waking up. He rushed over and gently pushed her back down.

"Don't move! I'm not a healing-type soul master. I only gave you emergency treatment. If you don't want scars, lie still."

Zhu Zhuqing raised a delicate eyebrow, and only then did memories of her fainting return.

It seemed someone had rescued her.

Wait a minute—her clothes had been changed. And her abdominal wound... who bandaged it?

She glanced at Zu Zong, whose face was obscured by a black mask, and tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. Her pure body had been completely seen by a strange boy.

Her face flushed and paled in turns. She lay silently under the quilt, her body trembling slightly. Her dark brows were slender, and her large, teary eyes stared at Zu Zong.

Ever since she had first been targeted for assassination by her sister Zhu Zhuyun years ago, this was the second time in her life she had cried. The first time was out of disappointment in her sister; the second was now—over the loss of her chastity.

Zu Zong rolled his eyes. Chastity? Come on! She's just a little girl, not even ten years old. And besides, all I did was bandage her wounds and change her clothes. Those little steamed buns and black lace vest were still on. I didn't see anything.

"Hey hey, little loli—cough, I mean, little girl, why are you crying? I didn't do anything to you. I only helped bandage your wounds."

Zhu Zhuqing asked in a trembling voice, "Why did you take off my clothes?"

Her voice still carried the hint of sobs.

Damn, this is like mud falling into your pants—whether it's poop or not, people think it is!

Am I supposed to tell you I was just following the Zhang Wuji method from the Gigi Lai version of Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber?

—Use the Nine Yang Divine Technique to treat injuries; girls have to take off their clothes, but guys don't.

Clearing his throat, Zu Zong replied seriously, "Ahem, well, I saved you from those three black-clothed attackers, remember? Then you passed out from your injuries, so I brought you here and treated you. For the record, I didn't do anything—I just bandaged your wounds."

Little Zhuqing still looked at Zu Zong with distrust and pressed further: "But if you were just bandaging me, why take off my clothes?"

Zu Zong shot her a look. "If I didn't take off your blood-soaked clothes, how was I supposed to treat that wound on your stomach?"

"So you saw it, didn't you?"

"Nope, I did it with my eyes closed!"

"I don't believe you. (ー`ー)"

"I didn't see anything. If you don't believe me, check your black lace vest—it's still on, isn't it?"

Zu Zong (awkward): Uh… seems like I let that slip.

Zhu Zhuqing (crying): My chastity…

After that brief episode, the two finally stopped arguing, and Zhu Zhuqing's body had recovered enough to barely move.

Just then, the bear meat by the fire finished roasting. In an instant, the rich aroma filled the entire cave.

Gurgle. Zhu Zhuqing's stomach let out an untimely growl, and her face flushed red with embarrassment again.

"You must be hungry, right? Here—this is meat from a century-old Black Bear soul beast. It's an excellent tonic for someone with injuries like yours."

As he spoke, Zu Zong brought a piece of roasted bear meat to Zhu Zhuqing's mouth. It was sprinkled generously with spices he had prepared himself.

Gulp. Zhu Zhuqing swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She was clearly tempted, but still hesitated to open her mouth.

Seeing this, Zu Zong gave a helpless smile and said mildly, "What? Afraid I poisoned it?"

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent, then gave a slight nod, tacitly admitting it.

Fine! If you won't eat, then I will.

Thinking this, Zu Zong took off his black face mask and began enjoying the bear meat. After all, aside from the little girl, there was no one else around. He no longer had to worry about the power behind those three black-clothed assailants.

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up—this was the first time she had seen the face of the boy who saved her. Fair-skinned, strikingly pretty features that rivaled a girl's, paired with a slender build and long, silver-blue hair. For a moment, Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks flushed even deeper, unsure whether it was from embarrassment or hunger.

A boy who looked this good probably wouldn't harm her, right? With that thought, Zhu Zhuqing threw aside her usual reserved demeanor and began devouring the food ravenously.

Zu Zong's roasted bear meat was indeed delicious, and with the addition of his family's special "Zuzu Cumin," the fragrance was even more intense.

Ahem, it was Zhu Zhuqing's first time eating meat like this, and she choked.

Seeing that, Zu Zong smiled faintly and tossed a water pouch in front of her. Zhu Zhuqing caught it, opened it, and took a big gulp before finally catching her breath.

"Hey, little lo—uh, little girl, I still don't know your name. And why were those people chasing you?"

Zhu Zhuqing was briefly stunned.

Only now did she realize that neither she nor her sister had revealed the Nether Spirit Cat martial soul. In other words, her identity was still hidden. To avoid dragging innocent people into trouble, she decided to tell a well-meaning lie.

"Hello! My name is Zhu Qing—'zhu' as in candle, and 'qing' with the water radical. I don't know why those three were chasing me. I came here with my elder to hunt for my second soul ring, and suddenly they ambushed us. I don't even know what's happened to my elder now!"

"Oh," Zu Zong replied calmly.

He could tell this little girl—Zhu Qing—probably wasn't telling the truth. Her story was full of holes.

At first, he even suspected she might be that little kitten Zhu Zhuqing, and the woman in black leading the attackers was her sister Zhu Zhuyun. But one glance at the girl's barely-there chest made him dismiss the thought. There's no way it's that much of a coincidence.

Anyway, once she healed, he'd escort her out of the Star Dou Forest. After that, Zu Zong planned to head to Sunset Forest—he still hadn't found his third soul ring.

"Hello, I'm Zu Zong—'Zu' as in clan, and 'Zong' as in ancestry."

[End of Chapter]

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