Everything Lin Xia had done was cleverly concealed beneath the guise of "childish mischief," "thoughtless coincidence," and "the goodwill of the Blacksmith Association's young master."
He had never directly spoken words of comfort to Zhu Zhuqing, nor had he ever openly rebuked those snobbish servants.
He simply acted in silence, like an invisible barrier, shielding that quiet girl from some of the malice that came her way unexpectedly, leaving behind a trace of warmth so small it seemed insignificant, yet perhaps the most precious thing in the darkness.
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent. She still shut herself away inside that cold little courtyard.
She no longer came to see Lin Xia, as though she had severed all ties with the outside world's warmth.
But Lin Xia knew she had felt it.
Because every time he had "coincidentally" helped her, in some unguarded moment—when he saw her staring blankly from the window in the distance, or when the two of them "happened" to meet along a garden path, her lowered eyelashes would tremble ever so slightly, the fingers clutching her book would tighten a little, and the icy aura around her that kept others away would seem to freeze for just a moment.
That was enough, Lin Xia thought.
The dawn over Star Luo City quietly spread across the stone-paved streets.
Lin Xia had just finished his usual morning training. Larvitar rested on his shoulder, its crimson eyes half-closed as it enjoyed the morning breeze.
After this period of steady growth, the dark red sheen of its armor had become increasingly restrained. Yet the faint aura it occasionally leaked was heavy and profound, carrying the majesty of ancient dragon blood, a strange contrast to its youthful appearance.
Just as Lin Xia was about to head to the Blacksmith Association to deal with daily matters, a figure blocked his path.
Zhu Zhuyun.
Unlike the dignified elegance she had shown when they first met, there was now an unshakable gloom and weariness between her brows.
She wore the fitted combat attire symbolic of the Zhu Family of Star Luo, outlining the budding curves of youth, but her gaze was sharp as an eagle's, fixed firmly on Lin Xia.
"Little Brother Xia."
Zhu Zhuyun spoke, her voice deliberately calm, though the complicated emotions within it could not be hidden.
"Can we talk? About Zhuqing."
Lin Xia paused. Larvitar on his shoulder also raised its head alertly, its crimson eyes turning toward Zhu Zhuyun as a low growl rumbled from its throat.
Lin Xia gently patted the little creature and nodded calmly.
"Sister Zhuyun, please speak."
Under Zhu Zhuyun's lead, the two of them went to a relatively secluded teahouse on a street corner. She booked a private room.
After sitting down, she did not touch the tea on the table. Instead, she looked directly and honestly at Lin Xia.
"Little Brother Xia, I know that recently... you've been 'helping' Zhuqing."
Lin Xia lifted his teacup and blew away the steam. He did not deny it.
"She's too young. The training is too harsh. I simply couldn't stand it."
"Couldn't stand it?"
Zhu Zhuyun repeated the words, a bitter and helpless smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"I know you are extraordinarily talented and full of pride. You don't even care for invitations from Spirit Hall or the Star Luo Empire. You act according to your own principles. If something is enough for you to 'not stand,' then it must truly have crossed your bottom line. On Zhuqing's behalf, I thank you for that kindness. Truly."
Her tone was sincere, but then her expression changed, becoming firm beyond question.
"But, Little Brother Xia, I ask you please stop helping Zhuqing."
Lin Xia set down his teacup. His dark golden eyes met Zhu Zhuyun's directly.
"Why? Because of your Zhu Family's rules? The fate of the Hell Civet?"
"Yes!"
Zhu Zhuyun answered without hesitation.
"This is the foundation on which the Star Luo Empire stands, the iron law passed down for a thousand years between the Dai and Zhu families! The victor lives, the loser dies or is stripped of everything and imprisoned for life! There is no third path!"
Her voice rose slightly, carrying an almost cruel clarity.
"Zhuqing will have to face all of this sooner or later! If she cannot prepare herself now, if she cannot rapidly grow under brutal competition and pressure, become strong enough, resilient enough, ruthless enough—"
"Then in the future, when she faces me and faces Davis, she will not have even the slightest chance! What awaits her will be nothing but an abyss of despair!"
Lin Xia fell silent.
He looked at the near-obsessive determination in Zhu Zhuyun's eyes, and the pain surging beneath it like a hidden undercurrent.
He could sense that behind this "warning," there was not only coldness and calculation.
"You care about your sister that much."
Lin Xia's voice was low, carrying a trace of probing curiosity.
"Can't you choose another way? Must she struggle through humiliation, suppression, and isolation? Must she 'grow stronger' through pain and despair? Isn't that too cruel? She's only six years old!"
"Cruel?"
It was as if the word had stabbed Zhu Zhuyun. Her eyes suddenly contracted, then filled with fierce inner conflict and a trace of confusion?
But that struggle lasted only an instant, crushed immediately beneath some heavy set of shackles. Her gaze hardened again, even taking on a sorrow Lin Xia could not understand.
"Yes! It is cruel! These rules themselves are cruel to me, to Zhuqing, to everyone trapped within them! But this is reality! It is a curse carved into our bloodline!"
Her voice trembled with suppressed emotion.
"Little Brother Xia, you possess talent beyond anyone else. You have the protection of a Divine Blacksmith. You even rejected the strongest power on the continent. You can choose what you cannot tolerate. You can choose your own path."
"But Zhuqing cannot! I had no choice! Zhuqing has no choice either! We were born into this arena, where our opponents are each other our own blood-related sisters!"
Zhu Zhuyun grew emotional, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes until her knuckles turned pale.
"For the first few years of Zhuqing's life she was protected too well."
Her voice lowered, carrying deep exhaustion.
"Fathe and some of the elders in the family showered her with far too much 'favor' and 'leniency' she never should have had. They made her think there was still warmth in this world. They made her think competition could stop short of the end. They made her think she could rely on others. That illusion is fatal!"
"Under these rules, weakness, dependence, and wishful thinking are roads to death!"
"If she does not experience real setbacks, if she does not taste humiliation carved into the bone, if she does not fully understand the despair of being isolated and helpless, then she will never truly awaken! She will never struggle with every last drop of blood! She will only… only…"
When Zhu Zhuyun reached that point, it was as though something lodged in her throat, and she could say no more.
Deep fear surfaced in her eyes.
It was fear for her younger sister's future fate—a fate more terrifying to her than death itself: to lose all hope completely and become a prisoner like a walking corpse.
She suddenly turned her gaze away, looking out the window at the busy morning streets of Gengxin City, as if trying to calm the surging emotions within her or perhaps to avoid Lin Xia's eyes, which seemed able to see through the heart.
Several breaths later, she took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the turmoil inside her. Turning back, her expression became calm again, though beneath that calm lay immeasurable complexity.
"In any case, Little Brother Xia."
Zhu Zhuyun's voice regained its earlier composure, even carrying an unquestionable resolve.
"Please do not interfere any further. I will not truly harm her. My methods may be cruel, but this is the only way that, in that future she will be qualified to survive.
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