Chapter 155: "I'm Here to Sow Discord" A Curious Cat
Their conversation quickly drew attention after all, they were clearly distinguished soul masters, and on top of that, they were all strikingly attractive.
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated for a moment before nodding and heading toward the exit first.
"You're planning to recruit her?"
Dugu Yan leaned close to Han Li's ear, lowering her voice as she asked.
"Recruit her? No, that's not my intention for now. Just a casual chat, nothing more."
Han Li didn't speak aloud, instead using his soul bone ability to transmit his voice into the minds of his companions.
Hearing his response, the group nodded thoughtfully. It was in line with his usual approach. They were just curious what exactly did he plan to talk about with the Zhu family's second daughter?
The teahouse wasn't far just a few dozen steps, and they were already at the entrance.
"Two private rooms."
Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, Han Li took the initiative and spoke.
"Right this way, esteemed guests."
The attendant's smile became noticeably more genuine after all, private rooms required a minimum spend.
Once upstairs, the others exchanged brief words with Han Li before choosing a separate room, leaving him alone with Zhu Zhuqing outside.
"You're not coming in?"
Han Li stepped inside first, picked a random seat, and then looked at Zhu Zhuqing, who was still standing at the door.
She glanced at him before finally walking in and sitting across from him, remaining silent.
Han Li didn't mind. He waited until the server had delivered everything and then motioned for the door to be closed.
Pouring a cup of tea and sliding it toward her, Han Li picked up a grape, ate it, swallowed, and then finally looked at her.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Han Li, Holy Son of Spirit Hall."
As he spoke, he placed his token on the table and slid it toward her.
Zhu Zhuqing neither drank the tea nor picked up the token she simply stared at it for a while, seemingly verifying its authenticity.
After a long pause, she finally lifted her head.
"I don't know what business the Holy Son of Spirit Hall has with me, but I doubt it's as simple as just recognizing me."
"With your status, you should already know my situation. You're aware that I currently hold no value. If you had any intentions, you would be looking for Davis or Dai Mubai instead."
Han Li studied her for a moment before smiling. "Miss Zhuqing, you see things quite clearly. You understand both the current situation and your own position."
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing clenched her fists beneath the table. Saying something herself and hearing someone else say it were two entirely different things.
"I'm here to sow discord."
Then came Han Li's next words. Her tense grip unconsciously loosened, and a hint of surprise flickered across her cold face.
This so called Holy Son of Spirit Hall… wasn't very smart, was he?
He had just outright told her his purpose for approaching her.
"So surprised? I'm just being direct. Even if I hadn't said it, wouldn't you have assumed that anyway?"
Han Li's tone was casual, as if he wasn't speaking to someone who, in some sense, was his enemy.
"You're not afraid I'll walk away right now?"
After a brief silence, Zhu Zhuqing finally spoke.
"The door's right there. No one's stopping you. I just wanted to have a conversation and see if I could stir things up a little. You already said it yourself you're not an important figure. I wouldn't even bother trying to deceive you."
Han Li gestured toward the door, indicating she was free to leave.
Again… It's always like this.
His attitude is no different from that of my father, my sister, or anyone else who knows me.
No one ever believes in me. No one cares about me. They don't even bother offering fake comfort.
All I want is to survive. Is that so wrong?
And yet, she was still forced to chase after Dai Mubai, the one who had abandoned her and fled. He was her only hope.
Zhu Zhuqing thought about this and immediately stood up, heading for the door.
But just as she was about to close it behind her, she heard Han Li's voice once more.
"Looks like the Dai family will soon have another puppet cat. What a pity."
Those words made her pause mid action.
She reopened the door and stepped back inside, looking at Han Li, who had already stood up and was about to leave.
"What did you mean by that just now?"
Zhu Zhuqing was well aware that by stepping back into the room, she might have already made a mistake.
But this time, she chose to trust her instincts.
She knew Han Li had deliberately said those words as she was leaving.
Yet, she still walked back in without hesitation.
After all, she didn't have many choices to begin with. What's one act of defiance? Could things really get any worse than they already are?
She vaguely sensed that when Han Li spoke just now, the emotion in his voice was eerily similar to what her sister had shown when she had told her about Dai Mubai's current situation.
Even though their words were different, the underlying sentiment was the same one that she hated.
To be honest, even after traveling all the way from the Star Luo Empire to Heaven Dou Empire, she still felt lost.
She didn't know if she had made the right choice.
She didn't know if she was searching for Dai Mubai because she still saw hope in him…
Or if she was simply unwilling to let all her years of relentless training be for nothing.
I just want to live. Is that really so difficult?
She had once dreamed of being born into a normal family where even if she didn't have high innate soul power or a so called martial soul fusion ability, at least she wouldn't be trapped like this.
Back then, would she have been able to feel the warmth of family instead of struggling desperately just to survive?
"You already left, didn't you?"
Zhu Zhuqing saw Han Li's infuriating smile and couldn't shake the feeling that he was mocking her.
Forget it it didn't matter.
She closed the door again, returned to her seat, and said nothing, simply staring at Han Li.
"As expected, cats are the most curious creatures in the world."
Han Li chuckled, but Zhu Zhuqing showed no reaction.
She genuinely didn't care. She had never taken pride in being a Netherworld Spirit Cat. On the contrary, she probably hated her martial soul more than anyone else did.
As for being likened to a pet? That didn't bother her either. The Dai family had treated her like one for years it was simply the truth. Why should she be upset just because someone stated it outright?
Besides, even if she was angry, what could she possibly do to the Holy Son of Spirit Hall?
Han Li, seeing her complete lack of reaction, sighed internally.
She was one of the characters he had once liked though back then, it was simply because he thought she was cool. Later, he pitied her.
And, of course, the biggest reason he had definitely found her body attractive.
But then again… she did become a god in the end, so how pitiful was she, really? His feelings were complicated.
Now, sitting across from her, he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.
Zhu Zhuqing carefully observed his shifting expressions, waiting for his answer. The room fell silent.
After a long while, she finally lost patience and spoke first after all, the reason she had stayed was to hear his explanation.
"Now, can you tell me what you meant by that last sentence?"
"Are you sure you want to hear it? I did tell you I'm here to sow discord."
Han Li smirked, as if confirming one last time.
"I know. Whether I believe you or not, I'll decide for myself. That means you've already achieved your goal, hasn't it?"
Zhu Zhuqing replied calmly.
"Dai Mubai's whereabouts and current situation do I need to repeat it for you?" Han Li teased her right from the start.
"Yes."
Zhu Zhuqing had already realized that since she left Star Luo, all of her information was outdated. Regardless of whether what he said was true or false, she would listen.
"Balak Kingdom, Soto City, Shrek Academy an unofficial one at that. You should have already known this."
"The 'Playboy Tiger of Soto City,' the rich young master of the hotels you might have heard those rumors too. But really, all it means is that he's booked a double room at a couple's hotel for a full year. Given the royal family's ways, you probably don't care much about that."
Han Li spoke nonchalantly, sharing semi public information while closely watching Zhu Zhuqing's expression. As expected, she didn't react.
"Now, onto what you care about most his soul power level. Rank 37. Not bad, right?"
Han Li smirked as Zhu Zhuqing finally showed a reaction.
To be fair, reaching Rank 37 at his age was quite impressive, especially considering how much time Dai Mubai spent indulging in pleasure instead of training.
The most absurd part? Between ages twelve and thirteen, Dai Mubai had somehow gained five whole ranks in a single year. Who knew maybe escaping from Star Luo had somehow freed his true potential.
"Not bad at all. It seems he hasn't completely given up."
For the first time, a spark of hope lit up in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.
"Mm, you're right."
Han Li didn't contradict her. Instead, he nodded in agreement.
But Zhu Zhuqing immediately noticed something his outward approval didn't match his true emotions at all.
This is how he plans to sow discord? But he was just praising Dai Mubai's progress…
Zhu Zhuqing had always trusted her intuition it had never led her astray.
"This is your attempt at sowing discord? Or have you not even started yet?"
She questioned him directly. She didn't believe that was all there was to it.
"You're sharp."
Han Li gave her a meaningful look. "Of course, I haven't started yet."
For some reason, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly wanted to leave.
But she quickly suppressed the urge, forcing herself to remain seated and wait for Han Li to speak.
"Good, I like your curiosity. Now, listen carefully."
Han Li's smile widened.
"In the past few years, Spirit Hall has discovered an issue with martial soul fusion techniques. However, our sample size was too small, so the findings weren't made public. But through our experiments, we did obtain some results."
"Our research showed that if a martial soul fusion technique is primarily controlled by one partner, then over time through repeated use and deeper fusion the supporting partner gradually becomes more and more subordinate to the dominant one."
"Their choices, thoughts, and actions will start aligning with the dominant partner, as if being influenced on a subconscious level."
"And in the end, the supporting partner will lose their independent will entirely becoming a completely different person, no longer themselves, but rather a puppet for the dominant soul master."
"Unfortunately, we've only confirmed this phenomenon in three cases so far. We never had the chance to test it on the Netherworld White Tiger."
"Obviously, you and Dai Mubai wouldn't allow us to conduct such a test. What a shame."
"Miss Zhuqing, could you clear this up for me? Is our research correct or not?"
Han Li sighed in apparent regret before looking at Zhu Zhuqing with a curious expression, as if he were merely discussing an academic topic.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing sat there, completely frozen.
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