Zhu Zhuyun took her sister's hand and began walking again, though her steps seemed a little heavier than before.
After leading Lin Xia into his room, Zhu Zhuyun spoke directly:
"Brother Lin Xia, if you need anything, just tell the maids outside. We'll arrange it."
Lin Xia nodded upon hearing this. Zhu Zhuyun, perhaps affected by his earlier question, no longer seemed in the mood to talk. After a few brief exchanges, she quickly took her leave.
Standing where he was, Lin Xia looked at the tightly closed door, shook his head slightly, and a faint smile curved at his lips.
Zhu Zhuyun's reaction had confirmed his guess, the shackles of fate binding the women of the Zhu family were even heavier than she had let on.
"Larvitar?"
Larvitar jumped down from his shoulder, its little claws tugging at his pant leg. Its crimson eyes were filled with inquiry, as if asking what to do next.
"It's nothing, little guy."
Lin Xia bent down and rubbed its head, which had become even harder, faintly emitting a dark red sheen.
"Let's tidy up and prepare to cultivate. We're still far from our goal."
He quickly organized the room, though there wasn't much to arrange, mainly putting away a few changes of clothes and personal items.
Then, he sat cross-legged on the cushioned couch by the window, signaling Larvitar to stand guard nearby.
Closing his eyes, his Soul Power flowed like a gentle stream through his meridians. He familiarized himself with the strength of Level 25, while also sensing the divine dragon bones within the storage space of his Soul Tool, each radiating immense pressure and an ancient will.
As his consciousness sank into them, it felt as though he could hear the whispers of dragon souls, sensing the apocalyptic power sealed within such a small space.
Lin Xia tried to understand and communicate, even the slightest mental contact was a form of training and tempering for his spiritual power.
Time passed quietly in his cultivation.
The setting sun's afterglow streamed through the ornate window lattice, casting long, slanted shadows across the room.
The small courtyard deep within the Zhu residence was especially tranquil.
However, just as Lin Xia's mind settled into the dragon bones and his Soul Power completed a steady circulation, an extremely faint, almost imperceptible sense of being watched brushed across his skin like a feather.
This feeling carried no malice. Instead, it felt like the pure curiosity of a child. Yet, to Lin Xia's far superior spiritual perception, it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.
Lin Xia suddenly opened his eyes!
His dark golden pupils sharpened like an eagle's, instantly locking onto the source of the gaze, the half-open carved wooden window.
Beneath the window frame, a small head cautiously peeked out.
Soft, jet-black hair was tied into two adorable buns, with a few strands playfully falling beside her fair, delicate cheeks.
A pair of clear, obsidian-like eyes stared at him without blinking, filled with pure curiosity and a hint of panic at being caught.
It was Zhu Zhuqing, who had returned!
Lin Xia's tense nerves relaxed instantly, and an amused, slightly doting smile appeared on his face.
He had been completely immersed in sensing the dragon bones and cultivating, and had failed to notice this little one sneaking up.
"Zhuqing?"
Lin Xia stood up, walked to the window, and leaned slightly forward to look at the girl, who was only showing her small head beneath the sill.
"Did you come to find me? Is there something you need?"
Having been discovered, Zhu Zhuqing's face reddened slightly. Like a startled little rabbit, she instinctively wanted to retreat, but upon hearing Lin Xia's gentle voice, she gathered her courage and revealed her entire little head.
She looked at Lin Xia eagerly. Her soft pink lips moved slightly as she spoke in a crisp, childish voice, carrying a hint of grievance.
"Brother Lin Xia Sister went out for something, Father is busy with important matters and won't play with me, I'm so bored…"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes were full of longing, like a little kitten left alone at home, desperately in need of a playmate.
Seeing her like this, Lin Xia felt a slight softness in his heart and fell silent for a moment.
The Zhu family's environment might indeed be somewhat oppressive and lonely for such an innocent little girl.
He thought of Zhu Zhuyun's lonely figure as she left, then looked at this small, naive child before him also overshadowed by the weight of her family's fate and sighed inwardly.
"I see…"
Lin Xia smiled gently.
"Then come in."
He walked around from the window to the door and gently opened it.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up as she slipped inside like a small gust of wind, her tiny figure carrying a faint, childlike fragrance.
She curiously looked around Lin Xia's room, but her gaze was soon drawn to Larvitar, who was lying nearby, tilting its head as it observed her as well.
"Larvitar?"
Larvitar also became interested in this little girl who had returned, her aura pure, and let out a questioning cry.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Larvitar's unique magma-like armor and its dark red sheen, her big eyes filled with amazement and curiosity.
She seemed to want to touch it but was a little hesitant. Instead, she pointed at Larvitar with a small finger, then lifted her face and looked at Lin Xia expectantly, asking in a crisp voice:
"Brother Lin Xia, shall we play hide-and-seek?"
"Hide-and-seek?"
Lin Xia was slightly taken aback. This suggestion was rather unexpected.
He had thought the little girl would want to play with dolls or something similar.
"Mm-hmm!"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded her little head vigorously, her bright black eyes sparkling with excitement. As if thinking of something fun, she pointed at Larvitar and added:
"Let it play too! It can look for us, or we can look for it!"
Larvitar seemed to understand the word "play." Its small ears twitched, and a hint of interest appeared in its crimson eyes. It let out a short cry, "Larvitar!" as if saying, "Okay, okay!"
Looking at the expectant gazes of these two "children," Lin Xia suddenly felt that relaxing once in a while wasn't such a bad idea.
His constantly tense nerves needed a brief respite, and this could also make the lonely little girl in front of him happy.
"Alright."
Lin Xia agreed with a smile, a sense of ease he hadn't even noticed himself.
"How do you want to play? What are the rules?"
Seeing that Lin Xia agreed, Zhu Zhuqing happily jumped in place, a bright smile blooming across her face.
"We'll play in this courtyard! The boundary… we can't leave the courtyard! We'll use rock-paper-scissors, whoever loses will be 'it' and has to cover their eyes and count… um… count to one hundred! Then go find the others! Whoever gets found first becomes 'it' next!"
As she spoke, Zhu Zhuqing raised her small hands to gesture, doing her best to explain the rules clearly.
"Alright, we'll do as you say."
Lin Xia nodded readily, then looked at Larvitar. "Little guy, did you understand the rules? If you lose, you have to honestly cover your eyes and count."
Larvitar nodded its little head vigorously, letting out an affirmative "Larvitar!"
"Then let's start with rock-paper-scissors!"
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