The low murmuring voice faded away in the empty hall, leaving no response.
That faint fluctuation, so weak it was almost negligible did not draw much of his attention. He merely treated it as a normal disturbance in the movement of the stars, and quickly returned to his cultivation.
The carriage wheels rolled over the dirt road, producing a dull and monotonous rumbling sound, inch by inch leaving the dark green silhouette of the vast silent Mountain Range behind like a primordial beast sinking into the distance.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was as heavy as frozen lead.
Zhu Zhuqing's small body was tightly curled up in a corner of the carriage. She tilted her face, resting her forehead against the slightly dusty window, her unfocused gaze watching the rapidly receding and gradually widening plains outside.
Bright sunlight poured down, making her narrow her eyes slightly, yet it could not dispel the thick shadow in her eyes.
The towering, cold outline of Star Luo City's walls on the horizon looked like a steel behemoth lying in wait, silently baring its fangs, waiting for her return.
Lin Xia sat opposite her, a worn parchment map of rare mineral ores spread across his lap, though his eyes were not on it.
He could clearly sense the resistance emanating from the child across from him, heavy and suffocating, like damp cotton wrapping around her until she could barely breathe.
It was the instinctive retreat of someone facing a known storm, the fear of a cub toward a cruel nest.
He let out a silent sigh.
After all, within this seven-year-old body was the experience of over twenty years from another life, enough to forge a hardened mental barrier.
But Zhuqing she was only six.
The awakening of her Netherworld Cat Soul had not brought hope, but rather a verdict that cast her into the icy depths of her family.
So Lin Xia could understand her feelings, she did not want to go back.
The carriage jolted as the wheel hit a protruding stone. Zhuqing's body bounced slightly before falling back into her seat, letting out a suppressed grunt.
She quickly lowered her head, her long bangs falling forward, hiding the faint redness in her eyes and her tightly bitten lower lip.
Lin Xia closed the parchment in his hands. The soft rustle of leather echoed faintly.
He stood up and moved to sit beside her.
The narrow carriage space immediately felt more cramped. The Larvitar, which had been dozing on his shoulder, was startled awake and let out a displeased "Larvitar," tugging at his collar as it curiously peeked toward Zhuqing.
Lin Xia reached out his hand naturally and gently placed it on Zhuqing's soft black hair, slowly ruffling it.
Her hair carried the fine softness unique to a young girl, mixed with the dust of travel.
Zhuqing's body stiffened instinctively for a moment, but she did not avoid it.
The warmth from his palm was the only real comfort she could grasp at this moment.
"Zhuqing."
Lin Xia's voice was not loud, but it was steady, cutting through the sound of the carriage wheels and clearly entering her ears.
"Are you afraid?"
Zhuqing did not look at him, still stubbornly staring out the window.
After a long time, so long that Lin Xia thought she would not answer, he finally heard a faint, nasal voice squeeze out from her lips.
"…Mm."
"I know."
Lin Xia's hand did not leave the top of her head, the gentle stroking carrying a steady, calming rhythm.
"In that city there's a father waiting to discipline you, an elder sister who sees you as a sharpening stone, servants who look down on the weak and flatter the strong, those cold rules, and that Dai Mubai who is also trapped by the same fate."
"Every face, every word, even every breath, you feel like it all presses down on you, making it hard to breathe. You just want to run far away, right?"
Zhu Zhuqing's breathing suddenly tightened. Her shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably.
Lin Xia's words were like a precise blade, slicing open the fear and grievance she had been desperately suppressing.
She clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her fingernails dug deep into her palms, using the sharp pain to fight back the rising tide of emotion.
"Escaping won't help, Zhuqing."
Lin Xia's voice lowered, yet carried an unquestionable weight, like a boulder sinking into deep water.
"No matter what's waiting for you there—whether it's thunderous fury, cold ridicule, or even colder isolation. we still have to go back. We still have to face it."
He leaned forward slightly, forcing Zhu Zhuqing to lift her head a little.
His gaze was sharp as a blade, piercing straight into her mist-covered black eyes that stubbornly refused to let tears fall.
"Let it hurt if it hurts. Let it be painful if it's painful! These feelings, this humiliation, those frozen moments you wish you could forget, pick them up!"
Every word from Lin Xia struck like a hammer forged in fire, pounding directly into her heart.
"Turn them into the hardness in your bones, into the fire in your heart that can never be extinguished no matter how much water is poured on it!"
"Your sister Zhu Zhuyun, your father Zhu Zhan, they just want to see you struggling in this swamp, see you worn down by their rules, and eventually become what they want you to be, don't they?"
Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted sharply. The rawness in his words burned like a red-hot brand against her heart.
"Then show them!"
Lin Xia's voice suddenly rose, carrying a sharp defiance and absolute confidence.
"Show them how you grit your teeth, how you bleed and sweat, how you climb step by step upward! Climb until they have to raise their heads and stretch their necks just to see where you stand!"
His tone was resolute, like the clash of iron:
"When you become strong, so strong that they can only look up at you, so strong that a single finger of yours can crush their so-called rules and fate, then look back at them and see if they still have the courage to control Zhu Zhuqing's destiny!"
BOOM!
Every word struck like thunder wrapped in overwhelming force, tearing apart the dark clouds of despair in Zhu Zhuqing's heart.
The heavy fear, grievance, and self-pity were all violently swept apart by an invisible storm.
A scorching surge of heat erupted from the deepest part of her heart, instantly flooding through her entire body.
Not to live up to anyone's expectations. Not to become anyone's pawn.
But for herself.
To take control of her own destiny.
She suddenly lifted her head and met Lin Xia's gaze directly.
Those usually calm, deep, or lifeless eyes were now roiling with violent waves.
Something inside her had been ignited, no longer weak tears, but a burning, sharp, unyielding flame.
A desperate desire to break free from shackles and burn down every obstacle raged within her small body.
The flame was so intense that even Lin Xia could feel a faint heat from it.
"I…"
Zhu Zhuqing's voice was still soft, but it was like a drawn dagger, carrying the edge of severing the past, and a trembling yet newly born strength.
"I understand Brother Lin Xia."
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