The two walked in silence for quite a while before Han Li turned his head and asked.
"By the way, I forgot to ask, do you need to go back and pack your things?"
"No need, all my belongings are in my storage soul tool."
Zhu Zhuqing pointed to the small pouch at her waist, then paused for a moment before saying, "However, I think I need to meet with the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou."
"Is it about withdrawing from the academy? Or did you promise him something?"
Han Li raised an eyebrow, surprised that Qian Renxue had also made a small move with Zhu Zhuqing.
"No, I just want to tell him that Dai Mubai is no longer worth that price."
Zhu Zhuqing returned to her usual cold demeanor, speaking without any emotional fluctuation.
"You hold grudges, but there's no need to go in person. I'll have someone deliver your message."
Han Li realized he had underestimated this woman's vindictive nature; she truly wanted Dai Mubai dead.
"Oh, I almost forgot. There's a rumor that you and he had a pleasant conversation. Or are you afraid that bringing me along would affect your relationship?"
Zhu Zhuqing spoke in a flat tone, but her words were highly aggressive.
"Hmm, let's say that's the case. But let me remind you, according to our previous agreement, you're now under my control. Such aggressive behavior could cause me to make things difficult for you."
Han Li glanced at her, not bothered by her hostility, and replied lightly, unsure if it was a tease or a warning.
"Oh."
Zhu Zhuqing responded indifferently, then fell silent.
They continued walking in silence, and five minutes later, they had already left the gates.
Han Li gave Zhu Zhuqing a pendant, which she connected with her soul power before he waved to summon a carriage. The two headed towards Heaven Dou City.
In a luxurious courtyard of a business association in Heaven Dou City, three women sat across from Han Li and Zhu Zhuqing, who were standing behind him. They stared silently, with various snacks they had bought spread out on the table.
"Holy son Han, you're quick. We just didn't see you for half a day, and you've already brought back another little sister. Is there something we three sisters did to displease you?"
Dugu Yan imitated the tone of a frail woman from a story Han Li had told them before, speaking sarcastically.
Han Li's forehead twitched furiously. He regretted telling them stories, as it all came back to haunt him.
"This is Zhu Zhuqing, you should know her. Anyway, that's how it turned out."
Han Li, having seen it all, was unfazed by Dugu Yan's remarks. After the introduction, he continued, "As for the process, it might not be what you think. You can judge after hearing about it."
"Forget it, it's too complicated to explain. I'll just show you."
Halfway through his explanation, Han Li couldn't decide where to start, so he simply initiated a mental connection, pulling everyone into a mental space to recreate all the scenes.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing, who had already experienced the real event once, rejoined the viewing party.
However, this time she wasn't seeing it from her perspective but rather as an observer.
As she watched, she was stunned because the scene displayed now revealed something even more baffling than her previous conversation with Han Li.
This isn't right. Why does Xiao Wu have a giant rabbit silhouette behind her in Han Li's perspective, with gray mist enveloping her?
She recalled that Xiao Wu wasn't always in her martial soul possession state.
Moreover, even if it were a martial soul possession, it shouldn't look like this. Xiao Wu's martial soul possession mode was similar to hers, but in Han Li's perspective, there was nothing behind her.
Of course, Zhu Zhuqing wasn't the only one to notice this; the other three women also noticed Xiao Wu's difference the moment she appeared.
Unlike Zhu Zhuqing, the three women had recently scanned Skydream under Han Li's mental sharing, so they couldn't fail to recognize it. Not to mention the giant rabbit silhouette, that gray aura was unique to soul beasts.
"A 100,000-year soul beast transformation? And it's not even fully matured?"
Dugu Yan was the first to exclaim, casting a questioning glance at Han Li for confirmation.
"Yes, just as you think. This is a transformed 100,000-year soul beast."
Han Li nodded in response, though his smile was somewhat enigmatic.
"Did you know all along?"
Dugu Yan looked at him suspiciously, feeling that his smile was a bit mischievous.
"Does it matter?"
Han Li smiled and asked in return, without giving a clear answer.
"How is this possible? How could Xiao Wu be a soul beast? No, she met with the three deans and even faced Sword Douluo in person."
Zhu Zhuqing's mind was in chaos; she couldn't quite remember if Sword Douluo had ever met Xiao Wu.
The only thing she could be sure of was that Xiao Wu had met the three deans, though she seemed to have been behind them at the time.
"Are you close? Good friends?"
The scene paused at this moment, and Dugu Yan looked at the somewhat confused Zhu Zhuqing, asking with interest.
"Not really, just ordinary classmates."
Zhu Zhuqing instinctively responded.
"Then why are you so nervous?"
Dugu Yan curiously observed her reaction. Zhu Zhuqing fell silent, unsure of how to answer. Could she say that she didn't know? This poor girl was starved for love, but Han Li was too polite to say it out loud. Her upbringing had shaped her personality, making her cling tightly to even the smallest kindness.
Her behavior at Heaven Dou Academy had been like this. Even when Xiao Wu had stood against her, Zhu Zhuqing had the thought of ending it all, but she still didn't choose to attack. Instead, she chose to ignore her.
"Alright, let's keep watching."
Han Li shook his head at Dugu Yan, signaling her not to press further, and resumed playing the footage.
As the plot progressed, the three girls couldn't help but become angry, even more so than Zhu Zhuqing herself.
"These people should be thrown into the Slaughter City, especially those two teachers and that leader, Tang San. They're just awful."
"Not bad, I didn't expect you to have this side to you. Pretty fierce."
"Good job, but you went too easy on them. That sleazy fat guy should have gotten it too."
"And they're so weak, why didn't you just kill them?"
Zhu Zhuqing found herself surrounded by the three girls who, just moments ago, had been hostile toward her. Now, they shared a common enemy, and she was a bit stunned. Why were they more worked up than she was? And were they really that weak? She had carefully prepared for her attack to succeed in one strike. In a confrontation, she wasn't sure she could defeat the others.
"That's about it. Any more questions?"
Han Li ended the mental sharing, releasing Zhu Zhuqing from the circle of the three girls. Of course, he had been a bit sneaky and didn't sync their conversation in the mental world. So far, it seems to be working well.
"So, what are you trying to say? That bringing her back was an accident?"
Dugu Yan, as the leader, had been with Han Li for years and wasn't easily fooled.
"Ahem, whether it was an accident or not doesn't matter. What I mean is that she will now be one of us. Who's in favor, and who's against?"
Han Li deflected, subtly shifting the concept.
The three girls glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, then exchanged looks but remained silent. She was already here, so what could they do? Even if they objected, it would only delay things a bit. They weren't about to fall out with Han Li, but the resentful looks were inevitable.
"Alright then, she and Ye Lingling will temporarily be considered our external members, outer disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect."
Han Li made it up as he went along. The main thing was to distinguish Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling from the three girls, signaling his attitude. Also, he didn't fully trust the two of them yet, just some minor goodwill.
"Oh right, Sister Yan, send a letter to Ye Lingling, telling her not to rush into acquiring her fourth spirit ring. Use the Seven Mystery's channels, and don't mention our location. Have her wait at home for a few days."
Han Li remembered that Ye Lingling was about to break through and gave the instructions.
"Alright, I'll have someone send it over later."
Dugu Yan was taken aback, then recalled that the footage had indeed mentioned Lingling's breakthrough.
Zhu Zhuqing quietly stood aside, processing this information. So, Ye Lingling had already been roped in by him too? Han Li glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, who was still standing alone and beckoned her over.
Zhu Zhuqing wasn't sure what he wanted but walked over to him.
"Alright, it's time to get down to business."
Han Li looked at her seriously, flipped his left hand, and a piece of paper densely packed with tiny characters appeared in his hand. He handed the paper to Zhu Zhuqing.
"What's this?"
The three girls curiously gathered around.
"A new Martial Soul Oath."
Han Li replied a bit sheepishly. This was something he had thought of long ago, piecing together clauses from various treaties and novels. It covered a lot of ground. Of course, it used to be just something he did out of boredom, but now that he had real authority, this Martial Soul Oath had actual value.
"There's so much?"
Dugu Yan had already moved to Zhu Zhuqing's side and was looking at the contents with her. After skimming a few lines, she felt a bit dizzy. The wording was so convoluted that she felt just reading it was a challenge.
She gave Han Li a look that said, "Are you even human?" and snatched the paper from Zhu Zhuqing, storing it in her soul tool.
"A normal Martial Soul Oath will do. Let's leave this one for outsiders to test."
It was clear from her words that she had accepted Zhu Zhuqing, distinguishing her from outsiders.
"Alright, let's go with a normal one."
Han Li didn't argue and went along with it, a hint of a smile in his eyes. Then, he noticed Zhu Zhuqing glance up at him and give him a look of strange look. Oh, he had forgotten that Zhu Zhuqing was very sensitive to emotions. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.