"Alright, but you should get up first. This isn't the proper way to have a conversation."
Ye Wen spoke stiffly, as he was fully aware that Zhu Zhuqing was lying to him, yet he couldn't call her out on it—this situation was quite awkward for him.
The three of them found a secluded spot. After scratching his head for a moment, Ye Wen said, "If Miss Zhu Zhuqing's martial soul potential isn't a lie, I genuinely want to bring you into our Medical Alliance. However, you must understand—even though we have two Title Douluos in our alliance, we are a neutral faction. By rights, we shouldn't recruit you, because doing so would mean intervening in the Star Luo imperial family's disputes."
Initially, Zhu Zhuqing had been delighted, but Ye Wen's sudden reversal caused her expression to darken.
Was she being rejected?
However, the Evil-Eyed Holy King inside her remained calm and collected, as He had caught the hidden meaning behind Ye Wen's words.
This implied that Ye Wen clearly had an unconventional plan in mind.
After some deliberation, Ye Wen continued, "Miss Zhu Zhuqing, you yourself said that your martial soul has mutated. Therefore, the original Netherworld Spirit Cat Zhu Zhuqing no longer exists in this world. So, I need you to change your identity and join our Medical Alliance under a new name. In the future, when our alliance grows strong enough and you break through to become a Title Douluo, the request you made earlier will naturally be fulfilled.
What do you think, Miss Zhu Zhuqing?" Ye Wen asked cautiously.
In fact, when Ye Wen first watched Douluo, he never understood why Zhu Zhuqing acted the way she did.
She had already fled from the Star Luo Empire and reached the northernmost part of Tian Dou Imperial City in the Tian Dou Empire. If she simply went into hiding and changed her identity, even with all the experts in the Star Luo Empire, they wouldn't be able to find her no matter how hard they tried.
So why did she keep getting entangled with Dai Mubai and return to fight against her sister?
What? Are you trying to reclaim everything you've lost? Are you stuck in some trash-tier protagonist script?
Moreover, Zhu Zhuqing could have gone to the Great Star Dou Forest for a while. While it might be dangerous, the forest is vast, and as long as she disguised herself before leaving, she could have started a completely new life.
Why continue getting involved?
At the end of the day, Zhu Zhuqing's youth and lack of education were holding her back.
Now, after Ye Wen's subtle reminder, Zhu Zhuqing finally realized.
That's right! Her martial soul had evolved, and with just a slight change in clothing style and appearance, she could live under a new identity on the Douluo Continent. Why dwell on the past?
According to what the Evil-Eyed Holy King had told her, in the future, the Medical Alliance would have over ten Title Douluos. With such powerful backing, resolving her family's issues would be a piece of cake.
As for Dai Mubai participating in the imperial succession battle and later being defeated by her sister and brother-in-law—
Who cares! Let that trash die!
Zhu Zhuqing immediately brightened and said, "Thank you, Lord Ye Wen. I'll do as you suggest."
Initially, Zhu Zhuqing had felt some resistance toward Ye Wen, thinking he was surrounded by beautiful women and fiancées, making him seem like a heartless playboy. But now, she found him increasingly agreeable, even feeling a flutter in her heart that she had never experienced before.
Her lips trembled slightly, and then she softly asked:
"Um… could Lord Ye Wen help me choose a new name?"
Huo Yu'er, who had been deep in thought, suddenly shivered upon hearing this coquettish voice. Her gaze toward Zhu Zhuqing became somewhat strange.
Though Huo Yu'er, the Supreme Goddess of Space, Pure as Ice and Untainted, had never been in love before—
She had plenty of theoretical knowledge!
And Zhu Zhuqing's current demeanor was exactly like hers when she had secretly admired Ye Wen in the past!
Thinking about how there were already five sisters in this timeline, Huo Yu'er felt it would be a bit impolite to add another one. She pursed her lips, pondering how to stop this little wildcat.
But strictly speaking, this little wildcat was the counterpart of the Speed God, her ancestor in her own timeline. Acting against her would feel somewhat disloyal.
When Ye Wen heard Zhu Zhuqing asking him to come up with a new name, he immediately felt a headache coming on—he was utterly hopeless at naming things. So, he turned to Huo Yu'er for help.
Huo Yu'er instantly understood Ye Wen's intention and smirked. Wasn't this her chance to intervene?
Pouting slightly, Huo Yu'er thought for a moment and said, "Since your martial soul is the Three-Eyed White Tiger, let's take the surname 'Bai.' Additionally, judging from your martial soul's soul power fluctuations, this Three-Eyed White Tiger martial soul seems to have a spiritual attribute. Let's take the character 'Ling' from the word 'soul.' From now on, your name will be Bai Ling'er. How does that sound?"
As she spoke, Huo Yu'er enthusiastically linked arms with Zhu Zhuqing and began discussing it with her.
Feeling the fresh scent near her nose, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly realized what she had been thinking just moments ago. She was in front of this woman's fiancée! How shameless of her.
And Zhu Zhuqing hated women like that. Quickly composing herself, she lowered her voice and said:
"Thank you, Lady Huo, for choosing the name. From now on, I'll be called Bai Ling'er."
Ye Wen sighed in relief. He had initially felt like he was entering a harem battlefield, but unexpectedly, the situation normalized again. Not only had he intercepted one of the future members of Shrek's Seven Monsters, but her potential seemed maxed out. Truly cause for celebration!
But just as Ye Wen was about to suggest taking Zhu Zhuqing to the Dugu residence to register formally, Huo Yu'er suddenly pulled Zhu Zhuqing away.
"That's wonderful! Our Medical Alliance has gained another powerful member. To show our sincerity, I'll personally take you to register. Oh, and Ah Wen, didn't you have something to do? You go ahead and take care of it. Leave this to me."
With that, Huo Yu'er enthusiastically dragged Zhu Zhuqing away.
Ye Wen's hand froze mid-air, his face full of question marks. He did have something to do, but it wasn't urgent enough to warrant this!
However, after considering Huo Yu'er's character and her usual attitude toward the other sisters, he concluded that she wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for Zhu Zhuqing. Thus, he decided not to interfere further and went about his own business.
Zhu Zhuqing, still being pulled by Huo Yu'er, initially felt a bit uncomfortable. After all, since her martial soul awakening, she had been constantly suppressed and had grown accustomed to being alone.
After joining Shrek, Ning Rongrong had been her only close friend, but Ning Rongrong had soon joined the Medical Alliance, leaving Zhu Zhuqing as the sole remaining female among Shrek's Seven Monsters. The rest of the group consisted of:
- Dai Mubai, the lustful tiger,
- Oscar, the lecherous one,
- Ma Hongjun, the perverted chicken with uncontrollable inner fire.
Even a normal person would feel uncomfortable around them for too long, let alone try to get close to them.
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