Chapter 90: Facing the Heart
Morning sunlight bathed the land, carrying warmth, dryness, and vibrant life. All things revived beneath the bright rays—a new day had begun.
At the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's senior dormitories, Zu Zong rose after a night of meditative soul power cultivation. Guided by his internal clock, he washed, ate a simple breakfast, and prepared for the day.
From this day onward, his training would include a new discipline—swordsmanship.
Yesterday, after returning from the Qin's Moon world with Xuan Jian's sword techniques, Zu Zong had practiced several times. Though his moves perfectly mirrored the original, they were empty imitations—form without substance.
He sighed to himself. "Looks like even the Sharingan isn't all-powerful. Compared to someone like Xuan Jian, who has practiced for decades and treats the sword as life itself, no matter how fast I learn, I can't hope to reach that level in such a short time."
An hour of sword practice later, he adjusted his breathing.
Knock, knock.
A smile touched his lips. In the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, there was only one person likely to come calling this early.
"Coming." He opened the door to find Xiao Wu standing there, her expression bright with good mood.
"You're so slow, Xiao Zong," she pouted.
Without a word, Zu Zong took her slender hand. Xiao Wu, startled, found herself being pulled inside.
With the doors and windows shut, Zu Zong's gaze locked onto her.
She flushed under the intensity of his eyes.
Could it be… he wanted that? No, she wasn't ready! Her blush deepened, pink creeping down her neck.
Zu Zong set his hands on her shoulders, his breathing growing faintly heavier, eyes fixed on her.
The room was utterly silent save for the sound of their breaths.
"Xiao Zong, it's the middle of the day… what if someone comes? Maybe tonight, we could…" Her voice trailed into a whisper even she could barely hear.
Ignoring her words, Zu Zong pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
In a voice meant for her ears alone, he murmured, "Xiao Wu, I want to tell you something."
"Mm," she breathed, her face crimson.
"From the very first time I saw you, I knew you were a soul beast."
She trembled, instinct urging her to pull away—but the realization that it was Zu Zong holding her stilled her. She wrapped her arms around him and waited quietly.
"When we first met, I thought of killing you, taking your soul ring and soul bone. But I was too weak then—even if I killed you, I couldn't absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, so I let it go.
"Even so, you followed me all day. That night, I still hadn't abandoned the thought of killing you. In the middle of the night, I woke from a nightmare and overheard you talking in your sleep. You were calling for your mother… I could hear in your sobs that she was already gone."
"From that moment, my resolve wavered. I gave up the idea of hunting you. I'm an orphan too—before and now, always. But even then, I couldn't fully accept you. I saw people as people and soul beasts as soul beasts. Playing with you was just a kind of cruel amusement, treating you like a pet rabbit."
"Then you came with me to Emperor Soul Village, and Grandpa Tom, who raised me, accepted you as his granddaughter. That's when I truly began to see you as a person. Looking back, it's laughable—without realizing it, I could no longer imagine being without you.
"Maybe Grandpa Tom saw through me and gave me that excuse: a reason to treat you as real family. But perhaps my prejudice toward you was wrong from the start."
"Do you remember that 'candy' I gave you with the strong medicinal fragrance? It wasn't candy—it was a rare treasure called the Form Shifting Pill. It can permanently sever a soul beast from its beast form, granting the beast's long lifespan and a human's cultivation aptitude.
"If you had taken it without first transforming and re-cultivating, you could have turned human immediately, retaining your full hundred-thousand-year cultivation."
"These past years, you must have noticed—you no longer have a soul beast's aura, and your cultivation speed has soared. Even the Contras in the Academy's Education Committee couldn't tell you were a soul beast. That's the best proof.
"Wherever you go now, you needn't fear being hunted again."
"But before that—"
His eyes dimmed.
He released her and stepped back. In her astonished gaze, he bowed slightly, extending his right hand.
"Let me take part in your life. Let me share in everything."
For a long while, Xiao Wu didn't respond.
Zu Zong scratched the back of his head awkwardly, avoiding her gaze. "Yeah… I guess suddenly confessing to you right after once wanting to kill you is too much to accept. Sorry, forget I said anything."
He turned toward the door, intending to go out for some air.
But before his foot could land outside, he stopped—Xiao Wu had grabbed his sleeve from behind.
Zu Zong turned back to look at her.
She parted her lips as if to speak, then swallowed the words with her breath. Her eyes locked on him, and in a trembling voice unlike her usual tone, she said,
"Why did you tell me? You could have… you could have kept it to yourself."
Her head lowered, eyes wet, words breaking off mid-sentence.
Zu Zong, with all the pride and arrogance he could muster, tilted his chin slightly as if to mock, letting a faint smile touch the corner of his lips.
"Maybe because I don't see you as a rabbit anymore. No—whether you're a rabbit or a person, I don't want to lie to myself, and I don't want to lie to you. Last time in Soto City's teahouse, Zhuqing asked if I had feelings for you. I told her I did. Now I'll say it to you properly."
"Xiao Wu, I like you."
"This sounds like one of those lines used to trick girls. You're not even good at delivering it. Is this how you got Zhuqing?"
Through tears and laughter, Xiao Wu stepped closer, lightly hitting his chest. Her tear-stained eyes glared up at him.
"What about Zhuqing?" she asked.
This time, Zu Zong didn't deflect. He reached out and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eye. "You're both my wings."
Xiao Wu stared at his faint, emotionless smile and finally spoke, hesitant but resolute. "What is that supposed to mean? You planning to be some harem king? You really are a playboy."
She lowered her head and tapped his chest again.
It didn't hurt at all, but Zu Zong still pretended to cry out in pain. "Ah! That hurts."
Xiao Wu gave a little huff, nodding, and then rested her forehead gently on his shoulder.
"Then, for the rest of our lives… please take care of me."
From that moment on, they both felt they had grown. And their hearts would never part again.
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