"If you want to change the fate of your family, then work hard." Zhu Hongtao said in a deep voice, "Do you know, your eldest sister is also working hard for this."
"Eldest sister...?" Zhu Zhuqing's expression faltered slightly.
"Yes, but if neither of you can succeed, then we can only follow the traditions of the Star Luo Empire." Zhu Hongtao nodded, "I will help you in secret. That's right, not only you, but your sister, I have also given her a lot of guidance."
He sighed, "I hope you can have a chance to end all of this, but to be honest, the possibility is too small. If you can't do it, then be prepared for one of you to die. Don't blame me for being ruthless, this is my mission as the head of the family."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded silently, her heart heavy.
"There's not much time left today, I'll give you one last piece of advice."
A cold smile appeared on Zhu Hongtao's face, "Make good use of that kid from the Su family."
"Su Cheng?" Zhu Zhuqing was stunned upon hearing this.
"That's right, it's him." Zhu Hongtao put his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.
"You probably don't know, but he's the illegitimate son of the Star Luo Emperor, with the bloodline of the White Tiger family flowing through his veins, possessing the White Tiger Martial Soul of the Dai family."
"White Tiger... Martial Soul..."
Zhu Zhuqing's expression held surprise and realization .
She had indeed never seen Su Cheng display his Martial Soul before.
No wonder...
no wonder she felt that strange resonance with his Martial Soul when they first met.
"But Dai Mubai..." Zhu Zhuqing hesitated.
"Dai Mubai?" Zhu Hongtao sneered. "You still think about him? Now he's hiding in some corner, trembling with fear. Do you really want to rely on a coward?
Xiaoqing, remember, never lack the courage to break the rules. If you don't even dare to break these small rules, what makes you think you can shatter bigger and stronger shackles?!"
"Moreover, Su Cheng has a major advantage for you."
Zhu Hongtao looked at Zhu Zhuqing meaningfully. "He's an illegitimate son of the Dai family. Do you know what that means?"
"What?" Zhu Zhuqing was stunned, momentarily speechless.
"Think about it carefully."
After a moment's hesitation, she asked tentatively, "You mean, he doesn't have a right to the royal inheritance?"
"Clap! Clap!" Zhu Hongtao clapped his hands lightly twice and chuckled.
"You've finally decided to use your brain a little.
"That's right, he doesn't have a legitimate status, which is crucial. This means that when the two of you cooperate, you'll have a greater chance of gaining the upper hand.
"And as an illegitimate son, his resentment towards the royal family might be even greater than that of Dai Mubai and the others.
"I think he's also an ambitious person.
"That's not necessarily a bad thing.
"Ambitious people have stronger desires and are more easily manipulated. Actually, it's not really manipulation; it's a win-win situation, isn't it?"
"Of course, you must firmly grasp the master-servant relationship.
Remember, he is merely your pawn, not your partner."
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, softly repeating his words, "Pawn..."
"That's right, if you choose this path, you are destined to be alone. If your heart cannot harden, then don't waste any more time, and don't waste my energy." "
..." Zhu Zhuqing's expression shifted, then hardened.
Looking at Zhu Hongtao, she said in a deep voice, "I will do it."
Zhu Hongtao nodded and continued,
"Over the years, I have also gained some new insights into the family's Netherworld Cat Martial Soul and the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul Fusion Technique, which I will gradually pass on to you in the future.
In the future, the Martial Soul Fusion Technique between you and Su Cheng might be able to be performed with you as the leader.
At that time, you will not be far from controlling your own destiny."
His expression gradually became serious.
"Remember, this matter must never be discovered by the royal family. If you don't want to die, don't reveal this to anyone, and on the surface, act as if nothing has changed." He treated me the same way, and he treated Xiaoyun and the others the same way.
"Similarly, I will maintain the same facade towards you from now on.
"I think you should now understand our relationship with the Dai family, right? And you should understand the consequences if they find out my thoughts.
"You may not know, but your sisters love you far more than you imagine. Your second and third sisters are also trying their best in their own ways.
"Perhaps when it really comes to a life-or-death moment, Xiaoyun might be willing to give up her own opportunity to help you."
At this point, his expression suddenly turned cold.
"But that's your own choice, it has nothing to do with me.
"After I leave this room today, you must not mention tonight's events to anyone, including your sisters."
"If you really do that, it will only harm both of you in the end, and destroy the Zhu family as well.
Just maintain the appearance of normalcy on the surface."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded seriously as well.
She now fully understood her father's good intentions
and knew just how enormous the risks were.
"That kid will probably be back soon." Zhu Hongtao's expression softened, and he turned to walk towards the door. "From now on, you can sneak out of the academy to see me every month at the end of the month. You can ask me any questions you have about the academy. Xiaoqing, don't disappoint me."
"Dad, wait a minute—"
Seeing him about to leave, Zhu Zhuqing quickly stopped him.
She then ran back to her bedroom.
A moment later, she came out carrying a slightly worn teddy bear.
"Dad, do you remember this?"
"Hmm?" Zhu Hongtao's expression froze slightly.
After a moment of surprise, he realized what she meant and said, "Ah, isn't this the rag doll I gave you back then? I didn't expect you to still have it. If you like it, I'll buy you a new one later."
Not long after Zhu Hongtao left, Su Cheng returned from the restroom.
Without knocking, he pushed open the door and went straight in.
"Huh?" Su
Cheng entered and found Zhu Zhuqing standing dumbfounded in the middle of the hall, clutching the worn-out doll.
He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Why did you suddenly bring that thing out? Weren't you treating it like a treasure, not letting me even glance at it?"
He then looked Zhu Zhuqing up and down, a hint of confusion on his face.
"Why aren't you wearing that deadpan expression anymore?"
"..." Zhu Zhuqing ignored his teasing and turned back into her bedroom.
"That doll really was a gift from her father." As Su
Cheng left the Duke's mansion, a cold sweat trickled down his spine.
That broken doll had almost given him away, but thankfully
he reacted quickly and was lucky. He hadn't had time to think much and could only offer the most likely option.
There was an element of gambling involved, but luckily he gambled correctly.
Pretending to forget would have worked, but it would definitely affect Zhu Zhuqing's reliance on and trust in his other identity, inevitably harming subsequent plans.
To be honest, given Zhu Zhuqing's current intelligence, he didn't think she would suddenly decide to test him.
He guessed she hadn't experienced familial affection for too long, hence her subconscious action.
Choosing Zhu Hongtao as the imposter was a carefully considered decision by Su Cheng.
First, this person needed to be someone Zhu Zhuqing could trust.
Second, this identity had to be difficult to expose openly; either appear very rarely or have a poor relationship with Zhu Zhuqing at the moment.
Besides Zhu Hongtao, Su Cheng had originally considered Zhu Zhuyun or a teacher from a certain academy.
But the former and Zhu... He wasn't entirely sure about the relationship between Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun. There were too many potential points of conflict and overlap between them, making it easy for the deception to be exposed later. As for the latter, he lacked sufficient justification to do so, and it was difficult to ignite Zhu Zhuqing's conviction and ambition.
After observing the Duke's mansion today, he found that this Duke of Youming was an excellent candidate for the disguise.
He was aloof, shrewd, and had both the standing and the reason to do this.
Most importantly, he rarely interacted with Zhu Zhuqing. This was even
less of a concern when they were at the academy.
Even when his daughter returned home, he only offered a few perfunctory words, greatly reducing the possibility of exposure.
As for his talk of helping Zhu Zhuyun, that was naturally fabricated.
Su Cheng didn't know Zhu Zhuyun's true attitude towards Zhu Zhuqing.
From the original timeline, it was indeed unbelievable that Zhu Zhuqing could escape that level of pursuit, but what if she was just lucky?
Those words were merely to solidify Zhu Zhuqing's conviction, giving her a stronger reason to lead her family out of the mire.
........................
You can now download the complete English PDF of the story you're currently reading at my Patreon shop. I also have a wide variety of other books available there for you to explore!
Hellow brothers What's up, everyone! I've just uploaded several new Adult (18+) Douluo & BTTH fanfics. Feel free to head over and check them out. Most Of uploaded adult fanfictions on my patreon shop Include R@pe and L0li so beware before you check them.
Here are titles of uploaded BTTH & Douluo adult fanfics on Patreon:
" Douluo: Reborn as Xue Ke, Determined to Protect Qian Renxue (18+) "
" Douluo: Huo Yuhao Reborn as Tang Wulin "
" Douluo: Huo Yuhao, the Nether-Eyed White Tiger "
" Douluo: Martial Soul – The Scalpel (18+) "
" Douluo: Flame Spear Chongli & Fallen Heart Flame — Unrivaled Rise (18+) "
" Douluo: I Became Qian Renxue's Martial Soul "
" BTTH: Harem Chronicles (18+) "
" Douluo: My Martial Soul Is The Mysterious Heavy Ruler "
" Douluo: I Am Feng Xiaotian (18+) "
" BTTH: Dark Slave Auction (18+) "
" Douluo: My Martial Soul Is Godzilla "
" BTTH: A Male Succubus Appeared (18+) "
" BTTH: Stealing the Beauty of the Six Realms (18+) "
" Douluo: Tianshui Academy Teacher, After-Class Tutoring (18+) "
many more up to 280+ are available.
Your support means a lot—thanks in advance, legends!
Patreon.com/UIGOD
(End of Chapter)