Once this rebellious thought surfaced in his mind, it took root deep in his heart.
Duke of the Zhu Family's Estate.
Duke of the Zhu Family, Zhu Ming, who had just left the Imperial Study, brought Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing directly to the most secret chamber in the mansion.
As soon as the secret chamber door closed, Zhu Ming's face, which had been obsequious in the palace, instantly turned ashen.
He turned around, looking at his two daughters with a very displeased expression.
"You two, tell me the truth!"
Zhu Ming's voice was low, yet it carried an undeniable authority.
"What exactly happened to you? Are you truly unaware of the mutation of your Spirits?"
Facing their father's oppressive scrutiny, Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing remained exceptionally calm.
Even though they already had the answer in their hearts, they showed no emotion on their faces.
They exchanged glances, then shook their heads in unison, saying firmly, "Father, we truly don't know."
Hearing this reply, Zhu Ming frowned deeply, his eyes filled with suspicion.
He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Since you say you don't know, then fine."
"You two, release your Spirits immediately now, and let me examine them closely myself!"
Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged another glance and nodded slightly.
Without any hesitation, their spirit power instantly circulated within their bodies.
"Hell Civet, possess!"
Accompanied by two clear, delicate shouts, two streams of dim black light instantly bloomed in the secret chamber.
However, the moment their Spirits were released!
As the head of the Family, the dignified Spirit Douluo expert Zhu Ming, who was over Rank 80, his expression suddenly changed drastically.
Because at this moment, he clearly felt a trace of suppression from the Spirit Origin.
Although this pressure was faint, it was genuinely present.
"This... how is this possible?!"
A storm surged in Zhu Ming's heart.
He was clearly a Spirit Douluo expert, yet his two daughters in front of him, one was only over Rank 30, and the other hadn't even reached Rank 20!
In the face of such a huge spirit power Rank gap, how could he be suppressed by the Spirits of two juniors?
This completely defied common sense; it shouldn't be happening at all!
With this intense shock, Zhu Ming quickly composed himself, widened his eyes, and carefully observed the Spirit changes on his two daughters.
Upon closer inspection, he found that the phantom of the Hell Civet behind Zhu Zhuyun was significantly larger by a full circle than before its mutation.
The black fur on the cat's phantom stood on end, emitting an eerie, chilling Qi, and its claws were so sharp they seemed capable of tearing space.
And looking at his second daughter, Zhu Zhuqing.
Although the phantom of the Hell Civet behind her still appeared very small, its size hadn't changed much.
However, the Hell attribute on that little black cat was even more profound than Zhu Zhuyun's.
"What exactly is going on?"
Zhu Ming frowned deeply, lost in thought.
Actually, on the way back, he had initially strongly suspected that these two audacious little rascals were secretly playing some trick.
To deliberately avoid the cruel imperial competition.
But now, seeing the distinctly different manifestations of their Spirits, he immediately dismissed that notion in his heart.
Because, if they were secretly playing tricks through some secret method.
Logically, the direction and manifestation of the mutation in their Spirits should be exactly the same.
But upon inspection, the mutation direction of their Spirits was clearly somewhat different.
After confirming this, Zhu Ming reined in his aura, sighed heavily with a solemn expression, and said, "It seems this is definitely not something man-made."
"For now, I can only delve into the ancient texts passed down through the Family."
"To see if there are any records of such a rare mutation."
Hearing that her father was no longer pressing the issue, Zhu Zhuyun naturally retracted her Spirit.
She looked at her father and tentatively asked, "Father, since the die is cast."
"We have now completely lost our Martial Soul Fusion Skill with them, losing this greatest bond."
"Then from now on, will we no longer have to participate in that cruel imperial competition as before?"
Hearing his eldest daughter's somewhat naive question, Zhu Ming let out a helpless, bitter laugh.
He looked at Zhu Zhuyun, shook his head heavily, and sighed, "Zhuyun, you're usually such a smart child."
"You're so many years older than Zhuqing and have witnessed the imperial Family's cold-bloodedness, yet you're still asking such naive questions now?"
Zhu Ming's eyes became incredibly sharp: "Do you think the Star Luo Imperial Family would be so kind as to easily let you go?"
"Although you two are now useless and can no longer perform the Hell White Tiger with Dai Weisi and Dai Mubai."
"But, don't forget, your engagement with the princes was already announced to the world long ago."
"As long as this engagement is not dissolved, no matter if you are willing or not."
"In the future, you will definitely marry into the imperial Family. You are the imperial Family's people in life, and their ghosts in death!"
At this point, a hint of sorrow entered Zhu Ming's tone: "It's just that, having lost the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, your greatest bargaining chip."
"Your status after marrying in will plummet drastically."
"Take you, for example, Zhuyun."
"You were once Dai Weisi's best match, and after he ascended, you had a high chance of becoming the Star Luo Empress, ruling over the world."
"But now, you've lost your utility. After marrying in, you might only be an ordinary concubine, at the mercy of others."
After hearing her father's analysis, Zhu Zhuyun's eyebrows furrowed tightly.
She bit her red lip lightly, reluctantly uttering two words: "What a pity."
Then, she recalled the imperial decree issued by the Emperor in the Imperial Study today and asked worriedly, "What if, after a month, our Zhu Family still can't find anything conclusive and can't give Your Majesty an explanation?"
"What serious consequences would that entail?"
Zhu Ming waved his hand, signaling them to relax: "You two don't have to worry about that at all."
"Although my Zhu Family has served as ministers for generations, serving a monarch is like accompanying a tiger."
"However, if the imperial Family wants to secure its dominion, it cannot do without my Zhu Family's Hell Civet Bloodline."
"Even if we can't provide a satisfactory answer after a month, the imperial Family will at most be furious. Although there will certainly be some punishment, it will absolutely not truly harm the lives or foundations of our Zhu Family."
After appeasing this most troublesome issue.
Zhu Ming's gaze swept back and forth between his two daughters, finally settling on his eldest daughter, Zhu Zhuyun.
He looked at Zhu Zhuyun with some concern and said earnestly, "Actually, compared to the younger Zhuqing, I am now more worried about your situation."
...