Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Young Gilas, Sandstorm King!

Chapter 136 The wind has shifted.

silence.

A suffocating silence enveloped the entire Star Soul Palace.

The star crown and the cat totem on the dome stood silent in the dim light, as if they too were watching this silent judgment.

Time seems to be stretched infinitely.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze was like a scorching hot iron, fixed on her father and sister's faces.

The shock, pain, and struggle on Zhu Zhan's face changed like a revolving lantern.

He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something comforting, to weave a beautiful lie, even if it could only temporarily soothe his daughter's broken heart.

However, the Star Luo Emperor's icy gaze, the increasingly deep, cruelly amused smile on Davis's lips, and the silent yet undeniable pressure from the nobles in the hall acted like an invisible iron wall, firmly blocking all his inappropriate tenderness.

Finally, just before the last faint spark in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes was about to be completely extinguished, Zhu Zhan painfully closed his eyes, as if using all his strength to squeeze out a few words from between his teeth, as heavy as lead:

"Yes...it's true, Zhuqing."

Almost simultaneously, Zhu Zhuyun also abruptly turned her head away, unable to look into her sister's eyes any longer. Her voice choked with sobs, filled with guilt and helplessness.

"Zhuqing...I'm sorry...it's true..."

"boom--!"

Zhu Zhuqing's world completely collapsed at this moment.

The last glimmer of hope, an unrealistic fantasy, was extinguished by the very hands of one's closest loved one.

That forced calm was like fragile glass, instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and then shattered with a crash!

The light in her eyes—the childlike curiosity, innocence, and even the previous fear and struggle—vanished in an instant, swallowed by a bottomless, cold, and deathly darkness.

The darkness was so thick it seemed impenetrable, as if even the soul had been swallowed up by it.

Her small body swayed, as if she had lost all support.

silence.

A deathly silence enveloped her, and the entire hall.

The silence seemed to have a weight on it, making it hard to breathe.

Time stretched out, thick and long, each second feeling like torture for her fragile nerves.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time—perhaps just a few breaths, or perhaps a century—[the text abruptly ends here].

Zhu Zhuqing nodded very slightly, almost imperceptibly.

This movement seemed to drain the last bit of strength from her.

She abruptly raised her head, not glancing at anyone again, and turned straight towards the heavy gate of the Star Soul Palace.

Her steps were steady, her back straight, and the hem of her small black dress drew a cold, hard arc with each step.

It was a kind of dignity that was maintained with all one's might, almost rigidly.

She walked past noble ministers with varying expressions, past the Star Luo Emperor sitting high on the throne and Zhu Yu with deep eyes, past Zhu Zhuyun with sad eyes who dared not approach, and past Dai Mubai who was almost limp in the arms of a guard.

And so, step by step, with a resoluteness and coldness far beyond her years, she walked out of the hall that had just sealed her fate.

"Zhuqing!"

Zhu Zhuyun couldn't help but take a small step forward, her voice choked with sobs.

Zhu Zhuqing's steps did not falter at all, and her figure disappeared into the blinding sunlight outside the door.

"Ugh……"

Zhu Zhan sighed heavily and rubbed his temples wearily.

He looked in the direction where his daughter had disappeared, his eyes filled with complex emotions—pain, helplessness, and a deep-seated, irresistible sense of fate.

He ultimately said nothing, but simply waved his hand to signal the end of the ceremony.

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly relaxed, yet a tacit sense of oppression permeated the air.

The nobles exchanged glances, their whispers barely audible. "Another resigned little ghost cat..."

"Seventh-level innate soul power, that's not bad, but it's a pity..."

"The way Prince Dai looks...tsk tsk, it seems like this is the beginning of another unhappy couple."

"Daughters of the Zhu family, didn't they all go through this? Even Her Majesty the Empress did the same back then..."

When Zhu Yu is mentioned, many people instinctively glance at the person in the main seat.

Zhu Yu remained calm, her bare feet touching the cold ground, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with her.

She merely turned her head slightly, whispered a few words to the Star Luo Emperor, and then rose and left gracefully.

Her departure seemed to bring this drama to an even more indifferent end.

Everyone was indeed used to Zhu Zhuqing's reaction.

In the long scroll of the history of the Star Luo Empire, the daughters of the Zhu family, when faced with this inescapable fate, either fiercely resisted, succumbed to their fate, or were filled with despair... all sorts of attitudes have long been recorded and passed down, becoming topics of conversation for nobles to sigh over after meals.

Empress Zhu Yu, after her awakening ceremony, also locked herself in her room for three days without speaking, before finally appearing before the world with that aloof, detached, and insightful demeanor.
Zhu Zhuqing's silence and resoluteness at this moment are just another similar footnote on this cold chain of inheritance.

The pleasantries resumed, tinged with insincere politeness and probing for personal gain.

Emperor Xingluo left first, followed closely by Davis, a playful smile on his lips.

Dai Mubai was practically dragged away by the guards, his steps faltering, looking utterly lost and disoriented.

The nobles also dispersed in twos and threes, and the Star Soul Palace quickly returned to its empty and desolate state.

Lin Xia stood in the corner, taking in everything.

He crossed his arms, and Young Kira lay quietly on his shoulder, its scarlet eyes scanning the departing crowd, a very low gurgling sound emanating from its throat.

Lin Xia sighed silently in her heart.

This is the Star Luo Empire, and this is the cold, ironclad rule of marriage between the Zhu and Dai families.

What kind of turbulent waves were surging beneath Zhu Zhuqing's forced calm?
As expected, Zhu Zhuqing did not come to Lin Xia's place to play for the next few days.

Lin Xia understood; she needed time to process and face this suddenly collapsing world.

However, after Zhu Zhuqing left, the atmosphere in the Zhu residence quietly underwent an extremely subtle and suffocating change.

An invisible, cold barrier began to spread within the mansion.

Lin Xia keenly noticed it.

He lived in the Zhu residence and was Zhu Zhuqing's only friend, so he was particularly sensitive to the changes in the attitudes of the servants in the residence.

The wind direction has changed.

Zhu Zhuyun, the eldest daughter who was already highly regarded and had even greater talent, seemed to have her status elevated overnight.

Wherever she went, the servants' smiles became even more fervent, their backs bowed even lower, and their greetings even more obsequious.

Exquisite food, seasonal flowers, and brand-new supplies were continuously delivered to her courtyard.

The servants vied to serve her, as if it were an honor to be near this future "victor".

The secluded courtyard where Zhu Zhuqing lived seemed to be shrouded in an invisible shadow.

Neglected has become the mildest adjective.

In the early morning, the warm milk that should have been delivered to her room turned out to be slightly cold, or sometimes it was simply "forgotten" to be delivered at all.

The lunch boxes were noticeably smaller, and the dishes had become more ordinary than before. Lin Xia even glimpsed one time that there were only a few pieces of green vegetables and a little bit of white rice inside.

The maid who was responsible for cleaning her room became perfunctory in her work, and dust often accumulated in the corners.

When Zhu Zhuqing brought it up softly, she was met with an impatient glare and a muttered complaint.

"Second Miss is of such high status now, is it really worth fussing over such a small matter? I'm busy, the Eldest Miss is still waiting to be dealt with."

(End of this chapter)