Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Young Gilas, Sandstorm King!

Chapter 163 Then get stronger!
The low, muttering voice faded into the empty hall, and no one answered.

This faint, almost negligible fluctuation did not arouse his excessive vigilance. He regarded it as a normal disturbance in the movement of the stars and quickly immersed himself in cultivation again.

The wheels rolled over the dirt road, making a dull, monotonous rolling sound, leaving the vast, dark green shadow of the desolate mountains, like an ancient behemoth, behind inch by inch.

Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was as heavy as solidified lead.

Zhu Zhuqing's small body was huddled tightly in a corner of the carriage. She turned her face to the side, her forehead pressed against the window covered with a thin layer of dust, her gaze unfocused as she looked out at the rapidly receding, gradually opening fields.

The intense sunlight poured down, making her squint slightly, but it couldn't dispel the thick, unyielding shadow in her eyes.

The towering, cold outline of Xingluo City's walls resembled a colossal steel beast lurking on the horizon, silently baring its fangs, awaiting her return.

Lin Xia sat opposite him, an old parchment scroll depicting rare mineral diagrams spread out on her lap, but her eyes did not fall on it.

He could clearly sense the resistance emanating from the child opposite him; it was heavy, like a layer of soaked cotton, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

It is an instinctive retreat in the face of a known storm, the fear of a young animal in a cruel lair.

He sighed silently.

Within his seven-year-old body lay the experience and trials of over twenty years from his previous life, enough to build a strong wall around his heart.

What about Zhu Qing?

She was only six years old.

The moment the Netherworld Cat's martial spirit awakened, it cast not a ray of hope, but a judgment that plunged her into the ice cave of her family.

Therefore, Lin Xia could understand Zhu Zhuqing's current feelings and her reluctance to go back.

The wheels rolled over a protruding rock, causing the car to lurch violently. Zhu Zhuqing's body bounced up and then fell heavily back into her seat, letting out a muffled groan.

She quickly lowered her head, her long bangs falling down to cover her instantly reddened eyes and her tightly bitten lower lip.

Lin Xia closed the leather scroll in her hand. The leather made a slight rustling sound as it rubbed together.

He got up and moved to sit down next to Zhu Zhuqing.

The space inside the car suddenly felt a bit cramped. The young Kiras, who had been dozing on his shoulder, was startled and let out a dissatisfied "yo-ji," tugging at his collar with its little paws and curiously peeking out to look at Zhu Zhuqing.

Lin Xia reached out and gently placed her hand on Zhu Zhuqing's soft black hair, stroking it lightly.

Her hair had the soft, delicate feel of a little girl, but also hinted at the weariness of a journey.

Zhu Zhuqing's body tensed up instinctively for a moment, but she did not dodge.

The warmth emanating from that palm was the only real and tangible comfort she could grasp at that moment.

"Zhu Qing".

Lin Xia's voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally steady, penetrating the noise of the wheels and clearly reaching Zhu Zhuqing's ears.

"Scared?"

Zhu Zhuqing didn't look at him, stubbornly staring at the scenery outside the window.

A long time passed, so long that Lin Xia thought she wouldn't answer, before she heard a word, barely audible and with a heavy nasal tone, squeezed out of her lips with difficulty.

"……Um."

"I know."

Lin Xia's hand didn't leave her head, the stroking carrying a calming rhythm. "In that city, there's a father waiting to teach you a lesson, a sister who sees you as a whetstone, servants who snobbish and opportunistic, cold and impersonal rules, and... Dai Mubai, who is also locked in fate."

"Every face, every word, even every breath makes you feel suffocated, and you want to run away as far as possible, right?"

Zhu Zhuqing's breath hitched, and her shoulders trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Lin Xia's words were like a precise carving knife, brutally dissecting the fear and grievances she tried so hard to hide.

She clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white, her nails digging deep into the tender flesh of her palms, using this sharp pain to fight against the surging soreness.

"Running away is useless, Zhuqing."

Lin Xia's voice lowered, yet carried an undeniable power, like a boulder sinking into deep water.

"No matter what awaits you there, whether it's thunderous fury, cold ridicule, or even the colder isolation and helplessness... we all have to go back and face it."

He leaned forward slightly, forcing Zhu Zhuqing to raise her head a little.

His gaze was sharp as a knife, piercing straight into the depths of Zhu Zhuqing's dark eyes, which were misty with tears yet stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Let the pain hurt, let the discomfort be discomfort! These feelings, these humiliations, these cold moments you desperately want to forget—pick them up!"

Every word Lin Xia spoke was like a hammer being quenched, striking right at the heart.

"Turn them into the toughness in your bones, into the fire in your heart that can never be extinguished!"

"Your sister Zhu Zhuyun, your father Zhu Zhan, don't they just want to see you struggle in this quagmire, to see your edges smoothed out by their rules, and to eventually become the kind of person they want you to be?"

Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted sharply. Lin Xia's blunt words felt like a red-hot iron branding her heart.

"Then let them see for themselves!"

Lin Xia's voice suddenly rose, carrying an almost sharp provocation and absolute confidence.

"Look at how you gritted your teeth, how you shed blood and sweat, how you climbed step by step! Climbed until they had to look up and crane their necks to see your height!"

Lin Xia's tone was resolute, like the clang of metal on metal:

"When you become powerful, powerful enough that they can only look up to you, powerful enough that you can crush their so-called rules and destiny with a single finger, then look back and see if they still have the guts to arrange your fate, Zhu Zhuqing!"

boom!
Lin Xia's words, each one carrying the force of a thunderbolt, cleaved open the dense clouds of despair in Zhu Zhuqing's heart!

Those heavy fears, grievances, self-pity, and self-harm were torn apart and shattered by an invisible hurricane in that instant!
An unprecedented surge of scalding heat, accompanied by intense throbbing, suddenly exploded from the deepest part of her heart, instantly sweeping through her limbs and bones!
It's not to cater to anyone's expectations, nor to become anyone's pawn.

It's for my own sake!
To take control of one's own destiny!
She suddenly raised her head and looked directly into Lin Xia's eyes.

Those eyes, which were usually calm as a deep pool or dead as ice, were now churning with turbulent waves!

Something inside was ignited, not a weak tear, but a scorching, sharp, and indomitable flame!

A resolute desire to break free from shackles and burn away all obstacles burned wildly within her small body.

The flames were so intense that Lin Xia even felt a burning sensation.

"I……"

Zhu Zhuqing's voice was still very soft, but it was like a short dagger drawn from its sheath, carrying the sharpness of cutting through the past and a trembling, newborn power.

"Understood, Brother Lin Xia."

(End of this chapter)