Courtyard House: My Time Travel is a Bit Too Strong

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Zhuyun's face suddenly stiffened, and her pupils contracted slightly.

"this……"

She never expected that Zhu Zhuqing would not only take Zhu Zhuyu away upon her return, but also intend to take her, her elder sister, with her as well!

For a moment, my throat tightened, and I didn't know how to respond.

What kind of place is the royal family? A den of tigers and wolves that devours people without spitting out the bones, she knows better than anyone.

On the surface, she and Davis seemed to be a perfect couple, deeply in love; but she knew perfectly well what kind of person the eldest prince was at heart.

He was gentle and refined in public, but a beast in private. His methods of manipulating power and beauty were no less than those of the infamous "lustful tiger".

At that moment, a slight ripple stirred in her heart, like a breeze brushing across a lake.

But before the ripples could dissipate, they were suppressed by an even deeper chill.

Zhu Zhuyu can walk, Zhu Zhuqing can escape, but Zhu Zhuyun, as the eldest daughter of the Zhu family and the royal consort, is a woman whose every move affects the whole family.

If she were to leave with them, not only would the Xingluo royal family lose face, but the Zhu family would also be thrust into the limelight and face imminent destruction.

Thinking of this, a barely perceptible hint of envy appeared in her eyes as she looked at Zhu Zhuqing.

She immediately shook her head, her voice low and deep: "Any of us three sisters can go, but I cannot go with you."

"It's not that I don't want to break free from this cage, but... I dare not, and I cannot."

Zhu Zhuqing's lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something more.

Lin Quan, however, had already raised his hand, gently but firmly cutting her off:

"Since our eldest sister has made her decision, we will not try to persuade her any further."

He paused, sighed silently, then changed the subject, his tone calm and firm:

"All concerns, in the final analysis, are nothing more than a lack of strength."

"If your cultivation is sufficient to command respect from everyone, why would you need to be subservient to others? Why would you fear being hindered by them?"

Before she could finish speaking, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes—

If Zhu Yun had such confidence, the Dai family members probably wouldn't even dare to raise their eyelids.

"As for your second sister's matter, you and your eldest sister should go back to the Zhu family first and bring her here for a visit..."

"Okay... I'll go with my eldest sister to pick up my second sister!"

Before she could finish speaking, Zhu Zhuqing had already uttered a sentence, not giving Zhu Zhuyun a chance to respond.

She grabbed Zhu Zhuyun's wrist, and like an arrow released from a bow, she leaped through the window and disappeared outside the restaurant in the blink of an eye.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

With a slight thought, her and Zhu Zhuyun's figures suddenly blurred, as if swallowed whole by the night, completely dissolving into the inky shadows.

In just a few moments, the two sisters vanished completely from Lin Quan's perception—not even a trace of their aura or a wisp of their soul power could be found.

Even Lin Quan lost his bearings for a moment and could no longer catch a glimpse of them.

"So Zhu Qing's concealment skills have reached such a level..."

Watching the two figures vanish into the darkness without a trace, Lin Quan's throat bobbed. He wanted to speak, but suddenly paused, shook his head gently, and let out a soft sigh.

At this moment, with Zhu Zhuyun leading the way, given Zhu Zhuqing's current level of skill, unless she lifts the curtain herself, even a titled Douluo would not be able to pry off even a single piece of her clothing.

In a short while, without startling a bird or disturbing a lamp, the two had slipped into the small courtyard where Zhu Zhuyu lived like shadows.

The courtyard was dim, and the moonlight was fragmented by the eaves.

A slender yet upright figure leaned against a pillar, her features strikingly similar to those of Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun; her unyielding and sharp posture mirrored the two sisters'.

It was the very person they were searching for on this trip—Zhu Zhuyu!

Unfortunately, the girl before him had an unyielding weariness between her brows and a hazy, dull look in her eyes.

Although she was only sixteen years old, after her martial spirit was destroyed, her skin lost its luster, fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes, and even her back slumped slightly, making her look exactly like a twenty-something who had weathered half a lifetime of storms.

"Second sister..."

Zhu Zhuqing's throat tightened, her lips trembled slightly, and her entire arm involuntarily shook.

After a long while, he managed to squeeze out two words through his teeth, his voice so soft it was almost broken by the night wind.

Zhu Zhuyu's body stiffened abruptly, and she slowly raised her head—

When his gaze met Zhu Zhuqing's familiar yet distant face, his pupils suddenly contracted. He was first stunned, then hesitated, and finally tentatively asked in a hoarse voice, "Zhu...Zhuqing? Is it really you?"

"You went through so much trouble to escape Xingluo, how dare you come back?!"

"And the eldest sister..."

She became increasingly anxious as she spoke, before she could finish her sentence—

Zhu Zhuqing had already transformed into a black mist afterimage, closing in in an instant, and lightly touched the back of her neck with her fingertips.

Zhu Zhuyu rolled her eyes and softly leaned into her arms.

"Zhu Qing, you—"

Zhu Zhuyun had just opened her mouth when Zhu Zhuqing had already picked up Zhu Zhuyu and turned to leave, her words quick and crisp:

"The situation is urgent, take Second Sister away first!"

"Walk!"

Before she finished speaking, a thick, ink-black aura rose from her body, instantly enveloping the three of them and erasing all traces.

Within ten breaths, the mansion remained quiet, except for three figures that quietly slipped over the high wall and disappeared into the depths of the alley.

With a flash of black shadow, the three of them landed steadily back in the restaurant room.

From jumping out of the window to carrying the person back to the same spot, it took only a little over four minutes.

"So fast?"

Lin Quan looked up at the two returning sisters, slightly surprised but not astonished.

But when his gaze fell upon the pale, haggard face nestled in Zhu Zhuqing's arms, his brow twitched suddenly:

"This is……"

That proud figure, those brow bone contours—he knew without asking who it was—Zhu Zhuqing's second sister, Zhu Zhuyu.

What truly made his heart sink was this face: devoid of any girlish vitality, instead exuding a withered feeling as if it had been ruthlessly eroded by the years. He was clearly sixteen, but looked like he was twenty-five or twenty-six, or even older.

"Is she your second sister?"

Lin Quan's gaze swept over Zhu Zhuyu's sleeping face, his brows furrowed slightly, and then he looked up and stared straight at Zhu Zhuqing.

"Hmm... she is my second sister, Zhu Zhuyu."

"Her current state is entirely due to the destruction of her martial spirit and the damage to her origin..."

"I was afraid she would lose control of her emotions once she woke up, so I simply put her to sleep with acupressure and brought her here."

As they spoke, Zhu Zhuqing recounted the whole story to Lin Quan without reservation.

"Let me first find out about her current situation."

Lin Quan didn't exchange many pleasantries. In a flash, he stood beside Zhu Zhuyu and bent down to examine her carefully.

With a slight thought, he quietly activated the "Eternal Youth Scripture," and a wisp of warm and long-lasting primordial energy silently seeped into Zhu Zhuyu's body like spring water, slowly circulating through her meridians.

His brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his lips, as if a weight had finally been lifted from his heart.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing quickly asked in a low voice, "Brother Quan, is Second Sister... alright?"

"The meridians are intact, with no hidden injuries."

"However, the collapse of the martial spirit affected the foundation of the dantian and qi sea..."

Before he finished speaking, he looked up at Zhu Zhuqing, his gaze calm yet filled with unwavering certainty.

"But these are not difficult tasks for us."