"Shameless!"
Zhu Zhuqing's words cut through the air, bringing Su Xing back to reality, and he quickly recognized just how thick-skinned he must seem. Without another word, Zhu Zhuqing turned away, refusing to engage with him any further.
As he watched her retreat, Su Xing couldn't help but notice her figure, especially the ribbon-like accessory flowing behind her, which added an extra charm to her already captivating presence.
His heart, which had been unsettled after killing someone earlier, was now calm again—yet restless for a different reason.
"Heh... men!"
Su Xing chuckled to himself, unsure whether he was mocking himself or feeling proud, and quickly followed after Zhu Zhuqing.
"Stop following me!" she snapped.
"This road doesn't belong to you. You walk your way, and I'll walk mine," Su Xing replied casually.
"Hmph!"
"..."
If Zhu Zhuqing didn't know how strong Su Xing was, she might have attacked him by now. With no other choice, she decided to pretend he didn't exist, completely ignoring him.
It was clear by now that she was rejecting him, and she wanted to see how long he would keep this up.
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Su Xing was starting to admire Zhu Zhuqing's persistence. For two whole days, she completely ignored him, never giving him the slightest chance to break the ice.
Zhu Zhuqing was unbelievably patient. Su Xing had tried making her laugh, telling her jokes, but she remained expressionless.
She clearly wasn't going to give him any chances. If it wasn't for how much he was drawn to her, Su Xing would have given up already.
Being persistent was just one method; he didn't want to seem desperate. If he truly saw no hope, he would back off.
Of course, he had already informed his family that he was leaving, through one of their stores. The Su family had stores in nearly every town across the major kingdoms of the Heaven Dou Empire. Even in Spirit City and the Star Luo Empire, there were a few small shops.
Su Xing had long known about the vast reach of his family's business. When he was just six years old, he had been able to find Grandmaster in Nuoding City thanks to this network.
"Now that we're within the borders of the Barak Kingdom, it'll probably take two more days to reach Shrek Academy!"
"Guess I'll check it out."
Su Xing had made up his mind to visit Shrek Academy, but not to join it. Participating in the entrance exam was fine, but he had no intention of enrolling.
Yu Xiaogang would be arriving soon, and Su Xing had no need for his guidance anymore.
When he first arrived in this world, Su Xing thought Yu Xiaogang's theories were impressive because of the anime. But after his own research, he found them lacking.
For example, Yu Xiaogang's famous saying, "There are no useless martial spirits, only useless soul masters," was as naive as the line from One Piece: "There are no useless Devil Fruits, only useless Devil Fruit users."
Yu Xiaogang himself was proof that some martial spirits were indeed useless.
Only Su Xing's method of cultivation justified saying such things, but he wouldn't boast about it until he became stronger. Otherwise, it would just sound arrogant.
Zhu Zhuqing, meanwhile, was shocked that after two days of ignoring Su Xing, he was still following her.
"Let me be clear: there's no future for us. I already have a fiancé," Zhu Zhuqing finally stopped and turned to face him, making her position known.
She didn't know if the engagement still held any value, but she was determined to get Su Xing off her trail.
"I don't believe you. You're just saying that to make me give up, right? If you were engaged, you would have told me earlier."
Su Xing shook his head in disbelief.
"Besides, even if it's true, that's not a reason for me to stop liking you. Until you're actually married, I still have a chance."
Even if you were married, that wouldn't necessarily stop me, he thought to himself—but wisely kept that part to himself. Saying it aloud would make him seem even more shameless. He knew Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't understand that now.
"You… you're impossible!"
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned by his response, clearly not expecting such persistence. She felt even more annoyed.
"Can you please stop following me? I really do have a fiancé. I'm on my way to meet him, and I don't want him to misunderstand," she pleaded, looking at Su Xing with a mixture of frustration and desperation.
"You really have a fiancé?" Su Xing frowned.
"Yes!"
Seeing that Su Xing seemed to believe her, Zhu Zhuqing nodded firmly.
"Alright, can you at least tell me your name? I've been following you for two days, and I still don't even know it."
He acted like he was giving up, though in reality, he had no intention of doing so.
Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes. Liking someone for two days and speaking like it had been an eternity. She was too tired to argue, only wanting to get rid of him.
"I'm Zhu Zhuqing, from the Star Luo Empire," she said, hoping that by revealing her identity, Su Xing would stop pestering her.
"Star Luo Empire!"
"Zhu Zhuqing, Spirit: Netherworld Civet. I've heard of you!"
Su Xing's eyes widened in mock surprise as he looked at Zhu Zhuqing.
He was faking it—he had known all along who she was.
"You've heard of me?" Zhu Zhuqing was genuinely shocked. She hadn't expected anyone in the Heaven Dou Empire to know about her.
"Yes, my family has stores in the Star Luo Empire, and I like to collect information, so I know a lot about what goes on there."
"I never expected that you might be the future empress of Star Luo Empire. No wonder you're so beautiful!"
"It's just a shame that your fiancé, Dai Mubai, ran away from his royal responsibilities and left you behind."
"You're looking for Dai Mubai, aren't you? That cowardly prince who abandoned the throne?"
Su Xing said all this calmly but with obvious disdain when mentioning Dai Mubai's name.
"Don't you dare insult him! He didn't run away. He's just lying low for now, training to grow stronger!" Zhu Zhuqing snapped back, enraged.
She could insult Dai Mubai herself, but she wouldn't tolerate anyone else doing so. At this time, she still cared about him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been looking for him.
Watching Zhu Zhuqing defend Dai Mubai made Su Xing jealous. How could a guy like him deserve her?
"Alright, I won't talk about him anymore. But I still don't believe that he's just 'lying low.'"
"How about this: I'll go with you to meet him. If he's as dedicated as you say, I'll give up."
"But if he's not, then he doesn't deserve you."
If nothing else, this would give Zhu Zhuqing a chance to see Dai Mubai's true character.