This old senior doesn't play by the rules!

"This little girl is quite clever. Tell me, how did you figure that out?" Chrysanthemum Douluo gave her a high look.

Zhu Yun turned his gaze to Elder Ji and Jing Tianming, and said with a smile, "My family has been merchants for generations, and our clan is also involved in the clothing business. If I'm not mistaken, the patterns on the clothing worn by this senior and this young man are characteristic of the Kingdom of Barak."

Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded, "As expected of a woman from the Zhu family, she has learned quite a bit about the ways of officialdom."

Zhu Yun's expression changed upon hearing this, but he quickly understood. He was currently wearing the attire of the Star Luo Empire and had previously mentioned the surname Zhu, so it was normal for the other party to make some connections.

I wonder if anyone has guessed her true identity.

"You flatter me, senior!" Zhu Yun said humbly, keeping a very low profile.

Judging from her calm demeanor alone, she knew that her side was likely at a disadvantage.

"Speak, what is your unreasonable request?" Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded slightly and asked directly.

Zhu Yun stopped speaking in riddles and replied honestly and sincerely, "This junior hopes that senior can escort my younger sister to Soto City."

"As for the reward, this junior is willing to pay 100,000 gold soul coins on the spot!"

She's actually quite wealthy... Jing Tianming re-examined the woman before him. Ten thousand years of gold soul coins—that's no small sum.

This is wealth that an ordinary family could never earn in a lifetime, and even some merchant families might not have this much savings. In this world where soul power is so great, only powerful soul master factions can steadily accumulate such wealth.

Otherwise, they'll be lambs to the slaughter!

The fact that the woman in front of them could offer such a large sum of money shows that her family is quite powerful.

"Indeed generous." Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded, then added with a hint of amusement, "But I'll just kill you all now."

"Wouldn't we get more?"

The two young men behind Zhu Yun instantly became alert, instinctively assuming a fighting stance, and even Zhu Yun himself froze.

But he quickly recovered and a smile returned to his face.

"I trust your character, senior."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have saved his sister and treated her.

"Perhaps she's thinking of taking it back to sell, or keeping it as a personal maid for my apprentice."

Chrysanthemum Douluo, his playful nature aroused, chuckled.

"Your little sister is quite pretty to me; she'll definitely grow up to be a great beauty."

"You're not bad either, and the key is that you're not stupid."

"I'm considering whether to kidnap you as well, train you properly, and make you a steward maid for my disciple."

Zhu Yun's expression froze, and for a moment she didn't know how to reply.

This veteran doesn't play by the rules!

The two youths behind him glared angrily, their fists clenching instinctively. But they dared not speak out, and did not dare to retaliate on the spot.

He knew in his heart that anyone who dared to lead a junior into the Star Dou Great Forest was somewhat confident in their own strength.

They're all quite old, so it's hard to say they aren't powerful high-level Soul Masters.

Both of them were Soul Masters, and if they were to actually fight, they would likely be outmatched and might even perish today. In this Star Dou Great Forest, if they were to die, they couldn't imagine any other outcome besides becoming food for soul beasts and leaving no trace of their remains.

Most importantly, they didn't want to die!

"Ahem..." Jing Tianming couldn't help but speak up when he saw the atmosphere becoming somewhat tense. He had experienced the destruction of his family and the oppression of others in his early years, and naturally did not want to become the kind of person he once hated. Moreover, the person in front of him had no grudge against him.

Of course, he also knew that his teacher was just being playful and wanted to scare people.

Perhaps they felt that the smile on Zhu Yun's face was all fake and not sincere enough, and thus disliked him. After all, when their teacher was in Wuhun City, he sometimes had to do things against his conscience in front of Bibi Dong, and he had accumulated some resentment in his heart.

This girl's cleverness backfired this time; she accurately stepped on a landmine.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you!" Seeing his good disciple speak up, Chrysanthemum Douluo gave him face.

Zhu Yun breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Jing Tianming with some gratitude.

"However, little girl, I still have to remind you of something," Chrysanthemum Douluo continued to say to himself, "In the future, when you go out and encounter senior figures who are probably no match for you, it's best to put away your official manners and be more honest."

"You yourself call him 'senior,' so he must have more experience than you. Do you really think you can fool me with your little tricks?"

"Being smart is a good thing."

"But sometimes, being too clever for one's own good can backfire, making one a laughing stock or even disliked by others."

"Your teachings are right, senior!" Zhu Yun sincerely admitted his mistake.

"So..." Chrysanthemum Douluo narrowed his eyes and looked directly at her, "Can you tell me why you sent your younger sister to Soto City?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yun glanced at her younger sister lying on the ground out of the corner of her eye, her expression somewhat complicated.

"Because she is too kind. Only by leaving the Star Luo Empire can she escape the family struggles and live peacefully."

"And in Soto City, there happens to be someone who just escaped from his family; perhaps he can protect her from now on."

Why does this plot sound so familiar?

Jing Tianming had a strange sense of déjà vu and couldn't help but ask, "Miss Zhu Yun, may I ask your younger sister's name?"

"Zhu Qing," Zhu Yun said.

Okay, I know who you are... Jing Tianming's lips twitched, thinking to himself how coincidental it was.

Is it some kind of inevitable setting that time travelers will interact with characters from the original work?

Did he guess it? Zhu Yun noticed the change in Jing Tianming's expression and suddenly felt a little nervous for no reason.

It wasn't that he was afraid of Jing Tianming, but rather that he worried the two seniors beside the young man would also guess the truth, become displeased, and then make a rash move.

The next second, however, I heard...

"Zhu Zhuqing is Zhu Zhuqing, why call her Zhu Qing?" Chrysanthemum Douluo pointed it out directly.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuyun and the other two all changed their expressions drastically.

Then Chrysanthemum Douluo's gaze swept over, and he said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, your name isn't Zhu Yun either."

"Shouldn't you call her Zhu Zhuyun?"

"As for the one in Soto City, it should be Dai Mubai, the third prince of the Star Luo Empire, who suddenly disappeared two years ago?"

"Your Star Luo Empire's petty squabbles are as obvious as if no one knows them."

"However, I am very curious." He changed the subject, "I can understand why you want to send your silly sister out of the Star Luo Empire to save her life. But Dai Mubai just abandoned your sister and ran away on his own. He is definitely irresponsible."

"Now you're going to send your own sister to that other person's side. What are you thinking?"

"Furthermore, there's an old saying: 'Releasing a tiger back into the mountains will bring endless trouble!'"

"Aren't you afraid that once they become powerful, they'll unite and come back to bring you and Davis down?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you've been keeping all these ideas from your sister, haven't you?"

"So, do you think she'll remember your kindness or hate you to the core when she wakes up?"

Zhu Zhuyun's expression changed several times upon hearing this, but she finally said firmly:

"Then let's each rely on our own abilities!"