Chapter 52: Rebellious Disciple

"I finally got what I wanted!" Zhu Zhuqing let out a sigh of relief. What she had been longing for all this time had finally borne fruit.

And the experiences from the simulation could be brought back as memories into the real world!

In other words, even if she couldn't formally take Zhou Sheng'an as her master in reality, she could still receive his teachings and guidance!

"With Mr. Zhou's guidance, I will definitely defeat Zhu Zhuyun!" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes gleamed. In that moment, the heavy burden she had been carrying seemed to vanish completely.

...

[You became Zhou Sheng'an's student, staying by his side to study his soul power theories.]

[Zhou Sheng'an often said that in his lifetime, his knowledge was limited and he had no one to pass it on to. You are his only successor. He placed high hopes on you, aiming to help you reach Titled Douluo, or even higher.]

[You stared blankly at Zhou Sheng'an's confident profile.]

[When the Heaven Dou Empire launched another surprise attack, Zhou Sheng'an devised a fire trap at Longpo Ridge and repelled the invaders. You witnessed his elegance and might as he turned the tide with a smile, and became even more awed by him.]

[As the weather grew colder, you knitted a sweater for Zhou Sheng'an.]

[On your birthday, Zhou Sheng'an gifted you a kitten. You liked it very much and secretly named it An'an.]

[That night, you drank with Zhou Sheng'an. Slightly tipsy, you broke down in tears and clung to him tightly, recounting the shadows that had plagued you for years. Zhou Sheng'an comforted you. You clung to him until you fell asleep.]

[The way you looked at Zhou Sheng'an started to change.]

[One day, you discovered that Empress Zhu often wrote letters to Zhou Sheng'an in private and sent him various gifts. One of them was even her intimate garment. Enraged, you tore it to shreds.]

[Overwhelmed with emotion, you ran out of the city to clear your mind—only to fall into an ambush by Heaven Dou soldiers.]

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes shifted slightly. Seeing this chain of events, if she still didn't know what was happening to her, that would be the strange thing.

As a woman of the Zhu family, liking someone like Zhou Sheng'an was completely normal.

They were drawn to powerful men. Even if that man had other women, they wouldn't mind.

But… liking one's own teacher…

Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks turned slightly red. Should she accept the memory now?

Once she accepted it, her feelings would become overwhelming.

"Accept it," Zhu Zhuqing said with clear, unwavering eyes.

...

The scene shifted.

Zhu Zhuqing was being hunted by a group of knights from the Heaven Dou Empire. Even though she was a Soul Elder, she was no match for a full knight squadron. All she could do was run!

She was over ten li away from the city gates—no chance of making it back in time.

"Catch her! This girl's identity isn't simple!" a knight shouted.

Zhu Zhuqing didn't even look back. Like a startled cat, she ran with panic written across her face.

Whsssh…!

A sharp sound pierced the air.

An arrow grazed her shoulder. It was laced with poison.

Zhu Zhuqing's speed quickly dropped. Her vision blurred, and her breath grew unsteady.

Behind her, nearly a hundred knights closed in.

Thump thump thump…!

The sound of hooves encircled her. In no time, she was surrounded.

Clutching her shoulder, Zhu Zhuqing stared coldly at them.

"Little girl, you must be from the Zhu family, right? Hahaha, what an unexpected prize! Once we take you, the Zhu generals have to open the gates for us!" one of the knights laughed.

The others raised their long spears, tips pointed directly at her.

The killing intent was suffocating.

Zhu Zhuqing's mind was sluggish, but she instinctively shouted, "I won't… I won't let you succeed! Teacher… I won't become a burden to you…"

"Quick! Grab her!" The knight captain was overjoyed and charged forward.

Just then, the blue silver grass in the area suddenly erupted and surged wildly!

In an instant, they wrapped around Zhu Zhuqing, shielding her in a cocoon. The grass outside sharpened into countless spears, launching toward the charging knights.

Shhhk shhhk shhhk—!

Within moments, the charging knights were thrown into chaos!

They were impaled by the blue silver spears, blood spilling across the ground.

The knight captain turned pale with horror. Without hesitation, he shouted, "Retreat! Fall back—now!"

Only a dozen or so managed to escape with him.

The blue silver grass, which had formed a tent-like barrier, slowly retracted into the ground, taking the blood with it.

But the stench of blood remained.

Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at the scene, her large eyes blinking slowly.

She thought she was dreaming.

It wasn't until a familiar figure walked up to her that she realized—her teacher had come to save her!

Zhu Zhuqing practically threw herself into Zhou Sheng'an's arms.

"Teacher…" Zhu Zhuqing buried her face in his chest, tears soaking his shirt.

Zhou Sheng'an shook his head helplessly and gently patted her back.

"There, there… it's over now."

...

Zhu Zhuqing opened her eyes.

She had now received the memories up to the point when Zhou Sheng'an rescued her.

Her feelings were crystal clear.

There was nothing more to say—she wanted to be the rebellious disciple who defied taboo.

Leaving a man like Zhou Sheng'an beside the women of the Zhu family was like leaving fish in front of a cat or peaches in a monkey's hand—how could anyone resist?

Zhu Zhuqing smacked her lips lightly and murmured, "I didn't become Mr. Zhou's disciple in reality, so it's not considered taboo, right?"

...

[In the Douluo Calendar, Year 2025, March 13th—Marshal Ge Long of the Heaven Dou Empire launched a major offensive against the Star Luo Empire, resulting in a decisive victory. The Star Luo Empire was forced to retreat and announced a ceasefire.]

[MacArthur commented: As long as the Nine-Lives Divine Dragon still walks this world, no Star Luo soldier shall set foot on Heaven Dou land.]

[Dorgon roared: If not for the interference of the Spirit Hall, the Star Luo Empire would surely have won!]

[General Xiao Tianhe lamented: If only the ninth great general Zhou Sheng'an had been dispatched instead, the outcome might have been very different!]

[Douluo Calendar 2025, March 24th—The Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires jointly declared an end to hostilities and signed a peace agreement.]

[Thanks to the identity arranged for him by Empress Zhu, Zhou Sheng'an gained a clean background and was trusted even more by the Star Luo Emperor, receiving an additional 100,000 troops.]

[You hinted at your feelings to Zhou Sheng'an, but were sternly rejected. You were devastated. In your sorrow, you discovered that Empress Zhu had once again come to the frontlines and entered Zhou Sheng'an's tent.]

[What you saw next shook you to the core—your country's empress was sleeping with Zhou Sheng'an.]

[You burst into the tent in tears, shouting at the barely clothed pair, demanding to know why.]

[Empress Zhu smiled and said, "I've fallen in love with Sheng'an."]

[Heartbroken, you ran out and hid behind the tent. No one came after you. Soon, the sounds from inside nearly made you faint.]

[Later, Empress Zhu explained to you in private, "Only this way will Sheng'an fully side with me. We're bound together now. Zhuqing, don't you want the Zhu family to rise from clan to kingdom?"]

[But you knew—those were all excuses. Empress Zhu had simply fallen for Zhou Sheng'an. That was the shared fate of women from the Zhu family.]