Chapter 49: Princess Vina

No matter what, when asking for help, one should go in person and bring a generous gift to show sincerity.

"Sister Jiujiu, listen to me be cunning—oh no! It's listen to me explain." Lu Jingming eagerly tried to defend his actions, but his words nearly slipped out too quickly due to his haste.

Xu Jiujiu's mouth twitched slightly. She seemed to have just heard something rather inappropriate. She rolled her eyes playfully, feigning anger. "Alright, I'm listening. Let's see what elaborate excuses you can come up with."

"Sister Jiujiu, you should know that as a city lord, I am busy with daily affairs. All sorts of matters, big and small, require my attention. And cultivation cannot be neglected either. During the day, I have to practice my sword and handle complicated official duties, and at night, I must cultivate meditation methods to improve my soul power. I truly don't have a single moment of free time. I hope Sister Jiujiu can be understanding."

Lu Jingming spoke earnestly, his expression very sincere, as if he truly were a busy person overwhelmed by duties.

Behind Xu Jiujiu, a golden-haired girl, seemingly similar in age to Lu Jingming, had a gentle demeanor.

Upon hearing Lu Jingming's words, she couldn't help but nod slightly, finding his statements very reasonable.

In her opinion, Lu Jingming, at such a young age, bore a heavy burden beyond his years, which was truly heartbreaking. Thinking this, her gaze towards Lu Jingming was filled with sympathy and pity.

Xu Jiujiu, seeing this, couldn't help but cover her forehead in exasperation. She knew a thing or two about Haiyuan City's situation.

While cultivation might be true, as for being busy with affairs and official duties, she'd heard that most of those were handled by Miss Chang Li! This little fellow was here, earnestly trying to fool people.

"Fine, I won't bother arguing with you. But this time, you have to accompany your sister for a good stroll." Xu Jiujiu said, feigning magnanimity with a wave of her hand, but her tone carried an undeniable quality.

Before her words even finished, she forcefully took Lu Jingming's hand, making to leave the Heavenly Vault Grand Hotel.

Lu Jingming wore a helpless expression, inwardly groaning. He had just returned from touring Heaven Dou City and was physically and mentally exhausted, but faced with Xu Jiujiu's enthusiasm, he found it truly difficult to break free.

Left with no choice, he could only let Xu Jiujiu pull him along, sighing to himself with a wry smile on his face.

"Almost forgot, I haven't introduced you yet." Xu Jiujiu paused, as if suddenly remembering something.

She turned back, an apologetic smile on her face, and looked at the golden-haired girl who had been standing quietly behind her. "This is Vina, the princess of the Heaven Dou Empire. Vina, this is my little brother, Lu Jingming. Don't let his young age fool you; he's a city lord!"

Lu Jingming's gaze followed Xu Jiujiu's introduction and fell upon Vina. In fact, he had noticed this uniquely elegant girl from the beginning, initially thinking she was a fellow disciple of Xu Jiujiu's Star Crown Sect, given their similar dazzling golden hair.

But he hadn't expected her to be Vina. Princess of the Heaven Dou Empire, with twin martial souls, extraordinary talent, exceptional wisdom—her qualities in all aspects surpassed those of Xu Jiujiu, who was also a princess of a nation.

At only nine years old, her thought process was far faster than her peers, even more agile than some adults. One of her martial souls was a body martial soul—the brain—which granted her extraordinary intelligence, allowing her to display unusual maturity at a very young age.

"Princess Vina!" Lu Jingming bowed slightly, greeting her politely, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Vina's face bloomed with a soft, sweet smile, and her voice was gentle. "No need to be so formal. Just call me Vina, like Sister Jiujiu." From the conversation between Xu Jiujiu and Lu Jingming, it was clear that Xu Jiujiu held this so-called "little brother" in very high regard.

Based on this judgment, she also intended to befriend Lu Jingming. She and Xu Jiujiu were both princesses and close confidantes, knowing each other's personalities inside out.

Ordinary people couldn't easily catch Xu Jiujiu's eye, let alone make her care so much.

A single letter could make Xu Jiujiu go to great lengths to help, with few complaints afterward, which was enough to show Lu Jingming's importance in Xu Jiujiu's heart.

"Then I won't be polite, Vina. Let's go together." Lu Jingming didn't act coy and extended a generous invitation. He deduced from the situation that Vina was likely the one originally intended to go out with Xu Jiujiu.

Vina looked up at Lu Jingming, reaffirming her earlier thought: this young man was not simple.

Although she was a princess, Lu Jingming's demeanor when facing her was calm, showing no restraint or deliberate flattery.

This composure secretly amazed her. She naturally wouldn't refuse, nodding slightly and graciously agreeing. Thus, the three walked out of the Heavenly Vault Grand Hotel side-by-side.

"Is this your pet? What a cute little fox," Vina's gaze was drawn to the little fox on Lu Jingming's shoulder, and she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Her name is Shinko. Don't be fooled by her appearance; she's not very well-behaved," Lu Jingming explained with a smile. "But if you have offerings, you can certainly play with her for a while."

"Offerings?" Xu Jiujiu and Vina exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion.

"She likes fried tofu," Lu Jingming revealed the answer.

"Understood! I'll go buy some right away," Xu Jiujiu eagerly replied, her eyes sparkling with excitement, seemingly impatient to go appease this adorable little fox.

The three chatted and strolled down the street, their laughter continuous, their voices gradually fading into the distance, the atmosphere harmonious and pleasant.

"Is his luck with women a little too good?" From a distance, Keqing frowned slightly, her slender fingers brushing aside a strand of purple hair near her ear, a barely noticeable electric glint flickering at her fingertips.

"It's normal for Xiaoming to be so excellent, so perfect, and attract girls' attention, isn't it?" Zhang Lexuan chuckled softly, her eyes curved in a smile, her tone filled with pride and delight, showing no displeasure at all that Lu Jingming was being led away by other girls.

Keqing's mouth twitched slightly, her eyes strange. She couldn't help but look at Zhang Lexuan, grumbling inwardly, wanting to retort, "You're not normal either!"

"You're his fiancée, aren't you going to manage him?" Keqing's face was full of confusion, truly unable to understand Zhang Lexuan's attitude.

"It's precisely because I am his fiancée that I hope he can interact with more excellent girls," Zhang Lexuan said calmly, her gaze fixed on the retreating figures of Lu Jingming and the two girls.

She slowly continued, "The Lu family now has only him as a sole heir. The inheritance of martial souls on the Douluo Continent relies on bloodline, and high-level bloodlines make it difficult to bear children. For the sake of the Lu family's inheritance, I don't mind if he has more people by his side."