Upon hearing Zhao Feng's words, Li Zhu was once again shaken. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but in the end, he shook his head and said...

"No, he's my brother, how could he possibly harm me..."

"Your Highness, this is the root cause of why you can't understand all of this..."

Zhao Feng said in a deep voice…

These words struck Li Zhu like a thunderbolt!

He never thought that Nangong Niannian would hurt him, because the other party had been without desires since she appeared, and had even saved his life many times, so he subconsciously thought that the other party would not hurt him!

If Nangong Niannian truly harbored ill intentions towards him, given the level of trust he currently placed in her, she might already have succeeded; all that remained was the final execution…

Thinking of this, Li Zhu broke out in a cold sweat. It all seemed so natural, and he had unknowingly become deeply entangled in it...

"Zhao Feng, do you know what you're saying?"

Li Zhu looked at him coldly and said!

"Your Highness, I know exactly what I'm saying, but people's hearts are unpredictable. You can suspect anyone, and even if you suspect me, it's perfectly reasonable..."

Zhao Feng spoke calmly, his attitude unchanged despite Li Zhu's tone. He wanted Li Zhu to understand that sometimes the impossible is the most likely outcome...

"Don't you know the principle of trusting those you employ and not employing those you don't trust?"

Li Zhu's voice was very serious, and he stared at him without blinking, but Zhao Feng did not back down at all, and simply cupped his hands and said...

"Your Highness, these are not contradictory..."

Hearing Zhao Feng say this, Li Zhu took a deep breath and pondered for a long time. His mind was in turmoil. He wanted to sort out everything about Nangong Niannian, but their acquaintance was only based on the other party's side of the story...

"I understand, you guys go back now..."

Li Zhu wanted to be alone for a while. This incident had a huge impact on him. If he had been betrayed by his own brother, he would still find it hard to accept...

Li Zhu walked out of the room and wandered aimlessly until he arrived outside Nangong Niannian's room...

This startled him, leaving him wondering how he had ended up here. Just as he turned to leave, the door suddenly opened, and Nangong Niannian's voice came through.

"Brother, since you're here, please come in and have a seat..."

This put Li Zhu in an awkward position. He couldn't refuse under these circumstances, so he could only bite the bullet and go inside…

The room was furnished extremely simply, which was Nangong Niannian's own request. Too many worldly possessions would affect his state of mind for cultivation. For him, even a mountain cave was enough to live in. He was neither elated by external gains nor saddened by personal losses; that was his current state of being…

Nangong Niannian sat cross-legged on the bed. As soon as Li Zhu entered, she took a deep breath and stopped circulating her internal energy...

"Brother seems to have something on his mind?"

Nangong Niannian looked at Li Zhu with a puzzled expression, which made Li Zhu a little embarrassed. He didn't expect the other party to be so observant, even able to tell that he had something on his mind!

"My brother got hurt because of me, but I was powerless to help. How can I be at peace with this..."

Li Zhu could only come up with an excuse on the spot!

“Brother, there’s no need to worry. Xun Daoren is nothing but a treacherous villain. If it weren’t for that arrow today, he might not even have had a chance to escape. My injuries will heal quickly, and if I encounter him again, I will absolutely not give him any more chances…”

Nangong Niannian said comfortingly!

“My brother is right, but I still feel incompetent. If I were strong enough, Master Xun might not even have the courage to stand before me…”

Li Zhu figured that since it was an act, he should just go all the way; otherwise, it would only cause more trouble…

Nangong Niannian glanced at Li Zhu, then sighed and said...

"Brother's breathing is unsteady, clearly he's lying. He seemed even more uneasy when you approached my room. My identity must be causing him trouble. In that case, I'll take my leave..."

After Nangong Niannian finished speaking, she wanted to leave, but how could Li Zhu let her leave at this time!

While inwardly shocked by Nangong Niannian's incredibly sharp senses, he felt compelled to persuade her to stay. If he left now, he would be condemned, and regardless of whether their brotherhood was genuine, he couldn't do something so unconscionable…

“Brother, how could you think of your elder brother like that? I was merely thinking about how to deal with the Heavenly Dao Alliance. From Xun Daoren, we can see that the entire Heavenly Dao Alliance is incredibly powerful. To be an enemy of such a force, one needs immense strength. I fear this trip to Xiliang will be my death journey…”

Li Zhu said, half-truthfully, that he would tell a true story here to reduce Nangong Niannian's suspicions.

"Brother's concerns are not without reason. The Heavenly Dao Alliance is indeed powerful, and it has been in seclusion for many years. No one can say for sure what its true strength is!"

Xun Daoren is only the weakest among the Nine Heavens. The strength of the other eight Heavens is probably even more unpredictable because they are in seclusion and cultivating!

This Taoist Xun, because he has been traveling around for many years, has been blinded by the allure of the world and lost his will to cultivate, which is why he is unable to catch up with the other eight in terms of strength…”

"If you put it that way, does that mean I should just wait to die?"

Li Zhu said somewhat dejectedly!

"Brother, you may not know yourself very well..."

"I don't understand myself?"

Li Zhu pointed to his nose in confusion and asked!

"That's right. Do you know how long it takes for a normal person to reach the level of internal strength through martial arts training?"

Nangong Niannian looked at Li Zhu and asked!

"One or two years, maybe..."

Li Zhu said uncertainly that he had only spent a few days, and he had said dozens of times more, so he felt that what he said should be correct...

"Wrong. Recorded geniuses all took three years, but you only took about three days. Such a cultivation speed is unmatched by anyone. Given time, Master Xun is merely a stepping stone for you. You can even use the other eight levels of cultivation to hone your martial arts..."

Li Zhu was brimming with confidence after hearing Nangong Niannian's words, but he still shook his head and said...

"I know my own situation. With Xun Daoren's strength, he'll probably kill me before I even catch up to him..."

"Brother, don't be discouraged. Xun Daoren's current status is only due to the legacy of his ancestors. Why be so fixated on the outcome of this battle?"

"Niannian, can you guarantee I'll live until then?"

Li Zhu asked in an annoyed tone!

"Don't worry, brother! As long as I'm here, you'll live until then..."

Hearing Murong Niannian's words, Li Zhu was deeply moved. They really were brothers; they'd truly stand by each other in times of trouble…