Not far off, a young woman in a pristine white dress stood quietly, her orange hair cascading freely, resting softly on her shoulders.
Ju Zi's gaze was fixed firmly on Lu Jingming, who was teasing two lively and adorable little lolis, exuding a unique gentleness in his every move.
Ju Zi watched this scene, her expression complex. Three days had passed in a flash. In these short three days, Ju Zi had come to understand Haiyuan City, and at the same time, she had heard much about Lu Jingming's past. It turned out that Lu Jingming had been orphaned at birth, his parents both deceased.
Compared to him, a ripple went through Ju Zi's heart; she felt she was somewhat luckier.
After all, in her childhood, she had experienced a period of warmth and happiness, and those days spent with her parents were her most cherished memories.
Thinking of how Lu Jingming, at such a young age, had to bear heavy responsibilities alone, endure the pain of losing his loved ones, and defend Haiyuan City under immense pressure, a strong sense of empathy surged within Ju Zi.
This empathy unconsciously brought a hint of pity to her gaze as she looked at Lu Jingming. Previously, because her father had died at the hands of people from the Star Luo Empire, Ju Zi harbored deep animosity towards all Star Luo Empire citizens.But now, this animosity had, unknowingly, dissipated like thin ice melting in warmth.
Ji Yingying felt that Ju Zi's gaze towards Lu Jingming was somewhat strange and difficult to comprehend. Her voice, as always, was cool and clear, "Have you thought it over?"
Ju Zi took a deep breath, nodded heavily, and said earnestly, "I've thought it over. I am willing to join the Wuchang Division!"
These three days, although Lu Jingming had not actively sought out Ju Zi, Chang Li had a conversation with her.
Under Chang Li's patient guidance, Ju Zi finally understood many things. She gradually realized how irrational and unreasonable it was to blindly transfer the blood feud of her parents' deaths onto every single person from the Star Luo Empire.
Her father, an honest and law-abiding commoner chef, was cruelly dragged into war and forced onto the battlefield.
The root of all this was the incompetence of the Sun Moon Empire's high-ranking officials and the cruel, small-scale war provoked by Duke White Tiger.
Ultimately, this was the bitter fruit of conflicts of interest between two empires; in this struggle, there was no absolute right or wrong.
However, Ju Zi's desire to avenge her parents was equally understandable. Despite understanding these points, Ju Zi's determination for revenge remained undiminished.
The flame of vengeance still burned in her eyes, directly aimed at Duke White Tiger. But at the same time, she was thoroughly disappointed with the high-ranking officials of the Sun Moon Empire.
In her opinion, those in high positions were simply occupying their posts without contributing, completely unfit to be in control of the nation's destiny.
Thus, Ju Zi decided to join the Wuchang Division and become a White Wuchang.
Although her fighting prowess was negligible, making her ill-suited for an assassin, Chang Li told her that her future missions would be extremely important, even enough to influence the ultimate direction of the entire Douluo Continent.
This put a lot of pressure on Ju Zi. Driven by the dual factors of Ji Yingying's life-saving grace and her obsession with revenge, Ju Zi had no other choice.
She could only cling tightly to the Wuchang Division as a lifeline, firmly standing on Lu Jingming's side.
"Very well, from now on, you are the Wuchang Division's White Wuchang, code-named White Seven," Ji Yingying said softly, her voice still cold, but a rare, almost imperceptible ripple appeared in her eyes. Because her former code name was also White Seven!
"This little girl has caused trouble for the City Lord. They are still young, so please forgive any disrespectful behavior, City Lord," Lan Yu said apologetically, coming before Lu Jingming with a slight bow and a smile.
Lu Jingming was seen pulling a little loli with each hand, slowly walking towards them. The two little ones, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, were laughing and chatting along the way, clearly having a very pleasant time with Lu Jingming.
Lu Jingming's lips curved into a gentle smile. He waved his hand lightly and said, "It's fine. They are very cute, and I like them very much."
"Big Brother, so you're the City Lord? You're so amazing!" Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo looked up with innocent little faces, their eyes sparkling with admiration. Their pure appearance was heartwarming.
Lu Jingming was amused by their cuteness, and his mood became exceptionally cheerful.
However, Lan Yu's eyes suddenly narrowed, like a protective beast guarding its young, instantly becoming wary.
Without a word, he picked up the two little lolis, one in each hand, like lifting chickens, and squeezed out a smile uglier than crying. He said, "City Lord, it's getting late, and we should take our leave. We won't bother you any further."
Having said that, he hastily nodded to Chang Li as a greeting, then took off like a whirlwind, disappearing with his two daughters from Lu Jingming's sight. His speed was as if a flood or fierce beasts were chasing him.
"(⊙o⊙)…! Chang Li, did I say something wrong?" Lu Jingming stood bewildered, completely confused. He scratched his head, looking at Chang Li with a puzzled expression, hoping to get an answer from him.
Chang Li smiled without speaking. Keqing, on the other hand, couldn't hold back. She rolled her eyes and said crossly, "Those two kids are still young; if it were me, I'd be wary of you too!"
Only then did Lu Jingming realize, and his lips couldn't help but twitch. He secretly complained to himself, Heaven knows, he had no ulterior motives towards those two little lolis. He simply found the twin lolis cute and well-behaved.
His 'liking' was purely an affection for cute things, just like his affection for a pink-haired fox! Of course, the premise was that the pink-haired fox hadn't transformed!
The more Lu Jingming thought about it, the more depressed he became. He really wasn't a loli-con. Compared to little lolis, he preferred mature and intellectual women like Chang Li, and vibrant, lively girls like Keqing.
Being misunderstood by Lan Yu left Lu Jingming a bit frustrated, and he also worried if Lan Yu would secretly run away with his two daughters that very night.
The thought of two talents delivered to his doorstep potentially slipping away for nothing gave Lu Jingming a headache; if that really happened, he would truly cry.
However, fortunately, Lu Jingming's worries did not come to pass. Early the next morning, as the first ray of sunlight hit the city walls of Haiyuan City, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo's mother, Wei Qianqian, came with Lan Yu and their two daughters to apologize.
Lu Jingming immediately noticed Lan Yu's reddened ears and inwardly chuckled. He instantly understood that Lan Yu was a man who feared his wife. At the same time, he keenly sensed who truly held the reins in this family.