Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Uncle Fu's gaze finally withdrew. Zhao Dong gasped for breath. Now he finally understood how terrifying the disparity in strength across realms could be! He had no doubt that Uncle Fu could take his life with a single move!

"So you are Zhao Dong?" Uncle Fu asked coldly.

Zhao Dong took a deep breath and said resolutely, "Yes, I am Zhao Dong, Lin Qingyun's man!"

A mocking smirk appeared on Uncle Fu's face. "You are merely an ant, yet you dare claim to be the Young Lady's man? You're truly seeking death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Uncle Fu instantly leaped from his chair. His palm, accompanied by a draconic roar, shot directly toward Zhao Dong's chest!

Zhao Dong's heart skipped a beat as he scrambled to block, but the power of the strike far exceeded his imagination. His body felt as if it had been slammed by a heavy truck, and he was sent flying backward with a loud BANG.

"Uncle Fu! Stop!" Lin Qingyun cried out, not having expected Uncle Fu to react this way. She quickly rushed to help Zhao Dong from the ground.

Uncle Fu sighed lightly. "Young Lady, this man you've found is far too weak. It baffles me why you would choose him."

Lin Qingyun helped Zhao Dong up and stared coldly at the old man. "Uncle Fu! My personal life is my own business! Zhao Dong is my man. If you dare lay a hand on him again, just you try!"

The wrinkles on Uncle Fu's face deepened. He flicked his long robe and knelt on one knee. "Young Lady, I was wrong."

Ignoring him, Lin Qingyun looked at Zhao Dong with concern. "How are you?"

A trickle of blood escaped the corner of Zhao Dong's mouth as he forced himself to stand. "I'm fine. Not dead yet."

Deep guilt surfaced on Lin Qingyun's face. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect..."

Zhao Dong managed a smile. "It's all right. This has nothing to do with you. I'm just curious who this old man is."

Lin Qingyun sighed softly. "Uncle Fu is the Lin Family's butler. He watched me grow up, so I consider him an elder." She then sighed again and said, "Uncle Fu, you may rise."

"Thank you, Young Lady!"

Uncle Fu stood, his gaze resting on Zhao Dong. The murderous intent in his eyes was gone, replaced by a hint of apology. "Young friend, my sincerest apologies. I acted out of anxiety and merely wanted to test you. I didn't expect..."

Zhao Dong snorted. "Didn't expect me to be so pathetically weak, right?"

Uncle Fu bowed respectfully. "Young friend, to be frank, you are indeed too weak. Even weaker than I had imagined."

Zhao Dong waved his hand dismissively. "Who doesn't start from weakness? A small sapling can still grow into a towering tree!"

Uncle Fu's expression shifted as he took a deep look at Zhao Dong. "Young friend, to have already reached the seventh level of Inner Strength at your age makes you a true prodigy. In the East Sea, you're considered a peerless talent, but when compared to the wider world, you are still far too weak. It's true that a sapling can grow into a towering tree, but if it encounters storms along the way, it is doomed to perish."

The expressions on both Zhao Dong and Lin Qingyun's faces changed. Lin Qingyun bit her lip and asked, "Uncle Fu, does my father know you came here?"

Uncle Fu answered respectfully, "To be frank, it was the Family Head who sent me. However, he sent me here to kill."

Lin Qingyun's hands suddenly clenched into fists. "He sent you to kill Zhao Dong?"

"Correct," Uncle Fu nodded gently.

A chill shot through Zhao Dong's heart. If Uncle Fu truly wanted to kill him, he would have absolutely no power to resist.

Lin Qingyun's face turned pale. "Lin Yuanhui is simply inhuman! What does my love life have to do with him? Why does he need to interfere? Go back and tell him that if he dares to touch Zhao Dong, I will kill myself right in front of him!"

Uncle Fu's expression shifted. He looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just sighed softly.

Zhao Dong glanced at Lin Qingyun, surprised by her words, and a warmth spread through his chest.

Uncle Fu sighed again. "Young Lady, the Family Head also knows that Zhao Dong defeated Xiao Hongtian at the banquet. He was quite shocked."

Lin Qingyun's beautiful eyes were icy. "The fact that Zhao Dong could defeat Xiao Hongtian proves he's no ordinary person! He has potential, so why does he still want to kill Zhao Dong?"

"First, although the Family Head was shocked, he doesn't believe Zhao Dong is truly that powerful, as Xiao Hongtian had not yet revealed his true strength. Second, you have a marriage arrangement with the Xiao Family. Your actions will undoubtedly draw their wrath upon the Lin Family. As things stand, the Lin Family is no match for the Xiao Family, and sometimes, we have no choice but to bow our heads. Third, the Xiao Family will certainly dispatch someone to eliminate Zhao Dong. To save face, it is better if we handle it ourselves."

Lin Qingyun slammed her hand on the table. "Shameless! In the end, isn't Lin Yuanhui just trying to force me to marry Xiao Hongtian? Sacrificing my happiness to forge an alliance with the Xiao Family... How despicable!"

As she spoke, her eyes reddened. This was her own father, after all. But in his eyes, she was just a tool. How could she not feel her heart turn cold?

Uncle Fu's voice was hoarse. "Young Lady, please come back with me. For your own sake, and for Zhao Dong's. If you don't return, the Family Head will send someone else to fetch you. The next person might not be me, and if they make a move against Zhao Dong..."

Lin Qingyun's face was filled with sorrow and grievance. "He clearly promised that if I made a name for myself in the East Sea, he would leave me alone."

"But he never said you were exempt from the marriage arrangement with Xiao Hongtian. Now that this has happened, the Family Head is furious. Young Lady, while the Family Head can be overly strict, you are still his daughter. He loves you."

"He has never once seen me as his daughter! I don't want to go back! That is the Lin Family, not my home! From the day my mother died, he was no longer my father! Let him live out his days with that little woman of his. He has a new family now; he won't miss one less person like me," Lin Qingyun said coldly.

Uncle Fu's mouth twitched. He seemed to want to speak but stopped, his efforts dissolving into a helpless sigh.

"Young Lady, since you've made your decision, I won't insist. I am on your side, but sometimes my hands are tied. I hope you can understand."

Uncle Fu walked to the door, then turned to look at Zhao Dong and sighed softly. "Young friend, if you are truly sincere about the Young Lady, then you must increase your strength as quickly as possible. Otherwise... not only will you be unable to protect her, but you will also drag her into an abyss, and you yourself will meet a violent end! I have said all I can. Farewell!"

After Uncle Fu left, Lin Qingyun slumped powerlessly into her chair. Zhao Dong sat down beside her. Only then did he notice that her eyes were brimming with tears. He could feel her profound sense of grievance and sorrow. From their fragmented conversation, Zhao Dong had gathered that her relationship with her father was terrible, her mother was dead, and her father had started a new family...

He desperately wanted to comfort her but didn't know what to say. He had never been good at consoling women.

Looking at her tear-stained cheeks, Zhao Dong felt an impulse he couldn't explain. He reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, whispering, "Don't cry. I'm here. As long as I'm here for a single day, I won't let anyone take you away."

The tears she had managed to hold back finally burst forth, streaming down her face in large drops.

A sharp pain lanced through Zhao Dong's heart. He gently pulled Lin Qingyun into his arms. "Qingyun, don't be afraid. I'm here."

Lin Qingyun began to cry aloud, her tears flowing without restraint, as if she had finally found a safe harbor. She hugged Zhao Dong tightly...

A long time later, Lin Qingyun wiped her tears and pulled away from his embrace. Her eyes were red as she looked at him.

"Zhao Dong, you have to get stronger! You must! For your own sake... and for mine!"

After saying this, Lin Qingyun said no more. She stood up and left.

Zhao Dong sat lost in thought in the private room for a long time.

「The next morning.」

Zhao Dong was still asleep when a frantic knocking at the door startled him awake. Outside, Zhang Cuimei's panicked voice rang out, "Xiao Dong! Wake up! Something terrible has happened!"

Instantly awake, Zhao Dong rushed to open the door. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Tears streamed down Zhang Cuimei's face. "It's terrible! Your sister... Your sister, Zhao Qirou, jumped off a building!"

"What?!" A violent shock seized Zhao Dong's heart. "How is that possible? I was just with Qirou yesterday. Why would she jump?"

Crying, Zhang Cuimei said, "I don't know! She's in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment right now. We have to go see her!"

Zhao Dong quickly got dressed and rushed to the hospital with Zhang Cuimei and Zhao Kangyou. His heart trembled the entire way.

Why would Qirou jump? She's such a cheerful girl. There's no way she'd do it out of despair! Could it be... Did someone do this to her? Zhao Dong's fists clenched, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. Whoever harmed Qirou, once I find them, they're dead!

Finally, they arrived at the hospital and raced toward the operating room.