Invincible Soul Emperor-Chapter 165 Hu Ji

Upon seeing Ye Qingchen’s party, the woman was overjoyed and immediately cried out for help.

"Kind people, please save me!" As she spoke, she scrambled toward Ye Qingchen, Li Zongrui, and the others.

Ye Qingchen frowned slightly. Although this was the edge of the Great Wilderness Mountain Range, it was still a desolate area. How could a weak woman appear here, let alone be pursued by a group of men? What puzzled him even more was that her pursuers were all dressed alike, clearly indicating they were from the same sect or family.

Just as Ye Qingchen was about to speak, Li Zongrui’s sense of justice flared. A group of grown men ganging up on a young woman—did they have no shame? Without a second thought, he stepped in front of the woman, shielding her. An almost imperceptible smile touched her lips.

None of this escaped Ye Qingchen’s notice. He said to Li Zongrui, "Brother Zong Rui, it’s best we don’t meddle in this."

Li Zongrui stared at Ye Qingchen in disbelief. "Ye Qingchen, I can’t believe you’re so cold-blooded!" he said indignantly. "This young woman is clearly in trouble, being hunted down like this. She looks so pitiful, and you want me to just stand by and do nothing?"

Ye Qingchen sighed and tried to explain, "Brother Zong Rui, sometimes you can’t just look at the surface. Perhaps the ’weak girl’ you see isn’t so weak after all?"

Ye Qingchen’s advice was well-intentioned, but that’s not how Li Zongrui heard it. The first thing that came to his mind was Li Susu. This Ye Qingchen is really something else, using the incident with Li Susu to mock me at a time like this! He’s utterly despicable! Li Zongrui thought furiously, about to lash out at Ye Qingchen, but the woman’s pursuers had just arrived.

Li Zongrui immediately confronted the burly men, and the two sides glared at each other menacingly.

Ye Qingchen sighed. It was too late to stop this now.

The leader of the burly men said to Li Zongrui, "Young Master, please don’t interfere. This is our family matter!"

"Pah! A gang of men bullying a lone woman, and you dare call it a family matter? I don’t see a single decent person among you!" Li Zongrui snapped. Without another word, he attacked.

Elder Wuji had wanted to intervene, but seeing that the fight had already broken out, he could only shake his head helplessly and stand off to the side. Sometimes, letting Li Zongrui learn from personal experience was more effective and profound than any lesson.

Li Zongrui’s strength had reached the third level of the Great Martial Master, and his recent training had made his attacks even more relentless. The men, who were only in the Martial Master Realm, were no match for him. He made short work of them, knocking down a large number before the rest fled in disarray.

Seeing how things had turned out, Ye Qingchen could only shake his head again.

Seeing her pursuers flee, the woman beamed at Li Zongrui. "Thank you for saving my life, Young Master," she said. "My name is Hu Ji. I have no way to repay you. May I ask your name, so that if I have the chance one day, I can repay this profound kindness?"

Li Zongrui waved his hand dismissively. "Miss Hu Ji, no need for such formalities. It was a simple effort, nothing worth mentioning. But why are you out here? And why were those men chasing you?"

At Li Zongrui’s question, Hu Ji’s cheerful expression instantly clouded over with sorrow, and she began to weep uncontrollably. To Ye Qingchen, her acting was a clumsy joke, but it stirred a flood of sympathy in Li Zongrui, who rushed to comfort her. "Miss Hu Ji, please don’t be sad. Tell us what’s wrong. Perhaps we can help."

Wiping her tears, Hu Ji looked at Li Zongrui. "You are a very good person, Young Master. Actually... I was once a lady from a noble family. But sadly, my family fell into decline, and my father died young from an illness. Overcome with grief, my mother passed away not long after, joining him."

As she spoke, fresh tears streamed down her face. Li Zongrui sighed deeply, completely convinced by her story. "You’ve truly had a hard life, Miss Hu Ji," he said comfortingly. "But who were those men just now?"

Hu Ji sighed as well. "After my parents passed away, my own clan uncle coveted our family’s wealth. After seizing it through trickery and force, he sold me to a brothel! As a helpless woman, how could I fight back? I had to endure endless torment there just to protect my innocence. Eventually, I feigned obedience to make them lower their guard, which is how I finally managed to escape. Those men who were chasing me... they were the brothel’s enforcers."

After she finished, Hu Ji sobbed uncontrollably again. Li Zongrui stood beside her, at a loss for what to do other than sigh helplessly.

After a while, Hu Ji’s sobbing subsided. She looked up listlessly at Li Zongrui, who finally found a chance to speak. "Miss Hu Ji, I’ve driven those villains away for now. What are your plans for the future?"

Hu Ji wiped her eyes. "I have a distant cousin in the capital. I escaped hoping to find refuge with him."

"That’s wonderful," Li Zongrui said with a sigh. "As it happens, we’re also on our way to the capital. You should travel with us. With us around, those brothel thugs won’t be able to lay a finger on you if they show up again."

Hearing Li Zongrui’s offer, Ye Qingchen sighed inwardly. This story of hers is riddled with holes. Only someone like Li Zongrui would actually believe it. Her tale is touching, but the details are completely illogical. If she’s just a helpless woman without an ounce of martial skill, how did she manage to escape from a group of martial masters and make it all the way out here? Furthermore, martial masters are rare. What kind of brothel would be rich enough to hire a whole group of them as enforcers? And after being betrayed and sold by her own uncle, she’s now going to seek refuge with a distant cousin? The whole thing is highly suspicious.

Although Ye Qingchen hadn’t activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to probe the woman’s mind, all the signs told him that Hu Ji was definitely lying. As for why she was lying, Ye Qingchen didn’t know yet, nor did he particularly care to find out.

Hearing Li Zongrui’s invitation, Hu Ji’s face lit up with joy. "Really, Young Master? Would it be too much trouble? With you by my side, I won’t have to be afraid of those bad men anymore!"

Li Zongrui scratched his head, feeling a bit smug at her words. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

At that same moment, Hu Ji was sneering to herself. Judging by your clothes, you must be some rich young master. A brainless one, at that! If I can take this whole group down in one fell swoop, I’ll make a fortune!