Ye Lingling, a Beauty in Distress? I'm a Hero!

Star Dou Forest.

Just as Zhou Tong was making his way back to Green Mountain Town, several figures moving at high speed caught his attention.

"Boss, to think there'd be a lone, stunning beauty in a place as dangerous as the Star Dou Forest. Looks like we're all in for a good time."

"Good time? What are you talking about?"

"Grab her and sell her to the auction house. The big shots will definitely love her. We'll make at least two hundred thousand gold coins."

A tall, thin soul master and a short, fat soul master, both dressed in black, were seen in hot pursuit of a beautiful, blue-haired girl who looked to be about ten years old.

"How dare you attack the Nine Heart Begonia family! If anything happens to me, the family will hunt you down to the ends of the earth."

"Leave at once, and I won't hold this against you later!"

The blue-haired girl fled in a panic, throwing out threats to intimidate the thugs.

However, the two thugs turned a blind eye, their wicked intentions unchanged.

"Nine Heart Begonia?"

"Ye Lingling?"

Zhou Tong, listening from the side, furrowed his brows and quietly followed them.

If only I hadn't wandered off while Mom was absorbing her soul ring.

At this moment, Ye Lingling was nearly scared to tears by the two fierce-looking men.

She had originally come to the Star Dou Forest with her mother to hunt soul beasts.

While her mother was absorbing a soul ring, she had spotted a pretty rabbit and wanted to catch it as a pet.

She had followed it quietly, but the rabbit got away, and she couldn't find her way back.

Instead, she ran into these two vicious thugs.

"I don't know anything about some Nine Heart Begonia Ye family."

The thin soul master said coldly, "Just grab her and send her to the auction house to make some gold soul coins."

"You got it, Boss!"

The short, fat soul master was instantly excited at these words.

"Wild Boar, possess!"

As soon as he spoke, he transformed into a wild boar covered in black fur with exposed tusks, and one white and two yellow soul rings appeared around him.

"Oink!"

After completing his martial soul possession, the soul master looked like a massive, obese black boar.

"Little girl, surrender obediently. If you get hurt, you won't be worth as much."

"No! If you leave now, I'll pretend this never happened. The Nine Heart Begonia family has powerful guards."

"Aren't you afraid of the Nine Heart Begonia family's retaliation?"

Ye Lingling said nervously; this was the survival tactic her family had taught her.

But these low-level soul masters had limited knowledge and had never heard of such a prestigious family.

"Stop wasting time with her. Grab her quickly; it won't be good if someone comes."

The tall, thin soul master said coldly.

"Understood, Boss."

The next moment, the wild boar soul master didn't hesitate and lunged directly at Ye Lingling.

"Don't come over here!"

Ye Lingling was so anxious that tears were about to fall.

She was an auxiliary soul master with no defensive capabilities, and she squeezed her eyes shut, screaming in terror.

Just as the wild boar soul master's greasy hand was about to grab Ye Lingling, a bolt of golden lightning suddenly shot toward them.

"Ah!"

The golden lightning slammed into the wild boar soul master, instantly carving out a bowl-sized wound.

The terrifying lightning surged into the wild boar soul master's body, causing all his black fur to stand on end.

In the blink of an eye, the soul master was struck so hard he lost control of his bowels, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground.

A charred smell drifted on the wind, making Ye Lingling feel nauseous.

Seeing this, the tall, thin soul master turned and bolted, saying, "Brother, I'm heading out first, you cover the rear..."

However, another bolt of golden lightning flew out and struck the tall, thin soul master who had betrayed his partner.

The man was instantly roasted to a crisp, his entire body charred black...

Ye Lingling's beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief. She had been on the verge of falling into the clutches of evil, only for the situation to suddenly reverse.

"May I ask which hero has come to my rescue?"

Ye Lingling asked timidly.

She looked around, trying to find her savior.

What met her eyes was a long-haired youth in white, handsome in appearance, with a golden lightning mark between his brows.

"Thank you, hero."

No sooner had Ye Lingling finished her words of thanks than Zhou Tong transformed into a lightning-fast phantom, rushing toward the thin, tall soul master who was struggling to escape.

"First Soul Skill: Thunderbolt!"

"Second Soul Skill: Blue Silver Tyrant Emperor Armor!"

A yellow soul ring emerged from Zhou Tong's body, shimmering with golden light; surging power of lightning intertwined around him, instantly condensing into a blue-gold suit of Blue Silver armor.

"Whoosh!"

Ye Lingling only heard the sound of something piercing through the air beside her ears, and in the blink of an eye, she saw Zhou Tong arrive before the thin soul master, brandishing a blue-gold vine that rapidly coiled around the man.

The thin, tall soul master was just about to flee, but before he could react, he felt his entire body tremble, goosebumps erupting across his skin.

"Crackle, crackle, crackle!"

A series of popping lightning strikes rang out. The thin soul master looked at Zhou Tong, who had appeared before him like a ghost, with terror in his eyes.

He wanted to release his martial soul to fight back, but he had already been paralyzed by the power of the lightning.

The thin, tall soul master fell straight to the ground, thick black smoke rising from his mouth as he completely ceased to breathe.

"Th-thank you, my name is Ye Lingling."

Watching the thrilling scene before her, Ye Lingling's face paled, and she looked at the youth before her with some trepidation.

"My name is Zhou Tong!"

"I was just passing through; I saw an injustice and decided to lend a hand."

Zhou Tong wiped his hands, his gaze calm as he looked at Ye Lingling.

"Are you alright?"

Zhou Tong spoke. At this moment, Ye Lingling was stunned, staring blankly at Zhou Tong, unable to say a word for a long time.

"I'm fine." Ye Lingling realized she had been distracted, her face flushing with shame as she spoke hurriedly.

Just then, a shout came from afar.

"Lingling, I've found you!"

A beautiful woman in a cyan dress with a graceful figure was rushing over anxiously, followed by five or six guards.

"Are you alright?"

This woman was Ye Lingling's mother, Ye Xiyue, the head of the Nine Heart Begonia family.

Seeing the scene before her, Ye Xiyue's expression turned to one of surprise, and she immediately began to check Ye Lingling for injuries.

Only after discovering she was unhurt did she heave a sigh of relief.

"And who is this young man?"

Ye Xiyue looked at the corpse on the ground, then at Zhou Tong standing to the side, her expression somewhat suspicious.

"Mother, two thugs were trying to capture me just now, and this young man saved me."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiyue relaxed and looked at Zhou Tong, saying, "Many thanks, young man. You have done a great service to the Nine Heart Begonia Ye family."

This youth, who did not look very old, was actually able to take down two experts who appeared to be at least Great Soul Masters.

He was definitely a talent.

"It was a small matter. I was just passing by, saw thugs committing a crime, and dealt with it while I was at it."

Zhou Tong said indifferently.

He had indeed just been passing through; saving someone and gaining the friendship of the Ye family was not a bad outcome.

Moreover, Ye Lingling was a student at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and he would certainly have to deal with her once he entered the academy in the future.

It was quite good to have made her acquaintance by chance.

Perhaps, in the future, he could use this connection to get to know Dugu Bo, and through Dugu Bo, obtain the immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.