The three burly men clearly recognized the young man. The bald man said with a look of apprehension, " Li Shuheng, don't meddle in other people's business, or we won't let you off the hook!"
The man called Li Shuheng declared righteously, " Three North Wind Brothers, you are all wicked villains! Did you think I would collude with you? Today, I will act on behalf of Heaven and punish you evildoers!"
The bald man retorted defiantly, "Hmph, fine, then let the three of us brothers see just how powerful your indestructible Qinggang Sword, the white-clad swordsman Li Shuheng, really is!"
Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two sides, Zhu Zhuqing asked Qi Ling, " Qi Ling, should we step in and help that person?"
Qi Ling looked at Zhu Zhuqing with interest and said, "What? Zhu Zhuqing, you want to help that Li Shuheng? Why?"
"Because he helped us, and he fought three against one, it's a bit unfair," Zhu Zhuqing said matter-of-factly.
"Haha, Zhu Zhuqing, you're so adorably innocent!" Qi Ling couldn't help but laugh. "I know you're naturally righteous and can't stand any injustice, but you should know that sometimes the truth isn't what you see."
Qi Ling and Zhu Zhuqing spoke in a voice so low that only the two of them could hear them, so Qi Ling wasn't worried about being overheard by the others.
Zhu Zhuqing, puzzled by Qi Ling's words, asked, "What does this mean?"
"It's nothing, you'll find out soon enough," Qi Ling said. "If you can't see through the essence of things, you might end up doing more harm than good, or even causing irreparable consequences."
"Besides, how do you know that Li Shuheng can't win against three opponents? I think he's incredibly powerful. Although he's just an ordinary level 44 Soul Ancestor, he might easily defeat all three of them."
Just as Qi Ling had predicted, Li Shuheng's martial Martial Soul was merely an ordinary Qinggang Sword, yet it displayed tremendous power, easily defeating the Three North Wind Brothers.
"You remember this, Li Shuheng! We'll make you pay for this today, and we'll make you pay another day!" The bald man threatened Li Shuheng as he fled, "I'll be back!"
"Hmph! Cowardly wretches, utterly pathetic!" Li Shuheng struck a pose, speaking with an air of righteous indignation, "You're lucky you ran fast, otherwise, I would have chopped off your dog heads!"
"Young lady, are you alright?" After chasing away the Three North Wind Brothers, Li Shuheng immediately stepped forward and asked Zhu Zhuqing with great concern, as if she were a longtime friend.
However, his plan backfired. Zhu Zhuqing was not an easy person to get along with, and she coldly rejected Li Shuheng's concern.
"Uh..." Li Shuheng's hand froze in mid-air, unsure of what to do. Fortunately, he quickly found a way to back down, "Hahaha, it seems this young lady is terrified. That's understandable; anyone would be scared in such a situation."
"By the way, I see you two have come alone, so you must be Soul Hunting rings, right?" Li Shuheng said, "I know this Star Dou Great Forest quite well. How about we travel together for mutual support?"
When faced with Li Shuheng's invitation, Zhu Zhuqing did not express her opinion but looked at Qi Ling, making it clear that Qi Ling would have the final say in all her affairs.
Upon seeing this, Li Shuheng's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and turned to Qi Ling to repeat what he had just said.
"Excellent! We couldn't be happier! We just need a guide like Brother Li, so loyal and chivalrous!" Qi Ling, contradicting her earlier words, enthusiastically said to Li Shuheng, "With someone like you, Brother Li, we feel much more at ease."
Zhu Zhuqing was extremely puzzled by Qi Ling's words, but then she saw Qi Ling quietly give her a hand gesture, signaling her not to speak and to do as Qi Ling said.
So the two of them set off with Li Shuheng toward the Star Dou Great Forest. Along the way, Li Shuheng did his best to tell Zhu Zhuqing about his experiences, hoping to attract her attention.
To his disappointment, Zhu Zhuqing ignored him once again, showing little interest in what he was saying. On the contrary, Qi Ling frequently flattered him, preventing him from feeling too awkward.
"What's the point of talking to me? You're not my target!" Li Shuheng thought to himself, but on the surface he still pretended to be inscrutable.
After arriving at the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, Li Shuheng once again found an opportunity to show off. Using his Qinggang Sword, he killed every Soul Beast he encountered, completely disregarding whether they posed a threat.
"How is it, Miss Zhu Zhuqing? With my protection, you've been much safer on your journey, haven't you?" Li Shuheng said to Zhu Zhuqing with a sense of satisfaction.
But to everyone's surprise, Zhu Zhuqing frowned and said, " The Grandmaster said that we shouldn't easily kill these Soul Beast Soul Beast that haven't reached the required age, because excessive killing can be fatal to them."
Li Shuheng's smug expression froze on his face. He hadn't expected to do something unnecessary again and end up making a fool of himself.
"Sigh, Zhu Zhuqing, Brother Li means well! But Brother Li, these Soul Beast are really not worth your time. Let's not waste our time on them," Qi Ling said again, trying to smooth things over.
Li Shuheng gave a nonchalant reply, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty, as if he were deep in thought. He walked silently to the front, but this time, he did not continue to kill the weaker Soul Beast.
Perhaps due to bad luck, the three searched for a long time without finding a suitable Soul Beast. As night was about to fall, Li Shuheng suggested that they rest for the time being and continue searching after dawn.
Qi Ling naturally had no reason to refuse this suggestion, since searching at night was indeed much more dangerous and less efficient, because Soul Beast had the same habits as humans, and most of them were nocturnal.
The three of them busied themselves for a while and managed to build up a campfire. By then, it was completely dark.
Li Shuheng looked up and around, seemingly searching for something. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and a strange smile appeared on his face.
"Brother Qi Ling, why don't we go ahead and see if we can find anything we can have for dinner?" Li Shuheng suddenly suggested. "As for Miss Zhu Zhuqing, you can just wait for us here. With this campfire, most wild animals probably won't come near."
Zhu Zhuqing frowned, about to express her doubts, when Qi Ling spoke up, "Alright, that's exactly what I was thinking! Zhu Zhuqing, you wait here for us, Brother Li and I will be right back."