Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 470 My Name Is Xue Zhao

Ye Qingchen sighed silently. This is the longest we’ve been apart since I first met Xiao Xiao. The last time they met, she had astonishingly reached the Ninth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm without a word.

With her ten-star Vermilion Bird Holy Soul and the full support of a nine-star sect like the Wuji Immortal Palace, what level has she reached by now?

Ye Qingchen smiled, shook his head, and continued on his way. However, his recent struggle with the ferocious beast had caused him to miss the nearest city.

The sky was gradually darkening, and Ye Qingchen knew he wouldn’t reach the next city tonight. Looking at the dense clouds gathering above, he realized a heavy downpour was likely. With that in mind, he began searching the area for any place that could provide shelter.

He soon found an abandoned, dilapidated temple just tens of miles away.

Ye Qingchen stepped into the temple. The main hall was barely intact, but the rest of the structure had already collapsed. The statues enshrined within were just broken, half-destroyed relics.

The place seemed to have been abandoned for a long time. But Ye Qingchen wasn’t a fussy person; he simply tidied up a spot in the main hall and sat down cross-legged to cultivate.

Outside, the dark clouds gathered more densely, and a fierce wind began to howl. Ye Qingchen was forced to interrupt his cultivation. He watched the brewing storm and sighed, grateful to have found this place beforehand. Otherwise, he would have been drenched like a drowned rat tonight.

As he sighed, he saw three figures running toward the temple from afar. Their speed wasn’t fast, hardly different from that of ordinary people.

Why are there three ordinary people here?

Ye Qingchen wondered, quietly activating his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to observe the approaching trio.

Even with his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, he couldn’t detect the slightest hint of an Energy Fluctuation from any of them. This confirmed his suspicion: they were ordinary mortals.

On a continent where Martial Artists roamed, ordinary people still made up the majority. After all, not everyone was fortunate enough to awaken a Martial Soul and embark on the path of cultivation. It was just that Ye Qingchen had spent so much time dealing with major sects and powerful figures that he had almost forgotten what the lives of ordinary people were like.

But what puzzles me is why three ordinary, powerless people would be out here. This place isn’t exactly remote, but it’s rarely traveled. Why would they come here at a time like this?

While Ye Qingchen was pondering, the three figures reached the main hall. They were stunned for a moment when they saw him inside.

Ye Qingchen also got a clear look at the newcomers: two men and one woman. Both men appeared to be around forty years old. The taller one was thin and stern-looking, while the shorter one had a plump, friendly face that gave him a very honest air.

Finally, Ye Qingchen’s gaze fell upon the woman. She looked to be seventeen or eighteen. The wind whipping around outside had tousled her carefully arranged hair. A faint blush graced her delicate face, and her large, mischievous eyes stared at Ye Qingchen with adorable curiosity.

The girl wasn’t very tall, standing at just over 1.6 meters. While her figure wasn’t voluptuous, she possessed a unique girl-next-door charm.

Looking at Ye Qingchen with a bashful expression, the girl spoke cautiously, "Young Master, may we come in to take shelter? It’s about to start raining."

"Of course. Come in," Ye Qingchen nodded. This place was ownerless, after all. Even though he had arrived first, it wouldn’t be right to deny them shelter.

Besides, the three of them had no Spiritual Energy fluctuations. If he didn’t let them in, where else could they go in the coming storm?

After the trio entered the main hall, the taller man began building a bonfire while the shorter one struck up a conversation with Ye Qingchen.

"Pardon the intrusion, Young Master. My name is Qi Sheng. It is an honor to meet you. May I ask for your name?"

The plump man named Qi Sheng had a disarmingly simple and endearing smile that easily put others at ease. He spoke with such extreme respect that Ye Qingchen couldn’t help but feel well-disposed toward him.

"I’m Ye Qingchen," he replied politely. "How did the three of you end up out here?"

Qi Sheng laughed awkwardly and began to explain. "Master Ye, this is our Young Miss. The man building the fire is my brother, Qi Tian. Our lord commanded the two of us to escort the Young Miss to visit relatives in the countryside. Unfortunately, we ran into a ferocious beast on the road.

"Luckily, my brother Qi Tian is quick-witted and led us to safety. Our carriage, however, was devoured by the beast. We had no choice but to continue on foot. With night falling and the weather turning, we had to find shelter from the rain."

Ye Qingchen nodded. This area was indeed known for ferocious beasts. For three ordinary people to escape one’s clutches was extraordinarily lucky.

The girl had been watching Ye Qingchen the entire time. Now that they’d had a brief interaction, her initial timidity gave way to a livelier nature. She grinned mischievously and asked, "Big Brother, are you one of those Martial Artists people talk about?"

Ye Qingchen nodded in confirmation.

The girl had a very natural air about her. Her beauty didn’t make her seem unapproachable. On the contrary, her every expression seemed to effortlessly draw people closer.

Perhaps this is the unique charm of ordinary people. His interest piqued, he asked, "May I have your name, miss?"

The girl blinked her expressive eyes and replied with a playful laugh, "Big Brother, everyone calls me Xue Zhao!"

"Xue Zhao." Ye Qingchen paused for a moment. Xue Zhao... ’Snow’s Gleam.’ White as freshly fallen snow. What a beautiful name. It suits her perfectly.

Ye Qingchen assumed they were ordinary people, but he had no idea that these three were anything but. The adorably mischievous girl before him was none other than Xue Zhao, renowned as the Beauty of the Western Region. She was ranked alongside Zi Xing of Central Celestial Academy and Xiao Xiao of the Wuji Immortal Palace as one of the "Three Beauties." Countless men coveted Xue Zhao’s beauty, willing to spend fortunes just to win a single smile. Among the sect disciples of the Western Region, many talented cultivators had fallen deeply in love with her at first sight, swearing an oath to marry no one but her.

Her two companions were actually Elders from her sect, accompanying her to participate in the upcoming sect newcomer competition. The special nature of their Cultivation Technique allowed them to completely conceal their aura, so much so that even Ye Qingchen’s Dual Pupil Martial Soul had failed to detect anything. It was Ye Qingchen’s overconfidence in his Dual Pupil Martial Soul that had led him to be so certain they were just ordinary people.

Seeing Ye Qingchen nod, Xue Zhao clapped her hands happily. She squatted down beside him and said with great interest, "Then you must be very strong, right, Big Brother? If you were here when that beast appeared, you would have definitely scared it away for me, wouldn’t you?"

Ye Qingchen smiled helplessly. This girl is so naive. She has no sense of caution around a stranger like me. She must have lived a sheltered life with little contact with the outside world. Still, her innocent and lively personality is undeniably endearing.