Chapter 88: It's.. It's...a Girl.

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"Who is it?"

This sudden voice startled the children, making their hearts tremble.

After regaining their senses, they noticed a young man standing in front of the child they had been bullying. He was dressed in a green shirt, with a long knife and a long sword hanging at his waist. His sharp gaze pierced through them like a sword, and the aura of sharpness overwhelmed them, causing their bodies to tremble involuntarily.

The leader of the group also noticed that the money pouch he had snatched earlier was now in the hands of this man.

"At such a young age, you are so wicked. It seems you need some education from society," Zeng Yi said with a cold tone, looking at them calmly.

From their appearance, these people seemed to be around ten years old. Judging from their clothes, their identities were not ordinary; they were probably wealthy children or nobles from this city. Zeng Yi initially thought it was just children playing around, but hearing their conversation made him realize that this young person was truly wicked at a young age. How would they turn out when they grew up? Would they become spoiled scions who bully men and dominate women, typical minor antagonists who get slapped by the protagonist?

But what disgusted Zeng Yi the most was how they casually trampled on others' dreams.

So, he decided to step in. Even if these few people were elite disciples of the noble class, how strong could their backers be? Compared to Zeng Yi, who possessed the power of a Spirit Elder at most.

He released a fierce aura towards the children, causing them to tremble under his pressure. Just from his aura alone, several of them couldn't bear it anymore and involuntarily released their martial souls. Their bodies showed faint soul power fluctuations as they resisted this terrible pressure.

The martial souls of these children were all ordinary beast martial souls. From the fluctuations of their soul power, they appeared to be at the eighth or ninth rank, not even reaching the level of a Spirit Scholar.

However, the leader of the group had a halo floating around him, emanating a faint yellow light. Judging by the color of his soul ring, it should be a hundred-year soul ring. His martial soul was a leopard, and he instantly completed his martial soul fusion, changing his appearance.

"Do you dare to interfere in my affairs? Do you know who I am?" the boy stared at Zeng Yi warily and said in a deep voice.

Hearing this, Zeng Yi laughed. Wasn't this the typical language of an antagonist?

"Oh? Then tell me, who is your dad?" Zeng Yi pointed at his ear, feeling a little itchy. He asked indifferently.

"My dad is the lord of Shunding City, a forty-eight level Soul Ancestor. Do you dare to touch me?" the boy proudly mentioned his father, his expression full of arrogance.

He knew that the person in front of him was a soul master, but judging from his age, he was at most a second-rank Soul Grandmaster. Although he couldn't beat this person, he had a background!

"I advise you not to meddle in this, otherwise, there won't be a place for you in Shunding City," the boy threatened, covering his embarrassment.

Zeng Yi couldn't help but laugh at this threat. A city lord of a small city, just a Soul Ancestor at that, dared to threaten him?

"It seems you still don't understand the situation," Zeng Yi chuckled. It was ridiculous that someone could utter such threatening words when facing someone stronger. People like him wouldn't survive once they stepped out of their protected territory. They wouldn't even have enough lives.

"Xiao Ju!"

Zeng Yi called out, and the small cat on his shoulder stood up, its emerald green pupils fixed on the group of children. It extended one of its fluffy, meaty paws, and suddenly, sharp and pointed claws emerged, glistening with a chilling light under the sunlight.

"Meow—"

A sharp and ear-piercing sound echoed, resonating throughout the narrow alley.

"These... these are soul beasts!" The children began to look terrified. Even the boy who was already a Soul Master couldn't help but tremble in his legs.

They had initially thought it was just an ordinary cat, but the aura it emitted now made them all feel fear. Under the scrutiny of its emerald vertical pupils, it felt as if they were prey being targeted by a ruthless predator, causing their hair to stand on end.

All of them were students of the Junior Soul Master Academy, and none of them had encountered a soul beast before. Even the boy who was on his way to becoming a Soul Master had his father to thank for his soul ring. Now, facing a soul beast on his own, he felt extremely anxious.

Moreover, the aura emanating from this soul beast was even more terrifying than his own soul ring's soul beast.

"Run, run!"

Someone shouted in panic, and the others quickly sprinted out of the alley.

Run? If he didn't teach these unruly kids a lesson, why did he come here?

Watching the children hurriedly fleeing, Zeng Yi couldn't help but sneer.

"Xiao Ju, go!"

Zeng Yi gave the command, and the cat's figure instantly dashed toward the fleeing children, its sharp claws pointing directly at them.

Dealing with these brats, Zeng Yi didn't even need to intervene personally; letting Xiao Ju handle it was sufficient. Despite being just a few years old, Xiao Ju had been nurtured with thousand-year cold spirit liquid by Zeng Yi, and Zeng Yi helped it cultivate daily with his soul power. Now, it possessed strength comparable to a soul beast that had lived for hundreds of years. With its lightning-fast speed, sharp claws, and the innate talents of the Silver Tiger Spirit Cat, including mental attacks, even a second-rank Soul Master would find it difficult to contend. Confronting an eleventh-rank Soul Master and four Soul Scholar without soul rings was child's play for Xiao Ju.

Although these children exerted all their strength to run away, how could they outrun the Silver Tiger Spirit Cat, which excelled in speed? Xiao Ju appeared as a silver streak of light, shuttling back and forth among the children, then quickly returned to Zeng Yi's shoulder. In its emerald pupils, a trace of disdain could be seen as it observed the children who remained frozen in place as if they were immobilized.

The children stood still, feeling as though they had been petrified. They had only seen a silver streak pass by their bodies, followed by a shivering chill, as if something had brushed past them.

Swish—

In the next instant, the clothing on the children disintegrated into tatters, scattering on the ground. Their bodies suddenly became exposed, and a gust of wind made them feel a chilling sensation.

"Ah, ah, ah—"

The children screamed in fear and embarrassment, drawing the attention of passersby on the street.

"Wait and see, I won't let you off!" The boy threatened as he covered his face in shame and fled.

Zeng Yi couldn't help but laugh at the threat. If he dared to bring others to cause trouble next time, it wouldn't be as simple as tearing their clothes.

"Thank you."

A faint voice came from behind, and Zeng Yi turned to see the slender boy standing up, looking at him with gratitude in his eyes.

"Haha, no big deal. I just couldn't stand their actions," Zeng Yi replied with a warm smile.

"This is yours."

Zeng Yi handed over the money pouch to him. The boy extended his trembling arm and took the pouch.

"Thank you so much. This means a lot to me," the boy said, his voice weak. His body was shaky, and standing up had been a struggle. It seemed like he might collapse at any moment.

"Are you alright?" Zeng Yi was about to ask for more details about his condition, but before he could finish his sentence, the boy suddenly lost consciousness, causing Zeng Yi to be taken aback.

"He still has a pulse, so he's just unconscious," Zeng Yi muttered to himself as he checked the boy's condition. He was severely injured, and if he wasn't treated promptly, he might develop serious hidden ailments.

"These kids were really brutal," Zeng Yi murmured to himself. It appeared that he had been too lenient.

"Kid, you're quite lucky to have met a kind and handsome guy like me. Otherwise, your life might have ended here," Zeng Yi said, half-jokingly. He had spotted a clinic in the area, which wasn't far away, just two blocks over.

Zeng Yi lifted the boy and carried him to the clinic he had seen earlier, asking the doctor to treat him. The doctor was an elderly man in his sixties with a cyan-colored staff as his martial soul. He was a second-rank Soul Master, specializing in auxiliary soul skills and healing techniques.

Under the treatment of the doctor's soul skills, the visible bruises and swelling on the boy's body quickly subsided, but he still didn't wake up.

"The injuries have improved significantly, but his mental exhaustion won't recover so quickly. Take him back to rest, and he'll wake up naturally," the doctor advised Zeng Yi.

Since he didn't know where the boy's home was, Zeng Yi brought him to a nearby inn and rented a room for him to rest in.

Looking at the tattered and blood-stained clothes on the boy, Zeng Yi decided to help him undress. After all, wearing such dirty and torn clothes would be uncomfortable for both the boy and himself.

"I, I, I'll be damned! This is a girl."

As he looked at the child on the bed, Zeng Yi found himself utterly bewildered.