Qing Lin

When Xiao Yan dragged Xiao Li over to Xiao Ding, he gave him quite a shock.

It was not until Xiao Yan let go of Xiao Li, and Xiao Li opened his mouth and called her "little sister-in-law" only to be ruthlessly suppressed by Xiao Yan again, that Xiao Ding understood what had happened.

And so...

"This young lady and my third brother truly make a talented and beautiful pair. You two are a perfect match."

()

Seeing that Xiao Yan was about to suppress him as well, Xiao Ding hurriedly changed the subject and asked why Xiao Yan had come.

Xiao Yan did not stand on ceremony with his own brother and said:

"Over the next month, I want the Desert Iron Mercenary Group to split into two teams. One team will dig downward at the place I indicate, while the other sells off our assets and purchases Medicinal Herbs for me to refine into Pills."

"Once the assets have mostly been dealt with, Big Brother and Second Brother, take the mercenaries willing to continue following us and leave this place for Wutan City. I'll go to that place to look for the Heavenly Flame."

"The Energy Fluctuation of a Heavenly Flame is very powerful and will likely attract many experts. Teacher will protect me, while Xiao Yi Xian will protect you."

"I see... A Heavenly Flame truly is far too precious. But what is your cultivation level now, Little Yan? And what grade Alchemist are you? Xiao Li was clearly no match for you," Xiao Ding asked.

"I'm only a one-star Dou Ling, around a Fifth Grade Alchemist. Mainly because I've eaten quite a lot of good stuff."

After saying that, Xiao Yan took out four Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pills and two Two-patterned Azure Spirit Pills amid the life-questioning gazes of his two brothers, then handed them over.

"These Pills are enough for Da Dou Shi to break through four stars. Once you reach Nine-star Dou Grandmaster, I'll prepare Three-patterned Azure Spirit Pills for you. After taking them, you'll be able to break through to one-star Dou Ling as well."

"These Pills must be worth quite a lot, right?" Xiao Ding swallowed. He had always been composed, but now he was having trouble holding it together.

"Nothing special. They're only Fourth Grade Pills."

"..."╭(°°)╮╰(°°)╯

With business concluded, it was naturally time to catch up. Xiao Ding laid out a grand banquet for Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian.

"By the way, Little Yan, should I prepare one room for you tonight, or two?" Halfway through the banquet, Xiao Ding was somewhat drunk as well.

"Either works for me. You should ask her," Xiao Yan said drunkenly.

"..." Xiao Yi Xian lowered her head without saying anything, only leaning a little closer to Xiao Yan.

"What's there to ask? Little Yan and little sister-in-law are definitely staying in the same room!" Xiao Li shouted noisily.

Xiao Ding looked at the birdlike Xiao Yi Xian, then at Xiao Yan wolfing down food, and felt that something was ever so slightly off.

Looking at Xiao Yan, he felt that this fellow possessed a kind of clear-eyed stupidity. His eyes were full of nothing but food.

Still, Xiao Ding arranged one room for the two of them to rest in...

When Xiao Yan woke up the next day, he felt someone pressing down on him.

Opening his eyes, Xiao Yan discovered that it was Xiao Yi Xian. Looking closer, he realized that her clothes were different from yesterday's.

"What a shame. I drank too much yesterday and didn't feel a thing," Xiao Yan said mournfully.

(￣ε(#￣)☆╰╮o(￣▽￣///)

Xiao Yi Xian slapped Xiao Yan flying and said angrily, "Of course you didn't feel anything. You threw up all over me."

"So my virginity is still intact? That's wonderful." Xiao Yan rubbed his face.

"Go die!"

o(￣▽￣)==O))￣0￣")o

While the two were fooling around, the door was suddenly pushed open gently, and a pretty little figure quietly entered.

"Ah! Young Master Xiao Yan, Young Madam Xiao Yi Xian, I'm sorry, I didn't see anything!" With that, the little girl hurriedly shut the door and retreated outside.

Interrupted by that little incident, Xiao Yi Xian finally realized that she and Xiao Yan had been a little too intimate. Blushing, she kicked Xiao Yan off the bed, then covered herself with the blanket and pretended to sleep.

Xiao Yan also got dressed and left the room, only to discover the little girl waiting outside. She was clearly waiting for things to finish before entering to serve the two of them as they washed and dressed.

"Young Master Xiao Yan, may I go in and clean the room now?"

The girl was not very old, only around twelve or thirteen. She wore an elegant pale-green outfit, and her delicate little oval face was as lovely as an exquisite porcelain doll—beautiful, yet fragile.

"Tsk, the accursed class system~ At an age when she should be blooming like a flower, she has to get up early every day to serve people."

After sighing, Xiao Yan rubbed the little girl's head and asked, "What's your name?"

"Ah... I... I'm Qing Lin." Qing Lin's voice was timid and especially pitiful.

So it really was this girl. Xiao Yan examined Qing Lin with purpose and quickly noticed the abnormality in her eyes—her pupils were slightly demonic, with three tiny dots hidden deep within them. Perhaps because she was too weak, her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had yet to awaken.

"Cultivate properly. You won't need to serve people anymore. I'll tell my eldest and second brothers; from now on, you'll follow me."

"Ah..."

"Just be obedient."

"Yes, Young Master."

After rubbing Qing Lin's little head for a while longer, Xiao Yan told her to stay with Xiao Yi Xian, then ate breakfast alone in the courtyard before bringing a portion to Xiao Yi Xian.

By then, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin had already become familiar with one another—

The two girls had both experienced relatively miserable childhoods. Xiao Yi Xian felt great pity for Qing Lin, while Qing Lin could feel Xiao Yi Xian's concern and was deeply moved.

Qing Lin had not lived well in the Desert Iron Mercenary Group either. She was weak, and as a mixed-blood child of humans and the Snake People Clan, she was a natural target for discrimination.

Although Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were true brothers to Xiao Yan, full of brotherly affection, they were by no means kind to others.

They had probably taken Qing Lin in only because she was pretty—there were only so many things a personal maid had to do, and her status was pitifully low.

Qing Lin was only still young now. Once she grew a little older...

Xiao Yan was no different, really. He did not have the spare time to pity so many people. There were too many unfortunate people in this world, and he had no time for all of them.

It was only because Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were extraordinarily gifted—she could become a Dou Zun with casual nurturing, and it was easy to raise her favorability—that Xiao Yan cared about her.

Xiao Yan did not disturb the two girls. He left the breakfast behind and departed for the pill room Xiao Ding had prepared, where he began refining Pills.

The Medicinal Herbs in Stone Desert City were basically common goods, enough only for refining second- and third-grade Pills. To refine Fourth Grade Pills, one had to rely on luck to gather all the Medicinal Herbs.

Xiao Yan now had a one-hundred-percent success rate when refining second- and third-grade Pills even with his eyes closed, and his refining speed was terrifyingly fast. In one morning, he used up nearly all of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's stockpile of Medicinal Herbs, leaving only herbs that could not be assembled into a complete Pill Recipe.

This gave the Desert Iron Mercenary Group quite a shock, but for Xiao Yan, it was only just enough to sober up.

Once fully awake, Xiao Yan immediately thought of a problem: if he was sharing a room with Xiao Yi Xian again tonight, could his innate yang energy still be preserved?