Stone Desert City, First Meeting with Qing Lin

One month later,

The eastern part of the Tagor Desert.

The scorching sunlight baked the boundless golden sea of sand, while the heat waves distorted the distant scenery. The fierce wind swept up grains of sand, howling and swirling between heaven and earth with a heart-palpitating whimper.

At the edge of this barren desert, a rugged city of enormous stones stood imposingly. Fully armed guards patrolled back and forth along its mottled walls, their silver-gray armor reflecting dazzling light beneath the blazing sun.

"My lord, Stone Desert City is just ahead."

A guide dressed in a blue short shirt wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed obsequiously. His lips were cracked, clearly showing that he had been trekking through the desert for quite some time.

"Thank you for your trouble."

Lu Yu gave a slight nod and casually tossed over a Money Bag.

The guide hurriedly caught it. The weight made the wrinkles on his face smooth out as he said, "My lord, I know several decent inns in the city..."

"No need."

Lu Yu cut him off and waved his hand. "You can leave."

With that, he strode toward the city gate.

Xiao Yi Xian silently followed behind him. She raised a hand and waved it lightly, soundlessly dispersing a swarm of sand scorpions that had tried to approach.

At the city gate, two dark-skinned guards leveled their spears, the spearheads glinting coldly beneath the scorching sun. "The entry fee is two Silver Coins per person!"

Lu Yu casually flicked out a Gold Coin, sending it across the air in a dazzling arc. The guards hurriedly caught it, their faces instantly blooming with smiles. "My lord, please enter!"

As they stepped into the city, a noisy wave of heat rushed toward them. The cries of vendors rose and fell along both sides of the streets, while bare-chested mercenaries gathered in groups of two or three, their bronze-colored muscles covered in scars.

Women occasionally passed by in tight leather armor, their slender waists gleaming with a healthy luster beneath the sunlight, their long legs appearing and disappearing with each step.

"Brother Lu, where should we go first?" Xiao Yi Xian asked with a slight frown, avoiding the staggering figure of a drunkard.

"The Barren Iron Mercenary Group." Lu Yu took out a Jade Box from his Storage Ring. "Brother Yan asked me to deliver some pills to his two elder brothers."

After asking around several times and turning through a few street corners, they saw a magnificent compound appear before them.

A ferocious wolf-head design was embossed on the gate forged from Black Iron. Above it, the Barren Iron Mercenary Group's banner fluttered loudly in the hot wind. The guards at the entrance had eyes as sharp as knives, and a bloody aura emanated from their bodies. Clearly, they were all battle-hardened veterans.

"Please announce that Xiao Family Guest Elder Lu Yu has come to visit."

Lu Yu displayed the Xiao Family guest elder token, and no fool dared to make things difficult for him.

After receiving the guest elder token, the guard immediately hurried inside with respectful steps.

Before long, hurried footsteps came from within the compound, and two figures emerged with more than a dozen mercenaries to welcome them.

The man at the front wore a Moon White robe. Wisdom gleamed in his bright eyes, and a gentle smile played at the corners of his lips, yet no one dared to underestimate him.

The young man slightly behind him wore a Jing Zhuang. He stood straight as a pine, while wolf-like ruthlessness hid beneath his lazy gaze. A Curved Saber at his waist swayed lightly with each step.

"Brother Lu!"

Xiao Ding, dressed in a White Robe, hurried forward and warmly grasped Lu Yu's hand. "Little Yan wrote to say that you were coming. We've been looking forward to your arrival for quite some time!"

Lu Yu nodded slightly and replied with a smile, "Brother Xiao Ding, you're too courteous. These are the pills Brother Yan asked me to bring you."

As he spoke, he pointed at the Jade Box in his hand. "And this bottle is a small gift I prepared personally. I hope the two of you won't find it lacking."

Xiao Ding hurriedly waved his hands and laughed heartily. "Brother Lu, what are you saying? It's enough that you came. Why bring gifts?"

With that, he waved his hand, and the subordinate beside him stepped forward and carefully put away the Jade Box and jade bottle.

Afterward, Xiao Ding gestured for Lu Yu to enter and said warmly, "Come, Brother Lu. You've traveled a long way and must be tired. Since you've just arrived today, the two of us brothers must properly welcome you and have a good chat about old times."

Not long afterward,

In the banquet hall, Roast Whole Sheep sizzled over the bonfire. Golden oil dripped onto the charcoal, stirring up waves of fragrance. The mercenaries exchanged cups, their rough laughter echoing through the hall.

"Brother Lu, it's truly our Barren Iron Mercenary Group's honor to have you come from so far away. Come, I'll toast you first."

Xiao Ding's face was full of smiles as he raised his wine cup, sincerity filling his eyes.

Lu Yu lifted his wine cup and said modestly, "Brother Xiao Ding, you're too courteous. I came at Brother Yan's request and took the opportunity to visit his two elder brothers."

Xiao Li, sitting nearby, also chimed in with a smile. "Brother Lu, you're still as polite as ever. Come, take your seat. Today, we must drink to our hearts' content."

After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere in the hall grew even livelier. At that moment, a Young Girl dressed in a Light Green skirt timidly approached with a wine jug. She was petite, though the graceful curves of adolescence had begun to emerge. A hint of baby fat softened her delicate Melon Seed Face, and her emerald eyes resembled those of a startled fawn.

"M-my lord, more wine..."

Before the Green-Skirted Young Girl could finish speaking, her wrist suddenly trembled, and the entire jug of strong wine spilled across Lu Yu's lapel.

"Useless thing!" A mercenary with a face full of excess flesh sprang up and shouted furiously. "You can't even carry a jug of wine properly. A Snake-People mongrel like you..."

Before he could finish, Lu Yu raised his hand to stop him. The Earth Core Flame swirled faintly inside his sleeve, instantly evaporating the wine. He took out a plain white handkerchief and handed it to the Young Girl. "It's fine. What's your name?"

"Q-Qing Lin..."

The Young Girl lowered her head, her slender fingers clutching the hem of her clothes tightly. Her emerald pupils shimmered with tears beneath the lamplight, and unease filled her porcelain-doll-like face.

"Qing Lin?"

Lu Yu froze for a moment. His gaze fell on the faintly visible blue scales on the Young Girl's arm, and he slightly furrowed his brows. "Go down and rest first. There's no need for you to serve here anymore."

"Thank you, my lord."

A trace of gratitude flashed through the Young Girl's eyes. As though pardoned, she hurriedly bowed and retreated.

A moment later,

Lu Yu returned to the guest room and casually handed the outer robe stained with the scent of wine to Xiao Yi Xian. Xiao Yi Xian took the robe and placed it in a wooden basin filled with water.

At that moment, faint footsteps came from outside the door. Qing Lin's timid voice passed through the door panel. "My lord, your change of clothes..."

When he opened the door, he saw Qing Lin standing awkwardly outside, tightly holding a neatly folded stack of coarse-cloth garments in her arms. Beneath the moonlight, her slender fingers were covered in tiny cracks around the joints, and fragments of soapberry still clung between them.

"M-my lord..." She lowered her head, her voice so soft it was nearly inaudible. "This set is clean. You can change into it first. As for the one stained with wine... I..."

Lu Yu frowned and suddenly reached out to grasp her wrist. The Young Girl trembled all over. Her palm was covered in thick calluses, and several wounds that had yet to heal still seeped with threads of blood.

"You're already like this, yet you're still thinking about washing clothes?"

His voice held a trace of displeasure.

Qing Lin hurriedly hid her hand behind her back, her voice carrying a sobbing note. "I... I'm used to doing it..."

Xiao Yi Xian slowly stepped forward, her purple eyes sweeping over Qing Lin's hand. "These wounds... Some of them were caused by people striking her with sand and stones."

Lu Yu fell silent for a moment before taking out a small green jade bottle from his Storage Ring. "One pill each day, dissolved in warm water." Seeing that the Young Girl shrank back and did not dare accept it, he directly stuffed the medicine bottle into her hand. "From today onward, you'll follow me."

Qing Lin's emerald pupils trembled slightly, and her slender fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes. "B-but... I'm from the Barren Iron..."

"No buts." Lu Yu's voice was not loud, yet it carried an irresistible force. With a flick of his fingertip, a Xiao Family guest elder token drew a graceful arc through the air. "Tomorrow, I'll go ask Xiao Ding for you."

Xiao Yi Xian stepped forward at the right moment, a trace of pity flashing through her purple eyes. "This girl has had it hard. It'll be good for her to follow us."

She gently took Qing Lin's cold wrist and carefully brushed over those hideous cracks, saying softly, "You must have suffered quite a lot, right?"

Qing Lin instinctively pulled her hand back and said quietly, "It wasn't hard... The two regiment commanders treat me very well. It's just..." She bit her lip, her voice growing softer and softer. "It's just that I'm clumsy..."

Xiao Yi Xian and Lu Yu exchanged a glance. How could those obvious wounds, inflicted through deliberate torment, possibly be explained by mere "clumsiness"?

"From now on," Xiao Yi Xian took out a white pill and gently rubbed it against the deepest wound in Qing Lin's palm, "you won't have to suffer through this anymore."

The pill was cold against her skin. Qing Lin stared in astonishment as the wounds on her hand scabbed over at a speed visible to the naked eye. She raised her head, and for the first time, a glimmer of hope shone in her emerald pupils.

"Thank you, my lord. Thank you, Big Sister..."

Qing Lin's voice trembled slightly, and tears welled in her emerald eyes. She cautiously touched the healed skin with her fingertip, as though confirming that this was not an illusion.

Lu Yu crouched down, bringing his gaze level with hers. "You don't have to call me my lord." He reached out and rubbed the top of the Young Girl's head. "Just call me Young Master."

"Young... Young Master?"

Qing Lin timidly repeated the form of address. She raised her head slightly, and that little face usually filled with fear finally revealed a trace of the innocence belonging to her age.

Many years later, when Qing Lin, known as the Empress of Ten Thousand Snakes, became a Dou Di and stood at the peak of the continent, she would always remember that seemingly ordinary night.

Only then did she understand that fate's greatest mercy toward her had been allowing her, at the darkest moment of her life, to meet the Young Master who was willing to reach out a hand to her.