Qing Lin

Robes fluttered, celestial music drifted.

Shimo City's City Lord's Mansion was still lively deep into the night. Clinking Cups and Crossing Goblets, drinks passed back and forth, dancers striking alluring poses—it was a scene utterly out of place on the Dou Qi Continent, leaving even Chen Guan somewhat dazed.

He had arrived in Shimo City around dusk. After meeting up with the brothers Wang Yan and Wang Dalang, he had naturally come to the City Lord's Mansion for the night.

Old General Huang was an enthusiastic man and insisted on arranging a surprise for him. Thus, this scene had come to be.

Though it was supposedly a surprise for him, Chen Guan watched the old general above staring unblinkingly at the dancers and could not help feeling that this had not been arranged especially for him.

"Old General Huang is a free-spirited man. He has guarded Shimo City for more than thirteen years and repelled dozens of Snake People Race attacks, large and small. He is highly respected around here. This is the old general's only hobby."

Wang Yan sat beside him, quietly explaining things to the young man, worried that he might form some unfavorable opinion of the old general because of this.

Chen Guan came back to himself and laughed openly.

Wang Yan's concerns were unnecessary. He had not had any other thoughts to begin with; he had merely found it unexpected.

Old General Huang was a dignified one-star Dou Wang who had guarded the empire's border city for years and earned great merit through hard work. Could he not enjoy himself a little?

"The old general truly lives freely. This sort of life was something I once dreamed of too. But enough of that—did you find Qing Lin today?"

"No. Old Wang and I made a rough search of the city, but we did not find the girl Young Master mentioned. However, we informed the old general, and he sent quite a few people to search the city. There should be news soon."

Wang Dalang, seated beside Wang Yan, took over and replied.

Chen Guan nodded. He would be staying in Shimo City for a while, so there was no need to rush.

That was what he thought, but to his utter surprise, just as Wang Dalang finished speaking, a soldier hurried in from outside and whispered a few words into the old general's ear. The latter immediately sat upright, his expression turning much more serious.

With a wave of his hand, he temporarily dismissed the dancers and stopped the music.

"Haha, little friend, the Little Girl you wanted has been found."

The old general laughed heartily and gestured for his subordinate to Step Forward and explain.

The soldier stepped forward somewhat nervously, saluted, and said, "Reporting to the City Lord and the three lords, I was not actually the one who found the little girl. When I saw her, the deputy commander of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group was preparing to take her back with him. I happened to run into them and asked about it, which was how I stopped them."

"The Desert Iron Mercenary Group?"

The familiar name caught Chen Guan's attention.

If he remembered correctly, was this not something Xiao Yan's two older brothers had founded?

It seemed Xiao Yan's current situation was quite difficult. That was probably why those two had come out to make their way in the world, hoping to leave their younger brother a way out.

"Reporting to my lord, it was indeed the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. Their commander and deputy commander are blood brothers. They came to Shimo City only a few months ago and founded the group. Neither is particularly strong and neither has broken through to Dou Shi yet, but one is scholarly and the other martial. They are ruthless yet organized, and working together, they quickly gained a foothold in the city. They have some reputation among the smaller Mercenary Groups."

"Mm, there was no conflict, right?" Chen Guan asked one extra question.

"No. Once I revealed my identity, their deputy commander Handed Over To me the little girl. I wanted to compensate him with gold coins, but he would not accept any. He was very easy to deal with."

The soldier answered truthfully, having formed a rather favorable impression of Xiao Li.

Thinking of the description of the second Xiao brother in the Original Work, Chen Guan shook his head with a smile. The soldier's account was enough to prove that the man truly had some ability.

"You've worked hard. You... forget it, I'll go see her myself." Chen Guan rose as he spoke, and as he passed the soldier, he gave him a bottle of First-Grade Pills as a reward.

A First-Grade Pill was not particularly valuable, but an entire bottle was already an extravagant reward for soldiers like them. The soldier held the jade bottle, unable to conceal his delight.

"I'll take you there, my lord!"

Chen Guan did not refuse and nodded in agreement.

The Wang brothers exchanged a glance and chose not to follow and intrude.

Old General Huang had even less intention of moving. To live freely, one could not meddle in too many affairs or possess too much curiosity.

"Come, continue the music."

Meanwhile, Chen Guan spotted the girl waiting quietly outside a pavilion from afar in the front courtyard. Her hands kept rubbing at the hem of her clothes, revealing the unease in her heart.

Her head was lowered, and in the dim light, her face could not be seen clearly. Yet the frailty emanating from within her could still be felt. Combined with the information he had learned beforehand, it made Chen Guan instinctively feel a pang of pity for her.

After dismissing the soldier, Chen Guan slowly walked over.

His footsteps were not loud, yet the girl still heard them. Like a startled little rabbit, she flusteredly raised her head for a glance before hurriedly lowering it again.

"Pfft, am I really that frightening-looking?"

"S-sorry, I just... they said I shouldn't look around carelessly."

Chen Guan had already tried his best to appear gentle and approachable, yet the Girl still spoke haltingly and did not dare raise her head.

More than ten years of life at the bottom, along with the routine bullying and abuse, had ingrained timidity into her bones. It was not something that could easily be changed with a few words.

"All right, I'm not blaming you. I'm not one of those bad-tempered mercenaries, and I'm only a few years older than you. I may even need you to take care of me in the future, so there's no need to be so reserved."

At those words, the girl timidly looked up. Seeing the young man's smiling face, he did seem rather easy to get along with.

She just did not know whether he would still see her this way after discovering her strangeness.

The girl lightly bit her lower lip. The little bit of relief she had felt sank away once more, and she did not quite dare meet the young man's gaze.

"Come, sit. Let's get to know each other first. What's your name?"

"Q-Qing Lin."

"It sounds much better than my name. I'm Chen Guan. Back in the Imperial Capital, there's this little troublemaker who says my name sounds awful every day. It drives me mad."

Seeing the girl clutching her sleeve tightly, Chen Guan understood clearly. He was not in a hurry to change her completely in one go; too much was as bad as too little.

Compared with such a direct approach, he preferred to guide her slowly, like a friend, allowing her to gain confidence without even realizing it.

Seated in the pavilion, the two, whose ages were Not Much Different, chatted for nearly Half an Hour without stopping.

More accurately, Chen Guan was the only one talking. He complained to her about things he had experienced, as well as ridiculous thoughts that he had not Had the Nerve to voice at the time.

He rambled on until his mouth was dry, successfully helping the girl relax a little. Every now and then, she could even laugh softly in response. Their relationship rapidly grew closer, with obvious results.

But accordingly, she also gave him the label of chatterbox in her heart.

She had never met anyone so capable of talking in all her life. Once he started complaining, he simply went on and on, though it seemed rather interesting.

Actually, she also wanted to speak her mind without reservation and discuss things freely with others.

But she did not dare. Silently casting aside those distracting thoughts, the girl had a feeling that following the young man in the future would probably be quite happy.