Washer Snake Girl

"Ah..."

The little girl had clearly not expected someone to be standing behind her. With her head lowered as she turned around, she slammed straight into him. The person she hit did not fall, but she herself stumbled backward and nearly fell.

"Careful!"

One hand caught the girl by the wrist and pulled her steady, while another supported the wooden basin at her side.

"Are you all right?"

The speaker was a young man wrapped entirely in a black robe. After gently steadying the girl with a flick of his wrist, he softly asked her the question.

"I-I'm fine. Thank you, Young Master."

The girl thanked him quietly, bowing her head respectfully. She carefully tugged at her sleeve, trying to keep the pale green scales on her wrist from being seen.

"What's your name?"

Yan Qingshan slowly stepped in front of the girl, lifted her tender, fair chin, and lightly pinched it to make her face him.

This girl was delicate and adorable, no older than twelve. She wore simple clothes, and though her body was petite, she seemed more developed than even the thirteen-year-old Xiao Yi Xian. The curves outlined beneath her clothes carried a faint, alluring charm.

Her exquisite oval face was as lovely as a porcelain doll's. Like a frightened little rabbit, her timid, endearing appearance made one want to gather her into one's arms and cherish her carefully.

Yan Qingshan's gaze was excessively heated as it swept over the girl's body, from her exquisite face to her slender waist, then to the tiny, delicate feet peeking out beneath her skirt.

Looking at that slender waist, so narrow it seemed one hand could encircle it, he could not help imagining how it would feel to see it sway... The image of a beautiful snake woman twisting her waist seductively flashed through his mind.

Yan Qingshan carefully lifted her sleeve. Pale green snake scales were neatly arranged along her arm. The girl seemed extremely unwilling to show those scales to anyone, and her cute little face immediately turned deathly pale as her tiny body began to tremble.

"Y-Young Master, I don't have a name... I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to frighten you."

The little girl suddenly noticed that her wrist had been exposed beneath her sleeve. Her trembling voice carried a hint of anxious tears, filled with fear and timidity, as though she were terrified of being punished for those scales.

Snake scales were the mark of a race unlike humans in the Tagore Desert: the Snake-people Race. The Snake-people Race was unique to the Tagore Desert. They had human bodies, snake tails, and scales covering their bodies.

Not long after Snake-People were born, a secret method was used to pour the soul of a serpentine magical beast into their bodies. As they grew older and stronger, the serpentine magical beast serving as their companion soul gradually fused with them until the two became inseparable. This made them increasingly snake-like.

The girl before Yan Qingshan had scales but no snake tail. She was clearly not a Snake-Person, but another, even rarer existence in the Tagore Desert: a Mixed-blood Snake-person.

Within the Tagore Desert, the Snake-people Race and humans were bitter enemies. Human slave-catching bands ventured deep into the desert to capture Snake-People women as female slaves, while Snake-People warriors also violated human women.

Whether Snake-People women or human women, those who suffered either fate generally met with miserable experiences and endings.

Under normal circumstances, Snake-People and humans would not conceive children together. Yet nothing was absolute; there was always an exceedingly rare chance that a mixed-blood child of the two races would be born.

Generally speaking, however, such children found it difficult to survive past the age of two. Those who did either came from reasonably well-off families, or... possessed unusual constitutions and exceptional talent.

The girl Yan Qingshan held was very thin, only slightly better than skin and bones. There were faint scars on her arms as well. Her family circumstances were clearly not good, so the fact that she had survived meant it was likely the latter.

Most mercenaries at the edge of the desert bore blood feuds against the Snake-People. Since this little girl had Snake-People blood flowing through her veins, once she revealed her scales, even without a snake tail, the people around her would unconsciously show disgust.

Almost nothing could suppress that feeling. It was the revulsion born from the long-standing hostility between humans and Snake-People.

Qing Lin, who possessed both human and Snake-People blood, bore the discrimination and disgust of both sides. In truth, she was an extremely innocent girl.

It was precisely because of the disgusted looks cast at her time and again that this frail little girl had become so sensitive. Her petite body trembled slightly, while her adorable face, which should have been treasured by countless people, was filled with gloom.

"Don't worry. They're beautiful. How could they frighten me?"

Yan Qingshan gently wiped away the tears at the corner of the little girl's eyes. The frightened girl froze. Since her birth, he was the first person to say that these scales, which even she feared, were beautiful.

Yan Qingshan looked at the frail little girl before him. She was only around ten or eleven, pretty and delicate, but far too sensitive and timid. Her identity as a Mixed-blood Snake-person meant she had not lived well in Stone Desert City. Being able to grow this old was entirely due to her constitution and a bit of luck.

Yan Qingshan had come to the Tagore Desert for this girl. Mixed-blood Snake-people were rare in the Tagor Desert, and one who had lived this long and possessed green scales was probably the only one in all of Stone Desert City. Thus, he had not needed to spend much effort searching for her.

Feeling the warmth of the hand gently stroking her face, the little girl's weak heart, nearly covered in wounds, seemed to be illuminated in an instant.

She unconsciously tilted her head, cautiously letting more of her cheek rest against his palm. With eyes faintly radiating an unusual charm, she timidly called out, "Young Master!"

"Do you have anyone else at home?"

Yan Qingshan kept his voice as soft as possible, his tone indescribably gentle and patient, afraid of startling this pitiful little rabbit of a girl.

"N-No. After Mother died of illness, I was alone. Luckily, Sister Xuelan was willing to let me wash her clothes. Otherwise..."

The little girl grew despondent when she spoke of her family. After her mother died, few people had been willing to associate with her because of her Mixed-blood Snake-person identity. Even though she worked diligently and washed clothes very cleanly, few were willing to give their clothes to her.

Fortunately, there were still kind-hearted people in Stone Desert City. A few old customers who had known her mother were willing to look after her, and that was how she had barely managed to survive in the city.

"It's all right. From now on, will you follow me?"

Yan Qingshan gently held the little girl's face and stared into her clear, watery eyes. They had a faint green tint, and deep within her pupils were three exceedingly tiny emerald dots.

After undergoing that winter Lionheart Baptism, Yan Qingshan had not only broken through to become an intermediate Dou Zhe, but had also gained certain special powers.

Yan Qingshan was not purely of the Wood Attribute. Most people actually possessed some hidden talents, but compared to their main attribute, those other talents were so insignificant that they could barely be developed for any use.

The only exception was perhaps alchemists. If a person possessed a trace of Wood within Fire, coupled with exceptional innate Soul Perception, they could become a revered alchemist.

Yan Qingshan's talent was somewhat similar. He had been born with Lightning within Wood, but that trace of lightning power was too weak. Not only was it insufficient for cultivating a technique, even cultivating Lightning Attribute combat techniques was difficult.

But perhaps the heavens favored him. The Azure-maned Scorpion-lion Beast used for the Lionheart Baptism was a rare Lightning Attribute magical beast. It was not uncommon for one to awaken special talents through secret methods cultivated with magical beast essence blood. Yan Qingshan's lightning affinity had grown stronger, and he had gained a pair of Thunder Eyes.

The lightning power in his eyes was the strongest in his entire body. The accumulated lightning affinity allowed him to gather lightning in his eyes and briefly activate Thunder Pupils. His vision greatly improved, and they carried an innate intimidating effect. Ordinary people would be intimidated into unconsciously averting their gaze when looking into his eyes.

"So strong!"

Yan Qingshan stared into the girl's eyes for only a moment before he unconsciously turned away. The blue glow in his eyes gradually faded, and his body swayed as he nearly collapsed.

"Young Master, are you all right?"

The little girl immediately grew nervous. Her childish face was full of anxiety as she struggled to support Yan Qingshan with both hands, terrified that he would fall.

"I'm fine!"

Yan Qingshan shook his head, easing his fatigue. Recalling what had just happened, those slightly bewitching emerald pupils had made him lose himself unconsciously. Even with his Thunder Eyes and blue pupils activated, he had been unable to resist them, and in an extremely short time they had exhausted the lightning power he had accumulated over many days.

"Are you willing to follow me?"

Yan Qingshan spoke again, though this time he did not dare casually look into her eyes.

"Young Master!"

Hearing Yan Qingshan's words, the girl unconsciously revealed a delighted expression. An indescribable radiance appeared on her cute, exquisite face. Her delicate nose twitched lightly, and three tiny green dots silently emerged once more within those emerald pupils.

"What? You don't want to?"

Yan Qingshan stroked the girl's hair and smiled gently. That small gesture immediately filled the girl's parched heart.

"Young Master, I'm willing to follow you for the rest of my life..."

She murmured softly. Although they had only just met, the warmth from his hand had nourished her heart.

There had been surprise and a trace of the same heat she had seen in other uncles' eyes in the young man's gaze, but there was no disgust. Even her mother and Sister Xuelan, who had treated her very well, would unconsciously show a trace of revulsion whenever they saw the green scales. Though it was only a trace, it had made the little girl increasingly sensitive.

"For the rest of your life, then it's settled..."

The young man lowered his head happily. He had not expected this attempt at luring her away to go so smoothly. He reached out and tapped the little girl's tiny, delicate nose, making her smile shyly and reveal a charm filled with unusual temptation. Her small hands took the initiative to wrap around Yan Qingshan's arm and refused to let go, afraid he would leave her behind.

As the sun set, a large hand held a small hand in Stone Desert City. Their shadows gradually stretched longer and longer...