Qing Lin

I was born in Stone Desert City in the Tagor Desert. Because I had those blue snake scales on my body when I was born, Mother named me Qing Lin.

Ever since I could remember, no one had ever been willing to be my friend. Whenever I took the initiative to approach other children, their fathers or mothers would take them away.

I was very afraid of those adults. They would always point at me and whisper. The looks in their eyes frightened me. Later, I understood that they were disgust and contempt.

Whenever a mercenary in some household died, those people would even come specifically to curse at me, calling me an ominous person cursed with misfortune. They said their relatives had died because I had brought them bad luck. At times like that, I was so scared that I only wanted to find somewhere to hide.

Mother was the only person who treated me well. Unlike the other children, I had no father, only Mother. She had raised me all by herself.

I remembered one day, looking at Mother working so hard, I asked her in confusion why I did not have a father. The moment she heard my question, her eyes reddened. Tears streamed down her face, twisted with anger and hatred, while she cursed without stop.

Seeing Mother so heartbroken and angry, I panicked and hurried forward to hug her arm, wanting to comfort her. I only remembered that her reaction had been intense. She struggled constantly, her face full of hatred and fear. That was also the only time Mother ever hit me.

From then on, I became a little afraid of Mother too. When I grew older, I learned why Mother hated Father so deeply. He was a Snake Person from deep within the Tagor Desert, someone who had committed every evil imaginable. He was absolutely not a qualified husband or father. All he had brought Mother was endless humiliation, and all he had left me were blue snake scales and the filthy Snake Person bloodline in my body.

I hated him deeply. He was the one who had caused all of this. I even hated everyone here. They were always so warm and united toward others, but toward me, they only had endless disgust and unceasing insults.

I began to hate myself as well, hating the blue snake scales on my body. I became timid and cowardly, not even daring to appear beneath the sunlight or face the disgusted, contemptuous looks of others.

When I was nine, Mother—the only person who had loved me and accepted a Snake Person half-blood as ominous as me—finally collapsed from overwork.

I did not want to lose Mother. I struggled to gather my courage and begged them, hoping someone would come save her. Yet everyone remained indifferent. Not a single person was willing to help me. Whenever they saw it was me, there was only disgust in their eyes, filthy curses from their mouths, and violent attempts to drive me away.

I despaired. Mother's condition grew worse and worse, until one night, she left me forever. I cried beside Mother's body for an entire day and night. I was not strong enough, so in the end, I could only wrap Mother in a mat and drag her out of the city.

Along the way, everyone who saw me cried, "Bad luck," then covered their faces and left. Not one person was willing to linger.

After burying Mother outside the city, I knelt before her grave for a long time, thinking that perhaps ending my life right then would not have been so bad.

But in the end, my instinct to survive made me drag my exhausted body back home, where I lived off the food Mother had left behind.

Without Mother, I could only live alone. I still did not dare appear beneath the sunlight. Only after dusk did I wrap myself completely in a cloak and take jobs washing clothes for others or guiding outsiders through the city to make a living.

I did not know what I was waiting for. What could there possibly be left to expect from a life like mine? Yet I numbly lived on like that for a year.

Until one evening, after leaving home as usual, I saw a very handsome Big Brother on the street. He wore a luxurious white robe and did not look like he belonged here.

I followed him. If I could guide him around, I should be able to earn quite a generous reward!

He noticed me following behind him, and I suddenly became nervous. Taking a deep breath, I gathered my courage and stepped forward to explain why I had come.

Then he suddenly appeared in front of me, took off my hood, and looked at me. I froze. If he saw the scales on my face, would he hate me too? No, I had to leave quickly. He was so strong that I could not break free.

Then Big Brother's gentle voice sounded beside my ear. He said my eyes were beautiful, that there was nothing wrong with my existence, and that my existence had meaning too. My eyes stung, and I wanted to cry. Could a fate like mine truly have meaning?

I could not help asking him. He said that all existence had meaning. Was the meaning of my existence simply to meet Big Brother today?

Afterward, he asked my name and whether I had a home. I suddenly wanted to cry out loud, because I did not. I had nothing—only these blue scales and filthy Snake Person blood.

He... asked whether I was willing to go with him, saying that wherever he was from then on would be home.

I stared at him blankly. His handsome face carried a gentle smile, and there was no disgust or contempt in his eyes. There was only pity. I agreed. I was willing to go with him.

Ah. He picked me up. I was so startled that I wrapped my arms around his neck. But his embrace was so warm that I could not help holding on a little tighter.

I... seemed to have found the meaning of my existence!

(PS: There was no hatred without reason, and naturally, no love without reason either!)

Qing Lin was very light in his arms. Looking at her tiny, frail body, Liu Xi figured she must have suffered quite a lot.

When Qing Lin heard Liu Xi say that he wanted to find somewhere to stay, she did not think much of it and led him to her home. Thus, Liu Xi carried Qing Lin to a dilapidated little house in a remote location.

Liu Xi looked at the crumbling outer walls and the somewhat decayed wooden door and windows before him. Its only merit was that its owner must have cleaned it often, because it still looked fairly tidy.

Liu Xi looked down at Qing Lin in his arms and asked gently, "Is this where you used to live?"

A faint blush seemed to appear on Qing Lin's face. She buried her head against Liu Xi's neck, nodded, and answered timidly, "Mm."

Ever since he had been born, Young Master Liu's family had been fairly well-off. Later, after taking Xuan Hao as his master, he had been especially favored by his teacher and had always lived a life of luxury. He had truly never lived in such a small house before.

Liu Xi shook his head and pushed open the door with one hand before walking inside. The furnishings were simple, and there was only one small bed. His smile became somewhat strange as he thought, Forget it. I use cultivation in place of sleep anyway. Besides, this "little" girl brought me to her home herself, so I'll make do for tonight!

He casually pulled over a chair and sat down, then said gently to Qing Lin, "My name is Liu Xi. I came to the Tagor Desert this time to search for a divine treasure, the Heavenly Flames. Tomorrow, I'll buy a large courtyard as a temporary residence, and you'll move there to live."

Qing Lin hurriedly said timidly, "No. Wherever you go, I'll go with you!"

Young Master Liu considered it after hearing that. Perhaps Qing Lin could even help him in his search for the Heavenly Flames! He nodded and said gently, "Then from now on, you will be my maid. Wherever I go, I'll take you with me!"

"Yes, Young Master Liu!"

The next day

Qing Lin woke up drawn by a fragrant scent. She got up and walked outside, where she saw a huge Medicine Cauldron standing before the door, with Liu Xi standing in front of it.

Not long after, the Medicine Cauldron opened, and eight plump, round green pills flew out. Their medicinal fragrance was rich, and each pill bore a pill pattern. Dou Qi surged from Liu Xi's palm, drawing all the pills into his hand.

Seeing Qing Lin approach, Liu Xi selected the finest pill from his palm and handed it to her, saying gently, "Here, give it a try."

Qing Lin stretched out her little hand to accept the pill Liu Xi offered. Without hesitation, she swallowed it directly.

The medicinal properties were very mild. The medicine turned into a warm current that slowly flowed through Qing Lin's limbs and body. Feeling the changes within herself, she said to Liu Xi in a soft, sweet voice, "Young Master, my body feels so warm!"

Liu Xi put away the remaining pills. Hearing her words, he said gently, "You've suffered a great deal before, and your body is rather weak now. I designed this pill specifically to help you condition your body and replenish your nutrition. It can barely be considered a second-tier pill."

"Your talent is very good. Once your body has recovered, I'll teach you how to cultivate Dou Qi. Only then will you truly be able to help me."

When Qing Lin heard that Liu Xi had refined the pills especially for her, she was overjoyed. When she heard that she could help him as long as she cultivated Dou Qi well, determination appeared in her pale green eyes. Though her voice remained soft and sweet, her tone was exceptionally firm as she said, "Young Master, I'll definitely cultivate diligently. In the future, I'll protect you!"

Liu Xi nodded in satisfaction. Had he not done all this precisely to raise a future Dou Sheng to protect himself? Although he was full of confidence in his own future, he could not be sure what realm he would ultimately reach. But even if he could not make it, he would still cultivate a powerful expert.

Liu Xi then handed Qing Lin a jade bottle filled with pills. Including the remaining seven pills from that batch, there were thirty-one pills in total. He said gently, "Just take one pill a day. Besides conditioning your body, these pills can also stave off hunger. Since you're going with me to search for the Heavenly Flames, they can serve as food on the road. Let's simply call them Grain-Avoiding Pills!"

Liu Xi then gently rubbed Qing Lin's head and said, "I don't know how long the search will take. Later, take me around the city, and we'll buy a large residence to move into."

Although he was not sure how long he would stay, Liu Xi certainly would not lower his quality of life because of that. He could not possibly sleep in the same small bed as Qing Lin. At the very least, he had to wait until she grew up a little more.