Increasing Strength

"Second Brother, don't look so expectantly. How could I possibly forget you?" The moment Xiao Jin said this, Xiao Li, who had still looked aggrieved a moment ago, immediately broke into a delighted smile.

"Good little brother, I knew you wouldn't forget how I doted on you when you were little!"

"Doted on me?" Xiao Jin's expression turned strange. "Are you talking about how you roasted and ate the fish Father raised, then pinned the blame on me and insisted I had pushed it underwater and drowned it?"

"Or are you talking about how you secretly watched the female disciples of the clan bathe in the middle of the night, then claimed it was Third Brother and me?"

"Or perhaps..."

"Stop, stop, stop! Fourth Young Master, I was wrong! I really was wrong!" Xiao Li begged repeatedly. Xiao Yi Xian was laughing so hard beside them that her stomach nearly hurt. Even for the sake of your sister-in-law, you should at least leave your brother some dignity.

Only then did Xiao Jin point at another jade box with satisfaction and say, "Second Brother, this is also a Ninth-Grade Profound Pill called the Nine Revolutions Lightning Tribulation Pill. Its primary ingredient is a strand of Nine Profound Golden Lightning, refined together with high-grade materials such as Black Demon Lightning Source Liquid. After taking it, it can increase the speed at which you absorb energy, purify the energy of heaven and earth, and raise your cultivation speed more than fivefold."

"The Black Demon Lightning contained within it can continuously temper your muscles and bones. Without you realizing it, it will replace the mortal bones in your body with Lightning Jade Bone. Once the replacement is complete, you'll be able to activate a secret technique during battle and temporarily raise your realm, allowing you to challenge opponents above your level."

Xiao Li held the jade box with deep satisfaction. His happiness was beyond words.

"Once you finish refining the pills, you should both be able to break through to Da Dou Shi. There are also four Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills here. You'll each get two. If, after breaking through, you're not far from the peak of Da Dou Shi, you can take them and break through to the peak in one go."

"These are two Spirit Breaking Pills. They can increase your chances of successfully breaking through to Dou Ling."

"Here are one thousand Tier 3 Medicinal Pills, Qi Recovery Pills. Taking them during battle can help you recover your battle qi."

"And these are..."

Xiao Jin took out a great many pills in one breath. Although their grades were not high, they were all sought-after goods that mercenaries needed.

Tier 1 Medicinal Pills made up the largest portion, most of them being pills for treating injuries.

The Tier 2 and Tier 3 Medicinal Pills were mostly reserved for the Xiao Ding brothers.

Xiao Jin truly had not expected the two of them to return to Wutan City.

One could not put all one's eggs in a single basket. If the Soul Hall army ever pressed down upon them, Stone Desert City could also become a place where the Xiao Clan's bloodline could continue.

"Eldest Brother, this is the Ten Thousand Forest Spirit Armor Art, an Earth Tier Intermediate wood-attributed cultivation method. Once you break through to the peak of Da Dou Shi, you can switch to cultivating this method. If your luck is good, combined with the effects of the Spirit Breaking Pill, you might be able to break through directly to Dou Ling."

"Second Brother, this is the Startling Thunder Art, an Earth Tier Intermediate lightning-attributed cultivation method. You're the same as Eldest Brother, so I won't waste my breath."

After finally handing the two cultivation methods to the brothers, Xiao Jin concluded, "All right, you two brothers can begin refining the pills. Although they're Ninth-Grade Profound Pills, most of their medicinal power will accumulate in your bodies. As your cultivation improves in the future, that medicinal power will slowly be released. I estimate that refining them may take half a month. During this half month, I'll keep an eye on the Desert Iron Mercenary Group for you."

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li also knew that Ninth-Grade Profound Pills could not be kept for long. They simply did not possess the strength to claim such extraordinary treasures.

Refining them as quickly as possible and transforming the pills into strength was the best course of action.

Xiao Ding summoned the other two Dou Shi in the group and instructed them that he and his Second Brother would be entering seclusion that day for approximately half a month.

During this period of seclusion, the group's daily affairs would be handled by the two Dou Shi. If they encountered any trouble they could not resolve, they could ask Xiao Jin for help.

The two Dou Shi were both decent men. Not only were they straightforward by nature, they were also honest and simple.

Similar things had happened in the past, so they could be considered experienced.

After receiving their orders and leaving, the Xiao Ding brothers each found a quiet room and began refining the Ninth-Grade Profound Pills.

With people from the mercenary group leading the way, Xiao Jin and Xiao Yi Xian settled down.

The following morning, just as Xiao Jin woke from his deep sleep, someone pushed open the door.

"Creak." The sound of the hinges was particularly harsh in the quiet surroundings. A delicate figure tiptoed quietly inside.

When she saw Xiao Jin already sitting on the bed, her eyes trembled for an instant like a startled fawn.

The girl immediately lowered her head and said timidly, "Young Master Xiao Jin, you're awake."

The girl looked slightly younger than Xiao Jin. She wore an elegant, pale-green outfit, and her small, palm-sized face was full of childish innocence.

She had delicate features. Her exquisite oval face made her look like a porcelain doll, but the fear in her eyes ruined that beauty and stirred pity in anyone who saw her.

Xiao Jin froze, then cursed himself inwardly.

How could I have forgotten her?

This was the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, an extraordinary treasure comparable to the bloodline of the Nine-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python.

As long as she was nurtured properly, she was destined to become another Dou Sheng powerhouse in the future.

While Xiao Jin was lost in thought, the girl had already carried a basin of water over. She gently placed it on the wooden stand beside the bed and said softly, "Young Master Xiao Jin, I... I came to help you wash up."

"No need. I can do it myself." Knowing the girl's personality, Xiao Jin unconsciously softened his voice, afraid of startling her. "What's your name?"

"I... I'm called Qing Lin." The girl answered haltingly, her little head kept lowered. If not for Xiao Jin's exceptional hearing, he probably would not have heard her answer at all.

The girl held out a cloth to Xiao Jin. Because of the movement, two sections of her fair, tender wrists were exposed.

Looking at the rings of green snake scales around them, Xiao Jin confirmed that she was the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils mentioned in the original story.

When Xiao Jin still did not move, the girl had no choice but to raise her head. Only then did she realize that the young man before her was staring unblinkingly at her... wrist?

She also saw her own wrist. Her adorable little face instantly turned deathly pale. She cautiously retreated two steps, placed the cloth on the wooden stand, then crouched on the floor hugging her legs, trembling uncontrollably.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to... to frighten you." The girl's timid voice carried a hint of sobbing, and Xiao Jin could not help feeling heartache at the sound.

He stepped forward two paces and gently gripped the girl's wrist, pulling her up from the floor.

His slightly rough fingers rubbed against her delicate wrist as he said gently, "How could it be frightening? Don't you think it looks quite nice?"

"Nice?" Qing Lin froze, and even her crying stopped for an instant.

Ever since she was born, she had never heard anyone say that these scales looked nice.

"Young Master Xiao Jin, you... aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid?" Xiao Jin could not help laughing. "What I'm afraid of is the human heart, not a little girl like you who hasn't done anything wrong."

"I... haven't done anything wrong..." Qing Lin murmured to herself, and a surge of emotion instantly overwhelmed her.

She felt her eyes grow sore, and her tears nearly spilled out.

Xiao Jin reached out and wiped away the moisture at the corners of her eyes, saying gently, "That's right. You haven't done anything wrong. The ones who were wrong were the Snake People, not you, and not your mother."

"Young Master Xiao Jin..." This gentle consolation finally broke Qing Lin, who had long grown accustomed to the coldness of human relationships.

No matter how Xiao Jin wiped them away, her tears only increased.

From soft sobs at first to loud, heart-wrenching cries later, the girl did her best to bury her frail body in Xiao Jin's embrace, crying until her voice turned hoarse.