Only then did a figure rush out of a nearby house and come before Xiao Lei, dropping to his knees with a thud.
Huang San's ancestors had possessed some strength, though the family had since fallen into decline. Still, he knew that Dou Qi wings were the mark of a Dou Wang expert, and he recognized an alchemist's robe when he saw one.
Xiao Lei gave him a casual glance. When he saw that the man was only a five-star Dou Zhe, he lost interest.
He descended and hurried over to Qing Lin, reaching out with both hands to help her up.
"Are you all right, little girl?"
Qing Lin was still dazed. By the time she came to her senses, all she could do was stare at Xiao Lei's kindly face.
"If I heard you right, you just said you were dismissing her, didn't you?"
Xiao Lei turned around and gave the middle-aged woman a smile that never reached his eyes. Under his gaze, she was so frightened that she hurriedly said yes.
Satisfied with her answer, Xiao Lei turned back.
"I imagine you have nowhere to go right now. How about working as my maid? As for your wages, how does a hundred gold coins a month sound?"
Qing Lin still hadn't come around. She only stared blankly at Xiao Lei.
As for the middle-aged woman, she was completely dumbstruck.
Why had a Dou Wang expert suddenly appeared? And why did this Dou Wang expert want to take Qing Lin on as a maid?
These people were all sharp as tacks, unlike the naïve Qing Lin.
"A hundred gold coins a month, just like that. No wonder he's a Dou Wang expert!"
The middle-aged woman gritted her teeth. But more than envying Qing Lin's sudden stroke of good fortune, she was worried Qing Lin would seek revenge on them someday.
After all, this newcomer was a Dou Wang. Qing Lin only had to whisper in his ear, and there would be plenty of people willing to deal with them.
"Run. We have to run. The moment Lord Dou Wang leaves, we get out of here!"
After weighing things over, the middle-aged woman could only settle on that plan. For now, she didn't dare utter a peep, let alone try to run.
Xiao Lei was patient. He took fifty gold coins from his Storage Ring.
"How about this? I'll give you fifty gold coins up front."
The coins were heavy, and Qing Lin was too distracted to catch them when Xiao Lei handed them over.
Thud!
Clatter!
The whole bag of gold coins fell to the ground and scattered in every direction.
Only then did Qing Lin finally snap out of it. She hurriedly crouched down to gather the scattered coins.
"No! No... Qing Lin isn't worth that much. Just a bite to eat is enough! You don't have to... You don't have to pay me. Just don't dismiss Qing Lin."
Qing Lin quickly picked up the coins and held them out to Xiao Lei.
Xiao Lei didn't take them. Instead, he bent down and spoke softly.
"Let me ask you something. Are you willing to be my maid? Are you willing to leave Shi Mo City with me and travel the continent?"
After a moment's thought, Xiao Lei added, "As for your wages, I'll start you at a hundred gold coins a month, and raise them later. You'll have plenty to eat, and I won't dismiss you. What do you say?"
As he spoke, Xiao Lei channeled his Dou Qi, lifting all the coins off the ground and stacking them in Qing Lin's hands.
Leave Shi Mo City? Travel the continent!
Qing Lin had never even considered it. She had been born here and grown up here. She had once thought she would end up like the old people of this city, buried here...
Perhaps after living out her natural life.
Or perhaps she would starve to death on the street when no one would hire her anymore...
Qing Lin had never thought of leaving!
Nor had she ever imagined that someone might hire her for a hundred gold coins.
A long, long while passed!
Qing Lin struggled, stunned, as if lost in memories...
Tears slipped from her eyes without her noticing and fell onto the flagstones beneath her feet, only to evaporate in the desert heat.
Qing Lin hadn't cried in a long time...
Perhaps because crying had never helped.
At that moment, Qing Lin seemed to return to her childhood. She found her tears again.
"When I was little, my mother often told me that before we were born, each of us could choose whether to live this life or not. I didn't believe her back then. How could anyone choose to live such a poor, exhausting life..."
It wasn't until she met Xiao Lei that Qing Lin finally remembered those words. She thought: Perhaps my mother was right.
Understanding that she had made up her mind, Xiao Lei slowly raised his hand and gently stroked Qing Lin's hair.
"Young master, Qing Lin is willing!"
Qing Lin didn't know what lay ahead. She knew nothing about Xiao Lei. She only felt her heart beating...
Her heart was telling her what to do.
"Good!"
Hearing her answer, Xiao Lei was delighted. This little girl had excellent talent.
In the original story, Qing Lin had gone to Heaven's Snake Mansion because Xiao Yan had no choice. At the time, it had also seemed the best place for her, since she would become a saintess.
But Xiao Lei knew far more than most, and he saw things differently.
Perhaps there was somewhere better for Qing Lin... But he would need to make plans, and first, he would need to become strong enough.
Xiao Lei was in a hurry. He still had to fly back to the Magical Beast Mountain Range as soon as possible. Now that Qing Lin had agreed to leave, he didn't hesitate. He scooped her up, spread his Purple Cloud Wings, and shot into the sky.
Only Qing Lin's frightened cries lingered in the air!
A long while later, the middle-aged woman and the man finally dared to lift their heads.
Then, as if by silent agreement, they both shouted, "Run! Grab your things, hurry!"
Qing Lin's mistreatment hadn't been one person's idea; they had both taken part. They were both afraid she would find a way to get back at them.
But just as the two of them had the idea to grab their belongings and flee, they heard voices at the courtyard gate.
"Boss, you came in person? He's only a Dou Zhe. The brothers could finish him off in a flash!"
At those words, both their legs went weak, and they dropped onto the flagstones.
"Bang!"
The old courtyard gate was kicked open with a dull thud.
A band of vicious-looking mercenaries appeared before them.
Sha Luo drew the long saber at his waist, ran his fingers along the blade, and strode toward the two of them.
"You two are quite something!"
The pair stared at him in bewilderment. They had no idea why Sha Luo, the leader of the Sand Mercenary Group, had come in person, or what he meant by those words.
"You two good-for-nothings are worth a second-tier pill. Tell me how you offended that esteemed alchemist, and I might leave your corpses whole!"
As he spoke, Sha Luo laid his saber against the middle-aged woman's neck.
Just moments ago, someone had posted a mission for the Sand Mercenary Group at the mercenary headquarters. The payment: one second-tier Qi Recovery Pill.
Only an alchemist would be so generous as to pay directly with a pill. The mercenaries of the Sand Mercenary Group had accepted the mission at once, and when Sha Luo heard about it, he hurried over in person.
"Leader Sha, we really don't know when we might've offended an alchemist! Could there be some—"
Her voice cut off abruptly. Sha Luo didn't waste a word; he struck swiftly.
Then Sha Luo turned his blade on the man.
Seeing his wife cut down before him like a chicken, the man went ashen. He kowtowed frantically, then told Sha Luo everything, including his guess that the alchemist had acted because of Qing Lin.
"So that's how it is. All right, you can go join your woman!"
The next moment, another head hit the ground.
"So that's how it is. I never expected it was all for that little girl!"
Qing Lin was half human and half Snake-Person, and almost everyone in Shi Mo City knew of her.
Sha Luo just couldn't figure out what had moved an alchemist to step in for her.
"Maybe he took an interest in her. Who knows what goes through the minds of those big shots?"
Sha Luo hadn't come in person because he was diligent. He wanted to see if he could find a chance to make contact with Xiao Lei.
Learning that Xiao Lei had already left and that the pair knew nothing about him, Sha Luo said no more.
Meanwhile, Xiao Lei had already brought Qing Lin to meet up with Xiao Yi Xian.
Looking at the little girl before her, Xiao Yi Xian was at a loss...
How had he gone out for just a few hours and come back with another girl?
He'd picked her up even faster than he had me!
Before you continue