Qing Lin

"Mr. Yun, this is the area you requested to be surveyed!"

The snake-person clad in pitch-black armor bowed respectfully. Not far away, squads of snake-people were meticulously scouring every inch of the earth, leaving no detail unchecked.

Yet, what was truly bizarre was that just a short distance from the snake-person squads, groups of human mercenaries were also carefully searching the desert.

The two races, which were usually as incompatible as fire and water, were now cooperating in an eerie fashion, searching the desert together for something.

"We have also found the mixed-blood little girl you asked us to look for. Those are the two leaders of the mercenary group she belongs to..."

Following the snake-person's gaze, a timid figure in green was hiding behind two tall figures, occasionally peeking over here with eyes full of fear.

"Xiao Ding? Xiao Li?"

Looking at the two men who bore a slight resemblance to Xiao Yan but appeared significantly more mature and composed, Yun Zimo asked, though his tone was one of certainty.

"May I ask who you are, sir..."

The refined and cultured Xiao Ding cupped his hands in a salute, while Xiao Li, standing beside him with a fierce expression, tightened his grip on his silver spear, ready to strike with thunderous force at the slightest sign of trouble.

"Misty Cloud Sect, Yun Zimo."

Yun Zimo spoke softly.

"Misty Cloud Sect!"

"Yun Zimo?"

Xiao Li and Xiao Ding reacted in completely different ways. Upon hearing that Yun Zimo was from the Misty Cloud Sect, Xiao Li's face filled with intense anger; clearly, he held no love for the sect that had humiliated his father and the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Ding, however, held Xiao Li back and spoke in a low voice.

"Are you the Punishment Hall Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, Yun Zimo, who disciplined the Mo Clan?"

"If there isn't a second Yun Zimo in the Misty Cloud Sect, then I suppose that would be me."

Yun Zimo said with a smile; this refined and cultured Xiao Ding was certainly easier to talk to.

"Regarding the affairs of the Xiao Clan, thank you, Hall Master Yun."

Xiao Ding clearly understood that without Yun Zimo's forceful intervention, the Xiao Clan would have been humiliated to an unbearable degree.

"It is nothing. I treat Yanran like my own younger sister; I simply did not wish to see her deceived by villains and tarnish the reputation of the Misty Cloud Sect."

Yun Zimo spoke lightly. At the time, it truly hadn't been for the sake of the Xiao Clan; everything had been for the Misty Cloud Sect.

Although it was unintentional on Yun Zimo's part, Xiao Ding could not ignore the favor, and he immediately cupped his hands.

"I wonder what important business Hall Master Yun has in seeking Qing Lin? Our Desert Iron Mercenary Group might be able to help."

"Qing Lin? What a lovely name..."

Yun Zimo's voice was gentle and soft, but to Qing Lin's ears, it sounded different. She could sense a sincerity and warmth in those words that were unlike the scolding and abuse she had received from others in the past.

"Desert Iron Mercenary Group, you may continue surveying the terrain with them. Just mark the areas where the fire-attribute energy is most concentrated; you need not concern yourselves with the rest."

After Yun Zimo gave these instructions, he gently pulled Qing Lin, who had been hiding behind Xiao Ding, toward him.

Qing Lin resisted slightly, yet she felt a flicker of anticipation. Could this big brother, who held no malice, be different from the others?

"I... I'm sorry!"

Before Yun Zimo could say anything, Qing Lin suddenly recoiled, pulling back her half-exposed, snow-white arm. She scrambled backward a few steps before crouching on the ground, muttering softly.

"I... I didn't mean to scare you. Please, please don't, don't hit Qing Lin!"

Qing Lin's curled-up figure and her whispered murmurs struck Yun Zimo's heart like heavy hammers. Under the vast, bright sky, he, Yun Zimo, had...

Sigh.

A tall shadow enveloped Qing Lin's petite frame, causing her to shrink back instinctively.

Yun Zimo crouched down gently and took hold of Qing Lin's slender wrist. He gripped her small, trembling hand, which was trying to pull away, and carefully lifted the green gauze sleeve covering her arm.

"It's truly beautiful..."

Yun Zimo's voice was as warm as jade as he expressed his heartfelt admiration. He gently touched the smooth, cool, emerald snake scales on Qing Lin's arm, then stood up and pulled the petite girl to her feet.

"You, you aren't afraid?"

Qing Lin looked up. Two snake-like pupils glowed with a faint green light within her delicate, oval face, resembling two sparkling green gemstones.

"All beings are equal, born and nurtured by heaven and earth. Since you exist in this world, how could there be any reason to fear?"

Yun Zimo smiled. Qing Lin looked at his gentle face and nodded blankly.

Having read a few books while in the mercenary group, she could roughly understand his words.

This was the first time she, a "mixed-blood abomination" in the eyes of others, had heard someone say that she was equal to everyone else!

"Come, tell me, where is your family?"

"I, I have no family, except for the two leaders..."

When family was mentioned, Qing Lin's expression dimmed. Her mother had been beaten to death in the slums, and she had been wandering the streets until the two leaders picked her up and brought her into the mercenary group. In her world, only those two leaders had ever truly treated her like a human being...

"..."

Yun Zimo remained silent, eventually letting out a long sigh.

"Why are you so attentive to that girl?"

Inside the opulent palace, Queen Medusa watched Qing Lin, who was eating cautiously and with restraint, with curious eyes. Her tone was indifferent as she softly asked Yun Zimo.

"Have you ever heard of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils?"

"Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils? The innate divine pupils known as the nemesis of all snake-kind?"

Queen Medusa's brows furrowed slightly. One had to know that her true form was a Tier 6 Magical Beast, the Purple Nether Flame Snake!

"Mm, though this ocular technique isn't as exaggerated as the rumors suggest. At the very least, if you successfully undergo ancestral reversion into a Heaven-Swallowing Python, her pupils will be useless against you."

Hearing Yun Zimo say this, the awkwardness and discomfort that had risen in Medusa's heart slowly dissipated.

She, Medusa, feared no one in a real fight, but she still disliked such insidious things that specifically countered her.

"Still can't find the Heavenly Flame?"

Medusa suddenly felt an urgent need to begin her evolution; she did not want to have any weaknesses left!

"Respected Queen Medusa, if a Heavenly Flame—a wonder of heaven and earth—could be found so easily, it wouldn't have such a great reputation!"

Yun Zimo replied helplessly. The fact that they could search with such direction and clues was already a stroke of immense luck.

"I have already sent word to the sect. My teacher and Master Gu He have both set out. With their assistance, I believe we can speed up the process."

"However, you should begin your seclusion and adjust yourself to your peak state. I will also ask Master Gu He to refine some supplementary medicinal pills for you, to ensure the failure rate is kept to a minimum."

As if thinking of something, Yun Zimo took out a list and handed it to Medusa.

"These are spiritual items for protecting the heart and meridians. Have them search the Snake-Person Tribe's treasury; take out as many as there are. Do not begrudge these items—as long as you succeed, any cost is worth it."

"Right, I will personally go to the Jia Ma Imperial Family to negotiate the relocation of the Snake-Person Tribe to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, and strive to add this clause to the friendly agreement between our two races..."

Medusa watched the chattering Yun Zimo quietly and suddenly broke into a smile. The bright, radiant smile caused Yun Zimo to freeze for a moment before he instantly snapped back to reality and coughed twice.

"You are more suited to be a leader than I am!"

Queen Medusa returned to her cold and aloof demeanor. After offering this soft assessment, she let her snake tail sway gently and slowly left the palace.

"A leader? Actually, I prefer being a planner like this..."

Yun Zimo blinked, offered a slight smile to Qing Lin, who was peeking at him, and gazed at the sky full of yellow sand outside the tent, murmuring softly.

The gale howled, whipping up sand across the sky. The Snake-People and humans, who had been slaughtering each other for countless years, began their first cooperation in a century under the "tyranny" of one human...