" Xue Lan, are you alright? We heard from the people who came back earlier that you were attacked by the Snake-People Tribe?"
As soon as Xiao Tianci and Xue Lan entered the courtyard, a burly man noticed Xue Lan Xue Lan and quickly came up to her, smiling as he spoke.
"Do I look like something's wrong right now?" Xue Lan shrugged, then waved her hand casually and said, "Or perhaps you want something to happen to me?"
"Of course not." The burly man quickly shook his head, then hurriedly explained, "I was just worried about you. I'm so glad to see you're alright."
"Alright, is the clan leader here now?" Xue Lan continued to ask.
"Yes, they're all here." The burly man nodded hurriedly with a smile, then his gaze shifted from Xue Lan to Xiao Tianci beside him. "This must be the young man who saved Xue Lan and the others. In any case, I'd like to thank you on behalf of our Desert Iron Mercenary Group. If it weren't for you..."
Xiao Tianci interrupted the mercenary with a smile, saying, "No need to be polite, we're just doing what we need."
Although Xiao Tianci said that, the gratitude on the man's face did not fade in the slightest.
After all, anyone with eyes to see could tell that the Desert Iron Mercenary Group had actually gotten a great deal in this transaction.
After all, Xue Lan and her team returned safely without suffering any losses, and all they had to give up were some medicinal herbs that were not particularly rare.
Even hiring other outside help would cost far more than those few medicinal herbs.
"The commander and the others are already inside the regiment, retrieving the medicinal herbs and waiting. You can go in now."
"Hmm." Xiao Tianci nodded kindly to the big man, and then followed Xue Lan, who was covering her mouth and chuckling, into the courtyard.
Following behind Xue Lan, we passed through several narrow paths.
Along their journey, the two of them naturally encountered many mercenaries from the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.
Those people looked at Xiao Tianci with gratitude and respect.
The people in this desert are all bold and passionate, and in the Dou Qi Continent, strength is paramount.
Putting aside the fact that Xiao Tianci saved Xue Lan and the others, his strength and his noble status as an Xiao Tianci alone were enough to earn the respect of these mercenaries.
"Perhaps it's because of the two captains, these guys show considerable respect when they encounter powerful individuals."
Seeing the expressions on the mercenaries' faces, Xue Lan turned her head and smiled Yanran at Xiao Tianci.
"Hmm, the atmosphere in this Desert Iron Mercenary Group is truly impressive. It seems your leader must be quite an extraordinary figure."
With such a friendly attitude from the Desert Iron Mercenary Group towards Xiao Tianci Xiao Tianci naturally wouldn't hesitate to offer praise.
Upon hearing Xiao Tianci's words, it was clear that Xue Lan's smile deepened.
After following Xue Lan through a small alley, a rather spacious hall came into Xiao Tianci's view.
Meanwhile, the sounds of chatting and discussing could be heard from time to time in the hall.
For some reason, two of the voices gave Xiao Tianci a vague sense of familiarity.
With this question in mind, Xiao Tianci walked through the gate. Just as he reached out to open the door, it was pulled open from the inside.
Then, a young man appeared directly at the doorway.
The young man was dressed in mercenary attire, his tall and straight figure exuding strength, and his dark eyes revealing a sense of languor and gloom.
The young man's face was beaming with smiles, but beneath that smile lay a fierce glint, like that of a hungry wolf.
Clearly, although this young man seemed kind, he was obviously the kind of person who would not offend others unless they offended him, but if they did, he would bite back even if it meant his death.
After the young man opened the door, he naturally noticed Xiao Tianci standing at the door.
His expression instantly turned to one of utter astonishment.
Then, he rubbed his eyes, as if he doubted that he had seen wrong, and stared at Xiao Tianci for a moment.
After a long while, he finally spoke in disbelief, "Xiao... Xiao Tianci? Are you Xiao Tianci?"
Looking at the young man, Xiao Tianci was also somewhat taken aback and surprised, because he recognized the young man, but he never expected to meet him under these circumstances.
Xiao Tianci nodded and said, "It's me, Cousin Xiao Li. You're the leader of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group?"
Seeing Xiao Tianci and Xiao Li's expressions, Xue Lan's beautiful eyes flashed with surprise, and she finally reached out her hand to cover her mouth.
Just now, she had casually speculated in her mind that Xiao Tianci shared the same surname as her regimental commander, so they might be from the same family.
However, this speculation only lasted for a moment before being suppressed in her mind.
Unexpectedly, this absurd idea actually came true—this was truly earth-shattering news!
"What, what happened to you in the desert?"
The surprise in Xiao Li's eyes quickly turned into delight. He stepped forward and put his arm around Xiao Tianci's shoulder in a very familiar manner, and exclaimed, "You've changed so much in the past few years. I really didn't recognize you just now."
"It was quite a coincidence, but I never expected you to become the leader of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group."
Xiao Tianci couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.
After all, in the original owner's memories, Xiao Li was considered quite good to him.
The reason for this is that he is just as talented as Xiao Yan, so he takes good care of Xiao Tianci and even stands up for Xiao Tianci when other members of the Xiao Clan bully Xiao Tianci.
Therefore, upon seeing Xiao Li at this moment, Xiao Tianci's heart was not entirely at peace.
"By the way, Brother Xiao Li, are you alone? Where's Brother Xiao Ding? I remember you two came out to train together back then?"
Xiao Tianci suddenly seemed to remember something and asked.
"Oh right, right, look at my memory, I almost forgot about that. Come on, let's go in and see my brother. He'll never expect it to be you."
As he spoke, Xiao Li put his arm around Xiao Tianci's shoulder, not even having time to greet Xue Lan, who was still in shock beside him, and turned to rush into the hall.
Upon entering the hall, Xiao Tianci's gaze naturally fell upon the young man seated at the head of the table.
The young man, dressed in a white robe, was smiling as he watched Xiao Tianci enter the room.
His eyes, brighter than most, revealed a hint of wisdom and an almost imperceptible cunning.