Rock Desert City is a border city of the Jia Ma Empire. Further into the desert lies the territory of the Snake-Person Tribe.
Bones are also stone. Iron is also stone.
Legend has it that countless human and Snake-Person Tribe skeletons, reaching depths of over ten meters and stretching for dozens of miles, are piled up in the sand outside the Rock Desert City. This is how Rock Desert City got its name.
Walking down the street, I saw more border guards and mercenaries.
"Come, come, take a look! This is a half- Snake-People. Look at that snake tail, look at that slender waist, look at that human upper body. Buying it as a pet is definitely worth it! Not expensive at all, only 100,000 gold coins per person!"
The Snake-Person Tribe skilled warriors, agile, and difficult to capture; a single Snake-People can be sold for 100,000 gold coins.
The buying and selling of the Snake-Person Tribe has occurred not only in Rock Desert City, but also in other border areas of the empire.
Humans trade with the Snake-Person Tribe, and Snake-Person Tribe also trade with humans. The back-and-forth between humans and Snake-Person Tribe has deepened their hatred, and the mutual exploitation of each other is truly a bizarre situation.
Walking down the street, Lin Hao and Yun Yun became a beautiful sight.
It wasn't because they were handsome or beautiful, but because of the large and small Amethyst Winged Lion King that accompanied them.
There was no way around it; the Amethyst Winged Lion King was far too flamboyant. Even if Lin Hao and Yun Yun wanted to keep a low profile, they couldn't.
Yun Yun reminded him, "Junior brother, we should go and meet up with Gu He."
Lin Hao said, "Don't worry, it will only take one day. We'll rest tonight and meet up with them tomorrow."
After leaving Desert City, Lin Hao, Yun Yun, and the two Amethyst Winged Lion King headed to a city very close to Desert City.
Because there are many mercenaries in Rock Desert City, there are also many blacksmith shops, alchemy shops, and other similar establishments in the city.
"Huh, you're a half- Snake-People!"
Suddenly, a voice, tinged with surprise and curiosity, came from ahead.
Lin Hao and Yun Yun went closer and saw a middle-aged man holding a young girl's hand with a lewd smile on his face.
On a sweltering day, a middle-aged man wore a jade pendant that displayed his considerable wealth. Apart from the jade, there was nothing else of interest about him.
As for the young girl, she was dressed in an Qing Ya light green outfit. Although her body was petite, it was strangely well-developed, with curves in all the right places, full and slender, though she looked slightly immature.
She has a lovely, delicate oval face, like a beautiful porcelain doll. Her timid appearance is like that of a frightened little rabbit, which makes people feel a little sorry for her.
The middle-aged man held one of the girl's hands up, while she held a basket of vegetables in her other hand.
"A half- Snake-People!"
"It's that damned half- Snake-People!"
"Young City Lord, you raped her to avenge my dead child!"
It was clearly the middle-aged man who was in the wrong, lusting after the girl's appearance and wanting to harass her. However, after the crowd learned that the girl was a half- Snake-People, instead of protecting the weak, they all condemned and cursed her.
Lin Hao's eyes also fell on the arm that the middle-aged man had savagely raised. On the girl's fair arm, there were some bluish snake scales.
After learning that the girl was a half -Snake-People, some even went so far as to ask the middle-aged man to rape her.
"Come with me! I suspect you're a spy!" the middle-aged man said, pulling the girl along.
"You've misunderstood. I'm a maid from the Rock Desert Mercenary Company," the girl explained anxiously.
"Who cares what kind of mercenary group they are? Come with me to the city lord's mansion first." The middle-aged man completely ignored the girl's explanation.
"I'm not going. Let go of my hand. I need to go back and cook! Let go of me!"
No matter how much the girl struggled, the middle-aged man wouldn't listen and dragged her away by force.
Yun Yun opened her mouth, about to stop him, but Lin Hao spoke first.
"Stop!"
Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound. Even the middle-aged man who had been dragging the snake-man stopped in his tracks, wanting to see who was speaking up for the cursed half -Snake-People in the human world.
Lin Hao walked up to the middle-aged man and demanded, "Let her go!"
The middle-aged man asked arrogantly, "Who are you?"
Lin Hao flipped his hand, and with a flash of light, took out a token from his ring.
The middle-aged man's pupils constricted slightly. " Misty Cloud Sect?!"
Lin Hao said, "Let her go!"
The middle-aged man immediately released the girl's hand and said with a fawning smile, "So you're a friend of the Misty Cloud Sect. Alright, since you want to deal with her personally, then I'll hand her over to you. Let's go!"
After speaking, the middle-aged man turned and left.
He couldn't figure out the relationship between Lin Hao and the girl, wondering if Lin Hao was saving her or if he was after her looks.
Because he was unsure of the situation, the young city lord wisely turned and left this place of trouble.
Lin Hao approached the girl. The girl fearfully took a small half-step back.
He paused for a moment, realizing what the girl was thinking.
Lin Hao smiled and asked, "Hello, my name is Lin Hao. What's your name? Can you tell me your name?"
The girl said, "My name is Qing Lin!"
Lin Hao was thrilled.
There are many Snake-People slaves in Rock Desert City. It is possible that Qing Lin is not the only half- Snake-People. There may be more than one half- Snake-People in Rock Desert City, but there is probably only one named Qing Lin who is in the Rock Desert Mercenary Company.
Lin Hao said, "It's like this. I see that you possess extraordinary spiritual energy, making you very suitable for cultivation. I intend to invite you to join the Misty Cloud Sect and become my personal maid."
"Ah?"
Qing Lin gripped the basket tightly, her hands tightening slightly with tension.
Lin Hao, observing Qing Lin Qing Lin's expression, realized she had misunderstood and explained, "Becoming my personal maid is just that—being a personal maid. If you don't wish to do anything else, especially serving your master, you won't need to."
Upon hearing Lin Hao's words, Qing Lin loosened her grip on the basket slightly.
Lin Hao continued, "My personal maid has a status in the Misty Cloud Sect equivalent to Core Disciple. She can cultivate with me and receive my guidance at any time. Would you be willing?"
"Ah?"
Qing Lin was stunned. It wasn't from tension or fear, but rather from shock.
Lin Hao said, "As you can see, you have no future here. Moreover, you'll be viewed with prejudice by those around you. Join my Misty Cloud Sect, and not only will you not be looked down upon, but because of me, others will respect you and obey your orders!"
Qing Lin asked hesitantly and uncertainly, "Can I?"
Lin Hao smiled and said, "You only need to ask yourself, are you willing to join the Misty Cloud Sect?"
"I'm willing," Qing Lin answered without hesitation. After a pause, she added, "The leader has treated me well, and I'm still a maid in the Rock Desert Mercenary Company. If I want to leave with you, I need the leader's permission!"
Thinking of Xiao Ding, the other person in Rock Desert City who didn't treat her differently, Qing Lin felt she couldn't leave without saying goodbye. Even if she wanted to join the Misty Cloud Sect, she would need Xiao Ding's consent.
Lin Hao was slightly pleased and said happily, "Leave this to me. Take me to see your commander, and I'll bring this up with him!"