Unrest

Su Zhao looked around at the earthen houses, the strips of dried meat hanging beneath the eaves, and the colorful camel-hair rugs woven along the streets. Everything felt rather novel to him.

It was also Little Doctor's first time in a desert city. Her eyes darted about curiously as she took in everything around her.

However, she quickly noticed a problem: the clothing styles here were completely different from those in the heartland of the Jia Ma Empire.

Most of the women here wore thin gauze garments that revealed their slender waists and long arms. The fabric was light and breathable, the colors bold and bright—a world apart from the tightly wrapped attire they had seen in other cities of the empire.

"Let's do as the locals do and buy some suitable clothes."

As he spoke, Su Zhao took Little Doctor by the hand and led her into a rather respectable-looking clothing shop.

The shop was not large, but it was packed with goods. Gauze dresses and long skirts of every color covered the walls and racks.

"Shopkeeper, pick out a few suitable outfits for us."

The owner was an elderly woman with graying hair. The moment she saw customers enter, she hurried over with a broad smile. Her eyes swept over Little Doctor, then immediately lit up.

"Oh my! With this figure and this face, in all my years, this old woman has never seen such heavenly beauty!"

As she spoke, the old woman deftly took several gauze outfits from the racks and held them up against Little Doctor.

"Look at this outfit—it fits perfectly! Miss will definitely look stunning in it!"

Pulled along by the enthusiastic old woman, Little Doctor tried on one gauze outfit after another. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, and she was clearly not quite used to it.

The clothes here were designed to suit the scorching climate, mostly cool and breathable, entirely unlike the conservative clothing she had worn in Qing Mountain Town.

At that moment, she wore a pale purple gauze outfit. Its collar was slightly open, revealing a stretch of fair collarbone. The thin fabric outlined her slender waist, delicate enough to be held in one hand. Light as cicada wings, it faintly revealed the smooth, lustrous skin below her waistline.

She wore a long skirt of the same color below, its slits cut high on both sides. One fair, slender leg appeared and disappeared between the folds, covered by only an exceedingly thin layer of gauze that shimmered softly in the morning light.

Su Zhao sat nearby with a cup of tea in hand, staring without blinking.

What a sight~ Oh ho ho ho~

Su Zhao silently sighed in his heart, though he kept a composed expression as he drank his tea.

Little Doctor grew a little uncomfortable under his gaze. Her hands unconsciously tugged at the hem of her clothes as she hesitated, "Isn't this outfit... too revealing?"

The old woman immediately chimed in, "Oh, Miss must be from out of town. This is how the locals dress—cool and beautiful. Wearing this, Miss looks like a celestial maiden descended to the mortal world!"

As she spoke, she pointed at Su Zhao beside her.

"Look at this young master. He's staring himself silly!"

Su Zhao tilted his head, not expecting to be dragged into this.

He set down his teacup and happened to meet Little Doctor's gaze as she turned toward him. Her face was slightly red, and her eyes held a trace of nervous anticipation as she softly asked, "Well... does it look good?"

Su Zhao came back to his senses and blurted out, "It looks good!"

That was the truth.

Little Doctor stood in the morning light, the pale purple gauze outlining her graceful, slender figure. Her waist was delicate enough to encircle with one hand, her fair skin faintly visible beneath the thin fabric, and her long legs traced beautiful lines through the slitted skirt. She was like a carefully painted portrait, so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

Compared to the girl who usually buried herself among medicinal herbs, she now possessed an exotic charm, yet still retained the shy innocence unique to a young girl. The two blended together perfectly.

For some reason, Su Zhao's blunt answer made Little Doctor blush even more. She turned her head away and pretended to adjust the corner of her clothes.

Su Zhao waved his hand grandly. "Pack up everything we looked at earlier!"

The old woman beamed with delight. "Oh my, Young Master is truly generous! This old woman will pack them up for Miss right away!"

A short while later, the two walked out of the clothing shop.

Little Doctor had already changed into the pale purple outfit and walked beside him.

As they strolled through the streets of Desert City, they made quite the handsome couple and drew plenty of attention from passersby.

Su Zhao was already fair-featured and tall, while Little Doctor's purple gauze outfit was like a splash of color, making the entire dusty street seem a little brighter.

The pedestrians who passed them all turned to look. Some were envious, some appreciative, and some secretly appraising them.

Su Zhao naturally reached out and took Little Doctor's small hand, interlacing his fingers with hers.

Little Doctor paused slightly, the tips of her ears turning even redder, but she did not pull away. She merely lowered her head and let him lead her onward.

From a distance, they looked just like a young couple out shopping.

As Su Zhao put it—

"Our Xian'er is this beautiful. We're unfamiliar with this place—what if she gets kidnapped? I can only relax if I keep holding her hand."

Although Little Doctor knew it was merely an excuse Su Zhao had casually made up, she did not dislike it.

His palm was warm and strong around her hand, carrying a steady sense of security.

The two wandered around Desert City, enjoying themselves and properly experiencing the local desert customs.

From time to time, Little Doctor's soft laughter and Su Zhao's hearty voice rang out along the street.

Logically speaking, with looks like Little Doctor's, she should have been a magnet for trouble in a mixed crowd like Desert City.

But Su Zhao had made no effort to conceal his aura. The presence of a seven-star Dou Master radiated openly from him. Though he was not considered a top-tier expert, it was more than enough to intimidate those blind thugs and hooligans.

Anyone with eyes could tell that this young man was not to be provoked. With Little Doctor being led by his hand, naturally no one dared to come looking for trouble.

That would be like bringing a lantern into a toilet—looking for death!

As they strolled through the streets of Desert City, Su Zhao quietly spread out his soul power.

He was looking for someone.

In the original story, Qing Lin had been in Desert City. The current timeline was two or three years earlier, so Qing Lin should only be around ten years old. If he was lucky, he might encounter her in this city.

Qing Lin possessed the Three-Floral Jade Snake Pupils, a top-tier talent ranked among the finest in the entire Dou Qi Continent. If he found her, he naturally had to take her away.

Moreover, Qing Lin herself was a pitiful child. Because of her half-human, half-snake bloodline, she had suffered bullying since childhood. Her mother was also in poor health. Su Zhao did not know whether her mother was still alive, but if she was, perhaps she could still be saved.

After wandering around Desert City for the entire morning, Su Zhao and Little Doctor bought quite a few local specialties and snacks. Just as they were about to return to the courtyard to rest, Su Zhao's brows twitched slightly.

Before he could react, a burst of shrill abuse came from the street corner ahead.

"It's that bastard again! You actually ran out again!"

"Get lost, get lost! Go far away, you jinx! Don't wander around here!"

"You Snake-People Tribe bastard, do you even know where this is? Is this a place you belong?"

"You're filthy! Stay away from us!"