Qing Lin

Inside the City Lord's Manor in Stone Desert City.

No one would have imagined that the City Lord's Manor of Stone Desert City, situated on the border of the Jia Ma Empire and constantly facing the threat of war breaking out, would now be so lively. Heavenly music drifted through the air, cups were raised in endless toasts, and dancing girls swayed gracefully. The atmosphere was one of utter indulgence, without the slightest hint of a border city's tension.

Xiao Yun sat in his chair with his head lowered, focused on the food before him. He paid no attention whatsoever to the dancing girls' seductive movements, while Hai Bo Dong beside him stared without blinking and occasionally burst into laughter.

It had to be said that the lord of Stone Desert City was an exceptionally hospitable man. When Hai Bo Dong had brought Xiao Yun to ask for help and revealed a little of his strength, the man had insisted on holding a welcoming ceremony for them. And so, it had gradually turned into the scene before them.

Watching Hai Bo Dong and the lord of Stone Desert City act as though they had met too late in life, Xiao Yun covered his face with one hand in speechless exasperation. Sometimes, he truly suspected that this old man had spent too long in the desert and had sand filling his brain. He was only thirteen, yet Hai Bo Dong had brought him to see such a scene. If a young man could not hold back his urges, it would seriously affect his physical development!

"Hahaha, don't be embarrassed. You'll have to see scenes like this sooner or later. This old man is just giving you a taste of them early."

Seeing Xiao Yun's reaction, Hai Bo Dong assumed the youngster had never witnessed such a scene before and had become shy. He laughed heartily as he spoke.

"Damn it, do you really take me for a child? Did you bring me here to broaden my horizons, or did you arrange this for yourself?"

Xiao Yun replied irritably. To him in his previous life, scenes like this had been commonplace. He had seen far more outrageous ones, so how could he possibly be embarrassed?

"It's all the same, all the same! Besides, do you think this old man only knows how to chase women? I haven't forgotten the important matter. I already told the city lord about the appearance of the little girl you're looking for. There should be news soon. I've fought wars my whole life, so what's wrong with enjoying myself a little?"

"Heh." Xiao Yun sneered and did not respond to Hai Bo Dong. He was certain now—the old man had truly been deprived for too long.

With that thought in mind, Xiao Yun looked at the dancing girls' bodies twisting like water snakes. Their every smile and frown carried a unique charm, nearly making the hot-blooded Xiao Yun lose control of himself.

With a sweep of his hand over his Storage Ring, he took out a Calm Mind Pill and swallowed it.

Mm, now he could keep himself under control.

Just as Xiao Yun continued lowering his head to eat the food before him, a soldier suddenly rushed into the hall. He whispered a few words into the city lord's ear, causing the latter's expression to change. His formerly smiling face became much more serious. With a wave of his hand, the dancing girls in the center of the hall stopped and respectfully withdrew.

"Hahaha, Old Bing, the little girl you wanted has been found. She's in the front courtyard right now."

The city lord laughed loudly, then prepared to have his men bring the little girl into the hall.

"There's no need. I'll go take a look myself." Xiao Yun stood up. He had long wanted to leave. Now that Qing Lin had been found, he had no reason to remain here.

"This..." The city lord looked uncertainly toward Hai Bo Dong and hesitated. In his eyes, Xiao Yun was merely Old Bing's junior. How could a junior make a decision before the elder had spoken?

"Hahaha, let him go. Young people are always impatient. Let's continue watching the dancing." Hai Bo Dong said with a smile. Though he did not know why Xiao Yun was looking for that little girl, he could tell that she was important to him.

"Fine, then we'll listen to Old Bing. Someone, continue the music and continue the dancing!"

Elsewhere, Xiao Yun had just reached the front courtyard when he spotted the little girl standing quietly outside a pavilion, waiting. Her hands tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, and her body trembled slightly, revealing the anxiety and fear in her heart.

Her small head was lowered, so her face could not be seen. Yet everyone who saw her could sense the vulnerability radiating from within her. Knowing her background, Xiao Yun could not help but feel the urge to protect the girl before him.

The little girl did not understand why she had been brought here. Those fierce soldiers had only told her that this was the City Lord's Manor. In her understanding, the City Lord's Manor was a terrifying place. Whenever the children who bullied her mentioned that name, fear would appear on their faces.

Could it be because of the Snake-People bloodline in my body? Do they want to torture me?

The little girl thought fearfully. She did not know what kind of pain she would have to face next, nor what sort of torment she would suffer.

Just as she became more frightened the more she thought about it, the sound of footsteps rang out. She raised her head and saw a black-robed youth walking toward her with a warm smile.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person."

The youth's gentle, pleasant voice reached her ears. It seemed to possess some kind of magic. The little girl stopped imagining horrible things, and her body no longer trembled.

"Th-this young master, were you the one who summoned me?" The little girl spoke in a trembling voice, looking pitiful.

"Yes, it was me." Xiao Yun slowly approached the little girl and stopped when he was about a meter away. Smiling, he said, "My name is Xiao Yun. Do you have a name?"

"Reporting to Young Master, my name is Qing Lin." Perhaps influenced by Xiao Yun's gentle attitude, Qing Lin's voice no longer trembled. She answered in a crisp voice.

"Qing Lin, that's a good name. Let's sit down and talk." Xiao Yun waved, signaling for her to follow him beneath the pavilion. After they sat down, he said, "Qing Lin, come a little closer."

After hesitating for a moment, Qing Lin slowly stepped forward and stood before Xiao Yun.

He carefully examined Qing Lin's shy little face—or rather, he was examining her eyes.

Staring intently into Qing Lin's bright, watery eyes, he saw three tiny jade-green dots deep within her slightly green pupils.

They really are the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Xiao Yun thought. It seemed the City Lord's Manor had been quite accurate in finding her.

"Young Master..." Qing Lin's tender voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Xiao Yun's thoughts.

Seeing that shyness had filled her delicate, adorable oval face and turned it completely red, Xiao Yun finally realized that he had been staring at her for quite a while.

"Sorry, I was thinking about something just now." Xiao Yun gently smiled and rubbed Qing Lin's little head.

Qing Lin was slightly stunned upon hearing his words. From childhood until now, this was the first time someone had not discriminated against her and had even apologized to her. In the past, she had always been the only one apologizing to others.

A mist quickly rose in her jade-green eyes as Qing Lin softly said, "I-it's fine, Young Master. You don't need to apologize to Qing Lin."

"Ah, don't be afraid. Follow me from now on. No one will dare bully you again!" Seeing Qing Lin's appearance, Xiao Yun's heart softened, and he spoke with pity.

"Young Master, you won't hate me?"

"Why would I hate you? Because you have Snake-People blood? Having Snake-People blood is not a fault, and it is not something you could choose. How could I hate you for that?" Xiao Yun gently smiled as he rubbed Qing Lin's little head.

"Besides, you possess an extremely powerful talent for cultivation. Your pupils are called the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. They are the bane of nearly all snake-type Magical Beasts. You can form one-sided master-servant contracts with them and control them. It is an incredibly powerful innate talent."

"You can also absorb them into the space opened by the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. The cultivation of snake-type Magical Beasts absorbed into that space will slowly be devoured by you, thereby increasing your own cultivation."

"In the future, you'll become a very powerful person too. You'll be able to protect yourself." After explaining Qing Lin's talent, Xiao Yun smiled and asked, "So, are you still willing to follow me?"

"Mm-hm." Hearing Xiao Yun's words, Qing Lin nodded vigorously. Though she did not know whether what he said was true, Xiao Yun was the first person to treat her equally. She was willing to believe anything he said.

"Young Master, I'm willing to follow you."

"You don't need to call me Young Master anymore. Call me Brother." Seeing Qing Lin nod in agreement, Xiao Yun was delighted as well. He stood and said, "Come on, Brother will take you to eat something delicious."

"Brother?" Qing Lin murmured softly. Then, a bright smile suddenly bloomed across her little face. She took Xiao Yun's outstretched hand. His warm palm wrapped around her small hand, nourishing her young heart that was covered in wounds.

"This is the little girl you were looking for?" Hai Bo Dong asked in surprise as he watched Xiao Yun and Qing Lin enter the hall hand in hand.

Qing Lin's appearance was not very presentable at the moment. In order to bring her here as quickly as possible, the people from the City Lord's Manor had not even allowed her to clean herself. Thus, dressed in ragged clothes and with dirt still on her body, Qing Lin seemed somewhat out of place at this banquet.

"Yes, this is my little sister. Her name is Qing Lin." Xiao Yun held Qing Lin's small hand and sat down beside Hai Bo Dong. Then he added, "Qing Lin, this is Old Hai. He's Brother's friend."

"Hello, Old Hai." Faced with such a setting, the insecure Qing Lin could not help feeling afraid. She kept hiding behind Xiao Yun.

"Eat something. Don't be afraid. Brother is here." Xiao Yun comforted her, stroking her little head.

Qing Lin's little face became slightly flushed. No one had ever treated her with such an intimate gesture as stroking her head before, yet Xiao Yun had done it several times today, stirring an unfamiliar feeling in her heart.

Picking up her chopsticks, Qing Lin looked at the many delicacies before her that she had never even seen before. She secretly swallowed, then began eating slowly.