Qing Lin

Stone Desert City, City Lord's Manor.

No one would have imagined that the City Lord's Manor in Stone Desert City, located on the border of the Jia Ma Empire and constantly facing the threat of war, would be so lively. Heavenly music drifted through the air, cups were raised in toast, and dancers swayed gracefully. There was an atmosphere of unrestrained indulgence, without the slightest hint of the tension expected in a border city.

Xiao Yun sat in his chair, lowering his head as he ate the food before him. He paid no attention whatsoever to the seductive poses of the dancers in the hall. Beside him, however, Hai Bo Dong watched without blinking, occasionally bursting into loud laughter.

It had to be said that the City Lord of Stone Desert City was an exceptionally hospitable man. When Hai Bo Dong brought Xiao Yun to his door to ask for help, he had only displayed a little of his strength, yet the man insisted on arranging a welcoming ceremony for them. Then it had developed into the scene before them.

Watching Hai Bo Dong and the City Lord of Stone Desert City act as though they had met too late in life, Xiao Yun covered his face with a hand in speechless exasperation. Sometimes, he truly suspected that the old man had spent so long in the desert that his head was filled with sand. He was only thirteen, yet the old man 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 merely letting you experience it early."

Seeing Xiao Yun's gesture, Hai Bo Dong assumed that the young man had never seen such a scene before and had become shy. He laughed heartily as he spoke.

"Damn it, do you really take me for a child? Are you letting me experience this, or did you arrange it for yourself?"

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

"It's all the same, all the same! Besides, do you think this old man is only lustful? I haven't forgotten the important business. I've already told the City Lord about the appearance of the little girl you're looking for. There should be news soon. This old man has fought wars his entire life—what's wrong with enjoying himself a little?"

"Heh." Xiao Yun sneered and did not respond to Hai Bo Dong. He was already certain that this old man had truly been pent up for far too long.

As he thought this, he watched the dancers' bodies twist like water snakes. Every frown and smile carried a unique charm, nearly making the hot-blooded Xiao Yun lose control of himself.

He brushed a hand over his Storage Ring, took out a Calm Mind Pill, and swallowed it.

Mm, now he could keep himself under control.

Just as Xiao Yun continued eating the food before him, a soldier suddenly hurried into the hall and whispered a few words into the City Lord's ear. The latter's expression changed, and his previously smiling face grew much more serious. With a wave of his hand, the dancers in the center of the hall stopped moving and respectfully withdrew from the hall.

"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 intended to have one of 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 wanted to leave long ago, and 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 smiled. Although 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. Men, continue the music and continue the dancing!"

On the other side, Xiao Yun had only just reached the front courtyard when he spotted the little girl standing quietly outside a pavilion in the distance, waiting. Her hands clutched tightly at the hem of her clothes, and her body trembled faintly, revealing the anxiety and fear in her heart.

Her little head was lowered, hiding her face, yet anyone who saw her could feel the fragility 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-looking 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, fearful expressions would appear on their faces.

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

The little girl thought fearfully. She did not know what kind of pain or torment she would have to face next.

Just as she grew more frightened the more she thought about it, footsteps sounded. 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, stopping her wild imaginings and making her body cease trembling.

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

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

"Reporting to Young Master, my name is Qing Lin." Perhaps influenced by Xiao Yun's gentle attitude, Qing Lin's voice no longer trembled as she answered crisply.

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

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

He carefully examined Qing Lin's slightly shy face. More precisely, he was examining her eyes.

He stared intently into Qing Lin's bright, watery eyes. Deep within her slightly green pupils were three extremely tiny jade-green dots.

As expected, they're Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Xiao Yun thought. It seemed the City Lord's Manor had been quite accurate in finding people.

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

Seeing that adorable, delicate oval face completely flushed red with shyness, Xiao Yun finally realized that he had been staring at her for quite a long time.

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

Qing Lin was stunned by his words. From childhood until now, this was the first time someone had not looked down on her and had even apologized to her. In the past, she had only ever been the one apologizing to others.

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

"Sigh, don't be afraid. From now on, follow me. No one will dare bully you again!" Seeing Qing Lin like this, Xiao Yun's heart softened, and he spoke with pity.

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

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

"Besides, you possess an extremely strong cultivation talent. Your pupils are called Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. They are almost the bane of all snake-shaped magical beasts, allowing you to form one-sided master-servant contracts with them and control them. This is an exceptionally powerful innate talent."

"Furthermore, you can absorb them into the space opened by the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. The cultivation of snake-shaped magical beasts absorbed into that space will gradually be devoured by you, thereby increasing your own cultivation."

"In the future, you'll become a very powerful person too, and you'll be able to protect yourself." After introducing Qing Lin's innate talent to her, 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 as an equal, and she was willing to believe anything he said.

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

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

"Brother?" Qing Lin softly murmured. A brilliant smile suddenly bloomed across her little face. She took Xiao Yun's outstretched hand, and the warmth of his palm wrapped around her small hand, soothing her young heart, which was covered in scars.

"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 did not look very presentable at the moment. In order to bring her over as quickly as possible, the people of the City Lord's Manor had not even let her clean herself up. Thus, dressed in tattered clothes and covered in some dirt, Qing Lin looked rather out of place at this banquet.

"That's right. This is my little sister, Qing Lin." Xiao Yun led Qing Lin by the hand and sat down beside Hai Bo Dong. Then he said, "Qing Lin, this is Elder Hai. He's Brother's friend."

"Greetings, Elder Hai." Faced with such a setting, the insecure Qing Lin could not help feeling afraid and kept hiding behind Xiao Yun.

"Eat something. Don't be afraid, Brother is here." Xiao Yun comforted her as he stroked Qing Lin's little head.

Qing Lin's little face grew somewhat rosy. No one had ever treated her with such intimate gestures as stroking her head before, yet Xiao Yun had done it several times today, stirring unfamiliar emotions in her heart.

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