Trump Card for the Next Battle

You didn't hit a smiling face, much less when they desperately needed rest.

Even if Su Heng looked down on Nalan Yong, he couldn't make it too obvious right now. He wore a practiced fake smile as he offered Nalan Yong the respects of a junior.

Nalan Yong cheerfully invited the two of them into the city to rest while dispatching soldiers to receive the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. He handled matters quite thoroughly.

"Second Captain, can I have a healing pill? It seems badly injured."

Just as everyone was preparing to enter the city, Qing Lin timidly approached Xiao Li, gently tugged at his sleeve, and spoke in a low voice.

"Are you sure it won't hurt us again?"

The Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake now looked as docile as a little lamb, but Xiao Li still hadn't recovered from their life-and-death struggle earlier. He didn't dare lower his guard.

"Brother Xiao Li, don't worry. Qing Lin is much stronger than you think. This big snake is our bodyguard now."

Unlike Xiao Li, Su Heng knew perfectly well just how formidable the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were.

Even if a Fourth-Order Magical Beast at the Dou Ling level appeared now, Qing Lin could easily subdue it, much less a mere Third-tier Magical Beast at the Da Dou Shi level.

With Su Heng's assurance, Xiao Li finally relaxed. He took out several healing pills and handed them to Qing Lin, who accepted them gratefully and fed them to the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake.

As soon as the pills entered its mouth, the wound atop the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's head rapidly healed at a visible rate. It happily swayed its body, as though thanking Qing Lin and Xiao Li.

A moment later, a mass of light brown Dou Qi wrapped around the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's body, followed by a burst of dazzling light.

Within the glow, the hill-sized Magical Beast swiftly shrank. When the light faded, it had become a golden little snake just over half a foot long.

"Wow, so cute! I'll call you Little Gold!"

Qing Lin picked Little Gold up from the ground and gently stroked it. The little snake nodded briskly, darted up her arm, and tenderly licked her jade-white forearm.

"Hey! This little bastard's a horny creep!"

Seeing the golden snake's lecherous expression, Su Heng suddenly felt the furious urge to beat up a pig rooting through his family's cabbage!

"Qing Lin, put it in your bag. Leaving it out like this will scare the others. We just fought to the death, after all. They need some time to adjust."

Su Heng spoke through clenched teeth, his face dark. Naturally, Qing Lin didn't catch the hidden meaning behind his words, but she would certainly do as he said.

Watching the golden snake struggle as it was stuffed into the satchel, Su Heng finally felt better.

The next day, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group successfully arrived under the escort of the outpost soldiers.

Though everyone in the Desert Iron Mercenary Group had been injured in the battle, not a single person had died. That was truly a blessing amid misfortune.

At dusk on the following day, as the setting sun sank in the west, Su Heng finally woke from his sleep.

Nalan Yong had prepared a lavish feast for them the previous night and had even specially cleaned out a military barracks to serve as guest quarters.

The instant his head touched the pillow, Su Heng's vision went black, and he fell completely asleep.

He felt as if he had died once, utterly losing consciousness for some stretch of time. When he opened his eyes again, the sky was already filled with crimson clouds.

Before Su Heng could sit up, a cup of warm tea was offered to him.

"Qing Lin? Why are you here?"

Su Heng looked nervously at Qing Lin before him. He remembered returning to his room alone. When had she come in?

"I... I came to take care of you, Brother Su Heng..."

Seeing Su Heng so tense, Qing Lin's heart sank. She thought he disliked her. A mist of tears filled her eyes as she lowered her head and spoke timidly.

"You should be resting properly. Taking care of yourself is what matters most. Come, let me see if you have dark circles under your eyes!"

Su Heng set the hot tea on the table and hurried over to Qing Lin. Squatting down, he gently lifted her chin.

Sure enough! Heavy dark circles hung beneath Qing Lin's eyes. Her face was full of exhaustion; she had clearly been awake all night.

"Be good and get some rest! Remember, you have to take care of yourself first before taking care of your brother, understand? Otherwise, I'll get angry!"

Su Heng swept Qing Lin into his arms, gently placed her on the bed, then drained the cup of perfectly warm tea in one gulp.

"Now get some proper rest. Sleep until you wake naturally, or I'll really be angry!"

Seeing that Su Heng wasn't rejecting her, Qing Lin finally smiled. She had stayed up all night and was already exhausted beyond measure.

Now that she lay on the soft bed, a crushing wave of drowsiness struck her. Before falling asleep, she placed a purple Storage Ring by the bedside and said softly.

"Brother Su Heng, Little Gold gave this to me yesterday. It seems to be a Storage Ring. There should be something inside that you can use..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qing Lin had already fallen asleep.

She was still young and physically weak to begin with. Yet she had stayed awake for an entire day and night just so Su Heng would see her and drink the hot tea she offered when he woke. Now that her wish had been fulfilled, she was in high spirits and slept deeply.

Su Heng didn't leave the room. Instead, he silently remained by Qing Lin's side while picking up the Storage Ring and injecting Dou Qi into it.

Since its owner was dead, the restrictions on the Storage Ring had already failed. Its contents burst out one after another like popping beans.

Inside the Storage Ring were two bottles of pills, more than a dozen unrefined medicinal herbs, and a Mid-Profound Tier wind-element Cultivation Method.

"This Snake-People leader wasn't wealthy at all... More accurately, he was downright poor..."

Su Heng couldn't help sighing. The pills were practically all semi-finished products, while the herbs were cheap goods.

The Snake-People leader had risked his life robbing humans, only to obtain this little. The hardships of the Snake-People Tribe's existence were plain to see.

The only valuable item in the Storage Ring was this Mid-Profound Tier wind-element Cultivation Method.

For Su Heng, who cultivated a Low-Yellow Tier Cultivation Method, a Mid-Profound Tier method was already a priceless treasure. Even across the entire Jia Ma Empire, a Mid-Profound Tier Cultivation Method could sell for more than three hundred thousand gold coins at auction.

"This method is good, but sadly, it isn't meant for me."

Su Heng put away the Cultivation Method and quietly left the room. Though it wasn't meant for him, it was meant for someone else—Xiao Li.

"Brother Xiao Li, I found this in the Snake-People leader's Storage Ring. It's a Mid-Profound Tier wind-element Cultivation Method."

"On this journey, if not for Brother Xiao Li risking his life to escort us, my two uncles and I would already have been buried in the desert. Please accept this Cultivation Method."

Su Heng decided to give the method to Xiao Li. Favors weren't merely spoken of; what mattered was action. If something could be done, even if it didn't have to be done, it should be done.

"Brother Su, if not for you this time, our Desert Iron Mercenary Group would have been wiped out long ago. You traded your life for this Cultivation Method. How could I take it?"

Xiao Li firmly refused to accept it.

It wasn't that Xiao Li didn't want it. He simply had his own principles.

To save the lives of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, Su Heng had swallowed a Windstride Pill and lured away the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake, narrowly escaping death.

Without him, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group would already have become food in the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's belly. Besides, protecting Su Heng was Xiao Li's responsibility. It was only natural and needed no further discussion.

"Brother Xiao Li, I've heard that some people can cultivate wind- and lightning-element methods at the same time, fusing them into Wind-Thunder Dou Qi."

"Once Wind-Thunder Dou Qi is fully cultivated, it can possess both the nimbleness of wind and the violence of lightning."

"Perhaps you should give it a try, Brother."

According to Su Heng's memories from his previous life, dual cultivation of wind and lightning could produce Wind-Thunder Power. That was the signature trait of the Wind-Thunder Pavilion in the Central Plains.

At the same level, the strength of Wind-Thunder Power could rival Xiao Yan when he possessed Heavenly Flames.

If he could truly help Xiao Li touch upon this kind of power, Su Heng would have done a good deed.

"We're brothers. If you become stronger, Brother, it'll be easier for me to ask you for help in the future."

"So don't refuse anymore. Besides, although we've survived the Snake-People Tribe's siege, the real calamity is only beginning."

Su Heng forcibly shoved the scroll into Xiao Li's hand. The two had already become friends who had faced life and death together. If they kept exchanging empty courtesies, it would only seem pretentious.

Xiao Li naturally understood this as well. He stopped refusing and placed the Cultivation Method into his own Storage Ring.

"Brother Xiao Li, if my calculations are correct, the Mo Family of Salt City will send people to ambush and kill us at the final checkpoint before we reach Desert City. And the Mo Family is far stronger than those Snake-People. This battle will be unlike the last."

"An Alchemist is enough to shake the Mo Family's position in Salt City. Even a First-grade Alchemist would severely squeeze the Mo Family's trade and business. Our Su Clan has a grudge against the Mo Family, and I publicly insulted Mo Lin of the Mo Family..."

"If they can't use me, they'll kill me. The Mo Family will never let me go!"

"Brother Xiao Li, I want you to help me find a map from here to Desert City. Also, ask Nalan... Uncle Nalan to send some men to assist us."

Su Heng trusted Xiao Li completely, but he had little faith in Nalan Yong.

As it turned out, Su Heng's worries were correct. Nalan Yong gave Xiao Li an extremely detailed map of the area around Desert City.

But when it came to sending people to help, he hemmed and hawed, changing the subject whenever asked. He claimed he wanted to help but lacked the strength, then said the Snake-People Tribe often harassed the border and that he couldn't abandon his post.

Mo Cheng was an outer sect deacon of the Misty Cloud Sect, while Nalan Yanran was the Misty Cloud Sect's young sect master.

Even if Nalan Yong and Xiao Zhan were friends who had faced life and death together, even if Nalan Yong had watched Xiao Li grow up, he still didn't dare offend the Misty Cloud Sect.

The Nalan Clan's inherited habit of cowardice when trouble arose and regret afterward was vividly displayed in Nalan Yong.

With matters having reached this point, Su Heng could only sigh helplessly. Fortunately, the map Nalan Yong provided was detailed enough, giving Su Heng sufficient confidence to resolve the crisis before them.

Unless Mo Cheng personally came to set the ambush, no one could stop Su Heng from entering Desert City!