Qing Lin's Home, Alone into the Desert

Xiao Yi Xian sat down opposite Qin Yu, resting her chin on her hands, her face clearly saying "Praise me!"

"Yes, yes, yes, the Xiao Yi Xian is invincible!"

Qin Yu reached out and ruffled the top of her hair. Xiao Yi Xian squinted slightly, like a kitten being stroked, and the corners of her mouth turned up even higher.

However, Qin Yu's words made her quite embarrassed.

What do you mean by "invincible under heaven"? How could Qin Yu say something so embarrassingly calmly?

The next day, the two continued their journey. The desert sun was still scorching, but she gradually adapted.

However, Xiao Yi Xian seemed to possess a special magic; even under the blazing sun in the desert, she didn't get much of a tan.

Her arms, neck, and cheeks were still a youthful, fair complexion with a hint of pink.

A few days later, at dusk, the outline of Stone Desert City finally appeared on the horizon.

This border town, standing on the edge of the desert, has tall walls and is patrolled by taxi soldiers everywhere.

The military flag of the Jia Ma Empire fluttered atop the city walls, rustling in the evening desert wind.

Xiao Yi Xian looked up at the gleaming swords, spears, and halberds on the city wall and couldn't help but tug at Qin Yu's sleeve:

"There are way too many troops stationed here."

"It would be strange if border cities, which have been dealing with the Snake-People Tribe for years, had few troops stationed there."

Just as Qin Yu was about to quicken his pace, he suddenly paused.

An extremely strong sensation came from the depths of the desert, as if something was calling out from afar.

There is only one thing in the entire Tagor Desert that can trigger a response at the level of the Treasure-Seeking Sacred Body.

Green Lotus Core Flame.

Xiao Yi Xian saw him suddenly stop and turned around to ask:

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, let's go into the city first."

Qin Yu withdrew his senses and firmly memorized the location he had sensed.

The two passed through the city gate. The main street of Stone Desert City was much narrower than that of the Imperial Capital, and most of the people coming and going on the street were mercenaries.

Occasionally, a patrol of soldiers would cross the middle of the street, the clanging of their armor rhythmic and dull, and passersby would quickly make way.

Xiao Yi Xian's gaze swept over the street stalls, and she was about to find an inn to stay in when she suddenly stopped.

Not far ahead, a thin figure was struggling to carry two wooden buckets as he walked out from the well at the street corner.

She was a little girl who looked to be just over ten years old. She was wearing a faded coarse cloth dress, and her bluish-green hair was tied into two small braids. Her bangs were stuck to her forehead with sweat.

She was much thinner than her peers, and the two wooden buckets filled with water were clearly too heavy for her; she had to stop and rest every so often.

Just then, two thug-looking men strolled past her.

One of them casually lifted his foot and kicked one of the wooden buckets squarely.

The bucket tipped over, spilling the water that had been painstakingly fetched all over the ground.

The two men didn't even lift their eyelids or stop walking before they strode away.

The little girl stood there, stunned, looking down at the empty bucket lying on the ground, her eyes quickly filling with tears.

But she bit her lip and stubbornly refused to cry out.

She crouched down, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and then laboriously righted the empty bucket, preparing to go back to the well to draw another bucket.

"Those two bastards!"

Xiao Yi Xian clenched her fists instantly, and took a step forward, but Qin Yu grabbed her arm.

She turned around, her face full of confusion and anger.

Qin Yu looked at the little girl squatting on the ground wiping her tears and lowered his voice:

"Look at her wrist."

Xiao Yi Xian paused for a moment, then followed Qin Yu's gaze and looked closely, discovering that the little girl's wrist was covered in a large patch of snake scales.

This situation only occurs in the offspring of humans and Snake-People Tribe, which means that this little girl is the child of Snake People and a human.

The Snake-People Tribe have been harassing the area around Stone Desert City for years, abducting human women, and have a long-standing blood feud with the locals.

It's easy to imagine what such a child would encounter in the Stone Desert City.

"But ultimately, the child hasn't done anything wrong, so let him go if he wants to."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded, quickly walked to the little girl, squatted down, picked up the overturned empty bucket, and handed it back to her.

The little girl instinctively shrank back, covered her head with her hands, and curled up into a small ball in the corner, her movements as practiced as if she had done it countless times.

"No, don't hit me..."

Xiao Yi Xian's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. Her nose suddenly stung, and her throat felt like it was blocked by something.

Such a young child's first reaction to being bullied was to cover his head and cower.

How many unprovoked beatings did she endure before this defensive posture became instinctive?

"Don't be afraid, I won't hit you. I'll help you get the water back, okay?"

Several passersby stopped and whispered among themselves upon seeing this.

A woman crossed her arms, her face making no attempt to hide her disgust.

"Another outsider who knows nothing."

Another middle-aged man spat on the ground and said in a strange voice:

"Snake People bastard, why should I help you? If you help her, the Snake People will take her back one day and she'll bite you back."

Xiao Yi Xian raised her head, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. Just as she was about to stand up, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.

A Da Dou Shi Dou Qi emanating from Qin Yu suddenly rippled outwards, pressing down on every whispering passerby.

The few who were about to join in the commotion immediately fell silent, and the middle-aged man who had spat took several steps back, his face turning deathly pale.

"Roll."

Qin Yu withdrew his hand and looked around.

He could certainly argue that the actions of this group were the weak wielding their swords against the even weaker.

However, the people here have an irreconcilable feud with the Snake-People Tribe, and in their logic, a mixed-race child is an extension of that hatred.

As an outsider who had little interaction with the Snake-People Tribe, he naturally had no right to lecture them on right and wrong.

But so what?

Qin Yu's help to Qing Lin is his own business, and he will bear any consequences.

He crouched down, looked at the little girl huddled in the corner, and asked in a low voice:

"May I have your name?"

"Green... Qing Lin."

The little girl's lips moved, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Don't be afraid, no one will hit you."

Qing Lin slowly lowered her arms from behind her head, looked up at the older brother who was squatting down in front of her, and the older sister next to her with slightly red eyes.

This was the first time someone had told her not to be afraid, and it was also the first time she hadn't been beaten.

She wanted to say something, but her throat tightened and she couldn't say anything. She could only lower her head and wipe her eyes hard with her sleeve.

"Thanks..."

Hearing Qing Lin's soft sobs, Xiao Yi Xian felt a tightness in her chest.

She turned to look at Qin Yu, but before she could speak, Qin Yu already knew what she was thinking:

"Do whatever you want."

Xiao Yi Xian bent down, helped Qing Lin up, patted the sand off her knees, took the wooden bucket from her hand, and casually placed it on the edge of the well.

"Little sister, who else lives with you? Shall your older sister and brother take you home?"

Qing Lin raised her head, looked at Xiao Yi Xian, then at Qin Yu, hesitated for a long time, and finally nodded slightly.