Broken Medicine Cauldron
It was already evening. In the other side of Stone Desert City, Xiao Yi Xian had just bought some medicine and was walking towards Qing Lin's house.
Qing Lin's mother's recovery was slower than she had expected.
Fortunately, the situation has stabilized in the past few days and is gradually improving.
Turning the corner, she could see the crooked wooden door of Qing Lin's house in the distance, but Xiao Yi Xian suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The door was open.
She remembered clearly that she had closed the door when she left.
Qing Lin doesn't go out casually, Qing Lin her mother has only just recovered in the last two days, so it's even less likely that she would leave the door open to the wind.
"... not good."
The Xiao Yi Xian's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.
Five more people have joined Qing Lin's family.
Five men dressed in mercenary leather armor were gathered around the low mud-brick bed.
One of the bald men was grabbing Qing Lin's mother by the hair and dragging her off the bed, while the others watched the spectacle with laughter.
"A stinking woman who gave birth to a bastard Snake People, and she still dares to live in Stone Desert City?"
The bald man spat on Qing Lin's mother's face, tightened his grip on her hair, and slammed her head against the ground.
"Wasn't there a woman from out of town protecting you a few days ago? Where is she now?"
Qing Lin huddled in the corner, her little face covered in dried tear stains, her body stained with blood, and her lips bitten until they turned white.
Her sleeve was torn, revealing snake scales on her forearm, and a mercenary watched with interest as she trembled.
"Don't... don't touch her..."
Qing Lin's mother's voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, but she still struggled to reach out and protect her daughter.
The bald man grinned maliciously, stomped on the back of her hand, and ground his foot down hard.
"Ah--!"
Before the scream had even subsided, a white afterimage had already appeared in front of the bald man.
Xiao Yi Xian didn't speak, but lightly placed her delicate hand on the bald man's chest, and deep purple Poison Dou Qi seeped into her palm.
The bald man's face turned purplish-black in an instant, his eyes rolled back, and before he could even scream, he collapsed limply to the ground.
With a swift movement, Xiao Yi Xian struck one after another, leaving the remaining four bleeding from all seven orifices, lying lifeless inside the house.
"Pooh."
One of the fallen mercenaries wasn't quite dead yet; blood and foam gushed from his mouth as he used his last bit of strength to squeeze out a few words:
"You... you bitch, the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group... will not let... you get away with this..."
Six six six, and there's also the initiative to report the location.
Xiao Yi Xian ignored her and turned around to pick up Qing Lin from the corner.
The little girl was trembling all over, her small hands clutching her clothes tightly, her lips moving for a long time, but she couldn't say a word.
Xiao Yi Xian hugged her tightly and gently patted her back.
Qing Lin's mother was dragged off the bed and curled up on the floor, her clothes torn to shreds, revealing large patches of skin with old scars.
Xiao Yi Xian placed Qing Lin aside, helped her mother up, and took out the medicine she carried with her to treat the wounds.
Her movements as she applied the medicine were meticulous and gentle, a stark contrast to her demeanor when she had just committed murder.
After doing all this, she took out several bags of gold coins and the medicinal herbs she had prepared from her Storage Ring and pushed them all in front of Qing Lin's mother.
"Take Qing Lin with you and leave tonight, taking advantage of the night to leave the city."
Qing Lin's mother's lips trembled as she tightly grasped Xiao Yi Xian's hand:
"My benefactor... you... you're... it's all my fault..."
Xiao Yi Xian shook her head, gently pulled her hand away, stuffed everything into a bundle, and also put in the dry food she had prepared in her Storage Ring.
"Elder sister!"
Qing Lin pounced on Xiao Yi Xian behind and hugged her leg.
The little girl looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, perhaps sensing what Xiao Yi Xian was about to do:
"Sister, where are you going?"
"... Go do what you want to do."
"But... but..."
Before Qing Lin could say anything more, Xiao Yi Xian reached out and wiped away her tears, then cupped her face and looked at her intently.
"Qing Lin, listen, you and your mother leave tonight. After leaving the city, head towards the Desert City of the Jia Ma Empire. Your sister will come to find you."
Xiao Yi Xian remembered that Qin Yu had said that after finishing his journey, he must visit Desert City on his way back.
After saying that, she walked out of the room without looking back, and gently closed the crooked wooden door behind her.
As the night wind blew through the streets and alleys of Stone Desert City, Xiao Yi Xian quickly found the location of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group's encampment.
She stood in the shadows on the outskirts of the camp, her gaze sweeping over the sentry posts on the wall, and took a few deep breaths.
She was certain that even if Qin Yu were here, he would support her decision.
She had lived in Stone Desert City for quite some time, and ever since word spread that she had helped Qing Lin, the way people in the entire city looked at her had changed.
If it weren't for her Battle Master- level strength, her fate probably wouldn't have been much better than that of Qing Lin and her daughter.
She could understand the hatred the people here had for the Snake-People Tribe; but she did not intend to condone their bullying of Qing Lin and her daughter.
Her recent training had paid off. With the help of the night, Xiao Yi Xian easily infiltrated the mercenary group's ranks using the Moonlit Journey Dou Technique.
She hadn't gone very deep when she heard laughter coming from the front yard.
Several mercenaries were sitting around a campfire drinking, and one of them, a burly man with a full beard, was loudly boasting, spitting as he spoke:
"I went to scout it out today. That woman goes out to get medicine every evening, while that little bastard and his sickly old mother stay at home."
"Tomorrow, call Lao Wu and the others. While that woman's not around, tie up that little bastard and sell him for some good stuff."
Several mercenaries joined in the jeering, and a skinny man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face took a swig of wine and chuckled:
"However, that foreign woman protecting the little bastard is quite good-looking. What do you think...?"
What followed became increasingly offensive.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian emerged from the shadows, and the mercenaries who were still drinking were immediately stunned.
But Xiao Yi Xian didn't give them time to react. As she walked out, she flicked her hand, and a large amount of poisonous mist instantly spread out.
Mercenaries fell one after another, their cries of pain muffled in their throats.
Xiao Yi Xian continued her journey, and most of the things she heard along the way were related to Qing Lin and her daughter, as well as herself.
A feeling that was hard to describe—whether it was anger or disgust—surged up inside her. Xiao Yi Xian closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Soon after, all the mercenaries in the entire Wild Wolf Mercenary Group were killed, leaving only a few logistics workers still asleep.
After doing all this, Xiao Yi Xian walked out of the gate of the residence without looking back and headed towards Qing Lin's home.
However, when she pushed open the crooked wooden door, she froze.
The mother and daughter hadn't left; their belongings were still by the bedside, exactly as they had been when she left.
"You..."
Qing Lin looked up, saw it was her, and immediately rushed over to hug her waist, her voice trembling with tears but unusually firm:
"Sister! We can't leave you alone. If we're going, we'll go together!"
Xiao Yi Xian stood there stunned for a long while before she hugged Qing Lin tightly in her arms.