Poison Dragon Mercenary Group

Qing Mo said nothing more. Taking her little hand, he led her out of the courtyard.

The streets of Stone Desert City were as bustling as ever. Passing mercenaries and merchants packed the road to the brim.

Qing Mo bought Qing Lin a skewer of her favorite candied hawthorn, then picked up a cute clay figurine for her from a roadside stall.

Holding those little trinkets, the sorrow on Qing Lin's face gradually faded, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

"Come on, let's take a look around the market. Qing Lin, you haven't been out for a long time. Is there anything you want?"

Recently, Qing Lin had been training diligently and had not left the house for half a month.

"No need, Brother Mo. These are already enough."

Qing Lin waved the candied hawthorn in her hand. The sorrow on her face had vanished, replaced by pure happiness.

Brother Mo cared about her so much. How could she let him worry about her?

"You silly girl."

Qing Mo smiled and stroked Qing Lin's little head.

The two arrived at the largest market in Stone Desert City. It was controlled by the City Lord's Manor, far grander than ordinary streets, with neater buildings, rows of shops, and a constant stream of people.

At the entrance stood quite a few guards in matching uniforms, maintaining order in their armor.

With those guards serving as a deterrent, ordinary people did not dare cause trouble here. After all, the City Lord stood behind them.

Qing Mo led Qing Lin on a leisurely stroll through the market. It had to be said that there were many strange and unusual things here.

His gaze swept across the vendors' stalls. Most of them sold first-tier materials, nothing worth looking at.

Qing Mo simply brought Qing Lin deeper into the market, where the goods were much more refined than those sold outside.

Qing Mo stopped before a small stall covered with all kinds of accessories. Reaching out, he picked up a snake-shaped pendant from the velvet cloth.

The pendant was an elegant dark green throughout. Its snake body coiled around itself, its head and tail joined together. Its design was unique without seeming fierce, instead carrying a hint of lively mystery.

It felt cool and smooth in his hand, with a moist, delicate texture that was very comfortable to the touch.

"Qing Lin, what do you think of this?" He turned his head to look at her.

"No need, Brother Mo~"

Qing Lin shook her hand. She truly liked the pendant, but she did not want Qing Mo to spend so much on her.

"Boss, how much for this?" Seeing Qing Lin's expression, Qing Mo knew what she was thinking and directly raised the pendant toward the stall owner.

"Sir, you truly have a discerning eye! This pendant is carved from the finest cool jade. Feel the texture, look at the craftsmanship! And this snake design—how lifelike! Its meaning is wonderful too: entwined together, guarding one another, blessing the wearer with peace. It's especially suitable as a gift—"

"Stop." Qing Mo cut him off bluntly. "Skip the sales pitch. Just name a price."

"Hehe, one fixed price: one thousand gold coins." The owner rubbed his hands together and smiled.

The moment she heard the price, Qing Lin immediately tugged at Qing Mo's sleeve. To her, it was an astronomical sum beyond imagining. She was not worth such an expensive gift.

Feeling her tug, Qing Mo made as though to put the pendant back.

"Hey, hey, don't be in such a hurry, sir!" Seeing that the two were really about to leave, the owner hurriedly tried to stop them. "If you sincerely want it, eight hundred! Take it for eight hundred gold coins. Consider it the price of making a friend!"

Only then did Qing Mo stop. He picked up the pendant again, weighed it on his fingertips, and looked at the owner with a half-smile.

"Boss, the jade is decent, but no matter how you dress it up, it's still just an ordinary accessory. The carving isn't the work of any master either. One hundred gold coins. Take it or leave it; otherwise, we'll look elsewhere."

"No, little brother, is that how you haggle?"

The owner looked utterly speechless. Qing Mo raised the offer slightly, and after a round of back-and-forth bargaining, the owner finally sold them the pendant for five hundred gold coins with an expression as though he had suffered a terrible loss.

"Come on, turn around. I'll put it on you." Qing Mo took the pendant and spoke softly to Qing Lin.

Qing Lin obediently turned around and lowered her head slightly.

The cool jade touched her skin, but her cheeks involuntarily flushed red, the color spreading all the way to her ears. Though she felt shy, it was as if something warm had filled her heart, leaving it swollen and full. What a strange feeling.

"All done." Qing Mo examined her. Qing Lin had become increasingly adorable and lively; compared to half a year ago, she was practically a different person.

The dark green snake-shaped pendant hung quietly against her fair neck, complementing her clear emerald eyes. It really did look very nice.

"Beautiful. It suits you very well."

Qing Lin touched the pendant at her chest. Beneath its coolness, she seemed to feel her racing heartbeat. She lowered her head, but the corners of her lips could not help curling upward.

The two continued toward the front of the market.

Just as they passed a weapon shop, a group of people walked by them.

At their head was a young man dressed in luxurious brocade robes. His features were somewhat effeminate, his eyes narrow, and a frivolous smile rested on his lips.

This man was Luo Yi, the young leader of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group.

Several lackeys followed beside him, each one fawning over him.

"Young Leader is truly young and accomplished! He broke through to Fighter at seventeen—there's no one else like him in Stone Desert City!"

"Exactly! With Young Leader in our Poison Dragon Mercenary Group, we'll surely rise to even greater heights in the future!"

Listening to their flattering words, Luo Yi raised his chin slightly, looking extremely proud.

Breaking through to Fighter at seventeen did indeed make him outstanding among those his age.

At that moment, Luo Yi's gaze suddenly fell upon Qing Lin.

Her fair skin and distinctive bearing made his eyes light up, but most of all, it was those pure, lively emerald-green eyes.

She reminded him of a girl he had met before. He had wanted to take her as a maid, but unfortunately, she had been a snakefolk half-blood, her bloodline far too filthy.

He stopped, leering at Qing Lin before walking toward Qing Mo.

"Kid, that little beauty following behind you is quite pretty."

Luo Yi blocked the road, raising his chin as he spoke in a frivolous tone, his eyes filled with undisguised greed.

The lackeys behind him immediately caught on and burst into laughter.

"Exactly. With how fresh and lovely she is, she's bound to grow into a great beauty. What a waste for her to stay beside this kid!"

"Look at those eyes. Tsk, it's like they can seduce people..."

"Just imagining it feels so good."

"Young Master truly has a good eye!"

The vulgar laughter continued. The gentleness on Qing Mo's face vanished in an instant, his expression turning completely cold as frost flashed in his eyes.

Meanwhile, the instant Qing Lin heard Luo Yi's voice, her entire body trembled violently.

She raised her head and stared fixedly at Luo Yi. Her once clear, timid emerald-green eyes were filled with intense fury.