Settling Old Grudges

On the sand dune, Xiao Li supported Xiao Ding.

The two brothers looked at Lin Qi's corpse, unable to suppress the satisfaction in their hearts.

Their great vengeance had been avenged, and the hatred that had weighed on them for so long had finally been released.

Yet after the excitement came an indescribable exhaustion and emptiness.

They had won, but the brothers who had died would never return.

"Big Brother..." Xiao Li called hoarsely as he looked toward the distant Poplar Forest.

"Don't worry. They'll be fine," Xiao Ding said. He knew what his younger brother was thinking, but he had faith in Qing Mo.

After a while, two figures, one tall and one short, slowly emerged from the direction of the Poplar Forest. They were Qing Mo and Qing Lin.

"Are your injuries serious?"

Qing Mo's gaze fell upon the two brothers supporting each other, lingering especially on Xiao Ding's somewhat pale face.

"Just minor injuries. Nothing serious." Xiao Ding shook his head, then asked impatiently, "By the way, Qing Mo, Luo Tai..."

Though he had heard that miserable scream and already had his suspicions, he still wanted to hear Qing Mo say it himself.

"Don't worry. He's dead beyond doubt. He and his precious son went down together for a reunion."

"Great!"

Upon receiving that confirmation, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li both breathed a sigh of relief.

"This time, we truly have you to thank, Qing Mo," Xiao Ding said gratefully.

If Qing Mo had not been there, with the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's current strength alone, who knew how long they would have had to wait to avenge such a blood debt.

"Hehe, I didn't do all that much." Qing Mo smiled and waved his hand, then affectionately rubbed Qing Lin's little head. "If we're talking about credit, it all goes to our little Qing Lin."

If not for Qing Lin's domineering Snake Control Technique, with his current strength alone, he might not have been able to defeat Luo Tai, a Five-Star Battle Master.

"Brother Qing Mo is right. This time, thank you, Miss Qing Lin."

Xiao Li solemnly cupped his fists toward Qing Lin. This petite and adorable-looking girl possessed unfathomable strength.

He had thought that Qing Mo killing a Battle Master with the strength of a Seven-Star Dou Practitioner was already shocking enough.

Who could have imagined that the strongest among them was actually this harmless-looking little girl, who appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old?

The world truly was full of hidden talents and crouching tigers, hidden dragons!

"Alright, let's talk as we walk." Xiao Ding glanced at the sky. "We shouldn't stay here long. If we don't hurry back, we'll be locked outside the gates by the City Guard on their night patrol. That would be troublesome."

"Haha, Big Brother is right."

The group delayed no longer and hurried toward Stone Desert City.

With one great worry finally lifted from their hearts, the atmosphere on the way back to the city became much more relaxed.

"By the way, Big Brother, Qing Mo." As they walked, Xiao Li seemed to recall something and asked, "Should we find a chance to wipe out the remaining scum of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group too?"

If you didn't pull weeds out by the roots, they would grow again with the spring breeze.

In his view, since they had already torn off all pretense, they should see it through to the end! They should kill every last one of them!

"I don't mind." Qing Mo shrugged indifferently. Since they had already killed both Luo Tai and Luo Yi, one more death made no difference, and neither did a whole group.

"For now, we shouldn't act rashly." Xiao Ding smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Our Desert Iron Mercenary Group can't withstand any more turmoil right now."

What he said was true. Counting everyone who could still fight, only the few of them remained. The rest of the group members were still recovering from their injuries.

"Besides, as long as the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group stays holed up inside the city, there's nothing we can do to them."

Xiao Ding spoke helplessly. The lord of Stone Desert City was a genuine Dou Spirit-level expert! No one in Stone Desert City dared openly break the rules he had set.

"They're getting off easy!" Xiao Li spat angrily. "But if I ever run into them outside the city, I definitely won't show them mercy!"

"Hehe, Second Brother, don't be in such a hurry." Xiao Ding smiled and comforted him. "Now that the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group has lost Luo Tai and Lin Qi, the two Battle Masters who held it together, it exists in name only. It's a juicy piece of meat. Even if we don't make a move, others certainly won't let them off easily."

"Besides, over the years, the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group has bullied others through sheer force and made countless enemies. I believe it won't be long before plenty of people can no longer hold back and move against them."

"Haha, Big Brother is right! Then we'll just wait and enjoy the show!" Xiao Li's mood brightened considerably at those words.

The group chatted and laughed as they hurried along. Qing Mo occasionally joined in, while Qing Lin remained quietly by his side the entire time, like a little tail.

Suddenly, Qing Lin reached out and gently tugged at Qing Mo's sleeve.

"Hmm? What's wrong, little Qing Lin?" Qing Mo stopped and looked down at her in confusion.

Qing Lin pointed ahead, her delicate little face drawn tight.

"Brother Mo, there are people ahead! And... there are a lot of them! More than twenty, probably!"

"People?!"

Hearing this, Qing Mo, Xiao Ding, and Xiao Li all changed expression slightly and immediately looked ahead.

Sure enough!

On a distant sand dune, they could vaguely make out a group of fully armed mercenaries hurrying in their direction.

"That's... the emblem of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group!" Xiao Ding recognized their identity at once, and his face instantly turned grave.

"Damn it! They're reinforcements from the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group! That old bastard Luo Tai really had preparations in place. I was careless."

They had just gone through a fierce battle and expended a great deal of Dou Qi. He himself had especially suffered serious internal injuries. If they encountered the enemy's main force now, the consequences would be unimaginable!

"I haven't used much Dou Qi!" Xiao Li's expression turned cold. He immediately stepped forward and held his long spear across his chest. "Big Brother, Qing Mo, you go first! I'll hold them back!"

In the previous battle, he had merely seized the opportunity to ambush Lin Qi and catch him off guard. He had not expended much Dou Qi and still had the strength to fight!

"Hehe, don't be so nervous."

Qing Mo spoke calmly. Not only was there no trace of tension on his face, but a hint of excitement appeared instead.

"In Stone Desert City, we had to worry about the city lord's rules, so it wasn't convenient to make a move against them. Who would have thought they'd come right to us?"

"No need to hesitate now. Tonight, we'll wipe out the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group in one sweep!"

Qing Mo had not been particularly interested in these small fry to begin with. But since they were rushing over to die, he did not mind sending them down to reunite with their commander and young commander.

"This... alright!"

Xiao Li looked at Qing Mo and Qing Lin, who remained utterly unhurried and even faintly excited. Recalling their unimaginable methods, the heart that had risen to his throat miraculously settled down.

"Little Qing Lin!" Qing Mo turned around and swept out a hand, looking every bit the commanding general. "Don't hold back! Hit them hard!"

"Mm!"

Qing Lin nodded heavily! A flash of green light passed through her pair of emerald eyes.

She gently raised her little hand and waved it through the air toward the crowd charging at them.