Son of the Xiao Clan

"It's all right now. Let's go."

Qing Mo spoke softly, looking at the still-trembling Qing Lin in his arms, his heart filled with pity.

At such a young age, she had endured far too much malice and pain she never should have suffered.

Qing Lin nodded obediently, pressing herself tightly against Qing Mo.

What had just happened made her feel even closer to him and more dependent on him.

Qing Mo looked down at the middle-aged woman lying on the ground. He took out his money pouch, counted out thirty gold coins, and gently placed them on the counter. "I'll take all three sets."

To be fair, the woman had not done anything too excessive, so Qing Mo naturally had no intention of doing anything to her.

By the time they left the tailor shop, the sky had completely darkened. Night fell like a vast sheet of velvet, shrouding Stone Desert City.

Going back was out of the question. The mud house where Qing Lin lived was far too crude, and the only bed had been accidentally broken when Qing Mo sat on it. They would not even have a place to sleep if they returned, so they could only keep going.

"Little Qing Lin, it looks like we can only stay outside tonight."

"Mm."

Qing Lin answered obediently, lowering her head and tugging at the corner of her clothes, seemingly lost in thought.

Qing Mo led Qing Lin to a rather decent-looking inn in Stone Desert City.

"Are you two staying the night or dining?"

The waiter immediately came forward enthusiastically when he saw them enter.

"A room for the night. Two rooms," Qing Mo said, then added, "And bring us two portions of your signature dishes."

"Right away! This way, please!" The waiter answered briskly, his face beaming as he bowed and led the way.

After entering the room, Qing Lin remained silent. She merely sat quietly beside Qing Mo, her small shoulders slightly hunched.

After all, she was only an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl. How could being called a monster not weigh on her heart?

Qing Mo said nothing. He only reached out and gently rubbed her hair.

Sometimes, words were pale and powerless. Company was the best comfort.

Before long, dish after dish was brought to the table. The fragrant steam spread through the room, and Qing Lin's downcast eyes suddenly brightened a little.

"Eat."

Qing Mo smiled faintly, placing a piece of tender meat in her bowl before adding some vegetables for her.

She ate in small, earnest bites. Her cheeks gradually puffed up, and the faint glimmer in her eyes finally became bright.

Qing Mo watched her quietly. He took a bite himself, but the natural flavors here were far too strong.

Perhaps he had eaten too much modern food, but he found it tasteless. Qing Lin, however, ate with great relish, finishing most of the dishes by herself.

After dinner, the two chatted in the room for a while.

Qing Mo took the opportunity to ask about Qing Lin.

"Little Qing Lin, earlier... why were you so afraid of me?"

At the question, Qing Lin's body trembled lightly. A trace of fear flashed through her eyes as she lowered her head, unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers until her lips turned pale.

Qing Mo did not urge her. He merely comforted her again and again in a gentle tone.

After a long while, Qing Lin finally began to speak in broken, choked-up fragments.

It turned out that a young dandy had once taken a fancy to her and wanted to forcibly take her in as a maid. Her mother had fought desperately to stop him, only to be severely injured by his attendants.

In the end, the man discovered that Qing Lin was of mixed snake-people blood and considered her unlucky, so he left resentfully.

But her mother's injuries had been too severe, and she had not made it...

Qing Mo's fury surged as he listened.

"Little Qing Lin, tell me, who was that man!"

Qing Lin only shook her head. She did not want Qing Mo to fall into danger because of her.

When Qing Mo saw that Qing Lin refused to say anything, he did not force her. This little girl was so sensible that it broke his heart.

"Don't worry, Little Qing Lin. This kind of thing will never happen again."

"Mm," Qing Lin answered softly.

For the next few days, the two stayed at the inn.

During the day, Qing Mo took Qing Lin around the streets, buying her tasty food and fun little things.

Although this world had Dou Qi, life was exceptionally monotonous. There were no phones, no internet, and no all kinds of entertainment facilities. He truly found it rather boring.

The nights were long. He was used to staying up late, so he could only focus his thoughts on cultivation.

Perhaps because it was his first time cultivating, he had been improving quickly lately. In just a few days, he had reached the Two-Star Dou Practitioner level.

Although Qing Mo had not been very interested in playing these past few days, Qing Lin had been very happy. She had never lived like this before. Every day, someone accompanied her and cared about her. These were the happiest days she had experienced since her mother's death.

Qing Mo also noticed that Qing Lin had become increasingly dependent on him. Whenever he was not by her side, she would stand there alone in a daze, her eyes empty, as though she did not know what she was thinking about.

"Little Qing Lin, how about we rent a house?" Qing Mo asked.

"Mm."

Qing Lin did not object. By now, she almost obeyed Qing Mo in everything.

"Brother Mo, I want to go back and get some of Mother's belongings," Qing Lin said softly.

"All right."

The two returned to the shabby mud house where Qing Lin had lived.

The moment they drew near, Qing Mo sensed that something was wrong. A faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of Dou Qi was coming from inside the house.

"Who's in there? Come out."

Qing Mo immediately became alert. The Dou Qi within him began to circulate quietly, and he prepared to use the experience card at any moment. It would be somewhat wasteful, but his own life was worth it.

When there was still no movement from inside, Qing Mo's eyes turned cold. He picked up a stone from the ground, circulated his Dou Qi, and shot it inside like a bullet.

Bang!

With a dull thud, the stone struck the mud wall and instantly blasted a large hole through it.

"D-Don't... don't attack."

A young man staggered out of the house.

The young man looked to be around twenty-five. His face bore obvious fatigue.

"You're from the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group, aren't you? I admit defeat."

The young man revealed a bitter smile and spoke as though resigned to his fate. He had not expected to be discovered so quickly.

"The Poison Dragon Mercenary Group? Who here is from the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group?" Qing Mo raised a brow, instantly realizing the identity of the newcomer.

"You're not from the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group? Then who are you?"

Hearing that, the young man became even more wary.

"Friend, you broke into someone else's home, yet you're asking who we are? Isn't that a little unreasonable?"

"My apologies. I was presumptuous." The young man's expression relaxed slightly, but he still did not dare let down his guard completely. These two were neatly dressed and did not look like people who lived in a mud house.

"I'll be leaving now." The young man cupped his hands in salute and turned to leave.

"Wait."

"Is there anything else?" The young man's body tensed involuntarily as he watched Qing Mo warily.

"You have an injured person with you. Moving around must be rather inconvenient, right?"

In Qing Mo's perception, there was another presence hidden in a corner of the house. That person's breathing was weak and intermittent; they were likely seriously injured.

The young man's expression changed, and his gaze instantly sharpened. He instinctively shifted to block the doorway.

"What do you mean?!"

"Don't worry, I mean no harm." Qing Mo waved a hand to show that he had no hostile intentions. "If I had come to capture you, I wouldn't have brought only one person with me, right?"

The young man thought for a moment. He looked at Qing Mo, then at Qing Lin beside him. Both were very young. If his senses were correct, the little girl was even just an ordinary person. The two indeed did not look like people who had come to capture him.

"My name is Xiao Ding. May I know how to address you?" the young man asked.

"Just call me Qing Mo," Qing Mo replied. "How about we go inside and talk?"

Xiao Ding hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded.