Lending a Hand

"He looks badly injured."

Qing Mo looked at Xiao Li, who was collapsed in the corner. His face was as pale as paper, his breathing so weak it was almost inaudible. His body was covered in wounds of all sizes, several of them deep enough to expose bone. It seemed the two had gone through an extremely fierce battle earlier.

Moreover, the Dou Qi fluctuations in his body were exceptionally chaotic. Not only had he suffered external injuries, but his internal organs and meridians had also been severely damaged.

"He took some medicine, so his condition has stabilized for now, but if it isn't treated in time..."

At this point, Xiao Ding looked troubled. He crouched down and checked Xiao Li's pulse, his brows tightly furrowed and his eyes filled with anxiety.

"Is there some difficulty?"

Qing Mo asked. Thinking of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group Xiao Ding had mentioned before, he vaguely guessed what was going on.

"To be honest, due to certain reasons, my brother and I have had a conflict with the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group."

Xiao Ding sighed. He did not explain the reason in detail, but Qing Mo did not care.

It was nothing more than a struggle for cultivation resources. Such things were commonplace on the Dou Qi Continent.

"I see. Judging by your attire, the two of you do not seem to be locals of Stone Desert City."

Qing Mo knowingly asked, as their bearing differed from the mercenaries on the streets. They had less of the weathered air of the wilderness and more of a scholarly refinement.

"You are correct, Young Master Qing Mo. We are indeed not locals."

Xiao Ding gave a bitter smile.

"This is my second brother, Xiao Li. The two of us originally wanted to make a name for ourselves here and establish our own force, but who could have expected that we would run into trouble not long after arriving?"

If Qing Mo and Qing Lin had merely been ordinary people, he would not have said so much and would have simply subdued them.

But Qing Mo clearly was not. That strike just now had at least been at the level of a Fighter. Xiao Ding was injured and greatly weakened, while Xiao Li was still unconscious, so he did not dare act rashly. Fortunately, the person before him was not from the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group. Otherwise, he truly would have had to fight for his life.

"So that's how it is."

Qing Mo nodded, then abruptly changed the subject. "You haven't moved anything here, have you?"

"No, no. We only just arrived and absolutely haven't touched anything. We merely found a place to hide for the time being."

Xiao Ding hurriedly waved his hands in explanation.

"That's good." This was Qing Lin's home, after all, and her mother's belongings were here.

"Little Qing Lin, go get Mother's belongings."

Qing Mo turned to look at Qing Lin, only to find that something seemed off about her expression.

"What's wrong, Little Qing Lin?"

"N-Nothing, Brother Qing Mo."

Qing Lin smiled, walked over to the damaged bed at the side, and pulled out a wooden box from beneath it. Though it was somewhat old and worn, Qing Lin had wiped it very clean.

Seeing how skillfully the girl retrieved the item, Xiao Ding believed them a little more.

If she did not live here, how could she be so familiar with the place? It seemed that Young Master Qing Mo had indeed not deceived him.

Moreover, upon closer inspection, although the girl was petite and adorable, she was far too thin. Her skin was pale and lacked color. Her slightly protruding collarbones and clearly defined fingers showed that she had likely suffered from malnutrition for a long time.

Xiao Ding silently speculated, Could this Young Master Qing Mo have taken a liking to this girl and accepted her as something like a maid?

Such behavior was not uncommon on the Dou Qi Continent. It could even be called utterly ordinary. Even the Xiao Clan took in many outsiders each year as servants, maids, and the like.

Xiao Ding silently observed Qing Mo. There was something unusual about his temperament, an indescribable quality.

If they could obtain this young man's help, perhaps he and his brother could escape their predicament.

"Since that is the case, we will be leaving."

"No one usually comes here. You and your brother can stay here without worry."

Qing Lin herself had few friends, so no one would come looking for her. And after the intimidation of the past few days, even fewer people would dare cause Qing Lin trouble.

Once Little Qing Lin had finished packing her things, Qing Mo intended to leave.

As for helping them? Come on, they had not even asked. If he eagerly offered himself up, they might think he had ulterior motives.

They were Xiao Yan's relatives, not his.

What! Why did he not treat Qing Lin the same way? Qing Lin had worked hard to bring him back. How could that possibly be the same?

Although Qing Mo felt it was highly likely that the system had deliberately placed him near where Qing Lin lived so she could find him easily, he had to admit that the system suited his wishes perfectly. It deserved a thumbs-up. Well done!

"Wait, um... Brother Qing Mo!"

Just as Qing Mo was about to leave, Xiao Ding's urgent voice came from behind him.

His expression shifted as he looked complicatedly at Xiao Li, who lay unconscious on the ground. In the end, he spoke bitterly.

"I know this is presumptuous, but I hope Young Master Qing Mo can help my brother and me. It will not be too troublesome."

"I merely ask that Young Master Qing Mo help me purchase a second-tier healing pill, a Resurrection Pill."

Xiao Ding spoke earnestly. The people of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group were still searching Stone Desert City for the two brothers, so he did not dare go out himself and could only ask someone else for help.

Qing Mo stopped and turned to look at Xiao Ding.

"I know this request is excessive, and it may even cause the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group to bear a grudge against you. If Young Master Qing Mo is unwilling, I will not force you."

"If Young Master Qing Mo is willing to help my brother and me, I, Xiao Ding, swear that so long as Young Master Qing Mo speaks, I will never refuse."

Xiao Ding clasped his fists with sincere words. The person before him had reached the Fighter level at such a young age, so he must have an extraordinary background. Perhaps he could help them overcome this crisis.

"Hmm..."

Qing Mo looked at Xiao Ding, then glanced at Qing Lin, whose expression was unusual. Only then did he say calmly, "Helping is not impossible, but I do not have that many gold coins..."

Even counting everything he had, he only possessed a little over two hundred gold coins. That amount was not enough to buy even a first-tier pill.

And healing pills were generally several times more expensive than ordinary second-tier pills.

He did not even have enough for a fraction of the cost of a second-tier pill.

"It is enough that Young Master Qing Mo has agreed. How could I trouble you to spend your own money? This is a Storage Ring. I believe Young Master Qing Mo knows its value. It is worth no less than one hundred thousand gold coins."

"I only ask for one Resurrection Pill. Consider the remainder your reward, Young Master."

Xiao Ding removed the ring he wore and handed it to Qing Mo. It had been a farewell gift from their father, Xiao Zhan, when the brothers left the Xiao Clan. However, Storage Rings were too precious, so there had only been one.

A second-tier Resurrection Pill cost roughly between thirty-five thousand and forty thousand gold coins.

One Storage Ring was enough to buy two Resurrection Pills. Simply making a trip to purchase one pill would earn him a reward of over sixty thousand gold coins. It was undeniably generous.

"Oh? In that case, leave it to me."

Qing Mo was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Xiao Ding to be so generous.

He remembered that the original story seemed to say that the Xiao Clan's annual net profit was only around one hundred thousand gold coins. Helping purchase a pill would earn him half a year of the Xiao Clan's income. No matter how he calculated it, he would not lose out.