Qinglin?

Xiao Yan arrived at the Mo Iron Mercenary Group at around eight in the morning and was grilled by Xiao Li until noon, when the servants brought lunch.

Honestly, it was even more exhausting than fighting the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent. Ever since he had gone underground to search for the Heavenly Flame a few days ago, Xiao Yan had not slept. Although a Great Dou Master's physique could withstand more than ten days without sleep without issue, mental fatigue would still continue to accumulate.

Little Fairy Doctor had naturally noticed as well. Right after lunch, she used the excuse of wanting to rest and had a servant take her to Xiao Yan's courtyard. On one hand, she wanted to help him tidy up; on the other, she was giving the three brothers some space. She knew that with her around, the brothers would always find some things inconvenient to discuss.

Sure enough, as soon as Little Fairy Doctor left, Xiao Li immediately put away that relentless, get-to-the-bottom-of-it attitude. At first, he really had wanted to ask questions, but later he had wanted to ask something else and found it hard to bring up with Little Fairy Doctor present, which was why he had waited until now.

"Little Yan, I've met Little Fairy Doctor. She's a very good girl, and she truly likes you. You really like her too, right?"

Xiao Li suddenly turned serious, leaving Xiao Yan somewhat unaccustomed to it, but he still immediately replied, "Brother, isn't that obvious? Why else would I bring her here for you to meet? So you could know what a scumbag I am?"

"Of course we know that. We're just confirming it." Xiao Ding's expression also became serious as he said, "But Little Yan, you haven't forgotten that you still have a fiancée betrothed to you before birth, have you?"

"Of course not. You mean the marriage agreement with the Nalan Clan, right?" Xiao Yan already knew what his two brothers wanted to say.

"Have you thought about how you'll handle this marriage?" Xiao Ding asked sternly. "You should know that the old master of the Nalan Clan is a Dou King. The current Xiao Clan cannot afford to provoke him."

"Don't worry, Big Brother. I know."

"Then how do you intend to treat Little Fairy Doctor, and how will you deal with the Nalan Clan?" Xiao Ding continued.

"If the Nalan Clan is willing to break off the engagement, I'll compensate them. I obtained a Black Tier Dou Technique called Lion's Roar in the Magic Beast Mountains, and I can give it to them as an apology. If they think I have potential and don't want to break off the engagement, then I'll make Xian'er my primary wife," Xiao Yan said firmly.

"And what if they use the strength of a Dou King to refuse every option?"

"Then there's nothing they can do to me!" Xiao Yan declared confidently. Having obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame, he could advance to Dou Spirit at any time. With the power of two Heavenly Flames, even if Nalan Jie were in his prime, Xiao Yan could face him head-on. Not to mention that Nalan Jie was almost certainly afflicted by the Brand Poison, leaving him with even less to worry about.

"Is that true?" Xiao Ding and Xiao Li looked at each other, hardly daring to believe it.

"Of course!" Xiao Yan said decisively.

Only after Xiao Yan confirmed it once again did the two have no choice but to believe him somewhat.

"I never expected you to have grown so much in these past two years." Xiao Ding sighed emotionally.

After relaxing, Xiao Li caught the key point in Xiao Yan's answer. He once again hooked an arm around Xiao Yan's neck with a mischievous grin and waggled his brows. "Little Yan, you said that if the Nalan Clan refuses to break off the engagement, you'll make Little Fairy Doctor your primary wife. What? Have you taken a fancy to the Nalan Clan's young lady too?"

"Big Brother, what are you talking about? I've never even met her. How could I possibly like her? I'm just worried that if I go to break off the engagement, it'll damage her reputation and make it hard for her to marry later. I'm only concerned for her. I just want to give her a home," Xiao Yan said righteously, without so much as a blush.

Damn. Xiao Ding and Xiao Li stared at Xiao Yan in stunned silence. Was this really their Little Yan? How had he become...

In the end, Xiao Ding looked at Xiao Yan with a complicated, sentimental expression. "Little Yan has grown up."

Xiao Li felt like his brain had crashed. Since when could lustfulness and fickleness be dressed up so grandly? Maybe I should learn from him. Those sisters in the east of the city...

As though sensing Xiao Li's thoughts heading somewhere indescribable, Xiao Yan said, "Speaking of which, Second Brother, you're already over twenty. Haven't you found a few sisters-in-law for me yet?"

"Huh? Sisters-in-law? What sisters-in-law? Your brother is focused on cultivation. How could I have time for that?" Xiao Li suddenly became flustered.

Something was suspicious here! Xiao Yan had no intention of letting him off so easily, but he did not press further, because...

"Your second brother has taken a fancy to a pair of twin sisters from a family in the east of the city. He's been agonizing over which one to choose these past few days!" Xiao Ding exposed him outright.

"Big Brother!" Xiao Li, a grown man whose face had been darkened by the Tagore Great Desert sun, suddenly flushed red.

"Holy shit, Second Brother, impressive!" Xiao Yan stared wide-eyed at his usually honest-looking second brother. He had never expected him to play so wildly behind the scenes.

"What exactly is going on? Tell your third brother, and I'll help you figure it out." Xiao Yan's eyes lit up. Such juicy gossip was not easy to come by; perhaps he would only get one chance in his life.

Xiao Li hesitated for a long while. Part of him truly wanted to tell Xiao Yan and ask for advice, but he was too embarrassed. In the end, he had a sudden idea and shifted the fire onto Xiao Ding. "Big Brother, don't just talk about me. What about you? You're the eldest of the three of us! Why haven't you found us a sister-in-law?"

Xiao Yan turned to look at him as well. Compared to his simple-minded second brother's gossip, which could be dug up anytime, his eldest brother's gossip was clearly more important.

Who would have thought that Xiao Ding would not react at all? He reached out, picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and slowly said, "That matter... is confidential."

Xiao Yan and Xiao Li exchanged a glance and shouted together,

Damn it!!!

While the three Xiao brothers were bickering, the leader of the Golden Snake Tribe was investigating the lava cave where Xiao Yan had fought the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent.

"Chief, we found a piece of worn clothing here. It should belong to that human." A Golden Snake Tribe snake-person at the Dou Master level held up the clothes Xiao Yan had discarded after the battle and approached the tribe leader.

At that moment, the Golden Snake Tribe leader was examining the corpse of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent. Though most of it had been destroyed by Xiao Yan, some remains were still left behind.

Because of their similar bloodlines, the Golden Snake Tribe leader quickly noticed something wrong. There was clearly an aura of flame on the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent that did not belong to a Fire Spirit Serpent, and it could only have been left behind through prolonged exposure.

That flame aura was immensely powerful. Even the Golden Snake Tribe leader, a Dou Spirit, felt a trembling sensation from it.

A Heavenly Flame! It had to be a Heavenly Flame!

He turned and accepted the clothes from his subordinate. After studying them carefully and failing to identify their origin, he put them away and looked toward the sea of lava.

He planned to go in and investigate. If he could find the Heavenly Flame, that would be ideal. But if he could not...

A cold glint flashed through the Golden Snake Tribe leader's eyes.

The scene returned to Xiao Yan.

After finally getting away from his two brothers, Xiao Yan headed toward his courtyard. Just as he was about to enter, he collided head-on with a petite figure coming out from inside.

"Ah!"

The girl had clearly not expected to bump into anyone. Completely unprepared, she fell backward. Fortunately, Xiao Yan reacted quickly and reached out to catch her slender waist and delicate hand.

Of course, there was no scene of the male and female leads gazing deeply into each other's eyes like in some modern romance drama. Not only was it cliché, but Xiao Yan was not enough of a beast to harbor thoughts toward a little girl who looked only eleven or twelve.

"Ah, I-I'm sorry, Young Master Xiao Yan." After Xiao Yan steadied the girl in his arms and released her, she recognized him and immediately bowed.

As the little maid assigned to serve in Xiao Yan's courtyard, she naturally learned what Xiao Yan looked like right away. Besides, at this time, the only young man who could return here was Xiao Yan, so she was able to recognize him.

Xiao Yan found the girl before him somewhat familiar and looked at her more closely.

The girl was petite, and her smooth skin seemed to reflect the sunlight. Her blue-green hair was tied into twin ponytails that hung all the way down to her thighs, exceptionally long for a girl her age. For some reason, she was neither especially developed nor provocatively dressed, yet the outlines of her rather fitted clothes still gave her an inexplicably captivating charm.

Xiao Yan promptly gave himself a slap in his heart, forcing himself to wake up. Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan, you're already filthy enough. You cannot lose your last bottom line too.

At the same time, Xiao Yan roughly guessed the girl's identity. To be honest, he had been worried that some butterfly effect might prevent him from finding her, but now he no longer needed to worry.

"Alright, don't be so afraid. It's not like I'm going to eat you." Xiao Yan reached out and helped the girl straighten up. Knowing that she was rather timid, he asked as gently as possible, "What's your name?"

"Ah?" The girl was somewhat stunned. "Young Master is asking... me? I-I'm called Qinglin."

As expected! Xiao Yan thought, then smiled. "Qinglin? That's a very lovely name."

"R-Really? Thank you for the compliment, Young Master." Qinglin was a girl who embarrassed easily. Her face immediately turned red, and her little hands twisted together below. Perhaps it was because of her Snake-People Clan bloodline, but Xiao Yan felt as though the two braids behind Qinglin's head were wagging too, like a puppy's tail.

"How old are you this year?"

"Replying to Young Master, Qinglin is thirteen this year."

Thirteen? Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised, because he had thought she looked only eleven or twelve. At that age, one or two years made quite a difference. Perhaps it was another effect of her Snake-People Clan bloodline, making her look younger.

"You're not entirely human, are you?" Xiao Yan asked bluntly, his gaze flicking to the blue scales exposed on Qinglin's wrist. Without any surprises, that was likely where Qinglin's name had come from. Honestly, one could tell from the name alone that it had been chosen casually. With such a naming method, there could be dozens of girls named Qinglin in Stone Desert City. It was just that most of them would not survive to adulthood. Children with both Snake-People Clan and human blood were often discriminated against by both sides. Qinglin's ability to survive until now was probably supported by the powerful vitality granted by the Jade Serpent Three-Flower Eyes.

Qinglin had not expected Xiao Yan to see through her so quickly. Her little face, which had held a trace of joy, went pale in an instant. She hurriedly pulled her clothes over to cover the scales on her arm again.

"I-I'm sorry, Young Master. I-I didn't mean to show them and offend your eyes! I-I'll go back and pull them off!" Qinglin was so anxious that she was nearly crying. She had finally found a place where she could stay, and she was terrified that Xiao Yan would dislike her and drive her out.

Although Xiao Yan had expected Qinglin to react strongly, wanting to rip off her scales was still too extreme. After all, the scales would grow back after being pulled off. To keep them from appearing again, she would have to tear them off every few days.

Xiao Yan truly did not know how the little girl had survived in the past. He looked at her with pity, but he did not simply say that he did not mind, because that would not be convincing enough.

He gently took Qinglin's small hand and softly rubbed her boneless, jade-like arm. The scales on her wrist did not ruin the sensation at all; instead, they added a smooth texture that made it hard to let go. He truly could not understand what those people were thinking. Such an adorable little girl should have been cherished, yet they had rejected her. They were blind.

Whoosh!

A tiny crimson flame appeared at Xiao Yan's fingertips. It condensed and spun, forming a tiny flame drill. Under Qinglin's somewhat frightened gaze, he carved a lifelike lotus onto the scales on her wrist.

"I don't usually like flowers very much, but if I had to choose one, it would definitely be the lotus. Rising from mud yet remaining unstained; washed by clear ripples yet never seductive." Seeing Qinglin's stunned gaze, Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Perhaps everyone outside hates you because you have Snake-People blood. Perhaps even your parents did not like you. But I will not discriminate against you because of that."

"If you are willing, then from now on, you can be called Qinglian. I hope that, like a green lotus, you will not be stained by the mud of your past and will always keep a pure and kind heart. Of course, if you are unwilling, then forget it. I will not force you." Xiao Yan patted Qinglin's head and walked past her under her astonished gaze. Only when he was about to leave did he turn back and say—

"You still have things to do, right? Go ahead for now. You don't need to rush your answer. Just tell me whenever you decide. But whether you want to change your name or not, I hope you can live more happily in the future."

As she watched Xiao Yan's gradually retreating figure, Qinglin's thoughts became increasingly chaotic.

Xiao Yan's eldest and second brothers were both very good people. They had been willing to accept her, a mixed-blood descendant of the Snake-People Clan, and that had given her a place to stay for the first time, freeing her from having to hide everywhere every day. So when she learned that she had been assigned to care for the younger brother of her two benefactors, she swore that she would serve Xiao Yan well, never talking back when beaten or scolded. Yet she had not expected the younger brother of her two benefactors to treat her even more gently than they did.

"Qinglian?" Looking at the pattern on her wrist, Qinglin was not angry that Xiao Yan had drawn it without asking. A child who had grown up amid discrimination and oppression would not have the leisure to care about such things. On the contrary, Qinglin was very happy, because it proved that Xiao Yan truly did not care about her mixed Snake-People blood. Otherwise, why would he put so much thought into it? And not only did Xiao Yan not care, he had given her such a beautiful and meaningful name.

Although Xiao Yan had told her to go back and think about it, leaving aside the fact that a maid had no right to refuse her master, even if she did, Qinglin did not want to refuse. Because she liked this name very much! She could feel Young Master Xiao Yan's blessing toward her in it!

Looking toward the direction where Xiao Yan had already disappeared into the courtyard, Qinglin's eyes grew moist.

"Young Master..."