Seeing Through Falsehood, Piercing Flaws!

Xiao Ding suppressed his surprise and stepped forward first, cupping his hands in greeting.

"I am Xiao Ding, leader of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. May I ask what brings you here?"

"Xuan Qing."

The young man stated his name flatly, then got straight to the point.

"I heard Qing Lin has been working under you. I came today to take her with me."

The moment those words fell, the atmosphere froze.

A trace of astonishment appeared between Xiao Ding's brows as he instinctively looked at Qing Lin, who stood beside Xuan Qing with her head timidly lowered.

The two brothers exchanged a glance, and both saw surprise in each other's eyes.

After a brief pause,

Xiao Ding nodded without offering the slightest obstruction.

"No problem. Qing Lin's future should have been hers to decide. As long as she agrees, my brother and I have no right to interfere, nor will we make things difficult for her."

Though Xiao Li was surprised, he too agreed with his elder brother's words.

Over the years, they had treated Qing Lin well. They had never bound her as a slave, only regarded her as one of their own, free to come and go as she pleased.

As his words fell, everyone's gaze settled upon Qing Lin, whose eyes were lowered and whose figure seemed timid and frail.

Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Qing Lin's slender fingers tightened slightly around Xuan Qing's sleeve as she slowly raised her head.

There was not the slightest hesitation in those clear, gentle eyes.

She nodded softly, her voice tender but exceptionally firm. "I'm willing... I want to leave with Big Brother."

After speaking,

She bowed slightly and added in a small voice, "Thank you, Commander and Second Commander. Thank you for taking me in during this time."

She had been alone and helpless since childhood, drifting into Stone Desert City. It was the Xiao brothers' kindness that had taken her in and given her a place to stay in that dangerous desert city.

Seeing this, Xiao Ding smiled warmly and waved a hand.

"No need for thanks. Since you have found a home, we are happy for you as well."

Xiao Li spoke heartily.

"That's right! Cultivate properly with this gentleman. In the future, you will no longer have to remain trapped in this little city of Stone Desert, suffering through hardship and grievance. If you have time later, you can return to the Desert Iron Mercenary Group whenever you wish."

Both men were open and upright, never harboring narrow-minded thoughts of forcing others or binding them with favors.

Listening to their forthright words, Xuan Qing sent two bottles of pills flying from his Storage Ring, one toward Xiao Ding and the other toward Xiao Li.

Xiao Ding's expression shifted as he raised a hand and steadily caught the bottle. Xiao Li also reached out and clasped the other one in his palm.

A rich, lingering medicinal fragrance entered their noses, while gentle medicinal energy faintly seeped through the bottles.

Xiao Ding froze slightly, confusion in his eyes. "This is?"

"A token of thanks for looking after Qing Lin all this time."

Xuan Qing slowly named the pills. "These are Three-Line Green Spirit Pills. Consider them a small gift of thanks from me."

The instant his words fully fell,

The pupils of Xiao Ding and Xiao Li suddenly contracted. They spoke in unison, their faces filled with shock.

"Three-Line Green Spirit Pills?! Fourth-grade pills!!"

The two instinctively clenched the jade bottles tighter, their eyes churning with unimaginable disbelief.

Having spent years fighting for survival in the desert, they understood better than anyone how precious pills of each grade were!

Ordinary low-grade pills were already scarce resources, enough to make every faction in Stone Desert City fight endlessly over them. Fourth-grade Three-Line Green Spirit Pills, meanwhile, were undeniably high-grade cultivation pills!

Not only could they break through bottlenecks, but they could also swiftly raise one's cultivation. Their value was frighteningly immense.

Forget a second-rate mercenary group in some border city like theirs—even first-rate sects and great clans of the Jia Ma Empire would regard fourth-grade pills as treasures and be reluctant to use them lightly!

They had merely taken in and cared for a lonely girl, a small act of kindness, yet it had earned them such an outrageously valuable gift!

Xiao Ding's throat bobbed, and even his hands trembled slightly as he held the jade bottle.

"Lord Xuan Qing, absolutely not! This gift is far too valuable. My brother and I truly cannot accept it! We only offered her a little care in our daily lives. How could we possibly deserve a fourth-grade spirit pill?"

Xiao Li, beside him, had completely lost his earlier carefree boldness. He repeatedly nodded in agreement, holding the pill bottle in both hands as though it were a scorching, peerless treasure.

Xuan Qing did not turn back. He merely took Qing Lin's soft little hand and slowly led her away.

"I have never taken back anything I have given away."

After a pause, his tone remained light.

"A mere fourth-grade pill is not worth mentioning."

To others, high-grade spirit pills worth a fortune were no more than ordinary items to him, the young master of the Pill Tower.

As his words fell,

He said nothing more and led Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian toward the city gates.

Behind them, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li stood there for a long time, holding the warm, weighty jade bottles as they watched the three figures depart, their hearts filled with nothing but endless shock.

[Ding—Congratulations, Host, for taking Qing Lin, possessor of the Green Snake Three Flower Pupils. You have been rewarded with one Double Pupil!]

[See through falsehood, pierce all flaws!]

Xuan Qing's steps paused slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes.

He raised a hand, took out a mirror, and looked into it.

In the mirror, the young man's left eye was unchanged, while his right eye had already undergone a rebirth, transforming into a layered Double Pupil!

The two pupils overlapped like nested rings, flowing with an indescribably mysterious pressure. They seemed capable of seeing through every falsehood and illusion in the world; countless flaws and energy pathways had nowhere to hide.

Seeing Xuan Qing suddenly take out a mirror and examine himself while walking, Xiao Yi Xian could not help feeling puzzled. With some concern, she asked,

"Master, what is it? Did something happen?"

Hearing her, Xuan Qing looked up, intending to casually brush it off as nothing.

Yet the newly awakened and still uncontrollable power of his Double Pupil abruptly activated its ability to see through things without warning.

His gaze passed through the barrier of clothing, and the outline of Xiao Yi Xian's body entered his eyes without reservation.

Xuan Qing's mind went blank in an instant. He hurriedly jerked his head aside and coughed violently twice, a faint flush quietly rising to the tips of his ears as he waved his hands repeatedly.

"It's nothing... nothing. Just a small matter."

This Double Pupil he had just obtained could not yet be controlled at will. This sudden ability to see through things was truly rather awkward.

Walking on the other side, Qing Lin timidly looked up at Xuan Qing, who had suddenly started coughing, her face full of confusion.

Xuan Qing blinked his right eye several times in succession, restraining the surging power of the Double Pupil. Only then did that see-through effect slowly fade away.

He let out a breath. He would have to properly familiarize himself with the Double Pupil's power from now on, or who knew what kind of trouble it might cause.

Once his thoughts calmed, Xuan Qing turned to look at Qing Lin beside him.

The girl was still wearing the same old clothes from her time in the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. The fabric was worn and frayed in many places, covered in dust and tattered beyond repair, making her already slender frame appear even thinner.

While struggling to survive in Stone Desert City, she had never worn anything remotely decent.

Xuan Qing's gaze softened.

"Come with me."

The three entered the finest clothing shop in the city.

The shopkeeper had initially shown disgust upon seeing Qing Lin's ragged clothes.

But then he noticed the extraordinary bearing of Xuan Qing, who was holding Qing Lin's hand, and saw the ethereally beautiful Xiao Yi Xian standing beside him. The two clearly did not look like people short on money.