Qing Lin

Zi Yan, alerted by the commotion, walked into the shop and saw Xiao Qing standing calmly at the entrance, examining the fragment map in his hand, while the depths of the shop were filled with rolling dust.

"Xiao Qing, what just happened here?"

Looking at the scene not far away, Zi Yan turned her head and asked Xiao Qing curiously.

She had thought buying a map would be boring. Who would have expected such a show?

"Nothing much. I just taught an overconfident old man a lesson."

Xiao Qing waved a hand casually, not mentioning his glorious feat of suppressing a Dou Emperor.

"Cough... cough cough..."

As the dust gradually dispersed, Hai Bo Dong could be seen lying on the ground atop the ruined counter ahead, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and his entire body in a miserable state.

His eyes were dull at that moment, as though he had never expected that, as one of the Jia Ma Empire's former Ten Great Experts, he would now be defeated by a mere youth.

Xiao Qing strolled forward, unconcerned with Hai Bo Dong's current mood, and shook the fragment map in his hand.

"Where did you hide the other half of the fragment map?"

"Will you hand it over yourself, or do I have to take it myself?"

If not for the fact that Hai Bo Dong had shown no killing intent when he attacked, Xiao Qing would not have bothered asking so much. He would have reduced him to ashes with a single flame long ago.

Hai Bo Dong, lying on the ground, came back to his senses. He shook his head with a bitter smile, fumbled around inside his torn clothes for a moment, and took out the other separated piece of the fragment map.

Xiao Qing snatched it away. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the map, he turned and left, no longer bothering with this Ice Emperor who loved playing ranked matches.

Watching the two figures leave, Hai Bo Dong looked around after they vanished from sight. Seeing the utter mess inside the shop, he could only feel bitter.

Xiao Qing and Zi Yan walked side by side through the streets of Mo City. The blazing sun hung overhead, and yellow sand lashed against their faces.

"Xiao Qing, were those two fragment maps some kind of treasure?"

Zi Yan scratched her little head and asked doubtfully.

"Just think of them as an incomplete map."

Xiao Qing shook his head.

Before all the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Maps were gathered, these two pieces were nothing more than waste paper.

Seeing that Xiao Qing did not intend to say more, Zi Yan did not press him.

Since they had not rested during their journey to the Tagor Desert, both of them were somewhat weary from travel. They found an inn and rested briefly to recover.

Before dawn the next day, the two spread their wings and departed under the cover of night.

Amid the vast desert, wind and sand raged wildly.

A convoy of more than a dozen people traveled through the desert, with several slender snake women imprisoned in the carts.

"Captain, I'm almost out of water."

A young man in the convoy licked his somewhat cracked lips and spoke to the burly man leading them.

The others also looked toward the burly man. They were facing the same predicament.

Seeing this, the burly leader spoke to reassure them:

"Hold on a little longer. We'll reach Stone Desert City soon. Once we sell these snake women, everyone will be eating and drinking well!"

His voice, reinforced with Dou Qi, carried all the way to the rear of the convoy. Everyone became energized, imagining the wonderful lives ahead.

The snake women in the cart, however, wore bleak expressions and vacant eyes.

After hesitating for a moment, the young man finally asked, "Captain, these snake women won't die just from being thirsty for a while. Why waste water on them?"

"Shut up! If something happens to the snake women, will you take responsibility?"

The burly man glared furiously at the young man.

Did he want water?

He wanted to ruin the brothers' chance at wealth!

Faced with everyone's angry stares, the young man shrank his head like a quail and said no more.

Just then, two streaks of light howled in from the horizon, startling everyone present into looking up.

"Those are... Dou Wang experts!"

The well-traveled burly man showed an awestruck expression.

He had not expected to encounter two Dou Wang experts in this desolate Tagor Desert.

The two people flying across the sky also noticed the convoy below.

Noticing the situation below, Xiao Qing frowned slightly and initially had no desire to interfere.

After all, this was the desert. The humans and snake people in the surrounding region had blood feuds that were impossible to erase, so capturing a few snake women for auction was perfectly normal.

His soul power swept over the area as usual, but Xiao Qing suddenly noticed a timid little girl imprisoned in the cart.

Unlike the other snake women, whose lower bodies ended in snake tails, the little girl's legs were no different from those of an ordinary human.

If not for the faint green snake scales growing around her wrists, Xiao Qing would have thought she was a normal human girl.

"This is..."

Recognizing those familiar traits, Xiao Qing felt somewhat surprised. He immediately dove toward the convoy.

Zi Yan scratched her head, unable to understand what Xiao Qing was up to, but she still flapped her wings and followed close behind.

When the convoy saw the two Dou Wang experts racing toward them, everyone showed nervous expressions.

Could these two Dou Wang experts be coming to cause trouble for them?

As the two drew closer, the burly man could also clearly see Xiao Qing and Zi Yan's appearances.

Seeing that they looked no older than their teens, he was secretly shocked. However, he merely assumed they had some method of preserving their youth and did not think much further.

"Greetings, honored Dou Wang experts! May I ask what orders you have for us?"

Seeing Xiao Qing and Zi Yan slowly descend, the burly man hurried forward and bowed respectfully.

The rest of the group followed his example and bowed with equal respect.

Xiao Qing ignored them and walked straight toward the cage holding the little girl.

Zi Yan followed along curiously.

At this sight, everyone present first breathed a sigh of relief, then became nervous once more.

They feared that these two Dou Wang experts might be displeased by their actions and casually kill them.

Feeling a shadow fall over her, the little girl in the cage timidly raised her head. She saw a handsome young man standing quietly before the cage, calmly watching her.

Beside the young man stood a purple-haired girl with a face full of curiosity, looking her over from head to toe.

"Xiao Qing, did you fly down here for this little girl?"

Zi Yan scratched her head.

She did not think there was anything special about this little girl.

Watching the little girl's eyes, Xiao Qing nodded and explained to Zi Yan.

"Yes. She possesses a special constitution. If she can awaken it, her cultivation speed will be no slower than mine."

At those words, Zi Yan's large eyes widened round, her little face filled with surprise.

Having known Xiao Qing for so long, she naturally knew just how monstrous his cultivation speed was.

After awakening her constitution, this little girl's cultivation speed would actually be no slower than his?

"What's your name?"

Looking at the little girl in the cage, a trace of curiosity flashed through Xiao Qing's eyes.

Qing Lin currently looked no more than five or six years old. She probably did not have a name yet, right?

Hearing Xiao Qing's question, the little girl in the cage looked somewhat afraid, but she still answered timidly:

"Big brother, my name is Qing Lin. My mother gave me that name."