First Meeting with Qinglin

"You!"

Xiao Li rushed forward, ready to fight Lu Xia to the death.

"Second Brother!"

Xiao Ding hurriedly reached out and stopped Xiao Li.

His expression was grave as he shook his head at Xiao Li.

If they really fought, even the two brothers together would be no match for him.

When that happened, they would be the ones to suffer.

Xiao Ding took a deep breath and forced a smile at Lu Xia.

"Sir, you misunderstand."

He said with a smile,

"Since you know one of the maids in our residence, it is our honor."

"How about this? I'll summon all the maids at once so you can identify them one by one."

"What do you think?"

He lowered his stance completely, without a trace of a mercenary group leader's arrogance.

Lu Xia looked at Xiao Ding and nodded.

"Mm, Captain Xiao is quite sensible."

Xiao Ding hurriedly said, "Please come in, sir. Have a seat in the main hall first."

"I'll go call them right away."

"Mm."

Lu Xia nodded and stepped into the main hall.

Xiao Ding hurried in after him, poured Lu Xia a cup of tea, then gave Xiao Li a meaningful look.

Xiao Li understood and nodded before turning to leave.

He was going to the rear courtyard to gather all the maids.

In the rear courtyard of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.

A slight figure was crouched beside the washing pool, vigorously scrubbing clothes.

It was Qinglin.

She wore coarse cloth garments. Her hair was somewhat dry and yellow, and her face was pale, making her look malnourished.

She was still young, with delicate features, but she always kept her head lowered and never drew attention to herself.

"Qinglin, hurry up and wash!"

A supervising old woman beside her planted her hands on her hips and shouted at her,

"There are so many clothes. You must finish washing them all today!"

"If you don't finish, don't even think about eating!"

"Y-Yes..."

Qinglin answered softly.

She quickened her movements, not daring to slack off.

Just then,

"All maids, gather in the main hall of the front courtyard!"

A voice carried in from the courtyard entrance.

It was Vice Captain Xiao Li's voice.

"Huh? Gather?"

"What happened? Is something wrong?"

The maids in the courtyard began discussing it among themselves, not knowing what was going on.

"What are you standing around for? Didn't you hear the vice captain?"

The supervising woman shouted at the maids,

"Hurry up, all of you. Go to the main hall in the front courtyard!"

"Don't make the vice captain wait too long!"

The maids hurriedly put down their work and headed toward the front courtyard.

Qinglin also hurriedly stood up, wiped the water from her hands, and followed behind the crowd.

She felt somewhat uneasy.

What happened...?

Soon, the supervisor led more than a dozen maids into the council hall.

"Stand properly!"

The supervisor shouted at the maids.

The maids hurriedly lined up in a row in the middle of the hall.

Qinglin stood at the very end, head lowered, not daring to look at the people above.

Xiao Ding respectfully said to Lu Xia,

"Sir, these are all the maids in our mercenary group."

"Please take a look. Which one are you seeking?"

Lu Xia nodded, his gaze sweeping across the maids.

His eyes moved from left to right, examining them one by one.

When he saw the slight figure at the end, Lu Xia's gaze paused.

Although she kept her head lowered, making it impossible to see her face clearly,

Lu Xia could sense the aura of the special bloodline within her.

She was Qinglin!

A smile curled across Lu Xia's lips.

Lu Xia rose directly from the seat of honor and walked down.

Step by step, he approached the slight girl.

Everyone in the hall watched Lu Xia's footsteps.

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged a glance, both somewhat puzzled.

Could it be... the person he was looking for really was among these maids?

The other maids also watched Lu Xia curiously, wondering who was so fortunate.

Only Qinglin still kept her head lowered, not daring to look at anyone.

She could feel that the man was walking toward her.

Her heartbeat involuntarily quickened.

I don't remember knowing someone like him...

Could I have done something wrong and offended this lord?

The more Qinglin thought about it, the more frightened she became, until her body began to tremble slightly.

Soon, Lu Xia arrived before her.

He stopped and looked down at the girl.

Up close, she was even frailer than he had imagined.

She appeared somewhat malnourished, but her features were delicate.

Lu Xia sensed a special power brewing deep within her eyes.

Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils!

An exceedingly rare talent, one that could innately control snake-type magical beasts and greatly enhance cultivation, with limitless potential!

Unfortunately, it had not yet awakened.

"You're Qinglin, aren't you?"

Lu Xia looked at her and spoke in a gentle tone.

When Qinglin heard someone call her name, her body trembled slightly.

She hesitated for a moment, then gathered her courage and raised her head.

Their eyes met, and Lu Xia saw her eyes clearly.

They were beautiful eyes, with jade-green pupils and an emerald sheen flowing within them. Deep in her irises were three tiny jade-green dots, from which the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils got their name.

It was her!

Seeing how timid she was, Lu Xia reached out and gently patted Qinglin's head.

Lu Xia looked at her and said softly,

"Come with me. You don't belong here."

His voice was gentle, carrying a reassuring strength.

Qinglin froze for a moment and looked at Lu Xia, unable to process it.

This big brother... knows me?

And he wants me to go with him?

"Big brother..."

Qinglin looked at Lu Xia timidly and asked in a small voice,

"Do... do you know me?"

Since she was little, aside from Captain Xiao Ding occasionally showing her some concern, no one had ever treated her so gently.

They all said she was an ill-omened person, a monster, and that anyone who stayed near her would suffer bad luck.

At that thought, Qinglin's eyes dimmed again.

She lowered her head and said softly,

"But... Qinglin is an ill-omened person..."

"Can... can I really follow you?"

Her voice was filled with deep inferiority and unease.

Seeing how insecure she was, Lu Xia felt a pang of heartache.

He smiled, nodded, and said firmly,

"Of course you can."

"Not only do I know you, I know many things about you."

"You are not some ill-omened person."

"You're a very kind and adorable girl."

"Your eyes are a gift from heaven."

"Follow me. From now on, no one will dare bully you, and no one will call you ill-omened again."

"I'll train you well and make you strong."

Lu Xia's voice flowed into Qinglin's heart like a warm current.

Qinglin raised her head and stared at Lu Xia with wide eyes, unable to believe it.

In all her life, no one had ever said such things to her.

Everyone who saw her was afraid. They all called her a monster, an ill-omened person.

Only this big brother, upon meeting her for the first time, had treated her so well.

Qinglin looked at Lu Xia's gentle smile. Her nose stung, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She did not know why she trusted a stranger she had just met.

But she wanted to believe him!