Xiao Yan Arrives, Yao Lao's Astonishment!

"Huh? Who are you? Where's Old Man Hai?"

Zi Yan curiously sized up the girl in the green dress and asked in surprise.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharpening as it settled on the pale wrist inadvertently exposed when the girl bent over. Dense snake scales covered it, looking rather peculiar.

"Ah!"

"Are you one of the Snake-People?"

Zi Yan seemed to have noticed the scales on the girl's wrist as well. Surprise crossed her face as she asked in astonishment.

"I... I'm sorry, honored guests. I didn't mean to..."

At those words, the girl's adorable little face instantly turned pale. She hurriedly tugged down her sleeve to cover the "ugly part" of her body and backed away repeatedly, her timid voice trembling with the beginnings of tears.

"Old Hai, is this how you handle things?"

Lin Chen's brows knitted tightly at the sight, and he could not help barking a reprimand into the house. An old man in plain robes hurried out.

The old man was still clutching a writing brush in both hands. Looking nervous, he hastily apologized. "My lord, I was wrong. I already told Miss Qing Lin to treat this place as her own home and order me around like a servant, but she kept insisting she wouldn't dare and had to do some menial work."

"I had no choice but to let her greet customers here. My shop has always been quiet, after all, so she shouldn't be too... too overworked..."

As Lin Chen's expression grew increasingly hostile, Hai Bodong's voice dwindled. By the end, he no longer dared meet his gaze and lowered his head in apprehension.

The stronger Lin Chen became, the greater Hai Bodong's hopes of breaking his seal grew. Yet he also grew more anxious by the day. There was no other reason—his new master was simply advancing far too quickly!

In barely two months, he had soared from the Two-Star Dou Wang he had been at their first meeting to a Six-Star Dou Wang. That speed of cultivation truly frightened him!

"Hmph. I'll settle accounts with you later."

Lin Chen snorted coldly. He knew that although Hai Bodong was doing his best to carry out his duties, he probably still had not accepted his place.

After all, Qing Lin carried the blood of the Snake-People Tribe, and it was Medusa, queen of the Snake-People Tribe, who had placed the seal on him back then. Naturally, he had nothing to say about serving Lin Chen, a Fifth-Rank Alchemist.

But serving a girl of mixed Snake-People blood? With the Ice Emperor's pride, he would probably never submit to that.

With that thought, Lin Chen crouched down and stroked Qing Lin's soft hair, saying gently, "Don't worry. We don't look down on those scales. This isn't your fault. Besides, those scales are beautiful, aren't they?"

"Beautiful?"

The timid, self-blaming expression on Qing Lin's face froze. She seemed unable to believe it, then glanced at Lin Chen and asked softly, "Really?"

"Of course. I love snakes most of all."

"Look, I recently started keeping one by my side."

With a soft chuckle, Lin Chen reached to his waist and drew out a small emerald-green snake.

The little snake was only seven inches long, its body like flawless emerald, translucent as jade. It gave off a terrifying aura comparable to a Fourth-Order Magical Beast, yet behaved with exceptional docility in Lin Chen's palm.

The snake gently rubbed its head against his knuckles, its eyes full of affection. It looked remarkably gentle, as though it regarded Lin Chen as its dearest companion.

"It's so beautiful..."

Seeing how affectionate the Emerald Poison Snake was toward Lin Chen, Qing Lin could not help widening her eyes. Her adorable little face filled with surprise and a touch of envy.

"Do you like it? It's yours."

Lin Chen smiled as he stroked the Emerald Poison Snake in his hand. He gave the snake an instruction, then placed it in Qing Lin's cool little hands.

Fourth-Order Magical Beasts had already developed a rudimentary intelligence. They knew how to seek good fortune and avoid danger, and could read expressions, much like six-year-old human children.

Fifth-order magical beasts possessed intelligence no different from adults, sixth-order magical beasts could speak human language, and seventh-order beasts could take human form. Once they reached the eighth order, they were no longer beings ordinary people could encounter.

Even magical beasts, upon reaching the eighth order, became figures known by name throughout the continent, worthy of being respectfully addressed as "Venerable" by ordinary cultivators of the Dou Qi Continent!

"Hiss, hiss~"

Following Lin Chen's instructions, the Emerald Poison Snake crawled onto Qing Lin's wrist, then ingratiatingly rubbed its head against her pale skin, its eyes full of fawning affection.

"Hello, little snake. My name is Qing Lin. What's yours?"

Qing Lin stroked the little snake in her hands with delighted surprise, her voice growing lively despite herself.

Only now did she show some of the liveliness a girl her age should possess. A smile gradually blossomed on her face, making her look especially lovely.

Seeing this, Lin Chen understood and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he glared at Hai Bodong and transmitted his voice to him. "Hurry up and prepare tea and refreshments. Take good care of my little sister. If anything else goes wrong, you old geezer can forget about your pill!"

Hai Bodong shuddered at those words, then hastily said, "Please wait a moment, my lord. I'll go right away, right away!"

He immediately turned and dashed into the house to busy himself with the preparations.

Several days later.

East of Stone Desert City, wind and sand raged across the vast desert.

"Brother Lin Chen, this is the place. This is where I sensed it last time..."

Four figures in black robes walked through the windblown sand of the boundless desert.

One petite figure raised her hand and pointed toward the stretch of desert ahead, speaking with certainty.

"Is that so? This desert is vast. Finding it won't be easy..."

Lin Chen narrowed his eyes, a deep blue glow appearing in his pupils as he relied on the Sea Heart Flame within him to sense the location of the Green Lotus Core Flame.

"I haven't found it. It's still far away. That makes sense... Qing Lin only gave us a general direction. We'll have to search carefully..."

A moment later, the dim glow faded from Lin Chen's pupils. He frowned slightly, then spread his immense soul power outward, searching the desert before him inch by inch.

Meanwhile, Hai Bodong and Zi Yan did not idle either, each using their own methods to probe in every direction.

Suddenly, Zi Yan's delicate nose twitched. Delight appeared on her face, and she shouted excitedly, "Lin Chen, here!"

"I smell it! There's something good down below!"

"What?"

A streak of blue light flashed, and Lin Chen instantly appeared beside Zi Yan. A ball of deep blue flame rose in his hand. It flickered gently, then abruptly erupted with dazzling light, as though it too had sensed something.

"We really found it! Zi Yan, you truly are my little lucky star."

Delighted, Lin Chen could not resist scooping Zi Yan into his arms and planting a kiss on her rosy cheek, earning a look of disgust from her.

"Lin Chen, you're so annoying! Put me down! I can smell something good down there. It must be delicious."

Zi Yan lightly patted Lin Chen's chest with her little hands and pouted. She seemed a little unhappy, though she did not seem opposed to it either, merely muttering a few complaints.

"All right, all right. Let's go down and have a look."

Lin Chen set Zi Yan down, delight on his face, and prepared to break open the sandy ground before them.

Hai Bodong pretended not to have seen anything. He merely glanced casually at Zi Yan, then at the rather envious Qing Lin beside her, inwardly muttering, So this brat likes this type. Should I find a few more in the future and send them to his bed...

Then my pill...

Just then, however, a commotion suddenly came from the direction of Stone Desert City in the distance.

A somewhat rough, deep voice carried over from afar, tinged with hearty boldness.

"Third Brother, that's the place. One of the fellows in the mercenary company said he seemed to see flames shooting into the sky there half a year ago. Who knows whether it's true..."

"Second Brother is away on business, so I'll take you over to have a look first..."

A young man in white robes strode toward them with a hint of a smile on his face.

Behind him followed a young man in black robes, carrying a heavy ruler on his back. He had delicate features and a faint smile on his face as well. He looked young and rather fresh-faced.

Yet the heavy ruler on his back was exceptionally large, nearly as tall as he was, making for a particularly strange sight.

"Careful, brat. There's a Dou Wang expert up ahead..."

Suddenly, an aged voice thundered through the black-robed youth's mind.

The youth's expression changed, and his steps abruptly halted. He looked up, meeting a pair of deep blue eyes.

Deep blue flames seemed to rise within those eyes, thrusting straight toward him like an invisible sword of ice, chilling him to the bone!

"A Heavenly Flame?"

The aged voice rang out again, carrying disbelief and uncertain astonishment, as though it had encountered something it could not quite identify!