Holding a pile of free sixth-tier medicinal ingredients and watching Foklan force a smile through his obvious heartache, Xiao Yan could have figured out what those two old fellows were plotting with his backside.
Still, Xiao Yan did not find it objectionable.
These were clever men!
If the opportunity arose in the future, he could indeed lend them a hand.
He accepted the ingredients without ceremony and breezed away.
With their haul secured, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian wasted no more time. They bid farewell to bustling Black Rock City and boarded a Thick-Winged Bird for Stone Desert City.
Several days later, a boundless sea of yellow sand finally appeared at the edge of their vision.
Scorching air washed over them. Even the wind carried burning grains of sand that stung faintly as they scraped across their faces.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, it's so hot here."
Xiao Yi Xian gazed around with curious wonder. This was her first time seeing such a magnificent desert landscape.
Xiao Yan smiled and handed her a pill.
"Keep it in your mouth. It'll ward off the heat."
After the Thick-Winged Bird landed a short distance outside Stone Desert City, the two dismounted and headed toward the city.
As they walked along the road, Xiao Yan's ears suddenly twitched.
He was now a Three-Star Dou Wang, and both his hearing and the range of his soul perception were immense.
At that moment, he sensed the sounds of battle a dozen or so li away from the main road.
Xiao Yan immediately found himself unable to keep walking.
Watching tigers fight from the mountaintop, then looting corpses and picking up bargains-this was a trade I knew inside out in my previous life!
Now that another chance has come along, it would be a real shame not to return to my old trade!
He took Xiao Yi Xian and slipped over quietly, finding a safe spot from which to watch.
A dozen or so warriors of the Snake-People Tribe were besieging a squad of human mercenaries.
The mercenary squad numbered only seven or eight, and even its strongest member was merely a low-star Dou Shi. Every one of them was wounded, and they looked ready to collapse.
After taking a look, Xiao Yi Xian's face filled with sympathy.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, those mercenaries look like they can't hold on much longer."
Xiao Yan frowned.
With strength this pitiful, it looks like there's nothing worth picking up.
Still, lending a hand when he encountered injustice was not out of the question.
He could simply treat it as following his heart.
It would satisfy both Xiao Yi Xian's kindhearted wishes and Yao Lao's determination to uphold the righteous path.
However, his publicly acknowledged strength, even after he had inflated it a little further, was only that of a two-star Dou Shi.
In theory, he lacked the strength to intervene.
Glancing at Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Yan thought, It's time to give you some practical combat training, too.
Having made up his mind, Xiao Yan said to Xiao Yi Xian, "Xiao Yi Xian, I'm too weak to save them, but you can.
"Why don't you take care of it?"
Xiao Yi Xian let out a startled sound and asked uncertainly, "Young Master Xiao Yan, can I really do it?"
Xiao Yan smiled. "You're a Dou Ling-level expert now. Beating these few Snake-People is well within your abilities.
"Go on. Give yourself some practice."
Xiao Yi Xian still did not dare.
Left with no choice, Xiao Yan said, "Then let's act together. I'll teach you a few simple combat tricks."
With Xiao Yan's promise, Xiao Yi Xian finally found the courage to act.
After charging out, Xiao Yi Xian initially seemed terribly clumsy, even with Xiao Yan guiding her.
But moments later, she realized that these Snake-People were far inferior to her in both reactions and Dou Techniques.
Only then did her confidence slowly grow.
Soon, the Snake-People scattered and fled.
Kindhearted as she was, Xiao Yi Xian did not pursue them and simply let them leave.
With the battle over, Xiao Yan leisurely led Xiao Yi Xian toward the besieged mercenary squad, hoping to see whether he could fleece a little something out of them.
Even a mosquito has meat on it, doesn't it?
But when Xiao Yan drew closer and discovered a beautiful young woman among the mercenaries, his heart gave a sudden jolt.
Oh, no!
How did I unknowingly end up playing the hero rescuing a beauty again?
This won't bring another romantic calamity down on me, will it?
The beautiful young woman was tall, with tight leather armor outlining her fiery curves.
Her neatly cropped hair danced in the wind. Alongside her striking beauty, she possessed three parts martial valor and seven parts desert wildness, giving her a distinctive, spirited charm.
At that moment, the wild young woman was pale-faced, yet she was looking at him with open admiration.
Even as Xiao Yan inwardly sensed trouble, he could not help feeling puzzled.
Xiao Yi Xian was clearly the one who saved you, so why have you taken a fancy to me instead?
It's all this damned handsome face's fault!
Xiao Yan turned on his heel, ready to slip away.
Fleece them? Forget it!
Seeing that Xiao Yan was leaving rather than approaching, the wild young woman, Xue Lan, immediately grew anxious.
"Hero! Please wait! Everyone in the Desert Iron Mercenary Group is deeply grateful for your kindness. Please give us a chance to offer a small token of our thanks!"
The Desert Iron Mercenary Group?
Isn't that the mercenary group my eldest and second brothers founded?
Xiao Yan, who had already walked some distance away, abruptly froze at her words.
He slowly turned around, his gaze settling on the young woman.
"You're... members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group?"
Seeing Xiao Yan stop, Xue Lan was overjoyed and hurriedly nodded.
"Yes, hero! We're from Stone Desert City's Desert Iron Mercenary Group!"
Well...
Xiao Yan sighed and slowly turned back.
With that connection between them, running off would no longer be appropriate.
Warmly surrounded by Xue Lan and the other mercenaries, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian headed toward Stone Desert City.
Before long, the party arrived at the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's headquarters.
It was an expansive compound with rugged, bold architecture, steeped in the iron-and-blood spirit of desert mercenaries.
"Commander! Second Commander! We're back!"
Xue Lan's clear voice rang through the entrance before she even stepped inside.
Soon, two figures strode out of the main hall.
The man in front had a refined face and an air of composure between his brows. He was Xiao Yan's eldest brother, Xiao Ding.
The other stood tall and straight, with resolute features and eyes as sharp as a hawk's. His entire bearing radiated a fearlessly domineering aura. He was Xiao Yan's second brother, Xiao Li.
When their gazes passed over Xue Lan and landed on the familiar figure behind her, the expressions on both their faces instantly froze.
"Th-third Brother?"
Xiao Ding's voice trembled with disbelief.
Xiao Li had already rushed straight over in excitement!
"Little Yanzi!"
That single call overflowed with longing!
Xiao Yan's eyes reddened slightly as well.
His family in this life had given him a profound sense of warmth!
Thus, even with his temperament, he could not help developing deep bonds with them.
He stepped forward quickly and gripped his eldest and second brothers by the shoulders.
"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, I've come to see you!"
Reunited, the brothers naturally had a thousand things to say and more excitement than words could express.
That night, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's headquarters blazed with lights as a lavish welcoming feast was laid out for Xiao Yan.
At the banquet, cups passed back and forth, and the atmosphere could not have been livelier.
Throughout the feast, the wild young woman, Xue Lan, kept hovering around Xiao Yan, wanting to serve him tea, pour his wine, and keep him company.
But Xiao Yan firmly refused.
In the end, amid Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's hearty laughter, the young woman could only leave with a resentful look.
Seeing Xue Lan leave, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
After teasing Xiao Yan a little, his eldest and second brothers clapped their hands and summoned another maid to continue filling his cup.
The maid was young, around fourteen or fifteen, with a frail figure and a lingering air of inferiority and timidity. Her face, however, was quite delicate and pretty.
Taking a look at the maid, Xiao Yan saw that although she was reasonably attractive, she was not particularly outstanding, and he immediately relaxed.
With looks like that, she probably isn't another romantic calamity of mine, right?
Just as he was about to drink in peace, Yao Lao's voice suddenly rang out in his sea of consciousness!
"Yan'er, I'm afraid this little girl is anything but ordinary!"
Before you continue