"What's your name?"
"My name is Qing Lin."
"How old are you?"
"I'm nine years old..."
Qing Lin's answers sounded distinctly mechanical.
She was the offspring of a Snake-Person and a human. There was no reproductive barrier between Snake-People and humans, so when a male Snake-Person mated with a human woman, there was an extremely slim chance of a child being born-Qing Lin was one such child.
Most mixed-blood children struggled to survive past two, but Qing Lin had been fairly lucky.
However, it was easy to imagine just how terrible the Snake-People Tribe's reputation was in the Tagor Desert, so children born to Snake-People and humans naturally suffered intense discrimination as well. Qing Lin had lived with her mother in her early years. After her mother died, she had been left to wander alone, until slave traders captured her, and then Sun Buxiao bought her today.
Following the original course of events, the brothers Xiao Ding and Xiao Li should have bought her, after which she would have stayed with the Desert Iron Mercenary Group as a maid. Though the members would still have shunned her, she would at least have lived a stable life... Being with him now was no different, really.
"Raise your head. Look at me."
Sun Buxiao set his bowl and flame aside for the moment and looked at Qing Lin with a smile.
Following Sun Buxiao's gesture, Qing Lin raised her head and trembled the instant their eyes met.
She had met many people's eyes before.
Their eyes had held disdain, anger, disgust, and all kinds of desires, so Qing Lin now kept her head lowered most of the time-she feared those gazes laden with different emotions. They stung as though they would slice the flesh off her body.
But Sun Buxiao's gaze was different from theirs.
His ink-black eyes held nothing that frightened her, only a little curiosity and... amusement?
Sun Buxiao was observing her.
Qing Lin's eyes were clear, a jade green as beautiful as her hair. They reflected the candlelight in the room, sparkling like stars.
Looks like her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils haven't awakened yet... Whatever. I can spare that little bit of time.
"I'm going to tell you two things. Listen carefully."
"First, don't call me master from now on. My lord will do. My name is Sun Buxiao, so work out a suitable way to address me yourself."
"Second, starting today, I'll teach you Qi Refining and cultivation. Understand?"
"Huh?"
What Sun Buxiao had said clearly left Qing Lin struggling to process it.
"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask."
Resting his chin on one hand, Sun Buxiao wore a smile.
He had already sent Qing Lin to bathe earlier and had her tidy her filthy hair while she was at it. Though she looked a little skinny, she was quite pretty.
Can't knock this one. She really is a little girl.
The very cute, pleasing-to-the-eye kind.
"...Don't you hate me? No, aren't you afraid of me?"
After hesitating for a moment, Qing Lin cautiously asked the question anyway.
This was the first time she had met someone who treated her the way Sun Buxiao did, and he was also the "master" who had paid money to buy her...
"Why would I be afraid of you?"
Sun Buxiao feigned puzzlement as he asked her in return.
"I..."
Qing Lin was speechless.
"There's no need to hide your scales. I think they're quite pretty. And you heard what I said earlier, right? I'll be heading to the Black-Corner Region in a while. I won't be staying here very long."
"At my side, no one will care what your background is or what your parents were. Live for yourself, Qing Lin."
Sometimes, just two or three crucial words of reassurance could make all the difference to a child.
Sun Buxiao knew what knot lay in Qing Lin's heart, so naturally, he also knew how to untie it.
"...I understand. Thank you, mas... Thank you, Lord Buxiao."
There was no telling what Qing Lin had thought about, but after lowering her head in thought for a dozen seconds or so, she finally showed her first smile since Sun Buxiao had brought her back. Then she started to kneel.
"Hey-"
"Stand up. No kneeling."
Sun Buxiao caught Qing Lin by the shoulders and stopped her.
"But, Lord Buxiao..."
She looked rather frightened.
If Sun Buxiao had treated her a little worse, she might actually have felt more at ease.
"If I tell you not to kneel, don't kneel. You'll make me look like a bad guy."
"Go get some rest today. I had Xiao Ding set aside a room just for you. Make do with it for the next six months. Tomorrow, I'll teach you Qi Refining. It'll be tough, so you need to be prepared."
With that, he let go and waved to Qing Lin, signaling that she could leave.
After Qing Lin left, Sun Buxiao finally had a little time to think by himself.
The little girl had a cheat of her own. The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were simply off the charts in terms of power. Even on the Dou Qi Continent, a world full of all sorts of freaks and monsters, they counted among the most outrageous abilities.
As long as the gap in cultivation wasn't too large, she could forcibly control every snake-type magical beast. Wasn't that terrifying?
Once her own strength grew, she could even forcibly control non-snake magical beasts and human souls. She could even form an independent space within her eyes, slowly absorbing the souls of the magical beasts imprisoned there to strengthen her cultivation.
The ultimate elite among elites.
Feels even more awesome than this crappy bowl of mine.
Uh, no, that's not quite right. The rejection reaction might be a bit severe, but other people can use what my bowl produces.
Forget it-
Better get some rest.
The Green Lotus Core Flame might already have been taken by that woman Medusa, but he still ought to find a way to investigate its precise location, whether for that kickback-pocketing old geezer Elder Hai or for something else.
The next day, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's registration desk was bustling.
He had no idea whether the fellow who had been beaten up yesterday had spread the word, but many mercenaries in Stone Desert City now knew that the Desert Iron Mercenary Group had a Da Dou Shi backing it, so plenty of people had come to sign up.
"Wait, wait! Everyone, stop pushing!"
"One at a time! First,
"Register your names and cultivation levels. My elder brother and Buxiao will look them over carefully later!"
Xiao Li was shoved back and forth by the enormous crowd and could only shout helplessly, but hardly anyone listened to him.
Before long, however, the entrance to their compound fell silent.
"I hear your mercenary group has a Da Dou Shi?"
"Let me see what your mercenary group's Da Dou Shi looks like."
At those words, everyone involuntarily swallowed.
That voice... To people like them, who had spent years eking out a living in Stone Desert City, it was very familiar.
The largest force in Stone Desert City was undoubtedly the Sand Mercenary Group.
And apart from its leader, Luo Bu, the Sand Mercenary Group had another Da Dou Shi expert.
The elder, Mo Ran.
An unwelcome guest had come to their door.