Meeting Xiao Yan again

"I'll take Qing Lin to get something to eat first. Go get some hot water-the more, the better..."

Tushan Rongrong took Qing Lin to have "breakfast" and sent Luo Yang to fetch hot water.

Qing Lin had gotten up early that morning to work and had not even had breakfast. As always, she would only get a meal at noon.

Just minutes before meeting Luo Yang and Tushan Rongrong, Qing Lin had still been working at the mercenary company. She had yet to begin cultivating, and without Dou Qi, she could only rely on food to sustain her life.

If she ate a little more, it would count as having lunch too.

"Oh..." Faced with Sister Rongrong's arrangements, Luo Yang dared not disobey and could only dutifully do as instructed.

Qing Lin was puzzled. Hadn't they said they were maid and young master? Why was it the other way around?

Or was this some special sort of play between lovers?

Before leaving, Luo Yang turned his head to look at Qing Lin's petite figure from behind, his gaze suddenly drifting to the girl's waist, so slender it would barely fill his grasp.

For some reason, he felt that the way that slim waist swayed held a peculiar allure... It was like... like...

He could not come up with an adjective.

But a certain image surfaced in his mind, making Luo Yang react. He hurriedly looked away, taking a deep breath to delete that wicked thought from his brain.

All the while, he kept muttering, "I like big ones."

Perhaps it was because they had lived together for half a year, spending every night together, and were too familiar with each other...

Or perhaps it was because she was too flat. Although Qing Lin was thin and small, she still had a tiny bit, whereas Tushan Rongrong... had nothing at all.

Luo Yang even wondered whether Tushan Yaya had stolen all her nutrition. The parched died of drought, while the flooded drowned.

If only they could even things out a little.

People said big breasts meant no brains, and Tushan Yaya was exactly like that. Sister Rongrong was the complete opposite: although she had nothing at all, her mind was clever to the extreme.

Could it be...

He grumbled inwardly while preparing the hot water.

As for why Tushan Rongrong had told him to prepare hot water, Luo Yang could more or less guess.

It was probably to welcome Qing Lin and wash away the dust of her journey.

For Qing Lin to have lived in that sort of environment for so many years, it was hard to imagine how much suffering beyond an ordinary person's imagination she had endured.

By the time he finished grumbling, the hot water was ready, filling an entire large bathtub.

In the Tagor Desert, where it went without rain year-round, water was an extremely precious resource, as well as a luxury. It was all transported from as far away as the Jia Ma Empire with great effort, and the labor costs were extremely high.

Luckily, Luo Yang was not short of money now. Otherwise, he could not have afforded it.

"Heehee, really? I never imagined the young master had such a cute side..."

Just as Luo Yang was scattering torn medicinal herbs into the bathtub, two clear, lilting female voices sounded outside the room.

Luo Yang recognized them as Tushan Rongrong's and Qing Lin's voices.

He had not caught what Tushan Rongrong said earlier, but he heard Qing Lin's words afterward perfectly clearly. It seemed Tushan Rongrong had told some embarrassing story about him to make Qing Lin so happy. Qing Lin had even called him cute...

While Luo Yang was trying to recall what embarrassing things he had done over the past six months, the door was pushed open, and two small figures walked in arm in arm.

The moment Qing Lin saw Luo Yang in the room too, she immediately stifled her giggles and became quiet and reserved again.

She had laughed so loudly just now. Surely the young master hadn't heard her...

Laughing at someone behind their back really was rather rude.

"It smells lovely~" Smelling the fresh herbal fragrance permeating the room, Tushan Rongrong showed a measure of approval. She walked over to the bathtub, reached into the water, and scooped around a few times, fishing up several medicinal leaves.

This boy was quite thoughtful. Told to prepare hot water, he hadn't actually been foolish enough to prepare nothing but hot water.

"Come here, Qing Lin. Take off your clothes, and I'll give you a good wash." Tushan Rongrong pulled Qing Lin over and reached out to undress her.

Luo Yang watched quietly from the side, his breathing gradually growing heavier. Was this his reward for preparing the hot water?

But the very next second...

"What are you still standing here for? Want to watch a girl bathe? Out, and close the door behind you."

Tushan Rongrong had not forgotten there was still someone with a dangling bit in the room. As she helped Qing Lin undress, she chased Luo Yang out without even turning her head.

Luo Yang sighed. Since Sister Rongrong had spoken, he could only leave. Even at the very last moment before shutting the door, he still cast a reluctant glance inside.

Qing Lin was only two years younger than him, and her small, thin frame was the result of prolonged malnutrition. He did not have any strange ideas.

Absolutely!! Not!!!!

At the door, he could faintly hear the two girls whispering and splashing inside. It left him restless and his blood boiling, so Luo Yang went downstairs to clear his head.

Walking along the streets of Stone Desert City, Luo Yang had wanted to see whether he could pick up a hidden bargain from a street stall like a protagonist.

"Business looks good, fellas..."

"Buddy, how much for this medicinal herb?"

"Two thousand gold coins."

"Damn, are the leaves of this herb made of gold, or are its roots made of gold?"

"Look around. Where would you find medicinal herbs in this desert? These were all flown in from the imperial capital. You think they're expensive? So do I..."

"Do you guarantee this herb is ripe?"

"?????"

After browsing for ages, Luo Yang had found no treasures at any stall, whether they sold beast hides, medicinal herbs, magic cores, or even Snake-People.

Never mind picking up a hidden bargain-he did not even get a chance to buy one at full price.

Perhaps there were treasures, but his eye was not good enough to recognize them yet.

Or perhaps it was because he was not the protagonist and did not have that sort of opportunity.

Besides hunting for bargains, Luo Yang also wanted to see whether he could find Hai Bodong. Who knew what that old fellow was up to? He had gone out first thing in the morning without even saying a word to him or Sister Rongrong.

Utterly lacking in organization and discipline.

"Is that..."

Luo Yang's gaze happened to fall on a figure at a distant street corner, instantly putting him on alert.

That figure looked very familiar...

He hurried forward and blended into the crowd. Once he got a clear look at the person's clothes and features, a sense of danger rose in his heart.

"Little Yanzi, hurry up. Our mercenary company is just ahead. We haven't seen you in so many years. Eldest Brother and I have really missed you. Today, the three of us brothers aren't going home until we're drunk..."

Within his sight, the man called Little Yanzi had a lean build, wore black robes, and carried a massive black ruler diagonally across his back.

Luo Yang naturally recognized such a trademark outfit. Wasn't that the protagonist of "Battle Through the Broken Heavens," the Xiao Clan's third son?

Besides, this was not his first time seeing Xiao Yan.

He had crossed paths with Xiao Yan several times back in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

He had always gotten there a step ahead, taking the opportunities that originally belonged to Xiao Yan and reaping a great deal of karma.

This time, he had also come to the Tagor Desert a month early. He had dual lightning and fire attributes and was not an alchemist, so he had no need to visit the Alchemist Guild or waste time refining pills, saving him quite a lot of time.

He had thought he was far ahead of Xiao Yan. He had never expected that, having only arrived in Stone Desert City yesterday himself, Xiao Yan would follow right on his heels today.

That had been close. Luckily, he had already taken Qing Lin away that morning. Otherwise, Xiao Third Brother would have gotten her.