Qing Lin

Qing Lin

Stone Desert City.

It was not very far from Desert City.

As Chen Xiao recalled the shortcomings he had shown in the spar just now, he used the Purple Cloud Wings to hurry on his way. In less than two hours, he had arrived at his destination.

Compared with Desert City, Stone Desert City was smaller, more like a little town built on a desert oasis. Looking down from high above, he could take in the entire place at a glance.

Seeing this, Chen Xiao could not help letting out a breath of relief in his heart.

Desert City was not large, and that undoubtedly made his search much easier.

Otherwise, with only limited information, trying to find that girl in the vast sea of people would not have been so easy.

Dropping from the sky to a deserted spot outside the city, Chen Xiao straightened the robes and hair that had been blown into disarray by the hot wind. Only then did he quicken his pace and enter Stone Desert City.

The moment he stepped into the city, Chen Xiao sensed that the atmosphere in Stone Desert City was rather similar to Green Mountain Town. Of those active here, around eighty to ninety percent were probably mercenaries. Mercenary groups of all sizes filled the place, and the names of mercenary groups outside each small courtyard were enough to dazzle the eye.

"Little brother, do you have any plans to join a mercenary group? Our Storm Mercenary Group is recruiting members, and our treatment is absolutely among the top tier in Stone Desert City."

Just as Chen Xiao was sizing up both sides of the street, a shifty-eyed mercenary spotted the unfamiliar face walking alone and immediately came over to ask.

Chen Xiao glanced at the man's clothing. It was a very common mercenary outfit, but the robe looked as if it had been worn to a glossy patina. No matter how he looked at it, it did not seem like the treatment was very good.

Chen Xiao did not question him, nor did he answer directly.

Instead, he asked, "How long has the Storm Mercenary Group been established in Stone Desert City?"

"Heh, you asked the right person. Although our mercenary group is a little small, that's only because our luck hasn't been good. In terms of when we were founded, there aren't many in all of Stone Desert City earlier than us. Counting carefully now, it's already been more than ten years."

Thinking Chen Xiao was interested, the mercenary answered very readily.

It was not some secret anyway. Besides, this was the only thing the Storm Mercenary Group had worth boasting about.

Chen Xiao nodded slightly and finally stated his purpose.

"I'm looking for a girl named Qing Lin. She should look around ten years old, with a rather timid and self-abasing personality. She's all alone, with no family. Do you know her?"

Chen Xiao had only just arrived. In terms of understanding Stone Desert City, he naturally could not compare to a mercenary who had spent many years making a living here.

Therefore, since this man had come to him, it could save Chen Xiao a great deal of trouble.

Given Stone Desert City's size, since the other party had been around here for many years, the chances that he knew Qing Lin were still very high.

"Tch, so you came here to look for someone."

Once he understood that Chen Xiao had no intention of joining the mercenary group, the other man instantly lost interest, and his attitude changed as well. He did not even call him little brother anymore.

After saying that, he waved a hand and prepared to leave, showing no desire to answer any more questions.

Chen Xiao did not mind. Smiling, he took out a small pouch containing one hundred gold coins from his Storage Ring.

He had also accepted mercenary missions in Green Mountain Town before. One hundred gold coins was equivalent to a high-star Dou Zhe mercenary's income for an entire day.

Stone Desert City was probably not much different.

"Help me find her, and these are yours."

"Oh my, so it was a bounty task. Little brother, you should've said so earlier. I'll take you to see little Qing Lin right now!"

Cigarettes built bridges, wine paved roads, lust made merry, money warded off calamity; generous gifts opened back doors!

A truth that applied on Blue Star still applied on Dou Qi Continent.

Looking at the pouch of gold coins in Chen Xiao's hand, the mercenary immediately changed his face, smiling with incomparable attentiveness.

At the same time, he stretched out a hand in invitation and went ahead to lead the way.

Getting paid a full day's worth of life-and-death work just to find someone was the kind of good deal that could not be refused.

"You're very familiar with Qing Lin?" Chen Xiao asked as he followed behind the mercenary.

"Not exactly. Little brother, you may not know this, but over ten years ago, a group from Stone Desert City once encountered an attack by Snake People. More than half of them were killed or injured. That day was extremely tragic, and those of us here remember it very clearly. Qing Lin was born because of that attack. She carries the bloodline of both humans and Snake People. After she was born, everyone thought she would find it hard to live past the age of two. But heaven took pity on her, and she was lucky enough to survive. You could say she broke a common rule, and because of that, many mercenaries who have lived in Stone Desert City for a long time know about Qing Lin."

Chen Xiao silently nodded.

He knew all about Qing Lin's experiences. This girl he had yet to meet had endured a childhood countless times harder than his own.

As someone with both human and Snake People bloodlines, she had had to endure strange looks from others since she was little. This was also the fundamental reason Qing Lin had grown up with such a weak and timid disposition.

"Excuse me for asking, but little brother, why are you looking for the girl Qing Lin..."

"I'm her distant cousin. I only recently found out she existed, so I came over to take her away."

The mercenary did not suspect this little lie too much. If they truly had no connection, how could he not know Qing Lin yet still know her name?

Nodding in realization, the mercenary chuckled. "Looks like little Qing Lin has finally made it through. These years, she's been making a living alone in the city, and it hasn't been easy. She's young, small, and weak, and she can't do heavy labor, so she can only run errands for the various mercenary groups, serve tea, and pour water. But even then, she's often disliked by some people. The meager income she earns barely fills her stomach each day. Although we people pity her in our hearts, we don't even know whether we'll live to see tomorrow ourselves, so we can't really help her much."

The mercenary chattered on the entire way, turning left and right. After walking for several minutes, he finally stopped before a shabby little house.

Through the half-closed wooden door, they could see inside the small house. A short girl wearing a loose gray robe was bent over washing clothes. She was not old, but her movements were extremely practiced.

On the wooden table behind her sat a small bowl, inside it two steamed buns that had clearly already gone hard.

"Life forced her into it. When she does these things, she's even more practiced than an adult."

The mercenary sighed softly. It was difficult to tell whether he truly pitied her or was putting on an act in front of Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao handed the bag of gold coins in his hand to the mercenary.

The other man immediately took it, his face breaking into a delighted grin, and returned the way he had come without the slightest reluctance.

Chen Xiao paid it no mind. He stood before the door for a while, then finally stepped forward and knocked lightly.

"Please wait a moment~"

The girl inside answered softly, quickly getting up and drying the water from her hands before coming over and opening the door fully.

When she saw Chen Xiao standing at the entrance, a flicker of surprise passed through the girl's eyes. This unfamiliar young master was far younger than the mercenaries who usually hired her, and much better-looking too.

But timid by nature, she did not dare look at him too much. Used to others speaking first, she lowered her eyes slightly and waited for Chen Xiao to talk.

Chen Xiao gathered his words and said, "I came to the edge of the desert for training, and I need someone to help handle miscellaneous matters in daily life. Just now, I saw you washing clothes outside. You were very focused and very serious, so the thought came to me. But I'll be staying in Desert City for a long time after this. Are you willing to come with me?"

Chen Xiao had already prepared himself to answer the girl's questions, and had also mentally prepared for the possibility that if she refused, he would often have to travel back and forth between Desert City and Stone Desert City in the future.

However, what he never expected was that the girl's question would be so simple.

She carefully lifted her head and asked timidly, "If I follow Young Master to Desert City to work, will Qing Lin be able to eat my fill?"

Chen Xiao was stunned for an instant, then a gentle smile appeared on his face, and he nodded firmly.

"Yes. Absolutely!"

More than that—as you gradually grow up, you won't lose to the wind, you won't lose to the rain, you won't lose to the winter snow, and you won't lose to the blazing summer heat. You'll become a peak powerhouse admired by ninety-nine percent of the people in this world!

Chen Xiao silently added this in his heart.

The girl, however, had no idea what he was thinking. After receiving the answer she had hoped for most, she nodded her little head again and again.

"Then Qing Lin is willing to follow Young Master."