A Chance Encounter with Qing Lin

The crowd remained fired up, bustling and streaming in without end. Before long, it formed a wave that engulfed the entire street.

When households unexpectedly heard the news, people poured out from behind their tightly shut doors and gathered at the edge of the street to look on, trying to squeeze into the center to sign up.

Xiao Yan squeezed out of the crowd and stopped in a secluded, narrow street. Bracing himself against a wall, he panted,

"Whew, looks like Big Brother and the others will have their hands full. As for the Earth Tier Cultivation Method, I'll have to wait until there are fewer people around."

With that, Xiao Yan was about to find somewhere to sit when he suddenly spotted a small figure in the shadows of a corner.

He walked closer for a look and caught a foul stench.

The person before him wore tattered clothes and had disheveled hair and a filthy face. Curled into a ball with both arms around her knees, she was so dirty that her features were impossible to make out. The sour smell of filth fermented under the scorching sun hung all around her.

Although bathing in the desert was a luxury, most people still cleaned themselves occasionally to get rid of their body odor.

But the person before him was so unkempt and painfully thin, clearly malnourished, that she looked every bit a beggar.

Just then, she opened her mouth and spoke:

"Please... don't hit Mama, don't hit me. Qing Lin will be good."

Qing Lin!!!

Hearing that name, Xiao Yan felt a jolt in his heart, and the image of a cute girl immediately appeared in his mind.

Qing Lin was the mixed-blood descendant of a human and a member of the Snake-People Tribe. Because her blood was impure, she had faced discrimination from both races since birth. She was also the possessor of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.

If Big Brother and Second Brother had not taken her into the Desert Iron Mercenary Group in his previous life, she would probably have died long ago.

And now that he had arrived early, Qing Lin probably had not met Big Brother and Second Brother yet, right?

At that thought, Xiao Yan hurried to the little beggar's side and picked her up. He took a careful look at her contorted features, then felt her burning forehead.

Xiao Yan understood that she was suffering from heatstroke.

Taking a bottle of water from his Storage Ring, he carefully brought its opening to the little beggar's lips and fed her a drop at a time.

A cool, moist sensation spread through her mouth. The little beggar's brow relaxed for a moment before she blearily opened her eyes and made out the figure before her.

When she realized someone was close to her, the little beggar was startled. She instinctively pushed against Xiao Yan's chest, then turned her back to the young man and curled up alone in the corner, trembling.

Humble pleas for mercy spilled constantly from the beggar's mouth. He kept muttering things like, "I'm sorry... please don't kill Qing Lin..."

Seeing this, Xiao Yan felt a wrenching pain in his heart.

He was not Qing Lin. Even if he knew her hardships, he could not fully understand the pain she had suffered.

Just as he had lost all his Dou Qi and been constantly mocked by the people around him.

Only someone who had lived through it could understand that bone-deep, unforgettable feeling.

With a soft sigh, Xiao Yan slowly approached and crouched down. He wrapped his arms around Qing Lin's frail body from behind and comforted her softly:

"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you..."

Suddenly embraced by a stranger, Qing Lin stiffened. She instinctively wanted to struggle, or cover her head, hoping he would not beat her to death.

But after some time passed, the kicks and blows she expected did not come. Instead, she felt a gentle hand stroking the top of her head.

The feeling was so comfortable that Qing Lin could not help closing her eyes and enjoying it.

Once, her mother had stroked her hair like this too.

"Have you calmed down?"

Xiao Yan leaned close to Qing Lin's ear and asked softly.

A sudden breath of warmth brushed her ear. Qing Lin's pretty face reddened, and she hurriedly covered it with her hands, not daring to look at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly and continued stroking her head as he asked, "What's your name?"

Qing Lin lowered her head and murmured, "I... am called Qing Lin!"

Xiao Yan nodded, but to confirm the truth, he let go of her and asked,

"Can you turn around and look at me? It's not very polite to stay like that, you know~"

Qing Lin hesitated, but in the end she did as Xiao Yan asked. She slowly turned around and looked up at him.

Xiao Yan wore an ornate black alchemist's robe, with the fragrance of herbs wafting around him. His face was somewhat handsome, while his gaze was full of both gentleness and sharpness, as though he could see into people's hearts.

The two together formed a striking contrast.

Seeing Xiao Yan's clean clothes and fair, clean face, Qing Lin felt inferior again. She dared not meet his eyes and said apologetically,

"I'm sorry, young master. I didn't mean to get your clothes dirty. I'll leave right away."

With that, she hurriedly got up and was about to run away, but Xiao Yan caught her wrist first and stopped her.

"Wait. You don't need to apologize, and you don't need to leave. This is my territory now, and I want to take you in. Would you be willing?"

Qing Lin froze and abruptly stopped in her tracks. She looked back at Xiao Yan in disbelief, her eyes full of delight and gratitude, but they soon dimmed again. Hesitantly, she asked,

"Really... can I really stay...?"

Xiao Yan nodded firmly. "Of course!"

But Qing Lin did not seem particularly happy to hear it. Instead, she said with some concern,

"But... why? Qing Lin is the descendant of a human and a member of the Snake-People Tribe. I'm a monster. People will despise me."

She truly could not understand what reason Xiao Yan could have for taking a monster in and keeping her by his side.

Although she too longed for someone to rely on, she wanted even less to put Xiao Yan in danger because of it.

Xiao Yan did not mind what she said. He simply reached out and affectionately brushed a finger over the bridge of her little nose, saying gently,

"Silly girl, what reason do I need to take someone in? If you want one, I'll make one up right now. I was struck by your beauty and wanted to keep you by my side as a little maid. Will that reason do?"

After saying that, Xiao Yan took a towel from his Storage Ring, wet it with water from the bottle, and went over to wipe her face.

Soon, a delicate, melon-seed-shaped face was revealed, stunning Xiao Yan for a moment.

It had to be said that although Qing Lin was still young and very frail, the beauty in her bones could not be concealed.

A melon-seed face, big eyes, and a little cherry mouth-she had all the makings of a beauty. Her frail air made her all the more pitiable.

As her cultivation grew, her looks would become even more beautiful, perhaps even rivaling those of Xun'er and Cai Lin.

As the damp, soft towel touched her face, Qing Lin let out a soft whimper and soon felt refreshed.

But it was Xiao Yan's words that moved her most.

After thinking it over again and again, Qing Lin still shook her head and declined Xiao Yan's kindness. "Young master, thank you for caring about me, but Qing Lin really doesn't want to drag you down."

"Everyone here hates Qing Lin. They killed my mama a long time ago, so I don't want to trouble anyone else."

Xiao Yan took the towel away without a word, then silently walked to her side and said patiently,

"My name is Xiao Yan. You can call me Brother Xiao Yan or Young Master Xiao Yan!"

Then he held up one finger and said solemnly,

"Let me tell you something. This city belongs to me now. You don't have to worry about being bullied, because I'll protect you."

With that, Xiao Yan took Qing Lin's little hand and added,

"So, putting aside the matter of you dragging me down, I want to know what you really think. Are you willing to stay? Are you willing to join my group and work for me?"