A Young Girl's Heart

"I... Qing Lin is willing!"

The girl's cheeks flushed as she nodded vigorously.

At the same time, two streams of clear tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and fell to the ground.

She did not want to cry, but she could not stop herself.

It had been a long time since she had felt so cared for.

The last time she had felt this way was when her mother was still alive.

Unfortunately... her mother was gone...

At the thought, she pressed her hands to her face and burst into tears.

But Xiao Yan gripped her hand tightly and comforted her:

"Don't cry, Qing Lin. Everything will get better. Let me take you to change into a fresh set of clothes first!"

Her eyes red, Qing Lin nodded obediently. She did not refuse Xiao Yan's care, letting him lead her away from the narrow street by the hand.

On the way, Xiao Yan avoided the crowds as much as he could, so Qing Lin would not be frightened or hurt.

After passing through an empty alley, the two stopped in front of a clothing shop.

To avoid bringing trouble to the shopkeeper, Xiao Yan made a point of covering Qing Lin's face with Dou Qi first.

Although he did not discriminate against Qing Lin, and the shopkeeper might not either, there were certainly people who did.

So any shop Qing Lin patronized would likely be shunned and suppressed by others.

Xiao Yan did not want to cause trouble for other ordinary people just because he had helped Qing Lin, so that was why he did it.

"I'm sorry, Qing Lin, for making you put up with this."

Xiao Yan apologized, his face full of guilt.

But Qing Lin smiled and tightened her grip on his hand. "It's all right, Xiao Yan... young master. Qing Lin is used to it."

Hearing that left a bitter feeling in Xiao Yan's heart. He simply pulled her into the shop at a brisk pace.

The clothing shop was not luxurious, just a simple stone building.

It was filled with racks hung with all sorts of clothes.

Because of the desert, however, the girls' clothes were rather revealing.

Xiao Yan frowned, finally choosing a pale cyan cropped top that exposed the navel and a pair of cuffed desert trousers.

As an alchemist, Xiao Yan was hardly short of money.

Besides, when he had bought things in the imperial capital's treasure-hunting district, he had also exchanged for quite a few gold coins.

Taking out a large bag of gold coins, Xiao Yan slammed it onto the counter with a crisp clatter and shouted:

"Keep the change. Pack up all these prettier, more modest clothes for me."

At his words, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up. He hurriedly took the coins and counted them, answering with a broad smile:

"Right away! Please wait a moment, honored guest. I'll pack them up for you!"

Before long, the shopkeeper got busy, folding the clothes one by one and putting them in a bag, which he handed to Xiao Yan as he said warmly:

"Take care, honored guest. Please come again!"

Xiao Yan took the bag with a smile, casually thanked him, and led Qing Lin away.

Back on the road, Qing Lin looked at Xiao Yan with some hesitation, starting to speak before stopping herself:

"Young master Xiao Yan, you really didn't need to buy so many clothes. Qing Lin can't wear them all..."

Xiao Yan waved a hand and said unconcernedly, "Your young master has plenty of money, so wear them without worrying. If you feel awkward about it, just find a way to repay me."

Qing Lin blushed and lowered her head in shame.

"But, young master... Qing Lin doesn't know how to do anything..."

Xiao Yan did not answer Qing Lin's question right away.

The two made their way through the streets like that, passing scattered groups of people along the way.

A short while later, they arrived at an inn.

As extravagant as ever, Xiao Yan casually tossed a large bag of gold coins onto the counter, then took Qing Lin up to the second floor and found a room for them to stay and rest in.

The inn attendant rubbed his hands as he followed them, saying eagerly, "Is there anything else you need, honored guest? Just give me your orders; there's no need to stand on ceremony!"

Faced with a lavish guest like Xiao Yan, the owner and attendant naturally dared not neglect him and waited on the two with the utmost respect.

But Xiao Yan thought that Qing Lin might not have eaten, so he tossed out more gold coins and made another request:

"Bring us something to eat. A serving of everything that tastes best, and get some good dishes up here quickly."

"Right away!"

The attendant answered, hurriedly scooped up the coins, and withdrew to the kitchen to prepare the feast.

After closing the door, Xiao Yan took a bathing tub out of his Storage Ring on the spot, filled it with plenty of clean water, and warmed it with Heavenly Flames. He tested the water and, finding the temperature suitable, called Qing Lin over:

"Come here, little girl. It's time for a bath. That way you'll look pretty in your new clothes!"

With that, Xiao Yan flicked his hand. Light flashed from the archaic black ring, and a folding screen shot out, coming to rest in front of the tub.

Xiao Yan sat on a stool, handed her a long towel, and undid the Dou Qi wrapped around her face, patiently waiting for the girl to make her move.

"Ah!" Qing Lin's face flushed with embarrassment, but she took a sniff of her foul-smelling body.

It was the mixed smell of sweat, urine, and feces!

At that thought, she covered her face and ran off helplessly, closing the folding screen before starting to bathe and change.

The girl shed her ragged clothes, revealing grayish-white skin, and used the towel to cover her chest and other private parts.

Her delicate foot lightly touched the water's surface, sending out ripples.

Feeling the warm water, Qing Lin hesitated no longer and quickly jumped in to soak.

As she washed herself, Qing Lin thought back over everything that had just happened.

Even after thinking it over again, she still felt as though it were all a dream.

When she was at her most helpless, a gentle person had suddenly appeared.

He had lavished money on caring for her, treating her like a princess and attending to her every need.

This feeling was a happiness she had never known before.

Qing Lin scrubbed her oval face hard with the towel, revealing her clean features, and murmured to herself:

"I must repay young master Xiao Yan. I must..."

Her hands never stopped moving as she spoke, droplets trembling along the edges of her shoulders. Before long, she had made herself look completely new.

After a while, the girl changed into her new clothes and emerged from behind the screen. She walked gracefully over to Xiao Yan and said with a sweet smile, "Thank you, young master Xiao Yan..."

Xiao Yan's gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on Qing Lin, and he looked her over with satisfaction.

Although she was still very thin, she already looked extremely alluring.

Once washed clean, her grayish-white skin had turned snow-white.

Because of her Snake-People bloodline, her figure was exceptionally enchanting, her graceful curves already beginning to take shape.

Paired with the pale cyan short top and loose, cuffed desert trousers he had just bought, her slender waist and navel were fully exposed, giving her a charm all her own.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Qing Lin, I have to say, you're really beautiful when you dress up!"

Xiao Yan rested a finger against his chin and rubbed it gently, his eyes full of appreciation as he praised her from the heart.

Qing Lin smiled shyly, her cheeks burning, but she did not look away from him. Instead, she felt a secret delight.

At least in Xiao Yan's eyes, she was beautiful. That was enough...

Just then, Yao Lao's voice suddenly sounded in his mind, interrupting Xiao Yan's reverie and warning him:

"Xiao Yan, there's something strange about this little girl. Your teacher can't see through her true nature..."

Xiao Yan's heart remained calm and unruffled; he was not frightened.

After all, Xiao Yan had been reborn, so he naturally knew that Qing Lin possessed the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.

But she pretended not to have noticed and called out to Yao Lao inwardly, beginning to guide him:

Teacher, could the offspring of a human and a Snake-Person possess some special talent?