On the night of his arrival in Stone Desert City, Xiao Yan, who never drank alcohol, made an exception and shared a hearty drinking session with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, only stopping when they were all thoroughly drunk. The next day, when Xiao Yan woke up with a heavy head, he found that it was already bright outside. Rubbing his aching head, he sat up and shook his head vigorously, letting out a bitter smile. Then, he crossed his legs, formed the cultivation seals with his hands, and entered a state of cultivation, starting to expel the residual alcohol from his body.
After some time, a thick stream of alcohol vapor shot out from Xiao Yan’s fingertips. After forcing the alcohol out of his system, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief and gradually opened his eyes, his dark pupils regaining their usual calmness.
“Cre-ee-ak.”
Shortly after Xiao Yan opened his eyes, the door was gently pushed open, and a dainty figure quietly entered. However, when she saw Xiao Yan sitting on the bed, she was slightly startled and quickly bowed, saying in a timid voice, “Young Master Xiao Yan, are you awake?”
The girl who entered didn’t seem very old, perhaps a little younger than Xiao Yan. She wore a light green, elegant outfit. Although her figure was petite, there was a peculiar maturity to it, though she still looked a bit awkward. Her cute, well-shaped face was like a beautiful porcelain doll, and her timidity made her resemble a frightened little rabbit, evoking a sense of pity.
When he first saw the girl in green, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned before nodding kindly at her.
“Young Master Xiao Yan, I… I came to help you freshen up,” the girl said nervously, placing a basin of water on a wooden stand beside the bed.
“No need, I can do it myself,” Xiao Yan replied with a smile, shaking his head as he got off the bed and went to the stand. After washing up, he glanced at the nervous girl and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s your name?”
“Huh?” The girl was taken aback for a moment before stammering, “I… I’m Qing Lin.”
“Oh.” Xiao Yan nodded slightly, wiping his face with a towel and then throwing it into the basin. He took a deep breath of the fresh air.
Seeing that Xiao Yan had finished washing, Qing Lin quickly carried the basin and ran out the door. Turning his head to watch the small figure, Xiao Yan’s gaze suddenly fell on the girl’s slender waist. For some reason, he found the way she moved her slender waist to be strangely enticing… almost like a charming serpent writhing seductively.
“Damn, what am I thinking…” Feeling a strange thought, Xiao Yan cursed himself and walked back to the bed, tightly gripping the handle of the large Heavy Black Scale. With a low grunt, he lifted it onto his shoulder. Lightly jumping to test his strength, Xiao Yan smiled. After a year of intense training, he had almost completely adapted to the weight of the Heavy Black Scale. However, whenever he put it down, his speed and strength would suddenly increase. Xiao Yan believed that if he were to fight an enemy, this sudden surge in speed and strength would definitely catch them off guard.
Holding the handle of the Heavy Black Scale, Xiao Yan suddenly pulled it out, and with a loud crack, the wooden stand shattered. Smiling, Xiao Yan slung the Heavy Black Scale over his back.
“Ah…” Qing Lin, who had just returned with the water, saw the mess in the room and let out a soft exclamation. She quickly ran over and squatted down to pick up the clothes scattered on the floor.
Seeing the busy little girl, Xiao Yan smiled awkwardly and squatted down to help, but his gaze suddenly stopped on Qing Lin’s exposed wrist, which was covered with some green scales—snake scales?
Staring in shock at the green scales, Xiao Yan’s gaze involuntarily moved to Qing Lin’s feet, but he saw no snake tail, only two tiny golden lotus feet.
Qing Lin, who was picking up the clothes, suddenly raised her head and saw Xiao Yan’s astonished gaze. Following his line of sight, she noticed her exposed arm and immediately paled. She pulled down her sleeve, carefully stepped back, and then hugged her knees, trembling as she crouched in the corner.
“S-sorry… I… I didn’t mean to scare you,” the little girl stammered, her voice quivering with fear.
Seeing the girl’s sensitive reaction, Xiao Yan sighed. He had heard that in the Tager Desert, there were occasional cases of human women being violated by snake people. Generally, such encounters did not result in pregnancy, but there was always a small chance, and the resulting children, though rare, often died before the age of two. But Qing Lin, who seemed to be around thirteen or fourteen, was a different case. How was this possible?
Looking at the girl with pity, Xiao Yan sighed. Even if she could survive, what good would it do? Both humans and snake people viewed such individuals as cursed. Beyond more ridicule and contempt, there seemed to be nothing else for them.
Slowly approaching Qing Lin, Xiao Yan squatted down and gently stroked her head. Holding her arm, he carefully lifted her sleeve and looked at the green scales, softly saying, “These scales are so beautiful.”
Hearing this, Qing Lin was taken aback. Since she was born, Xiao Yan was the first person to say something nice about these scales, even though she herself was scared of them. A strange feeling welled up in her heart, and she asked, her eyes filled with a hint of allure, “Master, aren’t you afraid?”
Staring into Qing Lin’s watery, green-tinged eyes, Xiao Yan noticed that deep in her pupils, there seemed to be three tiny, emerald green dots. Staring at the mysterious green pupils, Xiao Yan felt a slight daze. A moment later, he snapped out of it, his face showing a hint of shock. What kind of strange eyes were these? Even with his soul power, he felt a slight loss of control.
Feeling shocked, Xiao Yan looked again at the girl’s eyes, but the tiny green dots had disappeared. “Did I imagine it?” he muttered, shaking his head. He looked at the girl again, but other than the green-tinged eyes, there were no green dots.
“Sigh, must be because of last night’s drinking,” he said, pulling down Qing Lin’s sleeve and helping her up. Smiling at the girl, who was now at his shoulder level, he said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Qing Lin shook her head vigorously, her hands nervously twisting her clothes. In her experience, Xiao Yan was the first to apologize to her.
“Master, I will be your personal attendant during this time. If you need anything, just let me know,” Qing Lin said, bowing slightly.
Smiling, Xiao Yan nodded and patted her head. “Where are my brothers?”
“Xiao Ding and Xiao Li have gone to sort out the mercenary group’s affairs. They told me that if you wanted to find them, I should take you to the meeting hall in the front courtyard,” Qing Lin replied softly.
“Alright, since they’re busy, let’s leave it at that,” Xiao Yan said, shaking his head and walking out, the Heavy Black Scale on his back. “Come on, show me around the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.”
“Okay,” Qing Lin replied softly, following him cautiously.
As they walked out, the morning sunlight warmed their bodies. Although the desert was hot, it was still early, and the temperature was just right. As they walked through the mercenary group, every mercenary they met greeted Xiao Yan kindly, aware of his identity. However, when they saw Qing Lin, their smiles turned cold, and some even showed a hint of disgust.
Seeing their expressions, Xiao Yan sighed. It seemed they knew Qing Lin’s identity. When he was a waste, he too had faced such treatment, which made him sympathetic towards the helpless Qing Lin. But the mercenaries at the edge of the desert had a deep-seated hatred for the snake people. Just thinking of the blood of those dirty snake people flowing in the girl’s veins, they couldn’t help but show their disgust. This emotion was almost impossible to suppress, a deep-rooted aversion between humans and snake people.
Qing Lin, with both human and snake blood, bore the discrimination and disgust of both sides. She was a truly innocent girl. As they walked, the disapproving glances from the mercenaries made Qing Lin’s small frame tremble, and her once adorable face became gloomy.
Turning a corner, Xiao Yan sighed, stopping to look at the nervous Qing Lin. After a moment, he said softly, “Qing Lin, don’t worry about what others think. Remember, you’re not living for others; you’re living for yourself!”
He patted her head and continued walking. Hearing his words, Qing Lin stood there, her delicate face showing a strange expression. Her nose twitched, and as she raised her head, the three tiny green dots in her green pupils reappeared silently.
“Thank you, Young Master Xiao Yan,” she whispered, her face breaking into a strangely alluring smile as she ran to catch up with him.
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