On the night after Xiao Yan had arrived in Rock Desert City, Xiao Yan, who had never touched liquor made an exception and went happily to a liquor stall with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.

The next day when Xiao Yan woke up from his sleep, his mind felt clouded and his opened eyes were blurry. He realized that the sky was already bright. Rubbing his somewhat painful head, he tilted his head and eyed the thin quilt on his body before he gradually sat up. After violently swinging his head, he smiled bitterly, crossed his legs together and formed the training seal on his hand. He entered the training mode and began to expel the remaining liquor in his body.

After training for a while, Xiao Yan gently flicked his finger and a thread of dense liquor vapor shot out from it.

Once he had expelled the alcohol from his body, Xiao Yan comfortably smoothed out his breath. He then opened his eyes gradually and once again recovered the calmness he had.

“Ga Zhi.”

Not long after Xiao Yan opened his eyes, the room’s door was suddenly gently pushed opened. A lovely and pretty figure quietly entered. However, when she saw Xiao Yan sitting on the bed, she was slightly surprised and hurriedly bowed. In a timid voice, she asked, “Young Master Xiao Yan, have you woken up?”

The girl that entered the room did not appear very old. From her appearance, it seemed that she was slightly younger than Xiao Yan. She wore a pale green elegant dress. Her body may be small, but it was strangely quite mature, appearing only slightly unripe.

Her oval face was cute and delicate, much like a pretty porcelain doll. Her timid manner was like a rabbit in a state of anxiety, causing people to be unable to help but pity her.

Seeing this green dressed girl for the first time, Xiao Yan was also at a loss. He then quickly gave her a friendly nod.

“Young Master Xiao Yan, I... I shall help you wash?” Putting the water basin gently on a wooden rack just by the bed, the cute girl said in a soft voice as she anxiously stood by the bed.

“Hehe, it’s not necessary. I will do it myself.” Shaking his head with a smile, Xiao Yan came down from the bed and came to the side of the wooden rack. He randomly washed himself. Tilting his head to watch the girl’s anxious manner, he could not help but smile. “What is your name?”

TL: Wash means wash one’s face/teeth

“Ah?” Hearing this, the girl became a little blank. She immediately said hesitatingly, “I... I am called Qing Lin.”

“Oh.” Nodding his head, Xiao Yan took a face towel and wiped his face. After which, he threw the towel into the basin, faced the sky and inhaled the fresh and cool air.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had completed his wash, Qing Lin held the water basin tightly and briskly headed toward the outside.

Tilting his head and watching the girl’s pretty and small figure, Xiao Yan’s gaze suddenly drifted to the waist that one would desire to hug. He did not know why, but he felt that when the girl’s narrow waist twisted, there was an unusual temptation... it was like... like a beautiful female snake enchantingly swaying her waist.

“Dammit. What random thoughts am I having...” The ridiculous thought caused Xiao Yan to bitterly laugh as he scolded himself. He returned to the bedside, gripped the hilt of the huge Heavy Xuan Ruler and lifted it with his strength. With a soft cry, he placed it on his shoulders. Xiao Yan lightly bounced his body and smiled. After a year of tough training, the current him had already completely gotten used to the heaviness of the Heavy Xuan Ruler. However, each time he removed the Heavy Xuan Ruler, his speed and strength would ferociously rise. Xiao Yan believed that when fighting with an opponent, this sudden increase in speed and strength would catch the opponent off guard.

His palm grabbed the hilt of the Heavy Xuan Ruler again and pulled it out. Following an intense pressuring sound, the wooden rack by his side abruptly cracked apart with the attack.

Seeing the broken wooden rack, Xiao Yan opened his mouth and grinned before replacing the Heavy Xuan Ruler onto his back.

“Ah...” At the entrance, Qing Lin, who had just returned after clearing the water, could not help but let out a soft surprised gasp. After which, she hurriedly ran over, squatted down and picked up the clothes on the ground.

Eyeing the busy little girl, Xiao Yan gave an embarrassed smile. He apologetically squatted down, extended his hand and was about to help pick up the fallen clothes when his shifting gaze suddenly stopped on Qing Lin’s snow white wrist that had appeared from under her sleeve.

The snow white wrist actually grew some green colored - snake scale?

His gaze stared at Qing Lin with surprise. Then, Xiao Yan’s gaze involuntarily swept toward where her legs were, but he did not see a snake tail. He could only see two three inch long small feet.

Qing Lin, who was tidying up the clothes suddenly raised her small face. When she saw Xiao Yan’s shocked expression, she followed his gaze and slowly shifted downwards and finally stopped at the arm she had accidentally revealed. Her cute face immediately turned white as she pulled down her sleeves and carefully took two steps back. After which, she hugged her small legs with her hands, leaned against the corner of the wall and squatted down. Her small body also started trembling.

“I’m... I’m sorry... I... I did not intend to scare you.” The little girl shivered as she hugged her small legs. Her timid voice had a little anxiety and tears began to fall down her face.

Feeling at a loss from the little girl’s sensitive mood, Xiao Yan sighed gently in his heart while staring at the timid manner of Qing Lin. He had heard others mention that in areas near the Tager Desert, there would occasionally be human women who would have relations with Snake-People. According to logic, when a Snake-Person and a human are involved, it would usually not result in pregnancy. However, there could always be an exception to everything. A slight chance existed that women with relations to a Snake-Person could become pregnant and eventually give birth...

Although a child would be born, this kind of baby with both human and Snake-People’s blood usually had difficulty living past two years of age. However, the Qing Lin in front of Xiao Yan... seemed to have already reached thirteen or fourteen. What actually happened?

Xiao Yan gazed at the little girl with pity and bitterly smiled. Even if she could live until she was old, what was the use? People like Qing Lin would be viewed as a curse by both the humans and the Snake-People. To live so many years, other than receiving more disdainful looks and ridicule, there did not seem to be anything else in her life...

Slowly moving to Qing Lin’s side, Xiao Yan lowered his body and rubbed his hand gently on the little girl’s head. After which, he held her hand under her frightened expression and carefully pulled open her sleeves. He watched the green colored snake scales and abruptly said in a gentle and soft voice, “What a beautiful scale.”

Hearing this, the little girl’s frightened expression turned blank. Since she had been born, Xiao Yan was the first person who said that the scales, which even she herself was afraid of, was beautiful...

Within the trauma filled weak little spirit a strange feeling stealthily surfaced. Opening her eyes which were faintly releasing an unusual and bewitching feeling, she timidly said, “Is Young Master not afraid?”

Staring at the pair of moist eyes belonging to Qing Lin, Xiao Yan realized that they were slightly green in color. Moreover... at the deep regions of the pupils, there appeared to be three extremely small dark green spots that were hidden.

Staring intently at that somewhat demonic dark green pupils, Xiao Yan suddenly felt somewhat absent minded. A moment later, his heart suddenly trembled and he swiftly regained consciousness. A startled expression faintly surfaced on his face. What kind of demonic eyes were these? Even with his Spiritual Strength, he actually became somewhat absentminded?

With his shock still remaining, Xiao Yan once again stared at the little girl’s pupils. However, he was stunned to realize that the three tiny dark green spots had actually disappeared.

“Don’t tell me that I was seeing things?” Xiao Yan mumbled in a stunned voice. He shook his head violently and once again stared at the little girl for a moment. Other than her eyes being slightly green, there did not seem to be any tiny spots present.

“Ugh... it was most likely the result of me drinking last night.” Helplessly shaking his head, Xiao Yan pulled down Qing Lin’s sleeves. After which, he helped her to her feet and smiled as he watched this timid girl who was at his shoulder’s height. With a smile, he apologized, “I’m sorry. I’ve frightened you.”

Qing Lin hurriedly shook her head. Her small hand was so anxious that she wrinkled the clothes in her hand. Since her birth, Xiao Yan was also the first to apologize to her in all these years.

“Young Master, during this period of time, I will be your personal maid. If there is anything, you can instruct Qing Lin.” Qing Lin bowed and said softly.

Xiao Yan smiled and nodded. He rubbed the little girl’s head and asked with a smile, “Where are my brothers?”

“Company Leader Xiao Ding and Xiao Li had already gone to manage the things in the Company. They told me that if Young Master wants to find them, I can bring you to the Meeting Room at the forecourt.” Qing Lin said in a gentle voice.

“Oh, since they are busy, then forget it.” Shaking his head with a smile, Xiao Yan carried the Heavy Xuan Ruler and walked out. He smiled and said, “Let’s go, show me around this Desert Metal Mercenary Company.”

“Yes.” After responding gently, Qing Lin carefully followed.

Walking out of the room, the sunlight outside splashed downwards, causing one’s body to feel extremely warm. Although the desert was very hot, it was still currently morning time, where the temperature of the sunlight had not reached the extent of causing one to feel the heat.

While walking with Qing Lin within the inner regions of the Mercenary Company, the mercenaries whom they met would stop and greet Xiao Yan in a friendly manner. It appeared that all of them knew Xiao Yan’s identity.

However, when their gaze swept toward Qing Lin by the side, their smiles gradually turned cold. In some of their eyes, there was even a faint bit of disgust.

When faced with such an expression from them, Xiao Yan could only helplessly sigh. It looked like Qing Lin’s identity was something these people also knew about. Back when Xiao Yan had become a useless cripple, he had also received such treatment. This was the reason for him to express pity to the helpless and pitiful like Qing Lin. However, the Mercenary Company by the border of the desert all had a blood feud with the Snake-People that was hard to erase. Each time these mercenaries remembered that the little girl in front of them had the dirty Snake-People’s blood flowing in her, they would involuntarily display a disgusted expression. This kind of sentiment was something that almost nothing could suppress. This was the disgust that had formed from the long conflicts and the enmity between the humans and the Snake-People.

Having both the human’s and Snake-People’s blood at the same time, Qing Lin had to bear the discrimination as an abomination from both sides. Thinking about it, she was the most innocent girl.

While she was following by Xiao Yan’s side along the way, Qing Lin’s small pretty body would shiver slightly each time the disgusted gazes were shot from the surroundings. The cute small face that should have caused numerous people to glance at admiringly was filled with gloominess.

Walking past a corner, Xiao Yan could not help but sigh. He slowly came to a stop, tilted his head toward Qing Lin whose face had suddenly become uneasy because of his sigh. After musing for a while, he gently said, “Qing Lin, don’t be too conscious of other people’s gazes. All you need to remember is that you do not live for those other people. You live because of yourself!” Having said those words, Xiao Yan rubbed Qing Lin’s head and continued to walk into the distance.

Bearing Xiao Yan’s words, Qing Lin stood on the spot, at a loss. A long time later, a strange splendor appeared on her the cute and exquisite face. Her pretty face gently sniffed. Raising her small face, the three tiny green colored spots in her dark green colored eyes suddenly surfaced silently.

“Thank you, Young Master Xiao Yan...”

After she softly muttered the sentence, Qing Lin’s small face suddenly displayed a smile that was filled with enticement. After which, she broke into a joyful walk and caught up to the back figure of the young man in front of her.