That same night, after arriving in Shidemo City, Xiao Yan, who had not drunk a single drop of wine, broke his usual routine and thoroughly enjoyed a long, spirited feast with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, until he was completely drunk. The next morning, as Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, still slightly dazed from sleep, he found the sky already bright. Gently rubbing his aching head, he turned his gaze to the thin blanket covering him, sat up slowly, shook his head vigorously, smiled wryly, then folded his legs and formed the hand seals for meditation, entering his training state to expel the residual alcohol from his body. After half an hour of practice, Xiao Yan lightly tapped his fingers, and a rich, wine-scented vapor shot out from between them. Once the alcohol had been fully expelled, he exhaled softly and gradually opened his eyes. The once-clear, calm gaze of his dark pupils returned to their usual composure. "Creak." Not long after Xiao Yan opened his eyes, the door of the room was gently pushed open, and a graceful figure stepped in quietly. However, upon seeing Xiao Yan sitting on the bed, she was slightly startled and hurriedly bowed, her voice timid as she asked, "Master Xiao Yan, are you awake now?" The girl who entered appeared to be quite young, even younger than Xiao Yan himself. She wore a simple, elegant light green outfit. Though petite in stature, she displayed a surprisingly mature development, though still somewhat fresh and inexperienced. Her delicate, refined face—like that of a beautiful porcelain doll—gave off a shy, nervous air, reminiscent of a small rabbit startled and on edge, evoking a sense of gentle sympathy. When Xiao Yan first saw the green-clad girl, he paused momentarily, then nodded warmly to her. "Master Xiao Yan, I... I'd like to help you with your morning routine." Placed the water basin gently on the wooden stand outside the bed, the lovely girl stood nervously by the bedside, speaking softly. "Hah, no need, I can do it myself." Shaking her head with a smile, Xiao Yan stepped down from the bed and walked over to the stand. He casually washed and brushed his face, then turned his head to gaze at the girl's nervous expression, chuckling lightly. "What's your name?" "Ah?" The girl blinked, then stammered, "I... I'm Qinglin." "Oh." Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan used the towel to wipe his face, then tossed the towel into the basin and took a deep, refreshing breath of air. Seeing that Xiao Yan had finished washing, Qinglin quickly carried the basin and hurried toward the door. Turning his head slightly, gazing at the girl's slender figure, Xiao Yan's eyes suddenly caught the delicate curve of her waist—unbearably thin, barely graspable. For some inexplicable reason, he found that as her slender waist swayed, it carried an unusual allure—much like a beautiful serpent gracefully undulating in elegance. "Man, what am I thinking about?" murmured Xiao Yan, chuckling at his sudden, bewildering thoughts. He returned to the bedside, gripping the massive handle of the Xuanzhong Chi firmly, then lifted it with a strong exhalation, heaving it onto his shoulders. Holding the handle of the Xuanzhong Chi firmly with his palm, Xiao Yan suddenly drew it out, and with a loud, forceful crack, the wooden rack beside him collapsed. Staring at the shattered rack, Xiao Yan smiled and slung the Xuanzhong Chi over his shoulder. "Ah..." Qinglin, who had just returned from refilling the water pitcher at the door, gasped softly upon seeing the mess inside the room, then hurried over, crouching down to gather the scattered garments. Watching the little girl bustling about, Xiao Yan smiled awkwardly, crouched down, and reached out to help pick up the fallen clothes. Yet as his gaze moved, it suddenly paused on Qinglin's exposed white wrist—revealing a section of her arm. On that pale wrist, there grew several patches of green—like scales of a serpent. Staring in astonishment at those green scales, Xiao Yan's eyes automatically scanned Qinglin's feet, but there, he saw no serpent's tail—only two delicate, small lotus-like feet, about three inches in size, appearing almost ready to be held and admired. Qinglin was tidying up her clothes when she suddenly lifted her small face, meeting Xiao Yan's astonished gaze. Following his line of sight, she slowly lowered her eyes, finally settling on the arm that had accidentally been revealed. At once, her adorable face paled, and she quickly pressed down her sleeve, retreating two steps with care. Then, she folded her hands around her legs and sat down against the corner of the wall, her small body trembling continuously. "I... I'm sorry... I... I didn't mean to startle you," the little girl said, her voice trembling, with a growing urgency and a hint of tears. Stunned by the little girl's sensitive emotions, gazing at Qinglin's timid demeanor, Xiao Yan sighed softly. He had heard before, in the vicinity of the Tagoer Desert, that occasionally human women were humiliated by Serpent People. By normal circumstances, when Serpent People engaged in relations with humans, pregnancy rarely occurred—though not absolutely so—there was a rare chance that a woman would conceive and bear a child. However, such children, born of mixed human and Serpent People blood, generally did not survive past the age of two. Yet the Qinglin before him—seemed to be around thirteen or fourteen years old now. What on earth was going on? With a compassionate gaze upon the girl, Xiao Yan smiled faintly, knowing that even if she reached this age, what good would it do? People of this kind—similar to Qinglin—are seen as curses by both humans and Serpentfolk. For as long as they've lived, aside from the constant glares and mockery, they've seemingly endured nothing more remarkable... Slowly approaching Qinglin, Xiao Yan knelt down, gently running his hands over the girl's head. Then, holding her arm despite her fear, he carefully lifted her sleeve and gazed at the jade-like serpent scales. Suddenly, his voice softened, and he murmured, "Such beautiful scales." At this, the girl's fearful expression paused. Since she was born, Xiao Yan was the first person to praise the scales—something that even made her feel afraid. A subtle, unusual sensation began to stir within her fragile heart, her eyes—glimmering with an odd, alluring charm—gently asked, "Doesn't the Lord find them intimidating?" Fixing his gaze on the water-like, luminous eyes of Qinglin, Xiao Yan finally noticed that these eyes were slightly inclined toward green, and... deep within the pupil, there seemed to be three very fine, emerald-like spots. Gazing intently at this strangely unusual green gaze, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a slight mental haze, and then, in an instant, his mind snapped back to clarity, his face subtly tinged with astonishment. What kind of extraordinary eye was this? Could his very soul force even falter at its presence? Amazed, Xiao Yan once again focused on the girl’s eyes, only to be startled to find that the three fine emerald spots had vanished entirely. "Did I just see a vision?" he murmured in surprise, shaking his head vigorously. After a moment, he stared at the girl once more—besides the subtle green hue of the eyes, there were no traces of those small spots. "Ah... probably just the effect of drinking wine last night." Shaking his head helplessly, Xiao Yan pulled down Qinglin's sleeve and helped her rise, smiling warmly at the timid girl whose height now reached her shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said, "for having startled you." Qinglin quickly shook her head, her hands nervously twisting the edge of her dress. In her experience, Xiao Yan had never once apologized to her before. "Master, for the time being, I shall be your personal attendant. Please feel free to instruct me whenever you need anything," she said softly, bowing slightly. Xiao Yan smiled gently, nodded slightly, and gently rubbed her head. "Where are my brothers?" "Xiao Ding, the regiment commander, and Xiao Li, the other commander, have both gone to organize matters within the regiment. They asked me to bring you to the council hall in the front courtyard whenever you wish to see them," Qinglin replied softly. "Ah, well, if they're busy, then that will do." Smiling and shaking her head, Xiao Yan took up the Xuanzhong Chi and walked out, saying, "Let's go—show me around the Mo Tie Guild." "Okay," she softly replied, carefully following behind. At their expressions, Xiao Yan could only sigh in resignation. It seemed these people also knew Qinglin's identity. When Xiao Yan himself had once been reduced to a mere waste, he too had received such treatment, which naturally evoked a measure of sympathy toward the helpless Qinglin. However, the mercenaries stationed at the desert's edge harbored an unyielding grudge against the serpent people—each time they recalled the pure blood of the unclean serpent people flowing through the little girl before them, they inevitably expressed a sense of aversion. This sentiment, deeply rooted in the long-standing mutual hostility between humans and serpent people, proved nearly impossible to suppress. Qinglin, who carried both human and serpent blood, thus bore the dual burdens of discrimination and aversion from both sides. Indeed, she was a remarkably innocent girl. Along the way, every disapproving glance directed at Xiao Yan made Qinglin's petite frame subtly tremble. The face that should have been cherished by countless people grew dull and lifeless. At a corner, Xiao Yan couldn't help but sigh, slowing down and turning his head to gaze at Qinglin, who had suddenly grown anxious and uneasy at his sigh. After a moment of silence, he gently said, "Qinglin, don't worry too much about others' opinions. Just remember—you're not living for them. You're living for yourself." With that, he gently rubbed Qinglin's head and continued walking toward the distance. "Thank you, Mr. Xiao Yan..." She softly murmured, a strangely alluring smile suddenly blooming on her green-scale face, then hurried after the young man's retreating back.