Battle Through the Heavens: Top Talent

Chapter 49 Green Scales

Stone Desert City, in the city lord's mansion.

No one could have imagined that the city lord's mansion of Stone Desert City, located on the border of the Gama Empire and constantly facing the danger of war, was now bustling with activity. Fairy music filled the air, people were drinking and making merry, and dancers were posing for the guests. The atmosphere was one of unrestrained pleasure, and there was no trace of the tension of a border city.

Xiao Yun sat in a chair, engrossed in eating the food in front of him, completely ignoring the seductive poses of the dancers in the hall. Beside him, Hai Bodong watched intently, occasionally bursting into laughter.

It must be said that the city lord of Shimo City is an extremely enthusiastic person. When Hai Bodong brought Xiao Yun to ask for a favor, he only slightly revealed some of his strength, and the city lord insisted on giving the two of them a welcoming ceremony. As a result, the scene before us has now unfolded.

Seeing Hai Bodong and the city lord of Shimo City looking like they had known each other for ages, Xiao Yun covered his face with his hands, speechless. Sometimes he really wondered if Hai Bodong had been in the desert for too long and his brain was full of sand. He was only thirteen years old, and he had brought him to see such a scene. If the young man couldn't hold back his passion, it would really affect his physical development!

"Haha, don't be shy. You'll have to see this kind of scene eventually. I'm just showing you around in advance."

Seeing Xiao Yun's actions, Hai Bodong thought that the young man was shy because he had never seen such a scene before, and laughed loudly.

"Damn it, do you really think I'm a child? Is this an opportunity to broaden my horizons or something you're preparing for yourself?"

Xiao Yun said irritably that this kind of scene was just commonplace for him in his previous life. He had seen even more outrageous scenes, so why would he be embarrassed?

"It's all the same, all the same! Besides, do you think I'm just a womanizer? I haven't forgotten my business. I've already told the city lord about the physical characteristics of the little girl you're looking for, and I believe we'll have results soon. I've fought a lifetime of wars, what's wrong with indulging a little?"

"Heh." Xiao Yun sneered, not responding to Hai Bodong. He was now certain that the old man was really itching to get back to work.

Thinking this to himself, and gazing at the dancer's body swaying like a water snake, he noticed a unique charm in her every smile and gesture, which almost made the hot-blooded Xiao Yun lose control.

He swiped his hand across his storage ring, and a Tranquility Pill was taken out and swallowed.

Hmm, I can hold on now.

Just as Xiao Yun continued to eat his food, a soldier suddenly rushed into the hall and whispered a few words in the city lord's ear. The latter's expression changed, and his previously smiling face became much more serious. He waved his hand, and the dancers in the center of the hall stopped their movements and respectfully withdrew from the hall.

"Hahaha, Elder Bing, you've found the little girl you were looking for. She's in the front yard right now."

The city lord laughed loudly, and then ordered his men to bring the little girl into the hall.

"No need, I'll go take a look." Xiao Yun stood up. He had wanted to leave for a long time, and now that Qing Lin had been found, he had no reason to stay here any longer.

"This..." The city lord looked at Hai Bodong with some uncertainty and hesitated. In his eyes, Xiao Yun was just a junior of Elder Bing. How could a junior make a decision without waiting for the elder to speak?

"Haha, let him go. Young people just can't keep their tempers up. Let's continue watching the dance," Hai Bodong said with a smile. Although he didn't know why Xiao Yun was looking for that little girl, he could tell that the little girl was important to Xiao Yun.

"Alright, then let's do as Elder Bing says. Men, keep the music playing and the dancing going!"

……

On the other side, Xiao Yun, who had walked to the front yard, saw the little girl standing quietly outside the pavilion in the distance. Her hands were tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, and her body was trembling slightly, showing her nervousness and fear.

With her head bowed, her face was not visible, but everyone who saw her could feel her vulnerability from the inside out. In addition, Xiao Yun knew about her background, and a feeling of wanting to protect the girl in front of him couldn't help but arise in his mind.

The little girl didn't understand why she had been brought here. The fierce soldiers only told her that this was the city lord's mansion. In her mind, the city lord's mansion was a terrifying place. Usually, when the children who bullied her mentioned this name, their faces would show fear.

Is it because of the snake-human bloodline in my body that they want to torture me?

The little girl thought fearfully, wondering what kind of pain and torment she would have to face next.

Just as she was becoming more and more frightened, she heard footsteps. She looked up and saw a young man in black robes walking towards her with a warm smile.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person."

A gentle and pleasant voice came from the boy's mouth. Upon hearing it, the little girl seemed to be under a spell; she stopped her fantasy, and her body ceased trembling slightly.

"This... young master, did you ask me to come?" The little girl asked pitifully, her voice trembling.

"Yes, it's me." Xiao Yun slowly approached the little girl, stopping a meter away, and smiled. "My name is Xiao Yun. Do you have your own name?"

"Young Master, my name is Qinglin." Seemingly influenced by Xiao Yun's gentle attitude, Qinglin's voice was no longer trembling, but clear and crisp.

"Qinglin, what a nice name. Let's sit down and talk." Xiao Yun waved, gesturing for her to follow him to sit under the pavilion. After they sat down, he said, "Qinglin, come here a little."

After hesitating for a moment, Qinglin slowly stepped forward and stood in front of Xiao Yun.

He carefully examined Qinglin's somewhat shy face; to be precise, he was examining her eyes.

Staring intently into Qinglin's pair of bright, watery eyes, I saw three extremely tiny emerald green dots deep within the slightly greenish pupils.

"As expected, it's the Jade Serpent Three-Flower Pupil." Xiao Yun thought to himself, it seems the City Lord's Mansion was quite accurate in finding the right person.

"Young Master..." Suddenly, Qinglin's childish voice rang out, interrupting Xiao Yun's thoughts.

Looking at that lovely, delicate oval face, now completely flushed with shyness, Xiao Yun realized that he had been watching her for a long time.

"Sorry, I was thinking about something just now." Xiao Yun patted Qinglin's head and smiled gently.

Hearing Xiao Yun's words, Qing Lin was a little stunned. From childhood to adulthood, this was the first time that someone had not discriminated against her and had even apologized to her. In the past, she was always the one apologizing to others.

Tears welled up in Qinglin's emerald eyes, and she whispered, "It's...it's alright, young master, there's no need to apologize to Qinglin."

"Sigh, don't be afraid. From now on, just follow me. No one will dare to bully you anymore!" Seeing Qinglin's appearance, Xiao Yun's heart softened, and he said with some pity.

"Young master, won't you hate me?"

"Why would I hate you? Just because you have snake-human blood? Having snake-human blood is not a fault, and it's not something you can choose. Why would I hate you because of that?" Xiao Yun said gently, rubbing Qinglin's little head.

"Moreover, you also have a very strong talent for cultivation. Your pupils are called the Azure Serpent Three-Flower Pupils, which are almost the nemesis of all serpentine magical beasts. You can sign a one-sided master-servant contract with them and thus control them. This is an extremely powerful talent."

"Furthermore, you can absorb them into the space opened up by the Azure Serpent Three-Flower Pupil. The serpentine magical beasts absorbed into the space will be slowly devoured by you, thereby boosting your own cultivation."

"You'll become a very powerful person in the future, and you'll be able to protect yourself." After introducing Qinglin's talents, Xiao Yun smiled and said, "So, are you still willing to follow me?"

"Mmm." Hearing Xiao Yun's words, Qing Lin nodded vigorously. Although she didn't know if what he said was true, she was willing to believe whatever Xiao Yun said, as the first person to treat her equally.

"Young master, I'm willing to follow you."

"You don't need to call me Young Master anymore, just call me Brother." Seeing Qing Lin nod in agreement, Xiao Yun was very happy. He stood up and said, "Come on, Brother will take you to eat something delicious."

"Brother?" she murmured softly, a bright smile suddenly appearing on Qinglin's face. She took Xiao Yun's hand, the warmth of which enveloped her small hand and soothed her wounded young heart.

……

"Is this the little girl you're looking for?" Hai Bodong asked, somewhat surprised, as he watched Xiao Yun and his companion walk hand in hand into the hall.

Qing Lin's appearance was not very good at the moment. In order to bring her here as quickly as possible, the people from the City Lord's Mansion did not take her to clean herself up. Therefore, Qing Lin, dressed in tattered clothes and with some dirt on her body, looked rather out of place at this banquet.

"Yes, this is my younger sister, her name is Qinglin." Xiao Yun took Qinglin's small hand and sat down next to Hai Bodong. He then said, "Qinglin, this is Elder Hai, my brother's friend."

"Hello, Elder Hai." Faced with this scene, the self-conscious Qinglin couldn't help but feel a little scared and kept hiding behind Xiao Yun.

"Eat something, don't be afraid, your brother is here." Xiao Yun comforted Qinglin by stroking her little head.

Qinglin's face flushed slightly. The intimate gesture of stroking her head was something no one had ever done to her before, but Xiao Yun had done it several times today, which stirred up a special feeling in her heart.

Picking up her chopsticks, Qinglin gazed at the various delicacies she had never seen before, secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and slowly began to eat.

(End of this chapter)