Desert Iron Mercenary Group, training ground.
A dozen mercenaries stood in a neat row, while two young men stood in front of them. One, dressed in white, looked relatively calm, while the other had a fierce expression.
These two were Xiao Yan's elder brother, Xiao Ding, and his second brother, Xiao Li. At this moment, they were teaching mercenaries fighting skills in the training ground.
In the backyard of the Motie Mercenary Group, a thin girl in green, with half her face hidden by a braid of green hair, walked among the crowd with her head lowered. She looked very young, as if she was less than fourteen years old. Her emerald green eyes were calm yet held an inexplicable magical power, like the cold eyes of a snake. Once you looked into them, you felt as if you were being drawn in.
The girl had a delicate face and was petite but never raised her head in a crowd. Wherever she went, everyone she met, whether mercenaries or servants hired by the mercenary group, looked at her with disdain.
She lowered her head and accidentally bumped into a tall man.
"Are you blind?"
"You annoying thing!"
"It's such bad luck to see you!"
The man glared back impatiently. When he saw the green braid and exotic green dress, he started cursing.
Faced with such undisguised malice, the girl looked very timid and never dared to resist. She could only hide in a deserted place, squat down, bury her head between her legs, and sob softly.
"Little girl, do you want to stop being discriminated against from now on?"
Suddenly, a voice sounded in Qinglin's ears. The speaker was Gu Fei, who had quietly sneaked into the Motie Mercenary Group.
Qinglin stopped sobbing the moment she heard the voice.
[Qinglin has a surprised emotion, and her emotion value increases by 70]
She looked up and saw Gu Fei, Xiao Yixian, and a sister who were a few years older than her.
These were Gu Fei and Xiao Yixian, who had rushed over from the Motie Mercenary Group.
Both had concealed their auras and observed from above the unfair treatment Qinglin had suffered. Although Qinglin had found a place to stay in the Motie Mercenary Group, she still endured inexplicable discrimination and abuse.
Especially Xiao Yixian, who felt overwhelmed with sympathy. She had almost rushed over several times.
[Xiao Yixian generates anger and distress emotions, and the emotion value increases by 100]
After learning about Xiao Yixian's mood, Gu Fei also informed her about Qinglin's background.
Xiao Yixian had previously heard that near the Tagor Desert, human women were occasionally raped by snake people. While snake people usually do not get pregnant from such encounters, there is an extremely rare chance that a woman may become pregnant and give birth to a child.
Qinglin was born from the union of a snake man and a human, possessing snake people blood. Both snake people and humans seemed to hate each other from birth. People like Qinglin were considered a curse by both sides, living with contempt and ridicule.
Even after Qinglin was taken in by the leaders of the Motie Mercenary Group and worked as a maid, she was still hated by most of the mercenaries, who bore a deep-seated grudge against snake people.
To be honest, Qinglin was extremely innocent and had never done anything wrong.
[Qinglin becomes confused, and her emotion value increases by 70]
Qinglin looked at Gu Fei and Xiao Yixian in confusion. At this moment, Gu Fei's feet hovered in the air, giving him an imposing presence. There was no one stronger than him in Shimo City.
[Qinglin has a hesitant emotion, and her emotion value increases by 70]
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently, though with some timidity in her eyes.
"If you want, take me as your master. I can make you a strong person that everyone will admire," Gu Fei said.
[Qinglin has yearning emotions, and the emotion value increases by 100]
Then, Xiao Yixian approached Qinglin and persuaded her, "Come with us. This brother is very powerful. In the future, when you become stronger, no one will dare to bully you!"
The Little Fairy Doctor's kindness and gentle eyes gave Qinglin a sense of comfort.
Qinglin looked at her, felt a little relieved, and smiled faintly.
[Qinglin produces a relaxed mood, and the mood value increases by 100]
"Master, can I?"
Qinglin was excited but still looked at Gu Fei with some trepidation.
"You can do it. Since I chose you, it means you have the potential!" Gu Fei nodded.
"I am willing to take you as my teacher!" Qinglin said solemnly. "However, the two leaders of the Motie Mercenary Group have been kind to me and took me in. I want to say goodbye to them before I leave, so they won't worry."
Gu Fei agreed. He used his soul power to call the two men over.
The voice, with its majestic pressure, surprised Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, who were at the training ground.
[Xiao Ding feels surprised and panicked, his emotion value increases by 50]
[Xiao Li is surprised, and his emotion value increases by 50]
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li quickly came to Gu Fei.
Qinglin slowly explained that she was going to become Gu Fei's apprentice and was leaving. She also expressed her gratitude to the leaders, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
Seeing this, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were relieved but also surprised by Gu Fei's terrifying strength despite his youth. They had initially feared they had provoked a powerful person.
Ultimately, after hearing the situation, they were happy for Qinglin.
[Xiao Ding becomes happy, and his emotion value increases by 50]
[Xiao Li becomes happy, and his emotion value increases by 50]
"Since you two have taken care of Qinglin, you can take these pills. They will benefit your cultivation and repair many hidden injuries," Gu Fei said, handing them two pills that could enhance cultivation and heal injuries.
Without waiting for their reaction, he left with Qinglin and Xiao Yixian.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li looked at each other, gratitude in their eyes.
"Thank you, senior!"
[Xiao Ding feels grateful, his emotion value increases by 50]
[Xiao Li feels grateful, and his emotion value increases by 50]