"If you have the will to follow me, then take my hand."
His resolute gaze and words filled with strength seemed to carry an invisible power, encouraging Qing Lin.
Qing Lin looked at the hand the young man extended toward her. It was as if she saw within it a brand-new future—a future where she would no longer be discriminated against, a future where she could stand behind the young man before her, who seemed like a celestial being.
The scene of the youth descending like a banished immortal, along with his pity and kindness toward her, was like a flame that ignited Qing Lin's heart. The scorching emotions urged the girl to slowly extend her hand forward. Although they had known each other for only a short time, and she did not even know his name, her heart was telling her that she wanted to stand behind the youth before her, that she wanted the future he spoke of.
At last, Qing Lin gathered her courage and placed her hand into Lin Yuan's palm.
Lin Yuan gently tightened his grip, holding Qing Lin's small hand and giving it a slight shake. As Qing Lin looked at him with a hint of confusion, his clear voice, laced with a smile, reached her ears.
"Then, Qing Lin, my name is Lin Yuan. From now on, we'll walk the road ahead together."
"Yes, Lord Lin Yuan!" As if infected by his words, a bright, heartfelt smile bloomed on Qing Lin's face.
"'Lord'—there's no need to call me that, Qing Lin. You should understand something: I didn't ask you to follow me to become my servant. We are companions and comrades on the road ahead. So don't call me 'Lord.' Just call me Lin Yuan, or Big Brother Lin," Lin Yuan corrected her when he heard the way she addressed him.
"How can that be? A lord is still a lord," Qing Lin said hurriedly.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yuan ultimately failed to persuade Qing Lin on this matter. She was unusually stubborn when it came to how she addressed him.
"Alright then. But don't call me 'Lord'—it sounds too old. Call me 'Young Master.' And from now on, I'll call you Qing'er," Lin Yuan said helplessly, giving Qing Lin a nickname of her own.
"Yes, Young Master!" Qing Lin called out sweetly.
"Give me the medicine, Qing'er," Lin Yuan said with a bright smile.
Qing Lin quickly handed over the jade bottle Lin Yuan had given her earlier. Holding something so precious made her feel uneasy.
Lin Yuan took the jade bottle and waved his hand. To Qing Lin's astonishment, azure Dou Qi condensed into a small bed, as if formed out of thin air. This was Dou Qi materialization, an ability only available after reaching the Dou Spirit realm. For Lin Yuan, whose soul strength and control over Dou Qi were extremely strong, it came naturally—he often used it to practice his Dou Qi control.
Under Qing Lin's shy gaze, Lin Yuan picked her up and placed her on the small bed. He then sat at her feet, rested her injured foot on his leg, and prepared to apply the medicine.
"Young Master, you can't—how can you personally do something like tending to someone?" Seeing that Lin Yuan was about to apply medicine for her, Qing Lin panicked and tried to pull her foot back.
"Qing'er, asking you to call me 'Young Master' doesn't mean our relationship is that of master and servant. 'Young Master' and 'Qing'er' are just special forms of address between us. I regard our relationship as that of family or close friends. And among family or friends, isn't helping apply medicine perfectly normal? Or is it that you're unwilling to acknowledge me as family?" Lin Yuan stopped Qing Lin's struggle.
"No, no, that's not what Qing Lin means," Qing Lin said quickly.
"That's good." Without giving her another chance to speak, Lin Yuan directly took out the ointment and began applying it to her injury.
Qing Lin's cheeks flushed as she watched Lin Yuan lower his head and carefully tend to her wound. His movements were very practiced, and he didn't cause her any extra pain. As the cool ointment spread over the injured area, a chill sensation followed, and the pain was immediately eased.
"Young Master, you're very skilled at this," Qing Lin muttered softly.
"I got used to it from helping Zi Yan apply medicine before. Oh, right—Zi Yan is the younger sister I told you about, the one who transformed from a magical beast. I'll introduce you when there's a chance. I'm sure you two will become good friends," Lin Yuan said with a light laugh when he heard her mutter.
When he mentioned Zi Yan, Lin Yuan's gaze softened noticeably. Although his acquaintance with Zi Yan had begun with calculation, and he did have his own considerations regarding her, there was no doubt that his feelings toward her were genuine. He truly regarded Zi Yan as his little sister.
"To be Young Master's younger sister, Miss Zi Yan must be very happy," Qing Lin murmured softly, as if sensing the change in Lin Yuan's emotions.
"You're the same as well, Qing'er. I also want a little sister like you," Lin Yuan said as he turned toward her. There was a deeper meaning in his eyes as he looked at Qing Lin, and the words he spoke left her so happy that she momentarily lost herself.
That's right—on Qing Lin's side, it was the same.
Today's encounter between the two was not a coincidence. Just like with Zi Yan, it was an inevitable result born of Lin Yuan's own calculations.
As early as his time at Jia Nan Academy, Lin Yuan had already made taking Qing Lin under his wing one of his primary goals upon coming to the Jia Ma Empire.
As the possessor of the world's number one extraordinary pupil, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, Qing Lin possessed at least the potential to reach the Dou Venerate realm. In the original timeline, she had indeed advanced to Dou Venerate in just ten years. With her tremendous potential, gentle personality, and unwavering loyalty, there was no way Lin Yuan would let her slip by.
Lin Yuan had already been in Stone Desert City for several days. Aside from investigating matters related to the Heavenly Flame, he had been arranging today's scenario—this moonlit tale of a hero saving the damsel in distress.
To successfully stage this act of heroic rescue, he had made many preparations in secret. Qing Lin's encounter with human traffickers had his intervention written all over it. In fact, from the moment Qing Lin left home today until now, she had always remained within his sensory range. His goal was to perfectly perform this clichéd yet extremely effective script of a hero saving the beauty. For this purpose, Lin Yuan had even deliberately discarded his usual disguise, intentionally choosing a more striking entrance and combat style, all to capture Qing Lin's heart and make her willingly become his companion.
Compared to waiting for a fated encounter, Lin Yuan preferred to take the initiative and create opportunities, keeping control firmly in his own hands. To value others and plan accordingly was, in his view, a form of respect. As a transmigrator with foreknowledge, Lin Yuan naturally held a high initial level of goodwill toward certain individuals on this Dou Qi Continent—Zi Yan and Qing Lin foremost among them. Thus, he used calculation to express the importance and respect he held for the both of them.
Although Lin Yuan's beginnings with Zi Yan and Qing Lin were not pure, his feelings were not false in the slightest. His fondness for both of them was undeniably real, and he was confident that this bond would bloom into beautiful flowers and bear wonderful fruit.
Not long after the ointment was applied, the injury to Qing Lin's foot was completely healed.
"Let's go, Qing'er," Lin Yuan said.
"Yes, Young Master."
Beneath the night sky, Lin Yuan wrapped an arm around Qing Lin's soft waist, unfurled his Dou Qi wings, and flew off toward the direction of Stone Desert City.
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