Xiao Tian looked at the petite girl standing nervously in front of him and thought to himself, 'This must be Qing Lin.'
The young girl placed the bronze basin on a wooden shelf nearby. She dipped a handkerchief into the water, wrung it dry, and then stood to the side holding it with both hands, her posture tense.
"Young Master Xiao Tian, I… I was arranged by Leader Xiao Ding to help you with your morning ablutions."
"I'll do it myself." Xiao Tian stood up, walked over to her, and asked gently, "What is your name?"
"Ah! I… I am Qing Lin." Qing Lin was startled for a moment before stammering out her name.
Xiao Tian took the wrung-out handkerchief from her hand, wiped his face simply, and prepared to return it to the basin.
"Young Master Xiao Tian, just give me the handkerchief." Seeing that he had finished, Qing Lin reached out to take it.
As she raised her hand, her sleeve slid down slightly, revealing a patch of bluish, snake-scale-like patterns on her wrist.
Qing Lin noticed Xiao Tian's gaze land on her exposed wrist. Her face instantly turned pale. She quickly retreated a few steps and squatted down, hugging her delicate body with both arms. Her whole frame trembled as she said in a timid, tearful voice, "I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare you…"
Xiao Tian walked over and squatted down beside her. Feeling his approach, Qing Lin looked terrified and sobbed, "I really didn't mean to… please don't hit me, okay?"
Xiao Tian gently stroked her head with his palm and said with a warm smile, "Qing Lin, may I see your scales?"
Qing Lin was stunned. She slowly raised her head, revealing a small face streaked with tears, still filled with fear. "Young Master Xiao Tian… isn't afraid?"
"Why should I be afraid?" Xiao Tian carefully pulled back her sleeve and looked at the scales on her wrist with a gentle expression. He reached out and lightly touched them. "Such beautiful scales."
Qing Lin's fearful expression froze. Since the day she was born, everyone who saw the scales on her body had looked at her with disgust, as if they wanted to avoid her like the plague.
No one had ever said her scales were beautiful. Xiao Tian was the first.
"Beautiful…?" Qing Lin stared at her own scales, then lifted her head to look at Xiao Tian. His face remained gentle, without the slightest trace of disgust, as he caressed her scales. A ray of light seemed to shine into her small, scarred heart, slowly healing her battered soul. A strange, warm feeling rose in her chest.
"They truly are beautiful," Xiao Tian said softly. "You don't need to care about what others think. You live for yourself, not for others."
Hearing these words, Qing Lin froze, staring at Xiao Tian for a long time without speaking. A strange gleam appeared in her eyes.
Looking closely, Xiao Tian noticed three tiny green dots flicker in her pupils for a moment before slowly fading and disappearing.
"Thank you, Young Master Xiao Tian…" Qing Lin stood up, sniffled her pretty little nose, and murmured softly.
"Young Master Xiao Tian, during this time, I will be your personal maid. If you need anything, just tell me and I will help you with it."
"Alright." Xiao Tian nodded gently and stroked her head. "Then you can take me around here now, and also help me find the people who came with me."
"Okay. Young Master Xiao Tian, please wait a moment. I'll pour out the water first."
Qing Lin carried the basin, jogged to the water disposal area, emptied it, and quickly returned.
Seeing her return, Xiao Tian walked out of the room with his hands behind his back. Qing Lin followed closely, staying one step behind him, and carefully introduced the layout of the courtyard as they walked.
When they arrived at the Little Fairy Doctor's room in the adjacent courtyard, just as Xiao Tian was about to knock, the door suddenly opened and the Little Fairy Doctor stepped out.
"Oh? Why are you up so early? I was just about to come look for you."
"If I waited for you to wake up, the sun would already be high in the sky," Xiao Tian teased.
The Little Fairy Doctor rolled her eyes at him. Seeing Qing Lin standing behind Xiao Tian, she asked curiously, "Who is she?"
"Her name is Qing Lin. She's the personal maid my elder brother arranged for me."
Xiao Tian also introduced the Little Fairy Doctor to Qing Lin.
"Miss Little Fairy Doctor," Qing Lin greeted politely with a small bow.
Looking at the petite and somewhat timid Qing Lin, the Little Fairy Doctor seemed to see a reflection of her own lonely and helpless past. She smiled gently and said, "You don't need to call me Miss. From now on, just call me Sister Little Fairy Doctor."
Qing Lin turned to look at Xiao Tian for permission. Seeing him nod with a smile, she happily called out, "Sister Little Fairy Doctor."
Qing Lin felt the warmth from the Little Fairy Doctor and became noticeably less timid.
After a short tour, they learned that Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were still unconscious from last night's heavy drinking. So the three of them left the Mo Tie Mercenary Group and strolled through the streets of Stone Desert City.
As dusk approached, after touring the entire city, the group returned to the Mo Tie Mercenary Group. Thanks to Xiao Tian's third-rank alchemist robe and the Little Fairy Doctor's presence, no one dared to cause any trouble along the way.
Xiao Tian returned to his room, while Qing Lin was taken away by the Little Fairy Doctor, who said the two of them wanted to have a private chat.
...
Inside his room, Xiao Tian took out his Heaven Devouring Cauldron from the Demon Flame Ring and sat inside it. Heaven and Earth energy began to gather around him, continuously pouring into his body and strengthening his cultivation.
Just as he was about to stretch and relax, he felt the Dou Qi inside him reach a critical point and begin to break through.