Chapter 185: The Cave Entrance
"I… my name is Qing Lin," the girl stammered, her large green eyes staring at Xiao Yan as if he were a demon.
Two people had been reduced to ash by a mere flick of his hand. Such terrifying power was far beyond anything she had ever imagined.
To her, Xiao Yan seemed even more frightening than the master and mistress who had tormented her before.
Seeing the fear in her gaze, Xiao Yan froze for a moment, then smiled gently.
"Don't be scared. I'm a good person."
But his words didn't seem to have any calming effect. Qing Lin shuddered, and her tears spilled over, streaming down her cheeks.
This child has truly suffered too much, Xiao Yan thought with a sigh. He stepped closer and gently patted her head.
"From today onward, you'll stay by my side as my maid. How does that sound?"
"Ah?"
Qing Lin paused her sobbing and looked up at Xiao Yan with her pitiful eyes.
"You… you won't kill me?"
"Why would I kill you?" Xiao Yan chuckled, ruffling her green hair.
"I came to save you."
"Save… me?" Qing Lin blinked her tear filled eyes, her expression still wary.
"You won't sell me to a brothel, will you?"
"Why would I sell you to a brothel?" Xiao Yan grinned mischievously. "Wouldn't it be better to keep you for myself?"
He teasingly lifted her chin, his playful smirk making her cheeks flush with renewed fear.
"Ah!" Qing Lin's already pale face turned ghostly white, and she froze like a frightened deer.
Her reaction softened Xiao Yan's heart.
This poor child really has been through too much.
"I was just joking," he reassured her. "You're my maid now. Come with me."
He held out his hand and took her small, trembling one in his. Standing beside him, Qing Lin's petite figure only reached up to his chest, making her look even more delicate and vulnerable.
"Where… where are we going?" she asked timidly, glancing up at him. After some hesitation, she seemed to sense that he truly meant her no harm, and she relaxed slightly.
"Where? To find the Green Lotus Core Flame," Xiao Yan thought. But he knew she wouldn't understand, so he simply said,
"You don't need to worry about that."
He smiled and added, "From now on, call me 'Young Master.' Understand?"
"Yes, Young Master," Qing Lin replied obediently, nodding. As a maid sold into servitude, she was used to following orders and living without agency over her life.
Still, she occasionally stole nervous glances at Xiao Yan, worried that he might have bad intentions.
Noticing her wary gaze, Xiao Yan frowned.
"Do I really look like a bad person?"
"N no, not at all!" Qing Lin quickly shook her head, but not before instinctively nodding first. Realizing her mistake, she panicked and looked at Xiao Yan fearfully, as if bracing for punishment.
To her surprise, Xiao Yan simply sighed.
How does someone as dashing and refined as me always get mistaken for a villain?
Shaking off his thoughts, Xiao Yan focused on his goal: finding the Green Lotus Core Flame.
He reached down and lifted Qing Lin by her slender waist, easily picking her up in his arms.
"Ah! Young Master, no!"
Qing Lin stiffened, her entire body going rigid with fear.
"Relax. You're a minor, and even if you wanted to, I wouldn't touch you," Xiao Yan muttered, exasperated. He stepped into the air and began flying toward their destination.
Having obtained the approximate location of the Green Lotus Core Flame from Hai Bodong, Xiao Yan knew it wasn't far from Mo Bei City.
Traveling Through the Sky
As Xiao Yan soared through the air, Qing Lin clung to him tightly, trembling. Though she initially feared he might harm her, she soon realized he wasn't doing anything inappropriate.
Instead, her fear shifted to the vast height they were traveling. The ground grew farther and farther away, and her large green eyes filled with panic.
"Don't be so scared," Xiao Yan said gently. "One day, you'll be able to soar through the sky too."
His tone was kind, and even Qing Lin's timid heart couldn't help but feel comforted. She tightened her grip around his waist, unwilling to let go as they flew higher.
The Family's Aftermath
Not long after Xiao Yan left, back in the Mo Bei City estate, a middle aged man listened intently as an elder delivered troubling news.
"Patriarch, the mistress and her husband were both killed by a mysterious expert," the elder reported, his voice trembling.
"What? My sister is dead?"
The patriarch's first reaction was shock. Then, his face twisted in rage, and he crushed the teacup in his hand.
"Who dares to kill my sister?!"
"It was… a young man in black. He didn't even use Dou Qi wings but could walk through the air. He killed them with just two flicks of flame. They didn't even have time to react before they turned to ash," the elder recounted, his voice shaking as he recalled the terrifying scene.
The patriarch's fury froze. His face turned pale, and his anger gave way to fear.
"Black clad… walking in the air… Wasn't that the mysterious expert we saw earlier over Mo Bei City?"
That very afternoon, he had been drinking with an elder and witnessed the same figure. They had identified him as a Dou Sect powerhouse.
His expression shifted multiple times before finally settling on resignation.
"I understand. You may leave now."
"But Patriarch "
"I said leave!" the man barked, silencing the elder with a cold glare.
Once alone, the patriarch turned to the shadows in the corner of the room.
"Old Third, kill him. No one else must know about this."
A voice emerged from the shadows, laced with hesitation.
"Big Brother, are you sure?"
"I'm sure," the patriarch said firmly.
"A Dou Sect powerhouse isn't someone we can provoke. If word spreads, the entire family will be wiped out. We can't even risk our enemies learning of this."
"Understood," the voice replied.
The Cave Entrance
Unaware of the commotion in Mo Bei City, Xiao Yan arrived at a barren desert less than a hundred li away. With Qing Lin still in his arms, he used his vast soul power to scan the area.
Behind him, the invisible forms of Wen and Wu Saints assisted, their soul powers sweeping the landscape. Not even the Green Lotus Core Flame, hidden deep underground, could evade such scrutiny.
Soon, Xiao Yan detected a faint but distinct fiery aura emanating from below.
Stretching out his hand, he conjured a massive, glowing palm in the sky. Under Qing Lin's astonished gaze, the hand swept across the desert, scattering the endless yellow sand effortlessly.
Within moments, the sand had been cleared to reveal a pitch black cave entrance, radiating faint heat.
"Found it," Xiao Yan muttered, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/LightKira10