However, there is one thing the Heavenly Serpent Mansion cannot give her.
That is a sense of belonging.
As a human-snake half-breed, Qing Lin has faced countless discrimination and cold looks since she was young.
This has made her more insecure and cowardly than her peers.
Of course, this could also be called—a Heart Demon.
Therefore, having grown up in human society, Qing Lin yearns even more for the approval of those around her.
She had worked so hard to help Qing Lin step out of the shadows, and then you tell her that Qing Lin was kidnapped?!
Are you kidding me?!
Then what is the point of her being a master?!
Moreover, Qing Lin is only a twelve or thirteen-year-old child now, at an age where her mind is sensitive; if she were really taken to the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, who knows what might happen.
Naturally, it is better for her little disciple to be watched over by her.
As for why she brought up the Hall of Souls, that was for the sake of the Xiao Family.
The Heavenly Serpent Mansion does not rank high on the entire continent, but for the current Xiao Family, and even the entire Northwest Continent, it is a behemoth.
Qing Lin was intercepted at the Mo Tie Mercenary Group. If she does not find a way to distance herself, it would be a huge trouble if the Heavenly Serpent Mansion follows the clues to the Xiao Family to demand her later.
However, if Qing Lin was intercepted by the "Hall of Souls," the Heavenly Serpent Mansion would absolutely not dare to make a peep, nor would they dare to come to the door to demand her.
On the Fighting Qi Continent, weakness is the original sin.
Under the deterrence of Ali's Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire and Spirit Realm Initial Stage Soul Power, Lü Man and Bai Ya could only unwillingly hand Qing Lin over to Xiao Xue.
Xiao Xue took Qing Lin into her arms and used her Soul Power to investigate. Discovering that she had only fainted and hadn't suffered any substantial harm, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, scram."
"Do not let me find out that you have played any tricks, otherwise... you know the consequences."
Lü Man and Bai Ya exchanged a glance, then slunk away from the border of the Jia Ma Empire.
Xiao Xue did not take Qing Lin back directly but took a slight detour before returning to Stone Desert City.
Because Qing Lin was cultivating in her own courtyard, and from the time she was taken by Lü Man to the time Xiao Xue brought her back, not even half an hour had passed.
Therefore, the members of the Mo Tie Mercenary Group didn't even realize that Qing Lin had gone missing.
The ordinary mercenaries simply didn't care about Qing Lin, while Xiao Ding and Xiao Li thought she was still cultivating.
If not for the System's warning, Qing Lin would probably have already been taken out of the Jia Ma Empire by now.
However, no one noticing also saved her the effort of explaining.
Otherwise, if two Dou Huangs were to take Qing Lin away, it would be quite troublesome to explain if she really had to.
Xiao Xue bypassed the members of the mercenary group, took Qing Lin directly back to her room, and then woke her up.
From Qing Lin's perspective, she had just accidentally fallen asleep during her cultivation.
As for the Heavenly Serpent Mansion or some Dou Huang, it didn't matter.
Then, after settling Qing Lin down, Xiao Xue went to look for Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
The next day, a mercenary team of over a hundred people left Stone Desert City and headed towards Gama Emperor City.
The number of people in this team was quite a bit larger compared to when Xiao Xue had left.
Those people had come from other mercenary groups to join, and were kept after being screened by Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
Xiao Xue didn't really care about this; the Xiao Family could afford to support a few mercenaries.
Moreover, they were expected to work; the Mo Tie Mercenary Group did not take in those who just sat around waiting to die.
On the way to the capital, besides cultivating, Xiao Xue spent her time making Soul communication tools.
Although the System would give a prompt when her relatives or friends were in trouble, there were times when she wasn't nearby.
Water from afar cannot quench immediate thirst; if she couldn't arrive in time and something happened, it would be bad.
Saving people at the last second is not something she advocates.
Therefore, Xiao Xue planned to make some Soul communication tools.
Once her Soul Power reached the Late Stage of the Mortal Realm, Xiao Xue was already able to make Soul communication tools; it just consumed a bit more Soul Power.
Making this kind of Soul communication tool follows the same principle as creating a Pill Formula; it requires very strong Soul Power, and generally, only Alchemists would make them.
It is precisely because such things exist that Alchemists are called a hornet's nest.
Once an Alchemist is attacked, they can use this Soul tool to send a Soul communication to others for help.
This thing, in the original work, even Yao Lao used it twice, and the results were quite good.
Xiao Xue made a communication jade token for Qing Lin, her eldest brother, and her second brother, and also made one for several elders of the Xiao Family, Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian, and her Cheap older brother.
In certain special situations, these communication jade tokens might just come in handy.
After several days of travel, Xiao Xue and the members of the Mo Tie Mercenary Group finally arrived at Gama Emperor City.
At this moment, the System notification sound rang in Xiao Xue's ears, as expected:
[Main Quest, Revitalize the Xiao Clan, Phase 2: Return to the Capital, Completed.]
[Rewards have been distributed, please check, host.]
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