Qing Lin felt as if her heart was being gripped by a hand, ready to be crushed at any moment.
Clearly, before Young Master Xiao Ting came to Rock Desert City, he had written in his Journal that he wanted to take her as his personal maid.
But now that they had met, he suddenly didn't want to take her away. Was it because he was disappointed after seeing her in person and now looked down on her!?
Qing Lin, who was sensitive and prone to overthinking due to her constant anxiety over gains and losses, immediately fell into a dead end in her thoughts.
She never considered that she was the owner of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Even from a purely benefits perspective, Xiao Ting would never despise her.
"You should follow Xun Er from now on." Xiao Ting had no idea that Qing Lin had thought so much in that instant. He simply hoped she could have a better future.
"Follow Miss Xun Er?" Qing Lin clenched her small hands tightly, as if grasping hope once more.
"Mhm." Xiao Ting looked at her with gentle eyes, carrying a hint of pity. "I don't need a personal maid, and in the future I will be roaming the Battle Qi Continent. It would be inconvenient for a girl to follow me. Once we return to the Xiao family, you can follow Xun Er."
"If that's the case, then follow me." Xun Er smiled and nodded. Her tone clearly showed she was giving Xiao Ting face.
In reality, she was already roaring in the Journal copy via private message.
…
[Xun Er]: Qing Lin, quickly agree!
[Xun Er]: First become my personal maid and leave with us. We'll talk about the rest later.
…
Xun Er could tell that Qing Lin still wanted to fight for it.
But doing so would appear too obsessive and might make Xiao Ting notice something was wrong.
Moreover, Xiao Ting always acted with clear principles. Since he had decided to let Qing Lin follow her, he must have his own considerations.
No matter the reason, agreeing first was the best choice.
"Yes, Qing Lin accepts the order!" Qing Lin was not stupid. After receiving Xun Er's reminder, she immediately reacted. A smile bloomed on her angelically delicate face.
This way, she could legitimately appear by Young Master Xiao Ting's side.
As for her identity being Xun Er's maid, that was not a problem at all.
When Xun Er married Xiao Ting, she would simply be part of the dowry.
After this small interlude, the four of them discussed their plan to visit Desert City the next day and returned together to the Manly Steel Mercenary's base.
"As long as Qing Lin is willing, Big Brother and I have no objections."
Hearing Xiao Ting ask for Qing Lin to become Xun Er's personal maid, Xiao Li agreed readily.
If Xiao Ting had asked for her for himself, he might have hesitated slightly.
It wasn't that he was reluctant, but he feared displeasing Xun Er, who would then lecture him.
When they were children, Xiao Ting and Xiao Yan had been bullied badly by Xun Er. As the second brother, he had tried to stand up for them and ended up suffering for it.
…
"You being my personal maid for now is quite good." Back in her own guest room, Xun Er sat with her hands folded neatly on her lap and gestured for Qing Lin to sit. "You know my identity. Later, we can casually come up with a reason to give your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils a proper background.
"At latest three years from now, I will definitely return to the Ancient Clan. At that time, I can use the excuse that Big Brother Xiao Ting needs someone to take care of him to leave you behind."
"Thank you, Sister Xun Er." Qing Lin nodded obediently, her large eyes full of gratitude.
This was wonderful. She could follow someone who genuinely did not despise her.
"No need to be polite. We are on the same side." Xun Er smiled gently. "First, tell me about your past so I can help you better in the future."
The two girls began chatting casually. They didn't seem like master and servant who had just met today, but rather like close girlfriends who had known each other for a long time.
Only when the Journal prompted new content did the two girls stop and focus on it.
…
[Today we arrived at Rock Desert City, Manly Steel Mercenary...]
[Big Brother, Second Brother still...]
[I suggested taking a stroll inside Rock Desert City and asked Second Brother to arrange a guide for me.]
[Xun Er said she wanted to choose herself and finally selected five maids. One of them happened to be Qing Lin, so I went with the flow and chose her as our guide.]
…
"Happened to be?"
All the girls who possessed copies shook their heads in unison.
It was clearly premeditated, and she had been waiting for you to choose her.
…
[After a day of sightseeing, Qing Lin proactively expressed that she wanted to follow me.]
[The seriousness in her eyes, that feeling of desperately grabbing onto a life-saving straw, shook me deeply.]
[The Jia Ma Empire and the Chu Yun Empire are mortal enemies. As a result, people of the Jia Ma Empire hate poison masters from the Chu Yun Empire the most. This indirectly caused the Little Fairy Doctor's tragic childhood. If she had been born in the Chu Yun Empire, the situation would have been completely different.]
[The Snake-People race is spread across the Battle Qi Continent. The snake-people tribe in the Tager Desert, ruled by Queen Medusa, originated from the Sky Serpent Empire. Their single tribe's strength can rival any empire, but they are surrounded by the Jia Ma Empire, Mulan Empire, and Luo Yan Empire. They can only thrive in the extremely hostile desert environment.]
[The Snake-People dream of leaving the Tager Desert. After Queen Medusa broke through to Dou Ancestor and joined the Yan Alliancee founded by Brother Yan, contributing to the destruction of the Misty Cloud Sect, the snake-people successfully obtained a new territory near the Magic Beast Mountain Range.]
[The Snake-People and humans then began a relatively peaceful coexistence.]
…
"This Queen indeed succeeded." Queen Medusa's lips curved slightly.
The fate of eight snake-people tribes and tens of millions of citizens rested on her shoulders.
She carried the heavy burden of revitalizing her race and had never dared to slack off. Her cold arrogance was her armor.
Fortunately, she had ultimately succeeded.
…
Unlike Medusa, Yun Yun's current mood was far from beautiful.
Xiao Ting had mentioned the Misty Cloud Sect's fate several times but never explained how it had come to that point.
….
[Yun Yun]: Xun Er, Little Fairy Doctor, if you have time, please subtly ask for me. I want to know why the Misty Cloud Sect and the Xiao family became mortal enemies so I can prescribe the right medicine.
[Xun Er]: When there's a suitable opportunity, I'll ask. Don't worry.
[Little Fairy Doctor]: Sister Yun Yun doesn't need to worry. As long as you, the Sect Leader, firmly stand on Xiao Ting's side, the Misty Cloud Sect will at most pay some price. It won't be a death sentence.
[Yun Yun]: Thank you, I feel comforted.
[Medusa]: Hmph. If you're really worried, just use the fake name Yun Zhi and become Xiao Ting's maid. For your sake, he might forgive the Misty Cloud Sect.
[Yun Yun]: ...
[Qing Lin]: ???
…
If the Journal wasn't still updating, she would have argued with her.
…
[Although they can coexist peacefully in the future, the relationship between the Jia Ma Empire and the Snake-People is currently not good.]
[Queen Medusa's fierce reputation intimidates all surrounding humans. Many strong experts kidnap snake-women for ranking, while snake-people also abduct human women.]
[Rock Desert City is a frontline region. The people here harbor even deeper hatred toward the Snake-People. Qing Lin, as a half-breed of both races, naturally did not have an easy life growing up here.]
[Regarding this hardship, I only understood it through a few lines of text in the novel and didn't feel it deeply.]
[After strolling through Rock Desert City today, I gained the most real and profound understanding.]
[The ubiquitous white eyes and disgust, the curses and mockery behind her back.]
[And this was while I was present. If Qing Lin were alone, it's hard to imagine how bad her situation would be.]
[The cruel tip of the iceberg of racial conflict was deeply felt at this moment. This is also the "scenery" I, as a world observer, must record.]
…
Traveling everywhere, observing people, events, and all things, and recording them in the Journal.
Xiao Ting firmly remembered his identity.
…