Chapter 39: Qing Lin
In the western part of the city, at the Mo Iron Mercenary Group headquarters.
"Brothers, these are items Xiao Yan asked me to bring to you." Lu Bu touched his storage ring and placed two bottles of pills on the table: one bottle of three tier Wind Movement Pills and another bottle of three tier Rejuvenation Pills, with five pills in each bottle.
The moment Xiao Ding and Xiao Li saw the pills, their eyes lit up with excitement.
Three tier pills each one was worth nearly ten thousand gold coins. Now, ten of them were sitting right in front of them. All their years as mercenaries hadn't earned them enough to afford treasures like these.
"Brother Lu Bu, you must be joking," Xiao Ding said, suppressing his desire as he pushed the pills back. "You said my third brother is only a one star alchemist. How could he provide three tier pills? These must be yours. Please, keep them."
"I'm not joking," Lu Bu replied with a laugh. "These were refined by his teacher. I don't have the resources to pull off something like this. If you really don't want them, don't blame me for taking them back."
"Ahem… Big Brother, since they're from our third brother, we should accept them," Xiao Li interjected. "Brother Lu went through great lengths to deliver them; it wouldn't be right to refuse."
"Well… alright then. Thank you for your trouble, Brother Lu," Xiao Ding said with a bow, finally putting the items into his storage ring.
Afterward, the Mo Iron Mercenary Group gathered everyone for a celebratory feast. Chickens were slaughtered, cattle butchered, and everyone ate to their heart's content. With ten three tier pills now in their possession, the group was far from lacking funds, and the banquet costs were nothing to worry about.
A drunken Lu Bu waved his hand generously, tossing out several more Energy Boost Pills and Rejuvenation Pills, much to the group's delight. That night, the entire Mo Iron Mercenary Group got thoroughly drunk it was as festive as the Lunar New Year.
The next morning, Lu Bu slowly woke up as Qing Lin carefully wiped his face. Xiao Ding had arranged for her to serve Lu Bu, considering him to be a pampered alchemist in need of special care.
"Ah… Master, you're awake…" Qing Lin squeaked, shrinking back like a startled rabbit when she saw Lu Bu's eyes open, looking at him nervously with no idea what to do.
"It's fine. Keep going," Lu Bu said with a gentle smile. Qing Lin hesitated for a moment before nodding and continuing to wipe the beads of water from his face with a soft cloth.
"Girl, what's your name?" Lu Bu asked softly, his tone so gentle it was as though he feared frightening her.
"I… I'm Qing Lin…" the girl replied timidly. "The leader told me to come serve you as your maid…"
Lu Bu chuckled lightly. Those pills weren't wasted, after all. I finally got what I wanted.
Lu Bu's elaborate efforts had a simple purpose: to avoid causing trouble and ensure that Qing Lin didn't harbor any resentment toward him. He could've forcibly taken her, but he had no way of knowing what she would think of him after that. This was the most foolproof approach.
"Oh… and where's your leader?"
"I… I don't know." Qing Lin hung her head low, like she had done something wrong. "I'm just a maid. I don't have the right to know such things…"
"Ah, I see." Lu Bu patted her head gently. "Don't worry, I'm not upset with you. I was just asking. Don't overthink it."
"Ah… oh… okay…" Qing Lin blushed, nodding shyly.
After Qing Lin finished tidying up, Lu Bu took her along to find Xiao Ding. It was time to start looking for the Heavenly Flame perhaps Xiao Yan was already on his way to the desert.
As they stepped out of the room, many of the mercenaries were already up. Although they had enjoyed an open feast the night before, no one had dared to let down their guard relaxation often meant death in the desert.
When the mercenaries saw Lu Bu, they nodded and smiled in greeting, showing him great respect. However, the moment they noticed Qing Lin following behind him, their expressions turned cold and distant.
Qing Lin followed closely behind Lu Bu, keeping her head down the entire time.
Lu Bu ruffled her hair gently. "Girl, it seems like life hasn't been easy for you here, huh?"
"That's not true…" Qing Lin waved her hands hurriedly, her voice tinged with panic. "The leader and Sister Xue Lan have been very kind to me. They always make sure I'm well fed. They've never hit me, scolded me, or let me go hungry…"
Lu Bu's expression shifted slightly. Hunger… He hadn't experienced that in a long time. Perhaps only when he was very young, back when his family had struggled briefly. But from the memories of this body, hunger was a frequent occurrence sometimes he would go three days without a proper meal.
"How about staying by my side from now on?" Lu Bu said, stroking her head again. "If you follow me, no one will look down on you. No one will dare to hit you or bully you…"
Qing Lin froze, her face conflicted. "Master… the leader… he already… already gave me to you…"
Lu Bu blinked in surprise before his face lit up with joy. "Well, that's perfect!"
"From now on… hmm… just call me 'Young Master.' No need to call me 'Master.' Got it?" Lu Bu said with a grin. Back in the Profound Domain, he was the young master of a noble family, so being addressed this way felt fitting.
"Yes, Young Master," Qing Lin said sweetly, her eyes crinkling with a shy smile.
"Come, I'll take you to our new home," Lu Bu said, holding her hand. After bidding farewell to Xiao Ding, he went into the city and purchased a house.
As they watched Lu Bu and Qing Lin walk off into the distance, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li stood in silence for a moment.
"Big Brother, do you think what he said is true?" Xiao Li asked. They hadn't built a reasonably successful mercenary group in this ruthless desert by relying on luck it was their wits that kept them alive.
"I don't know… Half true, half false, maybe," Xiao Ding replied, shaking his head. "I can't see through his intentions. I don't know what he's after. But one thing is clear he means us no harm."
"And besides… we don't have anything valuable enough for him to covet, and he hasn't taken anything from us. Perhaps he really does have a good relationship with Xiao Yan."
"In the end, we haven't lost anything. Put your mind at ease."
"Yes, Big Brother!"
…
At the Sand Mercenary Group's base, under Hai Bodong's direction, Rob led his men to a flat sandy area southeast of Stone Desert City to start digging.
This strange activity drew the attention of many in the city. However, after observing the mercenaries dig for a while, most people left, finding the whole thing absurd. The Sand Mercenary Group seemed to have chosen a random spot and started digging aimlessly.
After one or two hours of digging, all they found was more sand. The loose, shifting sands quickly filled the holes they dug, making it all seem like a futile effort.
Even Rob himself was growing frustrated. After all the digging, they hadn't found anything, and it was starting to get on his nerves.
"Leader?"
"Keep digging!" Rob barked. "Everyone gets a reward of 100 gold coins for every hour they dig. No one's allowed to stop!"
At this, the mercenaries' eyes lit up. While it wasn't as much as they'd earn on a mission, it was much safer. Their spirits immediately lifted, and the earlier frustration dissipated.
Meanwhile, Rob returned to the base to report to Hai Bodong.
After listening to Rob, Hai Bodong's snowy white eyebrows furrowed deeply. He had drawn the map himself there was no way it could be wrong.
After some thought, Hai Bodong took out the map and a ruler, making precise calculations and markings before heading to the site himself. After inspecting the area, he outlined a smaller search range for the Sand Mercenary Group to focus on.
However, when Rob saw the new area Hai Bodong designated, he was dumbfounded it was even larger than the area they had been digging before.
…
In a two story house in the center of the city, inside a bedroom.
Qing Lin's cheeks were flushed red, her porcelain like skin glowing like a little apple. She held a jade scraper with trembling hands, carefully applying the Burning Blood Elixir to Lu Bu's body.
"Careful, girl. This is a fourth tier pill," Lu Bu teased with a smile.
"Ah!" Qing Lin's hands shook in fright.
"Haha, I'm just messing with you. Don't worry, it's just Burning Blood Elixir. It's not that valuable," Lu Bu said, laughing at her reaction.
"Young Master, you're always scaring me…" Qing Lin murmured softly, pouting a little. However, her hands became steadier, and her shyness lessened.
"How old are you, girl?" Lu Bu asked casually.
"I… I don't know…" Qing Lin sniffled, lowering her head. "I was abandoned as a child. I don't know when I was born…"
Lu Bu fell silent. Her situation reminded him of his own original self, born into servitude and without knowledge of his origins.
"But Sister Xue Lan says I should be about fifteen this year," Qing Lin added. The Sister Xue Lan she mentioned was someone from the Mo Iron Mercenary Group who treated her kindly and left a lasting impression on her.
"Fifteen, huh… Well, at least it's not illegal," Lu Bu muttered to himself, relieved.
"Young Master, what did you say? I didn't hear you clearly," Qing Lin asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Ahaha, it's nothing," Lu Bu replied with an awkward laugh.
At that moment, there was a commotion outside the window, and Hai Bodong climbed in through it.
"Ah!" Qing Lin yelped in surprise and immediately hid behind Lu Bu, frightened by the sight of the unfamiliar man clinging to the window.
"It's okay. He's my… um, bodyguard," Lu Bu said, patting Qing Lin on the head reassuringly.
Hai Bodong's mouth twitched. Bodyguard? Since when did I become that? Still, he let it slide. After all, a disabled Dou Emperor acting as a bodyguard for a sixth tier alchemist wasn't shameful.
"Lu Bu, the search for the Heavenly Flame isn't going well," Hai Bodong said in a serious tone.
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