Battle Through the Heavens: A Dragon at the Start

Chapter 10 Azure Scales [2-in-1]

After reaching an agreement with Hai Bodong, Qi Lie originally intended to go directly to Shimo City. However, after leaving Hai Bodong's shop, he remembered that Hai Bodong was sealed and his strength was at the Dou Ling stage. He could not use his Dou Qi Wings and therefore could not fly!

First of all, Qi Lie would never carry Hai Bodong like he carried Zi Yan! But Qi Lie didn’t want to waste time in the desert, so he came up with a good idea: he would let Hai Bodong stay in Mo City and wait for him until he found Qing Lin, and then he would come back to find Hai Bodong.

Hai Bodong never expected that he would become a burden, but now he can only accept reality and stay in Mocheng for the time being to wait for Qi Lie.

Zi Yan was also left in Mo City to be with Hai Bodong.

Qi Lie traveled on his own at an extremely fast pace, crossing a desert in just half a day and arriving at Stone Desert City.

As he entered the city's distinctive desert architecture, Qi Lie scanned the surroundings and then casually stopped a passerby.

Which mercenary group is the strongest in Stone Desert City?

"Uh..." Although the passerby didn't recognize Qi Lie, he did recognize the gold coins in Qi Lie's hand, and immediately said obsequiously, "Sir, the strongest mercenary group in Stone Desert City is the Sand Mercenary Group, and its leader, Rob, is said to have recently been promoted to Great Battle Master..."

"Where is it?"

"Sir, if you follow this road forward, you will reach the Sand Mercenary Group's base in about 800 meters."

Qi Lie casually tossed a bag of gold coins to a passerby and headed in the direction the man pointed.

The Sand Mercenary Group has become the strongest mercenary group in Stone Desert City because its leader has just been promoted to Great Battle Master.

Qi Lie walked to the gate of the Sand Mercenary Group's base. Without even saying a word, he released a slight pressure, and a guard respectfully came over to inquire.

"What brings you here, sir?"

Qi Lie glanced at the guard indifferently and said, "Take me to see your commander."

"yes!"

No need to announce your arrival, just go in.

Soon, Qi Lie met Rob, the leader of the Sand Mercenary Group, in the living room.

"May I ask what brings you to my Sand Mercenary Group?" Rob was a Great Battle Master, and his attitude was already quite polite before he had ascertained Qi Lie's strength.

Qi Lie waved his hand and said calmly, "There's something I'd like to ask the Sand Mercenary Group for help with. I wonder if Commander Rob would be willing to lend a hand?"

"What brings you here, sir? Our Sand Mercenary Group is willing to lend a hand!" Rob readily agreed.

"Help me find someone, a seven or eight-year-old girl named Qinglin, who is a human-snake hybrid with some blue snake scales on her wrists."

Qi Lie waved his hand, and a jade bottle flew towards Luo Bu.

"Here is a Grade 3 Qi-restoring Pill. It's a deposit, and there will be a generous reward after we find the person."

Rob took the jade bottle, his face beaming with uncontrollable joy. He immediately declared, "Rest assured, my lord, the Sand Mercenary Group will do everything in its power to find this girl for you."

"Remember, you are not allowed to be violent towards her. If anything happens to her, the Sand Mercenary Group will cease to exist."

As he finished speaking, Qi Lie's tone turned icy, and a chilling killing intent emanated from his body. At the same time, a pair of fiery red battle aura wings slowly appeared behind him, and the temperature in the living room suddenly rose a notch!

"A...a Battle King?!" Rob's face paled in shock, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He stammered, "M-My lord, rest assured, I will definitely find this Qinglin girl for you!"

Qi Lie retracted his battle aura wings and said calmly, "I'll wait here. I'll give you two days."

"Yes, sir!"

Rob responded respectfully, then hurriedly left the hall. After quickly instructing people to entertain Qi Lie, he began to gather all his men to search for Qing Lin throughout the city!

The entire Sand Mercenary Group was mobilized, with hundreds of people frantically searching the city for the seven or eight-year-old human-snake hybrid girl named Qinglin.

Mercenary groups are a very special kind of existence. They are neither like sects with a foundation and inheritance, nor like families with blood ties and sufficient cohesion. The existence of mercenary groups is simply that a group of people who lick blood off the edge of a knife gather together to make a living, nothing more.

However, it is precisely because of their low strength and struggle to survive at the bottom of the continent that they must know their place of survival like the back of their hand.

This kind of understanding is not about the powerful controlling the overall situation, but rather about the people at the bottom knowing each other inside and out. Only by having a thorough understanding of each other's situations can one know who can be offended and who cannot be offended!

As it turned out, Qi Lie had found the right person. In less than four hours, Luo Bu brought a thin and frail little girl to Qi Lie and briefly explained Qing Lin's situation.

Orphaned and homeless, he relied on the charity of his neighbors and odd jobs to make a living.

The little girl was wearing tattered clothes, with a piece of her sleeve missing. She stood helplessly beside Rob, clutching the hem of her clothes with her small hands. Her eyes were filled with confusion, helplessness, inferiority, and timidity. She moved her feet slightly, as if she wanted to lean back a little, but there was no wall behind her, nor a corner where she could curl up.

With just one glance, Qi Lie could see the blue scales protruding from Qing Lin's wrist. He looked at the helpless Qing Lin and wanted to say a few words of comfort, but as he took a few steps forward, Qing Lin quickly retreated a little, looking at him and Luo Bu in fear.

Qi Lie's face darkened as he looked at Luo Bu and said coldly, "You resorted to violence?"

Rob's legs went weak, and he almost couldn't stand. He quickly said, "Sir, absolutely not! When we found this Qinglin girl, there were several other children..."

"explain!"

"Those kids are bullying her, mocking her...abnormality."

No wonder the sleeve is missing a section!

Qi Lie stared at Luo Bu, his voice icy as he said, "Tell me, how should we deal with this kind of person?"

Rob was sweating profusely. He said nervously, "Sir, I'll handle it. This kind of bully shouldn't get away with this!"

Qi Lie slowly withdrew his gaze, turned to Qing Lin, and slowly squatted down, saying softly, "Don't be afraid, what's your name?"

As Qi Lie spoke, he noticed that the little girl's eyes were slightly greenish, and that there seemed to be three extremely tiny emerald green dots hidden deep in her pupils.

The little girl gritted her teeth, hesitated for a moment, and then timidly whispered, "My name is Qinglin."

"Tell me, did they mistreat you when they brought you here?"

As Qi Lie spoke, he pointed at Luo Bu.

Rob felt a chill run down his spine; his fate rested entirely on the little girl's words!

Qinglin raised her head to look at Luo Bu and slowly shook her head.

"Phew..." Rob breathed a long sigh of relief. He knew he had passed this hurdle.

"Commander Luo Bu, go and deal with those thugs, then come back to me for your reward," Qi Lie said calmly without looking up.

"Yes, sir!"

Rob slowly left the room, leaving only Qi Lie and Qing Lin.

Qi Lie looked at the dirty little girl and said softly, "Qinglin, my name is Qi Lie. From now on, you will stay with me, and no one will bully you anymore."

After Qi Lie finished speaking, he raised his hand and gently rubbed Qing Lin's dirty little face.

Qinglin stood there, stunned, forgetting to dodge, or perhaps too afraid to dodge. However, when that warm hand gently brushed across her cheek, Qinglin's eyes instantly changed...

……

The next morning, a knock came at the door of a room belonging to the Sand Mercenary Group.

"Knock knock knock!"

A moment later, sounds came from inside the room.

"Come in."

Inside the room, Qi Lie, dressed in black, sat cross-legged on the bed with his eyes slightly closed, clearly having replaced sleep with cultivation the previous night.

Hearing the door being pushed open, Qi Lie slowly opened his eyes and saw a small figure enter the room, carrying a basin of hot water and a towel. Who else could it be but Qing Lin?

As arranged by Luo Bu, Qing Lin had already cleaned up and changed her clothes. Her lovely, delicate oval face resembled that of a beautiful porcelain doll. She wore a light green, elegant long dress, and her petite figure made her look pitiful.

"Young master, shall Qinglin help you with your washing?" The lovely girl stood nervously by the bed, gently placing the basin of water on the wooden shelf outside the bed, and whispered.

"Who told you to do this?" Qi Lie asked, frowning, without moving.

"It's...it's Qinglin who wanted to do something..." the cute girl said timidly.

Qi Lie frowned slightly. With such a top-notch talent as the Azure Serpent Three-Flower Pupil, the most important thing is to seize the time to cultivate. Naturally, he cannot waste time on such trivial matters. Even if the Azure Serpent Three-Flower Pupil has not yet been activated, he can first cultivate the Battle Qi stage. If all else fails, he can also learn theoretical knowledge! How can he waste time like this?

"Let it go. You don't need to do these things anymore. You have other more important things to do."

"Yes, yes, young master," Qinglin replied weakly.

Qi Lie moved swiftly, stepping off the bed and standing in front of Qing Lin. He slowly knelt down, looking at the timid Qing Lin with a gentle smile on his face.

"Qinglin, don't be afraid. From now on, I am your family. No one will be able to bully you anymore. From now on, you don't need to call me young master, just call me brother."

Qi Lie's voice was gentler than ever before. He was naturally generous with something that cost nothing. He knew that Qing Lin needed care and protection. He only needed to give her a little tenderness, and she would remember it for the rest of her life.

"Oh." Qinglin lowered her head and responded softly, then fell silent again.

"Say something to me." Qi Lie gently lifted Qing Lin's little head, making her look at him, and said softly.

Looking at Qi Lie's gentle and caring manner, Qing Lin's eyes gradually reddened. Her lips moved slightly, but she was still somewhat timid and dared not speak. Finally, encouraged by Qi Lie's gaze, she whispered, "Brother."

"Why!"

Qi Lie smiled and responded, but tears were already streaming down Qing Lin's cute little face. Qi Lie hugged Qing Lin and gently patted her back.

Qinglin sobbed softly. She didn't know why this brother was so good to her, but the emotion she felt was very real. A ray of light had finally appeared in her dark life!

Feeling Qi Lie's warm embrace, Qing Lin gradually stopped sobbing and slowly fell asleep in Qi Lie's arms.

Qi Lie used his soul power to shield Qing Lin's senses, keeping her asleep. He then carried the girl's petite body to the bed and carefully covered her with a blanket.

After doing all this, Qi Lie stood by the bed, quietly watching Qing Lin sleeping peacefully, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Azure Serpent Three-Flower Pupil, take it!"

……

On the bed, Qinglin slowly opened her eyes, and a gentle, smiling face came into view.

"Young master..."

Qinglin glanced around and suddenly recognized that this was Qi Lie's room. Her small face immediately showed panic. How could she be lying on the young master's bed!

In a panic, Qinglin braced herself with both hands and tried to get up to apologize.

"I'm sorry, young master, Qinglin has defiled you..."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Qi Lie frowned slightly, raised his hand to press Qing Lin down, and said in a deep voice, "Forgot? What did you call me?"

Qinglin was pinned down and unable to move. Her pale green eyes stared at Qi Lie, her inferiority complex reaching its peak. But seeing Qi Lie's furrowed brows, a sliver of courage began to rise within her. After a moment, she weakly said, "Brother...brother..."

Qi Lie then revealed a warm smile again. He gently pinched Qing Lin's cute cheek and said with a smile, "Good Qing Lin, get up and get ready. We're going to Mo City. I'll introduce you to a big sister."

Qinglin whispered, "Oh, okay."

Qi Lie corrected him, "From now on, you must include a form of address in every sentence!"

"Okay, brother."

Qi Lie nodded in satisfaction. Qing Lin was still young and had great potential. Given time, he would definitely become his right-hand man!

Half an hour later, Qi Lie left the Sand Mercenary Group and Stone Desert City with Qing Lin.

Outside Stone Desert City, at the same landing point where Qi Lie had arrived, Qi Lie appeared here with Qing Lin.

"Qinglin." Qi Lie crouched down, looked at Qinglin, and said softly, "How about I show you what it feels like to fly?"

Qinglin nodded vigorously and replied in her childish voice, "Qinglin will listen to Brother Qilie."

She didn't know how people could fly, but Qi Lie said they could, so they could fly!

"good!"

Qi Lie gently rubbed Qing Lin's head, then hugged her tightly. As Qi Lie stood up, a pair of fiery red battle aura wings appeared behind him. Qing Lin's face was filled with shock; this was something she had never seen or even heard of before.

With a gentle flap of their fiery red wings, the two suddenly soared into the sky, flying towards Mo City, leaving only a faint trail in the air.

……

Mocheng, Gutu Shop.

Hai Bodong was still drawing a map, while Zi Yan sat idly in a chair in the corner of the shop, lost in thought. When the tightly closed shop door was pushed open, Hai Bodong and Zi Yan looked up at the same time.

Qi Lie, dressed in all black, led a little girl in green into the shop.

"Brother Qi, you're finally back!"

Zi Yan suddenly jumped off the chair and flashed in front of Qi Lie, about to throw herself into his arms. However, when she saw the little girl Qi Lie was holding, she stopped abruptly. A sense of crisis instantly rose in her heart. Zi Yan's small eyebrows furrowed slightly, her fair little finger pointed at Qing Lin, and she stared at Qi Lie with her big eyes, asking, "Who is she?"

Qi Lie raised his hand and tapped Zi Yan on the head, saying, "Her name is Qing Lin. I brought her back from Shimo City. She's a pitiful child. You two should get along well from now on."

After Qi Lie finished speaking, he said to Qing Lin, "Qing Lin, this is Zi Yan. You can call her 'elder sister'."

However, Zi Yan did not pretend to be in pain while clutching her head as usual. She looked at Qing Lin with her bright eyes full of vigilance, and even a hint of warning.

Qinglin shrank back a little in fear, but feeling the solidity and warmth of Qi Lie's hand, she felt a little more confident. She nodded to Ziyan and said softly, "Hello, Sister Ziyan!"

Zi Yan seemed not to hear her. She watched Qi Lie leading Qing Lin, growing angrier with each glance. Suddenly, she coldly said, "Let go! Brother Qi is mine!"

Qinglin was so frightened that she took a step back and hid behind Qi Lie. Her delicate little face was full of fear, and she was almost crying.

Qi Lie looked at Zi Yan's protective expression and felt somewhat helpless. He could guess what was going on. This girl had been following him since she woke up and had developed a psychological dependence on him. This dependence had even evolved into a possessiveness.

Qi Lie glanced at Hai Bodong, who was watching the show from the side, and then turned to Qing Lin and said, "Qing Lin, be good, go over there and play with Elder Hai."

Hai Bodong tactfully walked over, a smile on his face, and led the frightened Qinglin aside.

Qi Lie turned around, then squatted down to look at Zi Yan, smiling as he reached out and ruffled her head, making her long, smooth, light purple hair a little messy.

Zi Yan pouted angrily and shook her head, but she couldn't break free.

"Little one, are you angry?"

Seeing that Zi Yan still didn't speak, Qi Lie glanced at Hai Bodong, who was still watching the show, and Qing Lin, who was feeling inferior, then picked up Zi Yan and went outside.

Hai Bodong saw the door close automatically, looked away, glanced down at the little girl beside him, opened his mouth, but ultimately gave up on the idea of ​​coaxing the child.

Ten minutes later, the door was pushed open, and Qi Lie led Zi Yan in. The dissatisfaction on Zi Yan's face had disappeared, and her gaze towards Qing Lin had softened considerably.

Qi Lie led Zi Yan to Hai Bodong and Qing Lin. Zi Yan looked at Qing Lin and said, "My name is Zi Yan. From now on, call me sister. Remember that?"

Qinglin shrank back slightly. When she heard Ziyan speak, she looked up at Qi Lie. Seeing Qi Lie nod with a smile, she looked at Ziyan again and said softly, "Okay, Sister Ziyan."

Zi Yan raised her hand, and Qing Lin immediately stepped back a little, but she still couldn't dodge it. Qing Lin could only watch helplessly as Zi Yan's hand reached up to the top of her head, and then... rubbed it.

"From now on, I'll protect you!"

Zi Yan said domineeringly, while a realization popped into her mind.

I never knew rubbing your head felt so good!