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**
In the distance, under the glow of the setting sun, the silhouette of a massive city was dyed crimson.
Lin Feng wiped away the sand that had been blown onto his sweat-covered skin by the wind.
The bitterness on his face eased slightly, revealing a faint smile.
Since he had never been to the desert before and it was inconvenient to use Dou Qi Gauze along the way, traveling through the desert over the past few days had been quite uncomfortable for him.
However, aside from a few magical beast attacks during the journey, he was fortunate that the merchant caravan did not turn into bandits and attempt to rob him.
Looking at the nearby Rock Desert City, Lin Feng finally let out a sigh of relief.
The other members of the caravan also had growing smiles on their faces.
Throughout the journey, they had been constantly on guard, both physically and mentally exhausted.
Now that they had arrived at Rock Desert City, it meant they could finally rest and recover from the fatigue of these past few days.
With anticipation, the caravan slowly made its way to the city gates and then surged inside.
Upon entering the city, Lin Feng paid the remaining balance for his passage, bid farewell to the caravan members, and began wandering leisurely through the streets.
As he explored, he noticed that compared to the cities within the empire, those within the desert felt simpler and more solid.
Perhaps due to its proximity to the Tagore Desert, the city's defenses were also much stricter than those within the empire.
Armed soldiers patrolled the streets everywhere, their presence reinforcing the city's sense of security.
Suddenly—
"Ah!"
At a street corner, a girl around twelve or thirteen years old darted out unexpectedly.
Lin Feng had noticed her in advance and stopped walking immediately, but the girl clearly lacked the same awareness.
While running, she crashed headfirst into his stomach and was instantly bounced back, falling to the ground with a yelp of pain.
The cloth bag she had been holding in her small hands was flung into the air, and its contents scattered across the ground.
"Little girl, are you okay?"
Seeing the girl fall, Lin Feng quickly took a few steps forward, bent down, and gently helped her up while asking softly.
"I'm… I'm fine."
The girl seemed a little afraid that Lin Feng would be angry. She glanced up at him cautiously.
Noticing that he had no intention of reprimanding her, she let out a deep sigh of relief.
However, when she turned to look at the scattered food on the ground, her delicate little face instantly crumpled like a bitter melon.
"Oh no! That was my only meal for today!"
She cried out in panic and quickly ran over to the fallen food.
Even though she knew that the food had undoubtedly been contaminated by dust, she still clung to a sliver of hope.
She picked up a piece and examined it closely.
A moment later, her emerald-green eyes dimmed completely, and her small body trembled as her legs gave out, causing her to sit back down on the ground.
"Uh…"
Seeing this, Lin Feng scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to do.
If it were an adult, he could handle the situation much more easily. But when faced with a crying child, he was completely at a loss.
He glanced at the girl's slightly tattered clothing.
It was no different from what he had worn before he advanced to Dou Zhe, so she was clearly living in poverty.
Now that she had lost her only meal for the day, would she have to go to bed hungry tonight?
Thinking of this, Lin Feng crouched down in front of the girl, then reached into his clothes and pulled out a small pouch of gold coins.
He took her tiny hand, placed the pouch in her palm, and smiled gently.
"Take this and buy another meal."
The weight of the pouch stunned the girl, making her mind buzz.
The amount of gold in this bag… she doubted she was worth that much even if someone tried to sell her!
But as she thought about her lost food, she hesitated before taking out a single gold coin.
After a moment of internal struggle, she reluctantly extended her arm, returning the rest.
"Big brother, my food… one gold coin is already more than enough."
She sniffled, speaking in a small, timid voice.
Lin Feng was slightly surprised by her reaction.
He hadn't expected her to return the excess gold.
If it had been him in her place, he probably would have run off with the entire bag without hesitation.
Lin Feng suddenly thought of something—this girl lived in Rock Desert City, which meant she was likely very familiar with the area.
Since he was here to find Qing Lin, having a local guide would make things much easier.
With that in mind, he reached out and gently ruffled the girl's hair, smiling.
"Little sister, what's your name? How about this—you help me with something, and this bag of gold coins will be your reward. How does that sound?"
Hearing this, the girl looked Lin Feng up and down before responding, "My name is Qing Lin. But if you want to hire me, at least let me have a full meal first."
"You're called Qing Lin?!"
Lin Feng's eyes instantly lit up, locking onto the girl with an intense gaze.
"Y-yes… but, big brother, I… I didn't do it on purpose…"
Seeing his reaction, Qing Lin's heart tightened with fear. She thought Lin Feng had discovered her Snake-People bloodline.
Terrified, she immediately dropped the gold coins, instinctively wrapping her small arms around her head and curling up, preparing for the inevitable beating.
However, this movement exposed the blue-green snake scales on her arms.
Seeing this, Lin Feng immediately confirmed—the girl in front of him was indeed Qing Lin.
"Heh, I just think your name sounds nice."
The punches she expected never came. Instead, a warm and gentle voice rang in her ears.
Qing Lin hesitantly peeked up and saw Lin Feng smiling at her.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her snake scales were exposed. Her delicate face instantly turned pale again.
"S-sorry… I didn't mean to scare you…"
She quickly withdrew her arm, burying her head between her knees.
Her small body trembled slightly, and her weak voice carried a trace of pleading.
Looking at her fearful appearance, Lin Feng sighed inwardly.
He couldn't imagine what she had gone through to survive all these years.
Gently, he pulled her arm out from her curled-up posture. As Qing Lin's face filled with terror, he carefully lifted her sleeve.
Seeing the blue-green snake scales, Lin Feng softly murmured, "These scales are beautiful."
Qing Lin froze at his words.
Since birth, Lin Feng was the first person to ever call these scales—scales that even she feared—beautiful.
A strange, unfamiliar warmth quietly spread in her fragile, scarred heart.
Her emerald-green eyes, holding a hint of mysterious allure, looked up at him timidly.
"Big brother… aren't you afraid?"
Lin Feng gazed deeply into Qing Lin's clear, watery green eyes.
After observing for a moment, he finally noticed—deep within her pupils—three tiny emerald-green dots hidden inside.
Fixing his stare on those slightly bewitching green pupils, Lin Feng suddenly felt his mind waver slightly.
In that instant, his heart trembled, and he quickly snapped back to reality.
A look of amazement flickered across his face.
The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils truly deserve their reputation as the continent's most mysterious eyes. Even with my soul power, I was momentarily dazed…
Looking at Qing Lin's delicate, adorable face, he reached out and ruffled her hair again.
With a gentle smile, he said, "They really are beautiful. If I were afraid, I wouldn't still be here talking to you, would I?"
He wasn't lying to Qing Lin.
After all, he had never been involved in the war between humans and the Snake-People, so he held no deep-seated hatred toward them.
Moreover, he didn't feel any particular loyalty to the Jia Ma Empire.
And besides… in his previous life, he had seen plenty of similar scenarios in various entertainment works.
More than fear, he felt curiosity.
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