Not only that, but Qing Lin also felt a bit worried.
This kind young man might have just arrived in Stone Desert City and didn't know her identity. Once he found out, would he also start to dislike her, like those others?
She kept her sleeves tightly gripped, not wanting him to see the scales on her arms.
She was very afraid that this kind young man would look at her with a look of disgust, and if that happened, she would be very heartbroken.
Xiao Bai noticed the nervous look in her eyes, and how she had been gripping her sleeves tightly since sitting down.
"Can I see your scales?" Xiao Bai asked in a gentle voice.
Upon hearing this, Qing Lin's cute face immediately turned pale, and she carefully took two steps away from Xiao Bai, instinctively squatting down, hugging her knees, and burying her head. Her small body trembled slightly.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to deceive you!" she said with a slight cry in her voice. She hated herself for being so careless.
Her heart was filled with sadness. This young man would definitely look at her with the same disgusted eyes as the others, and she felt a sense of despair.
Xiao Bai felt a headache coming on. This little girl was just too sensitive. Seeing her timid demeanor, he couldn't help but sigh, stood up, and slowly walked over to her, squatting down in front of her.
"Don't be afraid. Let me see, okay?" Xiao Bai gently patted her head and spoke softly.
Qing Lin, hearing this, lifted her head cautiously, half in expectation and half in fear. When she saw his eyes filled with warmth, she let out a small sigh of relief.
She felt a little happy. The young man didn't dislike her, and when he took her hand, she didn't resist.
Xiao Bai gently lifted the sleeve that had been tightly clenched, revealing a hint of green. Qing Lin's white wrist had some faint green snake scales growing on it. When he touched them, he could feel some texture.
"What beautiful scales!"
Qing Lin was momentarily stunned. This was the first time someone had complimented the scales she hated and feared so much.
Her small, fragile heart, already scarred by so much, stirred with some strange feelings. Her eyes, once dull, seemed to shine a little.
As Xiao Bai was looking at the scales, his soul suddenly sensed something unusual. Following this sensation, he looked into her eyes.
Her eyes had a slight green tint, and deep within her pupils, there seemed to be three extremely tiny green dots, faintly glowing.
Xiao Bai recognized these as the ⟨Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils⟩. His soul didn't feel any confusion, but he did sense a light touch on his soul, though it was too weak to cause any harm.
It was as if someone had tugged on his robes. He could feel it, but it couldn't harm him.
Just as Xiao Bai became interested and was about to investigate this so-called "Number One Pupil in the Dou Qi Continent," the three small dots slowly faded, and the strange sensation in his soul gradually disappeared.
Seeing this, Xiao Bai didn't mind. The power of these eyes was still too weak. If he forced himself to probe further, it might harm Qing Lin. It would be better to wait until she grew stronger to study them. There was plenty of time!
"Aren't you afraid, Young Master? Everyone says I'm cursed!" Qing Lin asked cautiously in a soft voice.
In the past, whenever people saw the scales on her arms, they would look at her with disgust and a hint of fear, calling her an ominous curse.
Even when they beat her, they didn't dare take her life, afraid the curse might transfer to them.
Xiao Bai rolled his eyes inwardly. He hadn't expected superstition to exist in a fantasy world. Qing Lin's survival might be due to her unique constitution or simply a matter of probability. There was no such thing as a curse.
Moreover, Xiao Bai had read the original story and hadn't come across anything about curses in the Dou Qi Continent. Such things were quite high-level, after all.
The most advanced curses almost touched upon the laws of cause and effect and fate. How could a lower plane like the Dou Qi Continent have something like that?
"Are you afraid of the scales on your hand, or are you afraid of that so-called curse?"
"If it's the scales, I'm not even afraid of snake-type magical beasts, let alone a few scales like yours."
"If it's the curse, don't listen to their nonsense. There's no such thing as a curse. They're just a bunch of ignorant people!"
Xiao Bai ruffled her little head and spoke with a hint of exasperation.
"Have you thought about leaving this place?" Xiao Bai asked, looking at the little girl who had begun to relax.
"Leave? Go where?" Qing Lin looked confused. In her young mind, this place was the most familiar to her, the world she lived in. As for the outside world, no one had ever told her about it.
Occasionally, she heard people say that to go elsewhere, one had to cross the desert. That wasn't something a weakling like her could even think about. So, even though she was constantly bullied here, she had never considered leaving.
"Come with me. Are you afraid?" Xiao Bai looked at her gently.
"No!" The little girl shook her head, then lowered her head in self-doubt, twisting her fingers and murmuring softly:
"But... but Qing Lin doesn't know how to do anything. I only know how to clean rooms, wash clothes, and cook."
Xiao Bai smiled and looked at the adorable little girl in front of him, nodding seriously:
"That's enough, that's enough. Look, I don't know how to clean rooms, wash clothes, or cook. Qing Lin is already very capable and can definitely help me!"
"Really?" The little girl looked up, her innocent eyes filled with delight.
"Really. From now on, Qing Lin will be my little maid, my only one. How about that?" Xiao Bai gently pinched her little cheek and smiled.
"Okay!" Qing Lin, seeing his affectionate gesture, squinted her big eyes into crescent moons and nodded heavily.
Hai Bodong, standing to the side, was speechless. He didn't understand why Xiao Bai was being so kind to this little girl he had just met.
With Xiao Bai's talent and cultivation, finding a maid shouldn't be this difficult. Even if he wanted a legitimate daughter from the Miteer Family as his maid, Hai Bodong would have been more than willing. Yet, Xiao Bai was spending so much effort on this little girl, which left Hai Bodong rather puzzled.
If Xiao Bai knew what Hai Bo Dong was thinking, he would have scoffed. Who in the Mittel family could possibly compare to her?
This girl was a natural-born beast tamer of the Dou Qi Continent. Although she could only control snake-type magical beasts, she had her own beast-taming space!
The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils naturally formed a space that could store magical beasts.
Moreover, this constitution was quite domineering. It could forcibly absorb magical beasts to enhance her own cultivation, allowing her strength to grow rapidly.
Even Xiao Bai was envious. He wished he had such a space—not for the cultivation boost, but for the ability to summon a group beatdown during fights. While others fought alone, he could sit back, sipping tea, waiting for his enemies to be dealt with. How delightful!
Thinking of this, Xiao Bai stroked his chin. Should he also get himself a pet to play with?
That Lion from the Magical Beast Mountain Range?
No, its potential was too low, and it wasn't worth much training effort.
He wanted a companion that could grow alongside him, so it wouldn't fall behind and become a burden.
Xiao Bai carefully recalled the original story. It seemed there weren't many suitable magical beasts. If he were to talk about the highest potential, it would undoubtedly be that little dragon girl from Jia Nan Academy.
But Xiao Bai didn't dare treat that girl as a pet! She had a peak Dou Saint father lurking beneath Jia Nan Academy, after all!
After pondering for a while, Xiao Bai narrowed his eyes and couldn't help but glance toward the depths of the Tagor Desert, letting out a sly chuckle.