Chapter 25: Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils

Ever since Xiao Yan displayed his affection for Qing Lian and her own cultivation talent was revealed, Qing Lian's status had been greatly elevated. Now, she had her own private room within Xiao Yan's courtyard, complete with a living room, guest room, and bathroom.

A cultivation room was also fully equipped. Xiao Yan even permitted Qing Lian to find a personal servant of her own.

This gave Qing Lian quite a fright; she hurriedly said that she was merely a servant herself, so how could she possibly have a servant of her own?

It wasn't just Qing Lian who was startled; even Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, upon hearing the news, both ran over to ask about the situation. Although there were unpleasant rumors in the manor claiming that Qing Lian had attained her current wealth by climbing into Xiao Yan's bed, the two had originally not believed them.

After all, they trusted that their younger brother, no matter how lecherous he might be, would not lay a hand on a child as young as Qing Lian. However, Xiao Yan's inexplicable kindness toward Qing Lian to this extent was a bit excessive. Even the Little Fairy Doctor, who had come out of seclusion to rest, could not help but cast a suspicious gaze.

It was only after Xiao Yan explained that he had discovered Qing Lian might possess a special constitution worth cultivating that Xiao Ding and Xiao Li finally left, reassured.

Although the Little Fairy Doctor suspected that Xiao Yan might be playing a "raising" game—after all, it was clear at a glance that Qing Lian was a budding beauty—she thought to herself that even if it were true, what of it? In the Fighting Energy Continent, a world where one didn't even need to be sentenced for murder, this level of affair really didn't count for much; it didn't even warrant moral condemnation.

Not to mention the Dou Qi Continent, even back on the Blue Star in his past life, how many people who had visited Lolita Island had actually been punished?

Xiao Yan's little matter, at most, would earn him a few curses for being lecherous and shameless, so she stopped dwelling on it.

Xiao Yan felt that the Little Fairy Doctor had likely guessed a portion of his intentions, which made him feel somewhat guilty. However, upon discovering that she hadn't asked anything, he couldn't help but sigh—truly, this was a wicked feudal—ah, no, a cultivation society.

In the main hall of Xiao Yan's courtyard.

"Xiao, Young Master Xiao Yan, is this for me?"

19

Qing Lian looked at the medicinal pill in her hand, somewhat agitated.

"Of course, this was prepared specifically for you," Xiao Yan said with a smile, patting Qing Lian's soft little head.

Qing Lian lowered her head, feeling a bit shy; she was aware of the words the servants were spreading.

"Young Master is truly so good to Qing Lian; Qing Lian doesn't know how to repay you."

Qing Lian, with her head lowered, cast a shy glance at Xiao Yan. Her snake-person bloodline caused her to squirm slightly and unconsciously at this moment, a sight that left Xiao Yan feeling somewhat parched.

Hurriedly suppressing these wicked thoughts, Xiao Yan regained his clear-eyed gaze.

Seeing Xiao Yan's clear eyes, Qing Lian felt a bit dim inside. She knew what kind of person Young Master Xiao Yan was; for him to have no interest in her at this moment must mean she wasn't pretty enough yet.

Although Qing Lian was only thirteen, children in the Fighting Energy Continent were generally precocious, and she was not entirely ignorant of adult matters.

Regarding those rumors, Qing Lian herself felt that if Young Master Xiao Yan wanted to, she wouldn't be against it.

Xiao Yan naturally did not know what was in Qing Lian's mind. For Xiao Yan at this moment, it was not just about helping Qing Lian awaken the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils, but more importantly, to make things clear.

"Qing Lian, through these past few days of cultivation, you should have felt how you are different from others," Xiao Yan said, his expression turning serious.

"This—reporting to Young Master, there is a little bit." Seeing Xiao Yan's serious expression and tone, Qing Lian also sensed the importance of the upcoming conversation. Regarding Xiao Yan's question, she herself had some feelings about it.

Not to mention that she reached the third stage of Fighting Energy as soon as she started cultivating, in just a few short days, Qing Lian's cultivation had risen again, reaching the fourth stage of Fighting Energy. At this rate, even without other help, it was very likely that Qing Lian would break through to the Fighting Practitioner realm in less than half a year. Even if the Fighting Practitioner realm held her back for a few more months, it would still be less than a year.

Reaching the Dou Zhe realm in a mere year! This was much faster than Xiao Yan had been back then!

Even if cultivation was not a simple race of speed, this was truly too astonishing.

It was only because of Xiao Yan's request that Qing Lian kept this matter hidden; otherwise, the entire Tagor Desert would have been shocked by it.

"Qing Lian, you are a very clever child, and I won't hide it from you. You possess a very special and powerful talent, and this pill is to help you unlock that talent." Xiao Yan stated gradually: "If I am not mistaken, your talent should be the legendary Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils!"

"Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils?"

"Correct, the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils! This is a special constitution that only appears in the descendants of snake-people and humans. Besides being able to induce hallucinations, the most important thing is that it is naturally able to control the vast majority of snake-type magical beasts. Furthermore, within the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils, there is an independent space that can contain the controlled snake-type magical beasts, and it can gradually absorb the cultivation of the snake-type magical beasts within that space. It can be said to be one of the most powerful constitutions in this world!"

"This, does Qing Lian really have such a powerful talent?" Qing Lian simply couldn't believe it. Just like a poor student who had lived for over twenty years finding out their father was actually the richest person in the country, the first reaction would not be belief, but the feeling that they were dreaming.

"Of course it's true!" Xiao Yan said decisively. But it was clearly difficult to make someone believe such a claim without proof, so Xiao Yan brought Qing Lian to the third-rank Sand Python he had captured earlier.

The massive snake body, dozens of meters long, appeared extremely cramped curled up inside an iron cage less than ten meters square.

There was no help for it; the Mobei Iron Mercenary Group did not yet have the ability to prepare a beast cage sufficient to hold a third-rank magical beast. The iron cage before them was merely a psychological comfort for the average member; what actually played the role was Xiao Yan's iron fist.

Xiao Yan would come to knock the Sand Python unconscious every so often and exhaust the Dou Qi on its body.

What? You say if the Sand Python hasn't woken up yet, wouldn't hitting it wake it up instead?

Regarding this, Xiao Yan's choice was to wake it up first, then knock it out again. After all, Xiao Yan couldn't just wait here for it to wake up, could he?

"Qing Lian, don't be afraid, come over."

Xiao Yan gently pushed Qing Lian forward, letting her face the sleeping Sand Python through the iron cage.

For a little girl who had just started cultivating, facing a magical beast a hundred times larger than her was truly a terrifying thing. Even though Xiao Yan had told her more than once that she could handle it, she still felt an involuntary panic. Her eyes kept looking toward Xiao Yan behind her for help.

Although Xiao Yan also wanted to soften his heart, he knew this was the absolute minimum limit. Even if cultivation didn't involve life-and-death risks, one couldn't lack the most basic courage. If one didn't even have courage, then there was no need to cultivate, because even breaking through one's cultivation had the risk of one's realm dropping upon failure.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had no intention of helping, Qing Lian knew she could only rely on herself now.

She swallowed the medicinal pill in her hand, following Xiao Yan's previous instructions.

Although the pill was only second-rank, for Qing Lian, who was still only at the fourth stage of Energy Refining, it was still an extremely massive force.

As soon as it entered her body, the powerful energy almost burst her meridians. Qing Lian tried her best to mobilize the energy in her meridians, wanting to restrain and refine the energy rampaging everywhere, but energy at the mere Energy Refining level was clearly unable to deal with the energy of a second-rank pill.

The out-of-control energy caused Qing Lian's meridians to ache in waves, with faint signs of shattering, yet Qing Lian had no way to stop it. She even began to suspect that Xiao Yan had misjudged and that she didn't actually have those talents; she was just an ordinary cultivator with a slightly faster cultivation speed.

Just at this moment, the essence blood of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake that Xiao Yan had infused into the pill began to manifest. As soon as it appeared, it went straight into Qing Lian's bloodline, seemingly wanting to occupy the nest, but it was clear it had chosen the wrong opponent.

Under the stimulation of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's essence blood, the dormant Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils bloodline was rapidly activated. The originally rampaging pill energy was instantly taken over and absorbed by the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils, becoming nutrients for its awakening!

The pain in her meridians receded, followed by a subtle feeling in her eyes—itchy, as if something was growing within them.

From an outsider's perspective, three small green dots suddenly appeared outside Qing Lian's emerald-green pupils at this moment. As the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils bloodline completely suppressed and absorbed the essence blood of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, the three small green dots suddenly shone brightly, expanding and blooming in an instant, transforming into three tiny green flowers.

"Hiss—"

The movement of Qing Lian awakening the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils quickly woke the sleeping Sand Python. Its violent, hungry snake eyes looked past the iron cage toward the young girl before it, revealing a cruel expression. But when it noticed the miraculous pupils emitting a green, ghostly light, a terror originating from the depths of its soul suddenly surged into its heart.

Although its energy had not yet recovered, the third-rank Sand Python, relying solely on its physical strength, crushed the iron cage surrounding it as easily as paper. The next moment, the massive snake head lunged toward Qing Lian to bite.

A thick, fishy snake stench surged into Qing Lian's nasal cavity. If it were before, Qing Lian would surely have been so scared that her legs went weak.

But at this moment, there was not much fear in Qing Lian's heart. With the awakening of the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils, a mysterious piece of information merged into Qing Lian's mind. It let her know how to manipulate this miraculous talent, taking away the fear of snake-type magical beasts in Qing Lian's heart.

"Vile beast! Back down at once."

Following the guidance of the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils, Qing Lian let out a violent shout, and a beam of intense ghostly light shot out, shining directly onto the Sand Python that was about to pounce.

The Sand Python's body suddenly stiffened, and its snake body in mid-air, having lost the support of its strength, slid for a distance before landing heavily in front of Qing Lian.

The cyan ghostly light continuously converged, finally focusing on the center of the Sand Python's brow; the ghostly light brightened once more, branding two small green flowers onto the Sand Python's brow.

As the green ghostly light in Green Lotus's eyes vanished, the green flowers on the Sand Python's brow also dissipated, but by this time, the Sand Python had already lost its initial arrogance.

After its body regained the ability to move, it crawled slowly to the front of Green Lotus and gently licked her face with its forked tongue.

"Ah, wait, don't do that, it's so ticklish!"

Having emerged from the state of activating the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils, Green Lotus turned back into the little girl she was before, feeling somewhat at a loss at the Sand Python's sudden intimacy. But from now on, no one would ever look down on her as they had in the past; otherwise, the Tier 3 Sand Python at her side would certainly teach them what it meant to be a human.

Green Lotus knew Xiao Yan was still waiting for her behind, so she recalled the method for opening the pupil space that the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils had transmitted to her.

A green light shot out from Green Lotus's pupils, enveloping the Sand Python's several-dozen-meter-long body.

The next moment, the originally enormous snake body suddenly shrank continuously within the green light until it was only the size of a fingernail, at which point it was swallowed by Green Lotus's left eye and entered the pupil space of the Green Snake Three-Flower Pupils.

"Young Master! Look! I did it!" Green Lotus turned around, hopped over, and threw herself into Xiao Yan's embrace, saying excitedly.

Xiao Yan steadily caught the lunging Green Lotus, feeling her body trembling slightly from joy, his eyes filled with gratification and emotion.

To think that after working so hard for so long, he was only a Great Dou Master, yet Green Lotus had gained a Tier 3 Sand Python, comparable to a Great Dou Master, as a servant after only a few days of cultivation. Of course, he had created all of this himself, so naturally, he would not be jealous.

"Well done, Green Lotus!" Xiao Yan said sincerely.

"Hee hee, it's all thanks to Young Master," Green Lotus said with a giggle. "Young Master, don't worry, once Green Lotus is stronger, I will protect you."

Xiao Yan was taken aback upon hearing this and laughed: "Silly girl, Young Master hasn't fallen so low as to need your protection."

He patted Green Lotus's little head: "Go and prepare; once your Sister Little Fairy Doctor comes out, we will be leaving."

"Young Master is leaving?" Green Lotus asked with some surprise, then felt a bit sad: "Does Young Master not want Green Lotus anymore?"

"How could that be?" Xiao Yan pinched Green Lotus's little face and said: "You will just come with us when the time comes."

"Mm, Green Lotus will listen to Young Master."

The night was like ink, quietly shrouding the quaint courtyard. Moonlight, like silver gauze, softly spread over the bluestone slabs, outlining mottled light and shadows. The old locust tree in the courtyard stretched out its thick branches, its leaves rustling in the breeze as if accompanying this gathering. Several jars of aged fine wine were placed on the stone table, the fragrance of the wine overflowing and blending with the surrounding scent of flowers. The three brothers sat around it, behind them a carved wooden screen, the candlelight flickering inside the lamp shade, casting their shadows long and short, creating an atmosphere that was both warm and slightly melancholy.

Clink!

The sound of clashing cups rang out; in the courtyard, the three brothers sat opposite each other at a stone table, drinking warm wine.

If they were mercenaries, this would be the time for drinking wine from large bowls and eating meat in large mouthfuls. But the Xiao Clan was, after all, one of the top clans in the city, and the three brothers were all young masters of the Xiao Clan, so naturally, they would not be so vulgar. Even the usually boisterous Xiao Li was holding a small wine cup in both hands and sipping it carefully at this moment.

"Sigh, I never thought Little Yanzi would be leaving again so soon after arriving. I had originally thought about the three of us brothers working together to make the Desert Iron Mercenary Group bigger and stronger, and perhaps even unifying the Tagor Desert!"

"Alright, Second Brother, Little Yanzi has his own path to walk. His talent is better than both of ours; this tiny Tagor cannot trap him."

"Where do you plan to go after you return this time?"

——

Xiao Yan thought for a moment: "I will probably stay for a few months after I return this time. After that, I might first go to the Imperial Capital to visit the old man of the Nalan Clan, and then I plan to go to Canaan Academy."

"Canaan Academy? That's a good place. I heard the founder of Canaan Academy is a big shot from the Central Plains; perhaps you can use this to step into the Central Plains. But you must be careful, there isn't much time left until Canaan Academy accepts students," Xiao Ding reminded him.

"Don't worry, Big Brother. If nothing goes wrong, I will already be a Dou Ling by the time I reach Canaan Academy. Do you think the teachers at Canaan Academy would reject a Dou Ling under twenty years old just because the enrollment time was missed?"

"That is true." Xiao Ding nodded.

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