NOVEL WEB Chapter 141 - A Unified Heart
“Huh?” Inside the leader’s room of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company, Xiao Yan looked surprised as he faced Xiao Yixian, “You’re going to the territory of the snake-people tribe?”
“Yeah, Second Sister took on a mercenary contract, and I thought it was a good opportunity to check on her,” Xiao Yan nodded and replied softly.
“I see…” Xiao Yixian lowered her head slightly, then smiled at Xiao Yan after a moment, “It’s okay, you go, and I’ll wait here for you.”
Xiao Yixian was well aware that she couldn’t be of much help to Xiao Yan at this point. In fact, she was more of a burden than anything else. From the beginning, she had been acutely aware of this fact. Her own weakness, despite having the Woeful Poison Body, meant she was just an ordinary person now. Since she couldn’t assist Xiao Yan, the least she could do was not hold him back.
“Well then, Xiao Yixian, you stay here and wait. I’ll come back immediately once things are settled,” Xiao Yan said, not dwelling on it for long before leaving the leader’s room once again.
Watching Xiao Yan depart, Xiao Yixian lowered her head slightly, feeling a hint of regret deep within her heart. She was certain that Xiao Yan would never blame her for being a hindrance; otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought her along from the start. However, Xiao Yan might not mind, but she did. She didn’t want to be just an ordinary person following him; she wanted to be able to assist him, not silently wait for him in a safe place every time he embarked on a dangerous mission.
Xiao Yixian was extremely unwilling to let this become the norm, but she had never considered leaving Xiao Yan. This was not an act of avoidance but a silent questioning of Xiao Yan’s initial choice. Did Xiao Yan make a mistake by bringing her along?
No!
Xiao Yixian clenched her fists, determination flickering in her eyes, and resolved deep within her heart. She wanted to prove that Xiao Yan was not wrong. She wanted to prove that she, Xiao Yixian, was not just a decorative ornament.
Whether it was for Xiao Yan or for herself, Xiao Yixian took out the poison manual from her ring and began to study it carefully. She knew that at the moment, she couldn’t help Xiao Yan in any way, but she could at least rapidly acquire knowledge that would make her stronger, so she could be of assistance to him as soon as possible.
On the other side of the sofa, a young boy with an apple in his hand watched Xiao Yixian’s sudden burst of determination, and his violet eyes revealed a hint of surprise. He had seen that look in her eyes before. It was the same look he used to have, an insatiable desire to become stronger.
‘Seems like this little girl is more than just an ordinary person protected by Xiao Yan.’
The young boy thought to himself and quietly continued to munch on his apple. In the end, it had nothing to do with him, and he had no rush to return. He might as well consider today as a day off from the map shop and take some rest here.
Outside the mercenary group, Xiao Yixian had already bid farewell to Xiao Yan and the others. Xiao Yan had purchased the necessary maps in advance at the shop owned by the young boy, and with Qing Lin, a local, they wouldn’t get lost in the desert.
Apart from this, it seems there wasn’t much else to prepare. Although Xiao Yixian wanted to prepare mounts for the three of them, the Desert Metal Mercenary Company didn’t normally use mounts, and they weren’t professional carriage drivers. Even if they had obtained mounts, they wouldn’t be able to handle them easily, so they decided to forgo that idea.
After bidding farewell to Xiao Yixian, Xiao Yan, following the directions on the map and with Qing Lin’s help in correcting their course, set out toward the territory of the snake-people tribe with the cloaked woman.
During the journey, both Xiao Yan and Qing Lin remained silent. Their occasional exchanges were mainly to confirm that they were heading in the right direction, with no unnecessary conversation.
There were no indirect inquiries about the identity of the cloaked woman, and they made no attempt to learn the purpose of her journey to the snake-people tribe.
Initially, this should have been a good thing for the cloaked woman. However, being treated with such indifference, without any questions or probing, began to unsettle her.
It was as if she had deceived Xiao Yan and Qing Lin, even though she hadn’t told any lies, just omitted certain details.
“Aren’t you going to ask something?” The cloaked woman couldn’t hold back any longer and softly inquired of Xiao Yan and Qing Lin.
Xiao Yan and Qing Lin looked at her with confusion, and Xiao Yan furrowed his brow slightly.
“Ask what?”
“My identity and my purpose.”
“Ah, you mean these things,” Xiao Yan’s eyes revealed a hint of understanding, and he replied in a calm tone, “If you’re willing to tell us, we’re certainly willing to listen. But since you haven’t volunteered the information, we won’t press for it. It’s your choice.”
“After all, we’re just mercenaries you’ve hired, and in principle, we have no right to inquire about your background.”
“Of course, if you’re hiding something that could pose a life-threatening risk to us, that’s a different matter,” Xiao Yan replied candidly, leaving the cloaked woman silent for a moment.
Is everyone here like this, or is Xiao Yan an exception? While Xiao Yan’s words sounded reasonable, in reality, who would be so trusting as not to inquire about their employer’s background?
Has this boy put too much trust in strangers with unknown identities?
With these doubts in her heart, the cloaked woman continued to follow Xiao Yan and Qing Lin, who were leading the way.
After walking for about two or three hours, Qing Lin began to struggle to walk and was eventually carried on Xiao Yan’s back. Although Qing Lin was initially reluctant, Xiao Yan’s gentle persuasion helped her overcome her embarrassment, and she allowed Xiao Yan to carry her as they continued their journey.
Suddenly, during their progress, Qing Lin, on Xiao Yan’s back, sensed something. She sniffed the air lightly with her small nose and then looked at Xiao Yan with a serious expression.
“Young Master Xiao Yan! Be careful! I smell the scent of the snake-people tribe!”
Qing Lin’s words startled both Xiao Yan and the cloaked woman. They immediately became more alert. Then, Xiao Yan saw Qing Lin raise her small hand and point in a direction. In their line of sight, a group of figures slowly emerged from the edge of the desert at the horizon.
Their upper bodies resembled that of adult human males, but instead of legs, they had extremely sturdy snake tails.
These were the snake-people tribe!
Xiao Yan was also seeing the snake-people tribe for the first time, and he felt a slight sense of surprise. It was his first encounter with such an unusual species.
‘But there shouldn’t be much to worry about when it comes to the snake-people tribe, right?’
Xiao Yan thought, believing that as long as they explained that they were from the Desert Metal Mercenary Company, the snake-people tribe, which had been benefiting from the mercenary group for the past six months, shouldn’t give them too much trouble.
However, the voice of Yao Chen from his ring poured cold water on Xiao Yan’s thoughts.
‘Don’t be careless, Xiao Yan. humans often clash with each other due to interests. I don’t think the snake-people tribe is… unified.’
========= Translator Note =========
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