ALL NOVEL Chapter 80: Qing Lin
Chapter 80: Qing Lin
On the street, the most conspicuous sight was a corner not far away, where human traffickers were conducting their grim business.
Su Yun approached, observing the children trapped in cages and the sharp-tongued trafficker.
A wave of disgust flashed in Su Yun's eyes as he empathetically considered his own circumstances. If he hadn't been born in Wu Tan City but here instead, he might have been abducted and tormented by such traffickers before he could even grow up.
The borderlands were chaotic.
The trafficker, noticing Su Yun, approached.
"Sir, would you like to see the merchandise?"
Su Yun frowned, refraining from any heroic rescue. The world was mired in murkiness beyond his capacity to change. Even if he rescued them now, what then? Would they just be captured again by another trafficker?
Red ideals didn't suit this world.
Great people from his previous life indeed were extraordinary.
Su Yun walked up to the cages and squatted down, inspecting each child. With the system upgrading and unable to use the scanning function, he relied solely on his own observation.
The only important character left in this vicinity was one.
Su Yun looked at each child until he finally found a trembling little girl in a corner.
He carefully observed her arm.
Sure enough, there were some snake scales on her wrist.
Su Yun beckoned the trafficker over.
"I'll take her."
"Sir, a special price for you, one hundred gold coins."
Su Yun took out a pouch of gold coins from his storage ring and handed it to the trafficker.
The price was high for an ordinary little girl, but for the possessor of the Bi Snake Three-Flower Pupil, it was a bargain.
The trafficker weighed the pouch in his hand, a look of joy on his face.
A big payday.
"Sir, would you like to see another one? I can give you a discount on the second."
"No need."
Su Yun said, instructing the trafficker to open the cage and then took the little girl into his arms.
Walking on the street, now that he had found Qing Lin, he was in no rush to find Hai Bo Dong.
Feeling the trembling Qing Lin in his arms, Su Yun sighed inwardly.
Another unfortunate child.
A half-blood between humans and snake-people, she would be unwelcome in either community.
Su Yun went to an inn and rented a superior room.
He placed Qing Lin on the bed.
The little girl was shy and curled up, fearfully looking at Su Yun.
"Hello, I... I will serve you well..."
Su Yun sat on the bed, gently stroking the girl's soft back, his voice warm and gentle.
"What's your name?"
"I... I don't have a name..."
It seemed Su Yun's gentle demeanor eased some of the girl's fear, and she finally lifted her head, which had been buried in her knees, to look at him.
She wore patched clothing, but was relatively clean overall.
Slave traders also cared about the appearance of their merchandise. They wouldn't let the children eat well or dress warmly, but they would clean them up and put them in simple but clean clothes when selling them, as it could fetch a higher price.
Su Yun's voice remained gentle, and he softly touched her little head, his smile warm and friendly.
"Then I'll give you a name, is that okay?"
"I will listen to the master."
As time passed, the little girl gradually relaxed, though her face still bore a timid expression, like a startled little rabbit.
At least she was no longer stuttering.
"From now on, you'll be called Qing Lin."
Su Yun gently stroked the blue scales on Qing Lin's pale arm.
Feeling Su Yun's touch, Qing Lin's already pale face turned even whiter.
She had often been ostracized and faced discrimination because of these scales.
After her mother died from overwork, she was captured by traffickers.
No one wanted to buy her because of the scales...
She was afraid that this gentle master in front of her would abandon her because of the scales on her hands.
She didn't like these scales; she hated them. She hated the scales and the snake-person who had assaulted her mother!
Sometimes, in the dead of night, she would resolve to tear off these scales, leaving her white, soft arm bloody.
But it was futile; no matter how many times she tore them off, the scales always grew back.
As if sensing her thoughts, Su Yun's gentle voice reached her ears.
"They look very nice, just like you. Your scales are lovely, and I like them a lot."
Su Yun's touch was incredibly gentle, as if caressing a precious jade.
Qing Lin's cute face showed astonishment as she looked at her kind master.
Her young heart skipped a beat.
Unaware of the girl's thoughts, Su Yun just comforted her gently.
Suddenly, Qing Lin's eyes turned red, tears welling up and rolling down her cheeks, dampening the bed sheets.
Am I dreaming...? Is there actually someone who likes my scales, someone... who likes me?
Her head drooped, and she fainted in Su Yun's arms.
Su Yun's face showed a hint of headache.
This girl, how could she cry herself into unconsciousness?
Su Yun prepared hot water in the room and began to clean the little girl, stripping her of her clothes.
Holding Qing Lin in his arms.
Delicate and tender, easily swayed.
Placing the girl in the bathtub, Su Yun began to wash her.
She was merely a child, malnourished and skinny.
Su Yun didn't feel embarrassed.
He had even bathed with Xiao Yixian before.
Midway through the process, Qing Lin's innocent eyes opened; she had woken up.
Where am I? It's so gentle.
It was like the times when she was a child, bathing with her mother, gentle and comfortable.
"You're awake."
Su Yun's gentle voice sounded.
Realizing her situation, Qing Lin looked at the kind Su Yun and then at herself.
Her small face blushed crimson, like a ripe apple.
In this state, Qing Lin, dazed, was easily maneuvered by Su Yun.
She was washed clean and fragrant, then dressed in clean clothes and sat at the table with Su Yun for a meal.
The clothes were delivered after giving a bag of gold coins to the innkeeper.
Qing Lin looked at the table full of food and her neat, pretty clothes, her eyes welling up again.
Seeing Qing Lin looking like she was about to cry again, Su Yun felt a headache coming on.
This girl, why does she cry so much?
"Why... Why are you so nice to me?"
Qing Lin's soft voice came.
Su Yun stood up, holding Qing Lin in his arms.
"Do I need a reason?"
Qing Lin paused, staring at Su Yun, not understanding his meaning.
Her tender frame in his arms felt like a warm cushion.
"To like someone, you don't need a reason."
Qing Lin's head spun, and her eyes rolled back as she fainted again.
Su Yun: "…"
This girl really couldn't take a joke.
(End of Chapter)
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