Qing Lin

After waiting for about an hour, a rough-looking middle-aged man carrying a burlap sack finally appeared at the edge of the vast desert.

"Boss, boss, I'm back," the rough middle-aged man said with a pleased expression as he hurried over to the group of eight human traffickers.

"Xiao San, where have you been? Making me wait so long! I told you to catch the snake women—did you manage to do it?" The leader of the traffickers, who was already impatient, vented his frustration on the returning Xiao San by giving him a hard slap.

Xiao San was sent flying to the ground along with the sack, spitting out Xiao Sand.

"Ugh, ugh." Spitting out the sand from his mouth, Xiao San, with a face full of grievance, tried to explain, "Boss, let me explain, let me explain."

"Explain what? You've made me wait so long, and you didn't catch the snake women. If you don't give me a good reason today, I'll deal with you," the leader roared, his patience already worn thin. After enduring the harsh desert conditions for several days and being exposed to the sun for an hour while waiting for Xiao San, he could hardly contain his anger.

Xiao San pointed to the burlap sack on the ground. "Hey, boss, look, I caught what..." Before he could finish, a purple blade pierced through his chest.

Unbeknownst to them, Xiao Se had already appeared behind Xiao San.

As they looked on in shock, the remaining eight traffickers stared in disbelief at Xiao Se, unable to comprehend how this youth had appeared in their midst without anyone noticing.

"Kid, who the hell are you?" The leader, suppressing his fear, stepped back, drawing his large blade and preparing for battle. Years of bloodshed had taught him that this person was very dangerous. If not handled carefully, everyone could die today.

The other traffickers, seeing their boss draw his weapon, also prepared to fight, drawing their own blades. If the leader gave the order, they would swarm and turn the boy into mincemeat.

"I'm the one who will kill you," Xiao Se said, kicking Xiao San's body aside. He threw his long sword and, lifting his foot, leapt like lightning towards the leader.

The leader was no pushover either. He slashed the body away with his sword, his aura covering him as he rushed at Xiao Se with a ferocious expression. The two figures collided amidst the watchful eyes of the other traffickers.

"Bang, bang, bang."

Three dull thuds echoed as the trafficker leader's head, long blade, and body fell to the ground in succession.

In one move, the leader was dead.

"Hiss..."

From the moment Xiao Se and the leader clashed to the leader's head being severed, only a few seconds had passed, and in those seconds, the outcome was decided.

The seven remaining traffickers were horrified, their faces turning from shock to fear. They couldn't believe that this seemingly fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy had such formidable strength.

"Ah, the boss is dead, run!" One of the traffickers reacted first, wishing he had more legs, and fled immediately.

The remaining six traffickers quickly followed, clearly accustomed to such situations. They scattered in seven different directions to confuse the pursuers and increase their chances of escape.

But unfortunately for them, they were up against Xiao Se.

His right hand suddenly reached out, and a ball of purple-blue flame erupted. With Xiao Se's battle aura fueling it, the flames transformed into seven fireballs, shooting towards the fleeing traffickers. 

When they were less than three meters away from their backs, the fireballs became long fire swords, piercing through their bodies.

"Ah!" The screams echoed as the fire swords pierced their chests. They did not die immediately but burned painfully in the fiery sea until they perished.

After dealing with the seven traffickers, Xiao Se walked slowly to the cart, lifted the burlap covering, and found four snake women curled up in the iron cage inside. 

They were terrified and did not dare to look up at Xiao Se. Clearly, they had witnessed the scene of Xiao Se slaughtering the traffickers through the gaps in the burlap.

"Go on, don't get captured again next time." Xiao Se shook his head helplessly and waved his magic sword, causing the iron cage to shatter into pieces.

After doing this, Xiao Se sheathed his sword and locked onto the four snake women with his spiritual power to prevent any sudden attacks. Then he turned without looking back and approached the burlap sack that Xiao San had brought earlier.

As expected, it contained a bound young girl.

To his surprise, the sack did not contain a snake woman but a human girl with healthy limbs.

She was a dirty little girl, about eight or nine years old, with a frail and delicate body wrapped in a coarse burlap garment. Her cute little face, though covered in grime, still showed a hint of delicate beauty, like a beautiful porcelain doll tainted by the mundane world, evoking a sense of pity.

Hearing Xiao Se's warm words, the little girl timidly looked up, relieved to see that the man was not one of the rough men who had kidnapped her. She realized she had been rescued.

"Thank you, thank you!" The girl whispered her thanks, still not daring to look up. Her voice was filled with gratitude but also fear.

Seeing the girl's condition, Xiao Se felt a surge of compassion. With a warm smile, he said gently, "It's okay, the bad people have been dealt with. Can you tell me your name?"

The little girl hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly and replied, "My name is Qing Lin."

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