Chapter 74 Who is Manipulating Whom?

"After so many warnings, she still managed to expose herself."

Medusa's face was covered by a red veil, revealing only a pair of narrow, light purple eyes. Her gaze, flowing with inherent charm, was captivating. She wore a red half-length skirt and a red bra, with crucial areas fully covered, only her slender waist exposed. She hovered in mid-air, her Dou Qi transformed into wings.

In her opinion, returning to the Snake-People Tribe to provide resources was less important than protecting the secret of the notebook replica and preventing Chu Xiao from encountering any potential danger.

Therefore, as soon as Chu Xiao first mentioned Qing Lin's unusual behavior, she began to rush back.

Now, it was her turn to appear and divert his attention.

"Just say I want to invite him to be a guest in the Snake-People Tribe." Medusa thought, preparing to fly down from the clouds.

However, she didn't know that her position had always been within Chu Xiao's senses.

The moment she arrived at Stone Desert City, he completely confirmed that Qing Lin possessed the notebook replica.

The "flaws" he mentioned Qing Lin revealing in the content were primarily to train her and improve her acting skills.

If Qing Lin exposed herself, even if he deliberately ignored it, other notebook replica owners might discover clues.

At that time, they would start thinking, "Qing Lin has so many problems, how did he not notice anything? Is he that stupid?"

Some intelligent people would think even more, suspecting that he already knew the notebook would be seen by others and deliberately wrote the content.

Once the seed of suspicion was planted, it would sprout sooner or later, so he had to solve this problem at its root.

He needed to occasionally reinforce the trust of the replica owners.

Of course, it was also a good opportunity to bait a fish, and Medusa had taken the bait.

"I can't let you come out and disturb me, otherwise I'll have to smooth things over."

Chu Xiao's mind stirred, and he continued writing.

[She must have been moved by what I just said. She's never met such a good person as me.]

[In my previous life, when I accompanied Xiao Yanzi to Stone Desert City, Big Brother also arranged for Qing Lin to serve me. At that time, I sensed her deep inferiority. I didn't say anything, but just treated her like a normal maid, and that moved her immensely. She even voluntarily asked to be my maid forever.]

[This time, I directly praised her, comforted her in public, and spoke up for her. She couldn't help but be moved.]

[My thoughts were indeed correct.]

All the women: "…"

Yes, you are the smartest. No one is smarter than you.

Everything is within your expectations, including Qing Lin's performance.

"…" Medusa stopped in mid-air.

"Pfft~" Little Fairy Doctor suddenly laughed.

Her beautiful face made the mercenaries present stare in a daze.

Ya Fei and Yun Yun exchanged glances, then both smiled and shook their heads.

"Chu Xiao Ge Ge is still so confident." Xun Er smiled brightly, finding it very typical of Chu Xiao.

Meanwhile, inside Stone Desert City, Qing Lin felt a sense of relief.

But she deeply remembered the feeling of being pricked by thorns, warning herself not to be foolish again.

The guards at the entrance were unaware of the emotional changes within the two people in front of them. The burly young man on the left, hearing Chu Xiao's name, immediately spoke, "So it's Young Master Chu Xiao. I'll lead you inside."

"Don't you need to confirm my identity first?" Chu Xiao withdrew his gaze from Qing Lin and asked with a smile.

"No need." The burly man said, a simple smile appearing on his face, "The Commander and Second Commander often mention their two younger brothers in the Family. Young Master Chu Xiao and Young Master Xiao Yan's names, we've heard them so much our ears are almost calloused."

"We've admired Young Master Chu Xiao for a long time. The Second Commander occasionally rewards us by making the dishes you taught him."

"Really?" Chu Xiao laughed heartily, self-deprecatingly, "I didn't expect to become famous in the Mo Tie Mercenary Group as a chef?"

The several strong men beside him, seeing how approachable he was, also smiled.

"More than that, you also have powerful Cultivation talent."

"The Commander and Second Commander are very strong in our eyes, but they say Young Master Chu Xiao, you are even stronger."

"Young Master Chu Xiao, have you Breakthrough to Great Dou Shi by coming to our mercenary group?"

"…"

They spoke one after another, Chu Xiao smiled throughout, not directly answering, "Something like that. Shall we go see my Big Brother and Second Brother first?"

The strong men dared not delay. One of them led Chu Xiao into the courtyard, completely ignoring Qing Lin.

"Your buns, don't forget them." Chu Xiao took out a large bundle from his Storage Ring and handed it over.

"Thank you, Young Master Chu Xiao!" Qing Lin lowered her head, thanking him timidly.

"Don't forget what I told you, be more confident." Chu Xiao comforted her, then followed the man into the main courtyard.

Qing Lin looked at his retreating figure, a flicker of emotion in her emerald eyes.

Taking a deep breath, she turned and walked in another direction, preparing to go to the kitchen.

But before she could reach her destination, a graceful figure suddenly appeared, blocking her path.

"Cai Lin Jie Jie!?"

Qing Lin was both surprised and delighted, nervously looking around.

"Don't worry, there's no one around." Medusa said indifferently, her arms crossed, "With my strength, even Chu Xiao wouldn't discover me in this place, and others have nowhere to hide from my sight."

Qing Lin breathed a sigh of relief, asking in confusion, "Cai Lin Jie Jie, didn't you go back to the Snake-People Tribe?"

"It's all because of you!" Medusa's eyes showed a sense of pressure, "Qing Lin, when facing Chu Xiao, you only need to remember one sentence."

"What?" Qing Lin asked, somewhat dejected and guilty.

"Don't take any initiative!" Medusa's purple eyes shone brightly, "You are not someone who takes initiative, at least not before your strength reaches a certain height."

"With Chu Xiao, you must always be passive, obedient, compliant, and speak less. That way, you won't expose yourself, understand?"

Qing Lin clenched her hands, nodding seriously, "Cai Lin Jie Jie, I understand!"

She would absolutely not let Young Master Chu Xiao be in danger.

After careful consideration of countermeasures, she realized that doing nothing was the best approach.

She couldn't be too proactive because of emotion and care; she only needed to be obedient.

"I will watch over you and help you at critical moments." Medusa nodded slightly, "Don't disappoint me."

She didn't even refer to herself as 'this King'.

Qing Lin blinked her beautiful eyes and boldly asked, "Cai Lin Jie Jie, are you prioritizing me or Young Master Chu Xiao?"

Medusa subconsciously squeezed her own arm, replying coldly, "This King only cares about myself. Don't flatter yourself."

"Then can I continue to call you Cai Lin Jie Jie?" Qing Lin asked.

Medusa: "…"

Haven't you been calling me that enough?

"Call me that again, and I'll kill you, so you don't get in the way."

As her voice fell, Medusa disappeared.

Qing Lin's lips curved into a smile.

How wonderful, another person who cares about her.

At the same time, on the other side, Chu Xiao had already met with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, reminiscing for most of the day.

Learning that Xiao Yan's strength had recovered and that he had become a disciple of a Sixth-Rank Alchemist, both of them felt greatly relieved.

The purpose of them establishing this mercenary group was to provide an additional layer of protection for Xiao Yan.

If his talent couldn't recover and he could only be an ordinary person, he could still live a good life.

"These are letters from Uncle and Auntie for you, and clothes Auntie made for you, and so on." Chu Xiao took out a pile of items and placed them on the table.

The two brothers were instantly moved beyond words.

Xiao Ding was exceptionally resourceful, and Xiao Li was cautious and smooth in his dealings, but quite ruthless in his methods. Together, they built the Mo Tie Mercenary Group.

However, in front of their parents, they were still the sons who hadn't grown up.

"Alright, let's not talk about Xiao Yanzi for now, let's talk about you." Xiao Li subtly put most of the items on the table into his Storage Ring, then stood up, "We haven't seen each other for so many years, let your elder brother test your strength."

Both of them Cultivated the Xiao Family's Yellow Rank Intermediate Lightning-attribute Cultivation Technique. Although Chu Xiao had better talent, he had both wind and lightning attributes and was not as pure as Xiao Li. Coupled with the age difference, he had always been weaker than the latter over the years.

It's worth mentioning that Xiao Ding, like Fang Yi, had a wood attribute. He had been guided by her since childhood, and the Cultivation Technique he Cultivated was also the same as Fang Yi's. Therefore, although his talent was the weakest among the four brothers, he already had the strength of a Seven-star Dou Master.

"Second Brother, this time, I'm afraid things will be different." Chu Xiao did not stand up, but raised one hand.

Black-purple Dou Qi emerged, forming a partial armor on his hand.

Dou Qi Armor!?

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's eyes widened.

"Xiaozi, you've Breakthrough to Great Dou Shi!?"