156: Return to Canaan College

The sand and wind of Stone Desert City seemed to carry the rough scent of rust and sweat.

When Mo Yuhan and Qing Lin appeared before the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's main gate, Xiao Ding, who was reviewing accounts with Xiao Li, suddenly looked up, almost dropping the parchment scroll in his hand.

“Brother Yu Han?! Qing Lin, are you… are you alright?”

Xiao Ding’s gaze quickly swept over Mo Yuhan’s slightly travel-worn but energetic face, finally settling on the figure in his arms, tightly wrapped in a large cloak, with only a pair of terrified eyes visible.

A corner of a fiery red palace dress peeked out from the cloak’s seam, dazzlingly bright.

Xiao Li also narrowed his eyes, his hand already on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his mercenary’s vigilance instantly heightened.

“Commander Xiao Ding, Commander Xiao Li, don’t be nervous.”

Mo Yuhan smiled warmly, as if he had just gone for a walk and returned.

He held the stiff person in his arms and walked into the hall with light steps, even patting the “package” in his arm.

“I picked up a companion on the way, the second young miss of the Mo family, Mo Linglin.”

“Mo Linglin?!” Xiao Ding exclaimed, his expression changing dramatically.

Xiao Li gasped even more, his hand on the sword hilt tightening again and again, his eyes as sharp as an eagle’s.

“You… you kidnapped that Old freak Mo Cheng’s precious granddaughter? Brother Yu Han, you’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest!”

The Mo family of Salt City, especially that protective Old freak Mo Cheng, was not to be trifled with.

“Shhh—”

Mo Yuhan made a shushing gesture, his smile unchanged, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, “Don’t worry, I’ve ‘trained’ her well on the way. She won’t scream or bite for now.”

Before he finished speaking, the “package” in his arm visibly trembled violently, and the beautiful eyes exposed beneath the cloak instantly filled with tears of humiliation, glaring fixedly at Mo Yuhan’s jaw.

But she truly bit her lip tightly, not making a sound, only the hatred in her eyes was so intense it almost solidified into flames, threatening to burn through Mo Yuhan.

Qing Lin timidly poked her head out from behind Mo Yuhan, her emerald eyes quickly scanning Mo Linglin, who was wrapped up like a zongzi.

Then she quickly lowered her head, her small hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz: “Young Master… Qing Lin wants to follow you…”

All the way, she was afraid of that fierce-eyed woman in red, but even more afraid of leaving her young master’s side.

“Alright, from now on, Qing Lin will follow me.”

Mo Yuhan freed one hand and gently ruffled Qing Lin’s soft hair in a comforting, naturally intimate gesture.

Xiao Ding watched this scene, then looked at the Mo family’s second young miss in Mo Yuhan’s arms, who was clearly restrained and dared not speak her anger, and then at the small, beast-like, clinging Qing Lin. He felt a headache coming on.

He rubbed his temples with a bitter smile: “Brother Yu Han, the commotion you’ve caused this time is truly considerable… Instructor Ruo Lin and Miss Ah Yin are resting inside; they’ve recovered well.”

Just as he spoke, the curtain to the inner room was lifted.

Instructor Ruo Lin, in a sky-blue casual dress, looked rosy-cheeked, and the usual gentleness in her brows was now tinged with the calm and resilience of someone who had experienced life and death.

Beside her, Ah Yin had changed into an elegant, light-green plain dress, standing tall and graceful like a fresh bamboo after rain.

Although her face was still a bit pale, her emerald-like eyes had regained their gentle luster, and a faint aura of plant vitality surrounded her.

Seeing Mo Yuhan, both their eyes instantly lit up with surprise.

“Yu Han!”

“Yu Han!”

Both spoke in unison and quickly went to meet him.

Ah Yin’s gaze immediately fell on Mo Yuhan, scanning him carefully up and down to confirm he was safe and sound before she let out a sigh of relief. Then she looked at the figure in his arms, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, an inquiring look in her eyes.

Mo Yuhan gently placed Mo Linglin on a hard wooden chair in the corner of the hall, his movements not gentle, even carrying a hint of casual discard.

He untied the large cloak that had been wrapped around her.

The fiery red palace gown instantly brightened the somewhat dim mercenary hall.

Mo Linglin sat there stiffly, her hands unconsciously clasped tightly on her lap, her knuckles white.

Her delicate face was now devoid of color, and her lips had a deep teeth mark from where she had bitten them.

She kept her head down, her long eyelashes trembling violently, trying desperately to avoid all the astonished, curious, or scrutinizing gazes in the hall.

That outfit, which she had once been so proud of and which highlighted her fiery figure—a tightly cinched top that pushed up her chest, and a leather skirt so short it exposed most of her pale white thighs—now became a source of immense humiliation, making her feel like an item stripped bare and put on display.

Humiliation, anger, fear, helplessness… all sorts of emotions surged within her, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

She hated! Hated Mo Yuhan!

Hated everyone here!

Hated that she couldn't immediately burn them to ashes!

But theFighting Spirit (Dou Qi) in her body was completely sealed, as if her bones and tendons had been removed; she didn't even have the strength to stand up, only able to lie like a fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.

“This is the Mo family’s second young miss, Mo Linglin.”

Mo Yuhan’s introduction was understated, “She’s ‘visiting’ us for now. Ah Yin, Instructor Ruo Lin, please keep an eye on her. Don’t let her run off, and don’t let her do anything foolish.”

“Visiting?”

Ruo Lin looked at Mo Linglin, who looked like she wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground, and then at Mo Yuhan’s calm, unruffled face. She instantly understood something, her eyes a little complex, but she still nodded.

“Alright.”

She stepped forward, standing not far from Mo Linglin’s side, not getting too close, but the gentle aura of a Dou Ling expert quietly enveloped the area, serving both as supervision and an invisible deterrent.

Ah Yin, on the other hand, walked in front of Mo Linglin, bending slightly. Her voice was gentle but carried an undeniable strength: “Miss Mo, since you’re here, make yourself at home. Since Yu Han said you are a guest, we certainly won’t mistreat you. But we also hope you’ll behave yourself and not bring trouble upon yourself.”

Her emerald-like eyes were clear to the bottom, yet seemed to see through people’s hearts.

When Mo Linglin met her gaze, she felt a cool, peaceful aura brush over her heart, which inexplicably calmed a trace of her surging anger and fear, leaving only a deeper sense of powerlessness.

She bit her lip tightly and turned her head away, but her shoulders no longer trembled as violently.

After settling the “hot potato” that was Mo Linglin and briefly explaining the dangers and gains of their desert journey (omitting the existence of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python), Mo Yuhan was eager to return home.

After a short day of rest in Stone Desert City and preparing a comfortable carriage, Mo Yuhan bid farewell to the brothers Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, and the group set off on their journey back to Canaan Academy.

Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was subtle.

Mo Yuhan closed his eyes to rest, but in reality, his mind was immersed within his body, silently nourishing his meridians.

Ah Yin and Ruo Lin sat opposite him, conversing in low voices, their gazes occasionally sweeping towards the corner.

Qing Lin sat close beside Mo Yuhan, her small head nodding as she dozed off. Eventually, she leaned against Mo Yuhan’s shoulder, sleeping soundly, a hint of a peaceful smile on her lips.

And Mo Linglin, meanwhile, was curled up alone in the deepest shadow of the corner. She hugged her knees, burying her head deep in her arms, her fiery red palace dress like a extinguished flame.

For a full day and night of travel, she neither ate nor drank, nor spoke a word, like a beautiful doll that had lost its soul.

Only when the carriage occasionally jolted and she lifted her head for a moment, could one see that in those once proud and seductive eyes, only hollow stillness and an unresolvable, thick hatred remained.

That hatred was like a venomous snake, Binding herself and silently gnawing at the air in the carriage.

Ah Yin tried to offer her water and food, but she stiffly and silently pushed them away.

Upon returning to Canaan Academy, as the familiar air, full of vibrant vitality and the fresh scent of plants, filled his lungs, Mo Yuhan finally truly relaxed.

He had Ruo Lin take Ah Yin and Qing Lin to settle in first, while he, like carrying a not-too-important piece of luggage, led the unsteady-footed, hollow-eyed Mo Linglin towards the Fire Elder’s exclusive alchemy room deep within the Inner Courtyard.