Breaking the Masked Man

We waited for about half an hour more.

A streak of blood-red light streaked across the distant horizon and slowly descended before their very eyes. Unlike her previous concealment in front of Yao Yan, Queen Medusa had now returned to her original attire.

She wore a golden crown, her long black hair cascading down her shoulders to her slender waist. She wore a magnificent red brocade robe that hugged her full figure, adorned with many luxurious gold ornaments that added to her noble air.

As its waist swayed, the snake's tail swayed slightly, exuding an irresistible and alluring charm.

"Her Majesty the Queen!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, all the snake people present bowed their heads in respect.

Queen Medusa's gaze was cold and arrogant, even towards her own people. The allure and charm others saw in her were all due to her natural beauty, not something she deliberately cultivated. Her eyes fell on Yin Shi and Yan Ci, and her tone carried an undeniable air of authority: "The matter of the traitor has been resolved. Go back."

Yan Ci was taken aback for a moment, then respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Being simple-minded, he obviously wouldn't delve into what happened; he would simply do whatever Queen Medusa said.

Compared to the simple-minded Yan Ci, Yin Shi's face showed more worry. Looking at the cold-faced Queen Medusa, he said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the elders ordered that we must see him alive or dead..."

"I am the queen."

Queen Medusa stared coldly at them and said in a deep voice.

She had safely sent her sister away, and now she had no more scruples. Naturally, she wouldn't heed the orders of those old fogies. The snake people only needed one leader, and that was Queen Medusa. They could only keep their dissent to themselves!

Yin Shi was taken aback for a moment, but then understood what the other party meant and immediately replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

……

……

The next day.

A clear spring cascades down beside the waterwheel in Haibodong.

A figure let the clear spring wash away the filth on his body until he was completely clean before taking out a piece of clothing from his storage ring and putting it on.

After dressing properly, Yao Yan slowly walked out from behind the waterwheel.

Hearing the noise, the two looked over and their gazes froze. They hadn't expected Yao Yan to be so handsome after cleaning up. He had only changed into a silver-white brocade robe, but his appearance and temperament had changed instantly. He had an indescribable charm, as if it came from the nobility of his bloodline.

"It feels so much better to be clean."

Yao Yan stretched, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips. He sighed softly, then looked at the two people who were stunned by his appearance and teased, "What's wrong? Are you stunned by my handsomeness?"

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong nodded in agreement, saying, "Young Master is truly a prodigy!"

At this moment, he could only think of the word "monster" to describe Yao Yan's appearance; as for other words, he really couldn't think of any suitable ones.

"I'm not some kind of monster, I'm just a bit good-looking."

Yao Yan took out a mask from his storage ring and put it on, covering half of his face. He didn't forget to say something humble, and at the same time, he reached out and pulled Ling'er out of the water. He looked helpless. He still couldn't understand Ling'er's habits. She was clearly a spirit of strange fire, but she liked to play in the water.

"嘤嘤~"

With Yao Yan holding her by the neck, she stubbornly waved her cute little paws, indicating that she wanted to return to the water, which was the world she wanted to be in, not this scorching desert outside.

Having no other recourse, Yao Yan threw it back at her.

He then walked to Hai Bodong's side, waved to Medusa Queen's sister who was also stunned, and said with a smile, "Come back to your senses."

Queen Medusa's sister shyly flicked her tail, lowered her head in embarrassment, and played with a plant that resembled a dandelion in her hand, muttering, "...Master is so handsome."

"Good-looking isn't a word used to describe men. And please stop calling me master, call me young master instead, it sounds better."

Yao Yan raised her hand and tapped her on the head, correcting her.

Queen Medusa's sister winced in pain, raised her hand to cover her head, blinked her bright, almond-shaped eyes, and obediently responded, "Oh~"

"Why don't you give yourself a name, like my name is Yaoyan and his name is Haibodong? A name is a very meaningful thing; it will follow you throughout your life."

Yao Yan looked at the other person's stunningly beautiful face, which was remarkably similar to Queen Medusa, and her expression became slightly more serious as she asked.

"Name?"

Queen Medusa's sister pondered for a moment, then her gaze fell on the dandelion plant in her hand. Her eyes gradually brightened, and she said in a soft yet firm voice, "Although I have forgotten the past, I seem to still remember its name, Butterfly."

"Whoo~"

She lowered her head and blew gently, and the dandelion-like plant immediately bloomed. As it drifted in the breeze, it transformed into countless pale blue butterflies under the three people's gaze, shimmering with golden light in the sunlight, and flying away into the distance.

"It represents freedom, not being bound by rules. Even if they are born in the most difficult places, they will transform into butterflies to seek freedom..."

As Die watched the departing butterflies, her eyes filled with longing and anticipation. She murmured to herself, her mind filled with images of a past life. She seemed to have lived in a luxurious palace, but that palace was like a cage, binding her tightly and making it hard for her to breathe.

Yao Yan watched the butterfly fly away into the distance, a smile appearing in his eyes. He looked at the amnesiac girl beside him and said softly, "Butterfly? It's a very nice name, but we can add one more word: Colorful Butterfly."

"Young master, didn't you say I could name it myself?"

Cai Die looked at Yao Yan and protested weakly.

Yao Yan flicked her forehead and said in an unyielding tone, "You have to let me feel involved, right? After all, I'm the one who picked you up."

Butterfly covered her head, her long eyelashes fluttering, wanting to refute, but not knowing where to begin.

Hai Bodong ignored the noisy couple. He watched the butterfly fly away, its words echoing in his mind, and murmured to himself, "Freedom..."

He seems to have never escaped the cage of the past, and has always been bound by missions, living the same life as before. Even now that he has the strength of a Dou Huang, he is still the same. Perhaps his heart has been frozen since the moment his junior sister died.

There was a time when he also longed for freedom.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 52 Arrival

The scorching sun poured down from the sky, baking the desert beneath our feet and causing it to emit a sweltering heat. As the heat rose, everything in front of us seemed to become blurred and distorted.

"Ding~"

Accompanied by the crisp sound of camel bells, a tough-skinned monster slowly pulled a heavy waterwheel forward.

Yao Yan sat on the waterwheel, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. Looking at the cloudless sky and the dazzling sun, he couldn't help but say, "The temperature difference between day and night in the Tagor Desert is really huge."

Even knowing that the temperature difference between day and night in the desert is huge, you can only truly feel its terror by experiencing the midday sun. If he didn't have a detailed map and wandered around the Tagor Desert alone, he would probably have been sunburned to death, no matter how strong his physique was.

After making a sarcastic remark, he turned his gaze to Hai Bodong, whose expression was cold and aloof, and said with a smile, "No wonder you stay in this area; ice-attribute battle qi is indeed very advantageous."

Water vapor condenses into water when it cools, a fact that even elementary school students understand. In the Tagh Desert, water is undoubtedly more precious than anything else, and one could probably make a fortune just by selling water.

Hai Bodong maintained a cold expression, like an emotionless assassin, and said indifferently, "I don't think so. Ice-attribute battle qi can indeed condense water in the desert, but it will also be restrained by the surrounding climate. Even with the strength of a Dou Huang, it will be suppressed to some extent."

Battle qi has attribute counters. When the same level of techniques are used, the one that is countered will be at a significant disadvantage, and it is even common for the weak to overcome the strong.

"Is that why you chose to travel by waterwheel?"

Yao Yan looked at the miserable second-tier magical beast 'Iron Fool' pulling the cart ahead and asked, "With the strength of a Dou Huang, if you choose to fly, you can probably fly out of the Tagor Desert in half a day."

"The Tagor Desert is the territory of the Snake-People. Being too high-profile will easily attract their attention. If the Snake-People really want to keep you here, even a Dou Huang-level expert wouldn't dare say they can escape unscathed. Maintaining a low profile is safer..."

Hai Bodong was clearly a seasoned veteran. He glanced at Yao Yan and began to recount his experiences in the underworld.

learnt!

Yao Yan's eyes lit up, and he nodded seriously, listening quietly to the other party's explanation. He did lack experience in this area. Having grown up in the 'peaceful' world of medicine, he didn't need to consider these things at all. Even when he was training in the Shennong Mountains, he was always accompanied by strong people like the herbalists, so he rarely experienced real danger.

As for the plots of those fantasy novels I read in my previous life... knowing and doing are always two different things.

Moreover, Yao Yan had to admit that after spending so much time with a Battle Saint like Hun Xuzi, he did indeed feel a sense of 'superiority and arrogance'. Especially after learning that this place was the Jia Ma Empire, he even became a little carried away, which was undoubtedly very dangerous.

Yao Yan reflected on himself and corrected his attitude. He didn't want to become a classic villain who was killed by the protagonist.

After Hai Bodong finished speaking.

He continued, "Is the relationship between the snake people and the human race really that bad?"

"It's extremely dangerous. Any human who sets foot in the Tagor Desert will become prey for the Snake People."

Hai Bodong said calmly.

There was a pause.

He added, "Even so, countless mercenaries still flock to them, because every snake-man slave can be sold for a high price in human cities. To these people, the snake-men are equivalent to precious natural treasures, making them eager to acquire them."

Just then, two heads, one big and one small, popped out from the huge wooden barrel behind them. It was Cai Die and Ling'er. Ling'er was lazily perched on Cai Die's head, swaying her tail.

Cai Die looked at Hai Bodong curiously and asked a strange question: "Uncle, am I worth a lot of money?"

When she was captured by those mercenaries, their leader said she was very valuable and could fetch an astronomical price.

Hai Bodong fell silent at Cai Die's question. He didn't think it was a valuable question. If the people of the Jia Ma Empire knew Cai Die's true identity, the entire Jia Ma Empire would probably be shaken. He couldn't help but look at Yao Yan and reminded him, "You'd better hide her true identity."

If the news that Butterfly is Queen Medusa's sister were to spread, it would surely attract countless fools, for such fools are the most abundant thing in the world.

True powerhouses might be wary of the forces behind Yao Yan and Queen Medusa, but the rest of the people would be blinded by enormous profits. Not everyone can remain calm in the face of temptation.

Real identity?

A hint of doubt flashed in Cai Die's bright, light blue eyes. Wearing Ling'er's headdress and twin ponytails, she looked at Yao Yan with a slightly dazed expression. Did she have some special identity?

"Don't worry, I will take good care of her."

Yao Yan nodded in agreement. Once they entered the human city, he would begin to unseal Cai Die's power. As long as she regained her strength, many problems would be easily solved.

Cai Die pouted, a little angry. She felt that Hai Bodong and Yao Yan were ignoring her. Thinking of this, she simply ignored the two of them and shrank back into the bucket with Ling'er. As for her true identity, she planned to ask Yao Yan in private.

Hai Bodong glanced at the bucket and continued, "Her personality is somewhat naive, and she is indeed not suitable for living in the Tagor Desert."