NOVEL NEXT Chapter 171.1: Means
“Umm…”
Lying on the bed, Qing Lin frowned with discomfort, feeling exhausted all over, and her breathing was slightly uneasy.
But overall, there was no major issue.
Qing Lin struggled to open her eyes, and the blurry view in front of her gradually became clear. She was met with an extremely unfamiliar ceiling.
This puzzled Qing Lin’s little mind, and she murmured softly.
“Where is this?”
“Qing Lin! Are you awake?!”
At that moment, Qing Lin heard an excited and familiar voice that reassured her. The next second, a familiar face appeared before her eyes, causing her heart to fill with excitement. Ignoring her tired body, she sat up from the bed, looking at the tender and caring woman by the bedside.
Tears welled up in Qing Lin’s bright eyes, and she asked with a trembling voice, “Captain….Xiao Li…? Is it really you? Qing Lin, is Qing Lin not dreaming?”
Looking at Qing Lin, who laid bare her vulnerability and helplessness, the sympathy in Xiao Li’s eyes deepened.
This child… how much hardship has she endured on this journey…
Xiao Li muttered quietly in her heart, extending her hand gently to stroke Qing Lin’s little head.
With an incredibly gentle tone, she comforted her, “Yes, it’s me, and you’re not dreaming, Qing Lin.”
“You’ve been through a lot on this journey, and you are truly brave.”
Feeling the familiar gentle touch on her head, and hearing Xiao Li’s comforting words, Qing Lin could no longer hold back. Her eyes filled with tears, and she threw herself into Xiao Li’s arms, crying loudly.
“Waaahhh!!! Captain Xiao Li! Qing Lin was so scared!!!”
“Young Master Xiao Yan is dead! Qing Lin was afraid she would never see you again!”
“When Xiao Ling was injured, Qing Lin felt so much pain too!”
No matter how much Qing Lin tried to appear strong, she was ultimately just a young girl who hadn’t fully grown up. Her parents passed away when she was young, and Xiao Li adopted her, taking care of her every need.
Cooking for her, teaching her to read, telling her bedtime stories every night – Xiao Li had been there for her, even nursing her through sickness.
Xiao Li’s kindness and care had been etched into Qing Lin’s heart. She even regarded Xiao Li as her mother figure.
However, a few days ago, Xiao Li left alone due to the unexpected situation with the Snake-People. Despite putting on a brave front, Qing Lin’s worry had reached its peak.
Deep down, she even had a question – if something happened to Captain Xiao Li, would she still work towards reconciliation between humans and the Snake-People? Would she really not harbor resentment towards the Snake-People?
Qing Lin was truly scared, terrified that something had happened to Xiao Li. Her fear intensified after the incident with Xiao Yan.
If not for wanting to uphold Xiao Li’s beliefs, Qing Lin might have already collapsed.
And now, finally seeing the person she had been longing for, how could she not pour out her grievances from these days?
Xiao Li looked down at Qing Lin, who was sobbing in her arms, feeling a deep sense of heartache. She gently patted her back, silently comforting her, and attentively listened to Qing Lin’s emotional outpour.
Since Qing Lin’s father entrusted her to her, Xiao Li had genuinely raised her as her own daughter, fearing that she might suffer any injustice.
Not only did Xiao Li not want to betray the dying wish of her lifesaver, but she also didn’t want to let down Qing Lin, this poor child.
In the initial days of taking care of her, Xiao Li even saw glimpses of a young Xiao Yan in Qing Lin. When his own mother passed away, Xiao Yan was just as fragile as Qing Lin at that time.
In Xiao Li’s heart, there was only pity.
Whether it was the past Xiao Yan or the present Qing Lin, they were still just children…
Why must they endure this pain?
This question, Xiao Li couldn’t come up with an answer.
All she could do was to do her best, providing them with deep love and trying to soothe the wounds in their hearts as much as possible.
This was what Xiao Li believed to be the only thing she could do.
And she had indeed done it.
Even though she couldn’t completely fill the void, Xiao Li had used her tenderness to try to heal the wounds in Xiao Yan’s and Qing Lin’s hearts.
Because of this, Xiao Li had become, in the eyes of Xiao Yan and Qing Lin, an equivalent figure to a mother.
After some time, Qing Lin finally cried herself to exhaustion.
Traces of tears remained on her delicate doll-like face as she unknowingly fell asleep again.
Xiao Li reached out, gently wiping away the tears from Qing Lin’s eyes. She tried to lay Qing Lin back down, but couldn’t pry open the tightly clasped arms around her waist.
After a few unsuccessful attempts, Xiao Li ultimately gave up, a wry smile appearing on her lips.
She pulled up the blanket, covering Qing Lin, allowing her to sleep in Xiao Li’s embrace.
Then, Xiao Li turned her head to look at Yao Ye sitting on the chair and Mo Ba Si with his tail coiled on the ground.
In her eyes, there was a hint of apology.
“Sorry, let’s continue talking like this.”
“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Yao Ye waved her hand casually. Mo Ba Si, though not speaking, seemed indifferent to the situation.
With her arms crossed, Mo Ba Si looked at Xiao Li and spoke in a low voice.
“Continue with the previous topic. Are you saying that all those teachings I heard about humans being despicable when I was young were false?”
Upon hearing Mo Ba Si’s question, Xiao Li remained silent for a while before speaking softly.
“I think it’s probably not the case.”
“Huh?!”
Mo Ba Si was taken aback by Xiao Li’s answer. He had thought Xiao Li would vehemently affirm that the teachings about humans from his elders were all false.
Lowering her head, Xiao Li continued to run her fingers gently through Qing Lin’s hair before continuing.
“Before, I read historical records about the Snake-People, which clearly stated the persecution that the former Jia Ma Empire subjected the Snake-People to, forcing them to relocate deep into the Tager Desert.”
“These are indeed facts.”
“Which means, the things your elders taught you were true.”
Upon hearing this, Mo Ba Si’s face showed some anger, and Xiao Li clearly saw his fists clenching.
But unexpectedly, Mo Ba Si slowly released his tightly clenched fists, and the anger on his face gradually subsided.
“Go on.”
“…”
Xiao Li looked at Mo Ba Si with a complete sense of surprise in her eyes.
Given Mo Ba Si’s temperament, it was normal for him to be angry at what she had just said. However, the fact that he managed to suppress his anger was quite unusual.
Could it be related to Yan’er?
Xiao Li speculated in her heart but didn’t dwell too much on this issue. Regardless, the fact that Mo Ba Si could calmly listen to someone speaking was a good thing.
Then, Xiao Li spoke again, continuing the previous topic.
“But, Tribe Leader Mo, I hope you can recognize one thing.”
“That was already hundreds of years ago.”
“Those sins that are being talked about by your elders were indeed the sins of humanity, one of the many atrocities committed by the Jia Ma Empire. I won’t deny that.”
“But times have changed.”
“The knowledge your elders imparted to you is from a time hundreds of years ago, during the persecution of the Snake-People by humans.”
“In my personal opinion, at that time, even within a hundred years, that knowledge was extremely accurate.”
“But you, Tribe Leader Mo, are living in the current era, not several hundred years ago.”
“Continuing to use the moral concepts of several hundred years ago and applying them to the current era humans, I think that’s a bit arbitrary.”
Xiao Li spoke, looking towards Yao Ye.
“Two hundred years ago, there was a purge within the Jia Ma Royal Family. After Lord Jia took over the Jia Ma Empire, he immediately abolished the slave trade. I’ve mentioned this to the other Tribe Leaders many times. Over these years, the Jia Ma Royal Family has been trying to rectify the mistakes of the past Jia Ma Empire and has been attempting to mend the relationship between humans and the Snake-People.”
“This, Miss Yao, as the Crown Princess, should be more aware of them than I am.”
Yao Ye nodded, then looked at Mo Ba Si.
“Tribe Leader Mo, as the Crown Princess, I assure you that our royal family has been making efforts to repair our relationship with the Snake-People. We have been trying to make amends for the mistakes committed by the royal family in the past.”
“Then why don’t you completely ban the slave trade?” Mo Ba Si stared at Yao Ye, asking sternly, “If you truly want to mend your relationship with the Snake-People, you should have already completely banned the slave trade!”
Mo Ba Si’s question left Yao Ye silent.
After a moment, she spoke slowly.
“It’s because of our lack of capability.”
“The immense profits from the slave trade have led to significant support behind it.”
“And the current Jia Ma Royal Family is powerless against that influence.”
“The recent attacks on Snake-People tribes by unidentified individuals, including those in white robes yesterday, are manipulated by that force.”
“They don’t want the Snake-People to reconcile with humans. If that happens, the highly profitable slave trade will become even more difficult.”
After listening to Yao Ye’s confession, Mo Ba Si remained silent for a long time.
Then, he closed his eyes slightly.