White Dragon Horse

The young mercenary's eyes dimmed. He lowered his head to look at his rough hands, covered in calluses and scars. Those hands were better suited to gripping a sword than casting magic.

The mercenary leader patted the young man's shoulder. "Don't overthink it. People like us are lucky just to stay alive. Magic is best left to those noble lords."

Jialan looked at the mercenaries, and a complicated feeling suddenly rose within him. He recalled his childhood. If he had not been a transmigrator, if his spiritual power had not been strong enough, he might have been just like them now, struggling to make a living.

"Actually," Jialan suddenly said, "cultivating battle qi is not bad either. If you can reach the higher ranks, you may not be inferior to spellcasters."

The mercenaries looked at Jialan in surprise. They had not expected such words from a noble mage.

"Really?" Hope rekindled in the young mercenary's eyes.

Jialan nodded. "Once battle qi reaches an advanced level, you can release combat techniques from your body. Though you cannot wield the many strange and unpredictable spells of a spellcaster, your destructive power will be no weaker than magic. If you reach the level of Sword Master, even an Archmage would not dare underestimate you."

The mercenaries listened intently, even softening their breathing. To them, Sword Masters were beings of legend.

"However," Jialan's tone shifted, "reaching that realm requires efforts beyond what ordinary people can imagine."

The mercenaries exchanged looks. At last, the mercenary leader said firmly, "It's better than dreaming of impossible magic all day. Lord Mage, you're right. We should focus on what we can do."

Jialan nodded.

The young mercenary clenched his fists. "Boss, I want to try enrolling in the Battle Qi Academy in the Imperial Capital."

The mercenary leader froze for a moment, then revealed a gratified smile. "Good lad, you've got ambition! When this mission is over, we'll send you there."

The other mercenaries voiced their support as well. Though they could not touch the world of magic, they could at least go farther down the path of battle qi.

After half a day of searching, they finally found their target in a valley. The White Dragon Horse stood in an open clearing, its entire body snow-white, its mane gleaming like silver threads. Its neck was covered in white scales that shone brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

Yet Jialan frowned. This White Dragon Horse seemed somewhat different from those of the Church in his memories. He could not say exactly what was different, but something about it felt inexplicably wrong.

"Be careful," Jialan warned the mercenaries in a low voice. "There's something wrong with this horse."

"What is it?" the mercenary leader asked.

Jialan did not answer immediately. Instead, he carefully observed the White Dragon Horse. It did indeed look much like the Church's White Dragon Horses, yet something still felt off.

First, this White Dragon Horse seemed somewhat smaller than normal. Second, its horn looked rather... unnatural, as though it had been deliberately altered.

What made Jialan feel most uneasy was the magical fluctuation radiating from the White Dragon Horse. Though it was also light-attributed, it seemed to be mixed with something else.

"Wait here," Jialan told the mercenaries. "I'll go take a look."

"But..." the mercenary leader was somewhat worried.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." With that, Jialan cautiously walked toward the White Dragon Horse.

As he drew nearer, that sense of wrongness grew stronger. Jialan could sense that the White Dragon Horse seemed to be in pain. Fear and confusion showed in its eyes, nothing like the Church's well-trained White Dragon Horses. Just as he intended to observe it further, a powerful sense of danger suddenly surged through him.

He spun around and saw a group rapidly approaching. At their head was a burly middle-aged warrior riding a tall black horse, an ancient-looking longsword hanging at his waist. Even from a great distance, Jialan could sense the powerful battle qi fluctuations emanating from him.

At least a Great Sword Master... Jialan was secretly alarmed. A warrior of that level was considered above average even in the military.

What made Jialan even more wary was the old man in a dark gray mage's robe among the group. Judging by the insignia on his robe, he was an advanced spellcaster.

The group quickly arrived before Jialan. The middle-aged warrior looked down at him, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The middle-aged warrior's voice was low and powerful.

Jialan took a deep breath and displayed his military mage insignia. "I am Jialan, a military mage stationed at the Mist Town border. I am... carrying out a reconnaissance mission."

"...Mist Town?" The middle-aged warrior carefully inspected the insignia, then turned to the old gray-robed mage beside him. The old mage nodded in response. The warrior then looked over Jialan's mage robes before relaxing his guard somewhat.

"I am Raymond, deputy commander of the Imperial Seventh Legion," the middle-aged warrior introduced himself. "This is our accompanying mage, Calvin."

Mage Calvin gave a slight nod, but his eyes remained fixed on the White Dragon Horse in the distance.

Raymond continued, "Since you are also a military mage, you should understand the importance of secrecy. Everything you saw today must be kept strictly confidential."

Jialan's heart tightened, but he still nodded. "I understand."

Raymond nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the knights behind him. "Go bring those mercenaries over."

Only then did Jialan notice that the mercenaries had already been restrained by people from the Church. Their hands were tied, and their faces were filled with fear.

"Wait!" Jialan could not help speaking up. "They're only ordinary mercenaries. They don't know anything..."

Raymond gave Jialan a cold look. "That is none of your concern. Remember your place, Mage."

Jialan opened his mouth, yet did not know what to say. Though he was a spellcaster, he was only a low-level mage. Before a behemoth like the military, he had no power to resist.

The mercenary leader was brought before Raymond. He had clearly recognized the group as military knights, and his face instantly turned pale.

"M-My lord..." the mercenary leader stammered. "We were only passing through..."

Raymond waved a hand, cutting him off. "Take them all away. Remember, not one may be left behind."

The mercenaries were escorted away by heavily armed military knights. The young mercenary looked back at Jialan, his eyes filled with despair and pleading. Jialan met his gaze, but there was nothing he could do.

Mage Calvin walked to the White Dragon Horse and examined it carefully. His expression grew increasingly grim.

"The situation is even more serious than we imagined," Calvin told Raymond. "It must be dealt with immediately."

Raymond nodded and turned to Jialan. "Mage, you may leave. Remember, if word of what happened today gets out, you know the consequences."

Jialan took a deep breath and forced down the unease in his heart. "I understand."

Watching Jialan's departing figure, Raymond quietly asked Calvin, "Should we send someone to keep an eye on him?"

Calvin shook his head. "A low-level mage cannot stir up much trouble. Besides, we're all part of the military. We should not go too far."

Jialan walked a long way before stopping once he was sure no one was following him. He leaned against a large tree, feeling that his back was already soaked in cold sweat.

"The Church's White Dragon Horse... the military..." Jialan recalled everything that had just happened, his heart filled with doubt and unease.

He vaguely felt that he might have inadvertently become entangled in an enormous conspiracy...