The Fuse

Thirteen was the King Grade Warrior who had tested Qi Bei when he had first returned to the Nord Family.

As for Xiao Jiu, Qi Bei had never met him, but he supposed Xiao Jiu was one of the Shadow Guards of the Nord Family.

"Qi Bei, don't think you really fought Thirteen to a draw that day. Thirteen used at most fifty percent of his strength. Besides, the Shadow Guards excel at concealment and assassination. Xiao Jiu is an Earth-Wind Dual Element Mage, King Grade in earth magic and Advanced Grade in wind magic. From now on, they will be your Shadow Guards and obey any order you give." Kodi Nord spoke.

"Grandfather..." Emotion welled up in Qi Bei's heart. When he had first returned, he had felt like a stranger to this grandfather, without the slightest sense of familial affection. But now, he could feel that this old man, known as the Fox of Nord, truly cared about him.

Kodi Nord waved his hand and said, "Enough nonsense. Raymond, Huai'an, take him to the Black Armored Army camp now and let him choose his men. You must set out within an hour."

Watching the father and two sons file out of the ancestral shrine, Kodi Nord came before the ancestral tablets and said in a low voice, "Old Ancestors, I'm afraid I can hold on for at most three more years. Hamos has laid out a huge game to trap the Nord Family to death. Qi Bei may be the only opening. That little bastard has given me too many surprises since returning from the Undead Mountain Range. I hope that in my lifetime, he can bring me—and the entire Nord Family—even greater surprises."

Kodi Nord's muttering gradually faded away. His lips kept moving, but even he could no longer hear what he was saying.

A crescent moon hung like a hook, half-hidden among the clouds, like a young maiden awaiting her bridegroom, secretly sizing up the world.

In the Sleeping Moon Palace, the silent night suddenly echoed with the creaking of a swing.

On the vine-woven swing, Princess Mingyue held the sleeping Unicorn Cub in her arms. Her eyelids drooped as she swayed with the swing's rise and fall. Her long, fine hair flew wildly in the breeze, just like the turmoil in her heart, utterly at odds with the tranquility on her face.

"Tell me, did I underestimate him?" Princess Mingyue murmured to herself.

"Yes." A drifting voice floated faintly over, seeming far away in the heavens yet close at hand.

"He has the strength to contend with a King Grade expert?" Princess Mingyue asked softly.

The voice fell silent for a while before saying, "Perhaps he does. Perhaps he doesn't."

"You can't see through him either?"

"I can't."

"There are people even you can't see through?"

"I'm not a god."

"Do you think Father Emperor will let him leave?"

"I don't know."

"I guess he won't."

Silence...

The night breeze remained gentle, but the new moon had completely slipped behind the clouds, leaving only a faint halo shining through.

The swing continued swaying in the darkness, but at some point, the jade-like beauty upon it had vanished without a trace.

An inconspicuous carriage left the city without a sound. Inside, Qi Bei and his father and elder brother were speaking in hushed voices.

"Father, Big Brother, has something happened? Why do I have to leave in the middle of the night?" Qi Bei asked.

"The incident at your engagement ceremony was the fuse. Tell me, you reckless brat, why did you have to play the hero? By injuring that disciple of Tongtian Mountain, you effectively told the entire world that you could match a King Grade expert with the strength of an Intermediate Warrior. How terrifying will you be once you grow further? His Majesty had originally tacitly approved your going to your fief in West Spirit City. But now, if he lets you go, he probably won't be able to eat or sleep in peace." Raymond Nord was both proud and worried.

"When did I become this important?" Qi Bei shrugged.

"West Spirit City is chaotic, but it is also an opportunity. The Imperial Capital is too far away to interfere, so no one can control how you make trouble there. Now that His Majesty has seen your strength, he will probably find an excuse to keep you tomorrow morning, or transfer you somewhere he can supervise. That's why you must leave before dawn," Raymond Nord said.

"I won't get very far in one night. Won't Hamos send people to intercept me?" Qi Bei frowned.

"This is the route map you will take. The Lineage will send several other groups to muddy the waters. Even if he happens to guess your direction correctly, the Lineage will send death warriors to intercept him. Once you enter West Deer Province, His Majesty will have no choice but to give up." Raymond Nord handed Qi Bei a sheepskin map.

Qi Bei unfolded the map and could not help freezing. The route he was to take was actually the busy main road.

But then Qi Bei slapped his thigh and exclaimed admiringly, "As expected of that old man, the Fox of Nord! Truth within falsehood, falsehood within truth. Once several groups heading in different directions are thrown into the mix, Hamos's first reaction will probably be to assume the group on the main road is fake."

The Black Armored Army camp outside the city housed three battalions. They had come with Huai'an Nord to report for duty, and in a few days, they would be pulling up camp and moving out.

At this moment, the three battalions—twelve hundred men—stood like twelve hundred pines, straight-backed in neat square formations, their killing intent surging toward the heavens.

Huai'an Nord stood at the very front in Tiger Head Black Armor and shouted to the Black Armored soldiers under his command, "Two hundred and fifty men will be chosen from among you to accompany my younger brother, Viscount Qi Bei Nord, to his fief, West Spirit City. Those selected will leave the Black Armored Army rolls and become Viscount Qi Bei Nord's private soldiers, following him into battle in the chaotic West Spirit City."

Many soldiers joined the private forces of nobles after retiring, but the renowned Black Armored Army was the sole exception. They faced brutal warfare every moment; there were only Black Armored soldiers who died in battle, never any who retired.

However, broadly speaking, although the Black Armored Army belonged to the soldiers of the Golden Leaf Dynasty, they were in truth the army of the Nord Family—in effect, the Lineage's private soldiers. Thus, following Qi Bei Nord would not provoke any resistance from them.

Moreover, Qi Bei Nord's reputation was at high noon. He had survived eight months in the Undead Mountain Range, stood alone with a sword against the undead army, rescued the Black Armored soldiers, and then defeated the disciple of a Holy Land King Grade Mage at yesterday's engagement ceremony.

The army was where the strong were worshiped most, and this was even more true in the Black Armored Army. Thus, when Huai'an Nord finished speaking, many Black Armored soldiers' eyes burned with fervor.

At this moment, Qi Bei stepped forward. His gaze swept over row after row of Black Armored soldiers standing ramrod straight before he said, "I'll be honest with you. My fief, West Spirit City, is in complete disorder, with forces of every size entrenched there. If we want to establish a foothold, you can expect bloodshed every day, and death may come at any moment. But I, this young master, can guarantee you one thing: as long as I, Qi Bei, remain alive, I will make sure every person who follows me brings glory to his ancestors."

"Fire Blaze, Tie Tou, are you willing to follow me?" Qi Bei's gaze stopped on Fire Blaze and Tie Tou.

"We are willing to give our lives for you, Viscount!" Fire Blaze and Tie Tou stepped forward. Qi Bei had saved their lives, and they had no second thoughts about following him.

"Choose the rest yourselves. Form up and set out in half an hour," Qi Bei ordered.