The Fuse

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

As for Little Nine, Qi Bei hadn't met him, but he figured he was one of the Nord Family's Shadow Guards.

"Qi Bei, don't think you truly fought Thirteen to a draw that day. Thirteen was only using at most fifty percent of his strength. Moreover, Shadow Guards excel at stealth and assassination. Little Nine is an Earth-Wind Dual Element Mage, King Grade in Earth and Advanced in Wind. They will be your Shadow Guards from now on and will obey your every command," Kodi Nord said.

"Grandfather..." A surge of emotion welled up in Qi Bei's heart. When he first returned, he felt like a stranger to this grandfather, with no sense of familial affection. But now, he could feel that this old man, known as the Fox of Nord, genuinely cared about him.

Kodi Nord waved his hand and said, "Enough with the nonsense. Raymond, Huai'an, take him to the Black Armored Army camp now to pick people. You must depart within the hour."

Watching the father and two sons file out of the ancestral shrine, Kodi Nord approached the ancestral tablets and whispered, "Esteemed Old Ancestors, Kodi fears he can only hold on for three more years at most. Hamos has set a grand scheme to trap the Nord Family. Qi Bei might be the only way out. This little brat has given me too many surprises since returning from the Undead Mountain Range. I hope that within my lifetime, he can bring me, and the entire Nord Family, even greater surprises."

Kodi Nord's murmurs gradually faded, his lips moving silently, inaudible even to himself.

The crescent moon hung like a hook, half-hidden and half-revealed by the clouds, like a maiden in her boudoir, quietly observing the world.

In the Sleeping Moon Palace, the quiet night sky was suddenly filled with creaking sounds.

On the swing made of vines, Princess Mingyue held the Unicorn Cub, who was sleeping soundly. Her eyelids drooped, and she swayed with the rise and fall of the swing. Her long, beautiful hair danced wildly in the wind, a stark contrast to the tranquility on her face and her restless heart.

"Do you think I underestimated him?" Princess Mingyue murmured to herself.

"Yes," a faint voice drifted over, as if from afar, yet also as if it were right beside her.

"Does he have the strength to contend with a King Grade expert?" Princess Mingyue asked softly.

The voice was silent for a moment. "Perhaps, perhaps not."

"You can't see through him either?"

"I cannot."

"There are people even you cannot see through?"

"I am not a god."

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

"I don't know."

"I guess not."

Silence...

The night wind remained gentle, but the crescent moon had completely retreated into the clouds, leaving only a faint halo peeking through.

The swing continued to sway in the night, but the jade figure upon it had vanished at some point.

An inconspicuous carriage quietly left the city. Inside, Qi Bei and his father and brother were talking in low voices.

"Father, 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 trigger. Why did you have to play the hero, you brat? You injured that disciple from Tongtian Mountain, which is equivalent to telling the world that you, as an intermediate warrior, can rival King Grade experts. How powerful will you be when you grow up? His Majesty had originally tacitly agreed to let you go to your fiefdom in West Spirit City, but now, if he lets you go, he might not be able to sleep soundly," Qi Bei's father, Raymond Nord, said, a mixture of pride and worry in his voice.

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

"West Spirit City is chaotic, but it's also an opportunity. The Imperial Capital is too far away to intervene; you can do whatever you want without anyone bothering you. Now that they've seen your strength, His Majesty will likely find an excuse to keep you tomorrow morning, or transfer you to a place he can supervise. That's why you must leave before dawn," Raymond Nord explained.

"I can't travel too far in one night. Won't Hamos send people to intercept me?" Qi Bei frowned.

"Here is the route map for you. The family will send several teams to create diversions. Even if he happens to find the right direction, the family will send elite guards to intercept him. As long as you enter West Deer Province, His Majesty will have to give up," Raymond Nord handed Qi Bei a sheepskin map.

Qi Bei spread out the map and was stunned. The route he was supposed to take was actually the main road, bustling with people.

But then, Qi Bei slapped his thigh, impressed. "Old man truly lives up to his name as the Fox of Nord. True and false, false and true. With several teams heading in different directions, Hamos will likely assume the convoy on the main road is the fake one."

Three battalions of the Black Armored Army were stationed at the camp outside the city, having come with Huai'an Nord for his report. In a few days, they were scheduled to pack up and move out.

At this moment, the twelve hundred soldiers from the three battalions stood like twelve hundred pine trees, arranged in a square formation, exuding an imposing aura.

Huai'an Nord, clad in Tiger Head Black Armor, stood at the forefront and announced loudly to his Black Armored soldiers, "Two hundred and fifty of you will be selected to accompany my younger brother, Viscount Qi Bei Nord, to his fiefdom in West Spirit City. Those chosen will be discharged from the Black Armored Army and become Viscount Qi Bei Nord's private soldiers, accompanying him to conquer the chaotic West Spirit City."

Many soldiers, after retiring, would join the private armies of nobles. However, the renowned Black Armored Army was an exception. Because the Black Armored Army constantly faced brutal warfare, there were only Black Armored soldiers who died in battle, no retired ones.

However, in a broad sense, although the Black Armored Army were soldiers of the Golden Leaf Dynasty, they were in reality the Nord Family's army, considered the Nord Family's private soldiers. Therefore, following Qi Bei Nord would not cause them any resistance.

Moreover, Qi Bei Nord's reputation was soaring: surviving in the Undead Mountain Range in August, single-handedly resisting an undead army with a sword and rescuing Black Armored soldiers, and yesterday, decisively defeating a King Grade Mage's disciple from the Holy Land at his engagement ceremony.

The military was a place that revered strength above all else, especially the Black Armored Army. Therefore, as soon as Huai'an Nord finished speaking, many Black Armored soldiers' eyes gleamed with fervor.

At this moment, Qi Bei stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the rows of Black Armored soldiers with their backs ramrod straight. He spoke, "To be frank with you all, my fiefdom, West Spirit City, is in utter chaos, with various factions lurking about. To establish a foothold there, you can expect bloodshed every day, and the constant risk of death. However, I, Young Master Qi, can guarantee one thing: as long as I, Qi Bei, am alive, I will ensure that everyone who follows me brings glory to their ancestors."

"Huo Lie, Tie Tou, will you come with me?" Qi Bei's gaze settled on Huo Lie and Tie Tou.

"We are willing to serve Viscount with our lives!" Huo Lie and Tie Tou stepped forward. Their lives were saved by Qi Bei, and they had no reservations about following him.

"You pick the rest. We'll form up and depart in half an hour." Qi Bei said.