Ties That Bind

Lin Jin's performance in the Northern Border may have pleased Qian Renxue immensely, so she had gone out of her way to bring him a letter.

Besides praising Lin Jin, the letter also mentioned Lin Xue, whom he had been thinking about constantly.

Lin Jin immediately read every word about Lin Xue carefully.

Qian Renxue wrote that Lin Xue had awakened a fine plant Martial Soul. With an Innate Soul Power of level five, it was called the Sacred Sun Flower. Because it possessed purification and healing effects, Lin Xue was taking the path of a Support System Soul Master.

Lin Jin felt a surge of relief. For a moment, even his days in the Northern Border no longer seemed so harsh.

However, what relieved Lin Jin most was that Qian Renxue had arranged for Lin Xue to attend the Primary Academy under the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

This meant that even if he died in battle in the Northern Border, Lin Xue would be able to graduate from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy safely under Qian Renxue's protection.

After reading the letter, Lin Jin was even more excited than he had been upon receiving the position of Centurion.

"Now I can kill the enemy in the Northern Border without worry." Lin Jin carefully put the envelope away, secretly rejoicing.

"Lin Jin, what are you doing? You've already been promoted to Centurion. Come out and drink your Victory Banquet wine. The brothers are all waiting for you." Outside the Barracks, Lei Ke urged him on.

"Sure!" It was a day of double joy for Lin Jin, and he walked out of the Barracks with a rare smile.

"Yo, Captain Lin smiled. That's a rare sight!"

"The Captain looks pretty cute when he smiles!"

"Enough talking. Your Captain is late. Shouldn't he be punished with three cups?" Lei Ke also happily stirred everyone up.

"Right, three cups!" The others joined in.

Seeing this, Lin Jin did not refuse. The heroic spirit in his heart had been roused by the comrades before him.

"Fine, I'll drink them!" Without another word, Lin Jin picked up the three bowls of wine on the table and downed them all.

"Thank you, brothers, for taking care of me these past three years. Drink as you like. I'll finish this!" Lin Jin picked up a fourth bowl and addressed everyone.

"Drink!"

"In the Crown Prince's Mansion, why don't you write your Older Brother a letter, Xiao Xue?" After sending the letter, Qian Renxue asked Lin Xue curiously.

"Older Brother is fighting the enemy outside for me. I don't want a letter from me to distract him and get him hurt. I've already lost my Parents. I don't want to lose Older Brother too. I don't want to cause even the slightest distraction." Lin Xue's answer, filled with longing, made Qian Renxue pause.

She looked at the six-year-old girl before her, who was already so sensible that it was heartbreaking, and felt something in the softest corner of her heart gently stir.

She herself had lost her father at a young age, growing up amid the complicated power struggles of Spirit Hall and the perilous life of infiltrating Heaven Dou alone.

When had she ever experienced such a pure bond, one in which a person was willing to suppress their own longing for the sake of the other?

She crouched down and met Lin Xue's clear eyes, which held a resilience far beyond her years. Her voice softened unconsciously, losing some of the Crown Prince's authority and gaining the gentleness of an older sister.

"Xiao Xue, you're very sensible, even stronger than your Older Brother imagines." She gently rubbed Lin Xue's hair. "But you should also know that for your Older Brother, your safety and happiness are the greatest motivation for him to persevere in the Northern Border. A letter may make him worry about you, but it will also let him know that all his struggles and risks are worthwhile."

Lin Xue blinked her big eyes, seemingly digesting Qian Renxue's words. After hesitating for a moment, she asked softly, "Then... Qinghe Brother, if I write and tell Older Brother that I'm doing well and that he shouldn't worry, that won't distract him, will it?"

"Of course not." Qian Renxue smiled faintly. "You can tell him that you've made new friends at the academy, that your Soul Power has improved a little, or... that you simply miss him. Let him know that he isn't alone in this world."

Lin Xue's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously. "Mm... I understand now. Thank you, Qinghe Brother! I'll write Older Brother a letter right away!"

Watching the little girl run off excitedly, Qian Renxue slowly stood up, her expression complicated.

It was true that she was using Lin Jin as a sharp blade, but the bond between the siblings had surprised her and cast a warm glimmer of light into her heart.

The Northern Border, Iron Blood Pass.

Several days after the Victory Banquet, Lin Jin was training his troops when Lei Ke called him to a halt.

Lei Ke handed him a letter, wearing a rare smile as he said, "It came from the Imperial Capital. Looks like it was written by that little Girl of yours."

Lin Jin froze, having thought that Xiao Xue would not write him a letter.

Lin Jin wiped the sweat from his palm against his trousers before accepting the slightly childish envelope. Crookedly written on it were the words, "For Older Brother."

The handwriting on the letter was just as childish. Some strokes had even been replaced with drawings, but the contents still made the "Young Wolf," who had killed countless people on the battlefield, feel his Eye Socket grow slightly hot.

"Older Brother:

I miss you so much. I'm doing well at the academy. Qinghe Brother treats me very well, and my Teacher praises me for working hard. My Soul Power is almost level six, and I've made a friend. Her name is Ye Lingling, and she can heal wounds just like me. Older Brother, be careful in the Northern Border and don't get hurt. I eat well and sleep well every day. Older Brother, take good care of yourself too.

Younger Sister: Xiao Xue"

There were no flowery words, only the simplest longing and updates.

"Brat..." Lin Jin cursed under his breath, but the corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably. He read the thin sheet of paper over and over before carefully tucking it against his body.

Then Lin Jin touched the Wild Chrysanthemum bracelet around his wrist and murmured, "Older Brother misses you too."

He walked out of the tent and gazed at the southern sky.

The wind and snow of the Northern Border remained bitterly cold, but a warm fire burned in his heart.

In the days that followed, Lin Jin trained and carried out missions with even greater desperation.

He knew that every bit of military merit he earned would give his Younger Sister a little more peace in Heaven Dou City and bring him one step closer to returning.

After the Iron Chain Bridge battle, the front entered a period of relative stalemate. Large-scale offensive and defensive battles decreased, but small-scale clashes and infiltrations became increasingly frequent.

Lin Jin's "Blood Blade" took on a new mission: scouting the Enemy Situation, eliminating outposts, and harassing supply lines.

Lin Jin's Military Strategy was devious, and his movements were as swift as the wind. He often exchanged minimal losses for enormous gains, giving the Star Luo border troops across from him endless headaches. The Blood Blade's fearsome reputation grew even stronger.

After two years of clashes, the Blood Blade under Lin Jin's command had expanded to nearly a thousand members, and he had become a Legion Commander.

Lei Ke, meanwhile, had become a Colonel officer.

The Star Luo fortress on the border, Iron Rock Fortress.

"Useless! Every one of you is useless!"

"For two years—two whole years—the Blood Blade's leader, the Young Wolf, has repeatedly destroyed our supplies, and none of you have been able to stop him! What use are you?" The Star Luo Colonel smashed the report about yet another destroyed shipment in his hand and roared.

"General, I have a plan. It may allow us to kill the Young Wolf." A Legion Commander stepped forward.

"Speak. What plan?"

A plan carried out by Star Luo specifically against Lin Jin was launched at once.