The Spear Was Gone

Throughout Ionia's long history, Shepherd have always played a vital role. (69shux. com)

Legend has it that they possess the ability to frighten away all kinds of wild beasts and even Magic Beast, thus protecting the safety of the region.

Historically, most Shepherd were women, with some exceptions, such as Zhao Xin, the Shepherd of the Sunon Temple.

Zhao Xin was born into a hunter's family in Prexian. His father was a highly skilled hunter, and his mother was a literacy Teacher.

Both of these professions are relatively rare in Ionia, but thanks to this, Zhao Xin mastered excellent hunting skills and learning abilities from a young age.

Besides hunting and studying, Zhao Xin also frequently visited his neighbors' homes, such as the Li family to the east, the Sun family to the west, the Wuma family to the south, and the Zan family to the north, etc.

Most of them had received favors from Zhao Xin's parents, so they treated him very well and would often invite him to eat with them when they made something delicious.

Zhao Xin's favorite place to visit was the Zan family in the north, because the old lady there loved to tell stories.

These stories are bizarre; they're not exactly terrifying, and while they're not exactly sad, they also have a touch of humor.

Actually, the old folks deliberately changed it; otherwise, if they told all sorts of strange and supernatural stories, the children would be terrified and cry.

The Zan family has a little girl who is the same age as Zhao Xin. The two often read and learn to read together, and she even gave herself the name Irelia.

Besides their studies, they often practiced dancing with the grandmother of the Zan family. According to the old lady, this kind of dance could help them grow taller and develop faster.

Perhaps due to the influence of dance, the two have indeed developed very well, and their relationship seems very close.

The old lady often teased them, "Zhao Xin, how about Irelia becomes your bride when she grows up?"

At this time, Irelia would shyly run to the yard, and Zhao Xin would say seriously:

"No, I want to protect her like a younger sister!"

In Zhao Xin's young mind, he didn't know what a bride was; he felt that his younger sister was the closest person in the world.

When Zhao Xin was nine years old, he left Prexian with his parents and returned to their hometown in the west, for which Irelia cried bitterly.

However, their fate was far from over. When they were twelve years old, a Shepherd from both the North Spring Temple and the Sunon Temple passed away.

During the search across the entire territory, Zhao Xin and Irelia became Shepherd of two temples, respectively.

Of course, neither of them knew anything about the other. The North Spring Temple and the Sunon Temple were thousands of miles apart and had virtually no contact with each other.

After becoming Shepherd, Zhao Xin began to practice martial arts diligently because there were many things that required his attention.

Zhao Xin's first Teacher was his father. Although it was just some simple kung fu, he learned it very well and quickly surpassed his father.

His second Teacher was a highly respected martial arts master in the area. Apart from his noble identity as Shepherd, Zhao Xin's martial arts talent also delighted the master.

Actually, none of them knew that this was all thanks to the old lady of the Zan family. The dance she taught Zhao Xin was a secret technique passed down in the Zan family: the magical rhythms from nature.

Zhao Xin had mastered everything very well at the time, and with the help of the martial arts master, he made rapid progress and soon became the most trusted Shepherd under the Western Harbinger.

Years later, when the martial arts master grew old, he gifted Zhao Xin a gleaming spear, a weapon forged by Doran, the renowned blacksmith of Ionia.

After obtaining the spear, Zhao Xin worked even harder, never slacking off for a moment. No matter how powerful the criminal was, he could not escape his pursuit. Even after deciphering the divine oracle, he still had the energy to practice his spear skills.

On the eve of war, Ionia fishermen discovered Noxus warships.

Zhao Xin hurriedly went to the Sunon Temple to report this matter to the Harbinger, and then the Western Harbinger called on everyone to fight together against the enemy.

Because this was the first time Ionia had experienced war, many of them had no concept of it, and not many people came to help. However, Irelia arrived, wanting to inquire about Zhao Xin's whereabouts.

Naturally, the two met again. More than a decade had passed; Zhao Xin had grown into a majestic and imposing figure, while Irelia was stunningly beautiful.

Despite the vast differences from their childhood, they recognized each other at a glance and were surprised to find that they had both become Shepherd!

They poured out their longing for each other and recounted the various things that had happened since they parted, but with the great battle raging, there was no time to go into details.

"Let's talk properly after the war is over, little sister Irelia!"

"Um..."

So, in his heart, she had always been just a little sister? Irelia felt a little resentful.

However, she did not reveal her thoughts, because the priests of Ionia are forbidden from marrying, although she did not know why, but it has been so since ancient times.

Soon after, Zhao Xin's hometown was invaded. When he rushed back, it had already suffered devastating damage, and the enemy was still advancing.

He stood alone guarding a narrow passage, his Doran's spear gleaming with a terrifyingly cold light.

Their resolve to charge into battle is one of certain death!

The Noxus army, seeing Zhao Xin standing alone in front of them, initially thought there was an ambush. After observing cautiously for a while, they realized he was alone.

"This guy's crazy, let's go!"

The Noxus soldiers launched an attack, but the narrow road couldn't accommodate so many people, so they could only attack in shifts.

However, after a long while, they still couldn't break through Zhao Xin's encirclement of spears, and many of them were killed instead.

This caught the attention of Commander Swain, who eventually managed to defeat Zhao Xin by sending his personal guards.

Swain did not kill him, but sent him back to Noxus as spoils of war, where he later ended up in the Doco Arena.

Zhao Xin initially disdained being treated as a slave in gladiatorial combat, but the arena owner did not abandon him until he was willing to participate in the fight.

Zhao Xin changed his mind because the arena changed its rules: winning a fight would earn him gold coins, and accumulating twenty coins would allow him to redeem himself.

Zhao Xin won the first battle easily, and the second battle was no different; he faced no pressure at all.

Because of his overwhelming advantage, he also received cheers from the entire audience.

Is this Noxus? A fanatical worship of force, bordering on madness!

At this moment, Zhao Xin felt that he was not a slave to be watched, but a true warrior!

Never in his life had he yearned to fight as much as he did now, for fighting could bring freedom! And even more so, it could bring cheers and glory!

In fact, at that time, Zhao Xin had already died as the Shepherd of Ionia.

He lost the blessings of the gods, forgot those who missed him, and his heart was filled only with the desire to fight.

So when Don called him later, he answered without hesitation; the so-called fight for freedom was just an excuse.

In his final moments, Zhao Xin's fighting spirit slowly subsided, and he finally remembered his childhood sweetheart who longed for him and the times they danced together.