Snow Eagle Territory

Winter, Longshan Calendar 9616.

Within the territory of Yishui County, Qinghe Prefecture, Anyang Province.

A boy of about eight or nine years old, with red lips and white teeth, dressed in exquisitely tailored white furs and carrying a spear quiver, was nimbly darting through the mountain forest. He held a short spear with a black wooden shaft in his right hand, chasing a wild deer that was fleeing in a panic ahead of him. The surrounding leaves trembled, and the accumulated snow fell in rustling showers.

"Hit!"

While in mid-leap, the boy suddenly raised the short spear high, his body leaning slightly backward. He channeled the strength from his waist and abdomen into his right arm and whipped it forward!

Swish!

The short spear flew through the air, brushing past leaves and traversing over thirty meters. It grazed the edge of the deer's back before plunging deep into the snow, leaving only a bloody streak on the animal. The deer, now even more desperate, scrambled toward the depths of the forest, looking as if it were about to escape.

Suddenly, with a whoosh, a stone flew out.

The stone transformed into a streak of light, traveling over a hundred meters through the forest. With a bang, it pierced the trunk of a large tree and struck with precision into the head of the wild deer. Even the deer's tough skull could not withstand the impact; it stumbled, carried by its own momentum for over ten meters before crashing to the ground, causing the surrounding snow to fall in a flurry.

"Father." The boy turned to look into the distance, saying with some frustration, "Don't interfere. I was just about to hit it."

"If I hadn't interfered, that deer would have been gone. Your aim while running at high speed is still lacking. Go back this evening and add five hundred practice throws." The voice was resonant and came from afar, where two figures were walking side by side.

One was a sturdy, middle-aged man with black hair and black eyes, carrying a weapon case on his back. The other figure was even more burly and robust, standing over two meters tall with arms thicker than an average man's thighs. However, he had the head of a lion—he was a lion-headed man! With messy yellow hair draped over his shoulders, he was clearly a rare 'Lionman' among the beastkin, and he also carried a weapon case.

"Brother Tong San, look at how capable my son is. He's only eight this year, and he already has the strength of an average adult man," the middle-aged man laughed.

"Mm, Xue Ying is quite good. There's no doubt he'll be stronger than you in the future," the burly Lionman joked.

"Of course he'll be better than me. When I was eight, I was just a poor kid playing around in the village, knowing nothing. It wasn't until I joined the army that I had the chance to cultivate Battle Qi!" The middle-aged man sighed with emotion. "As a father, I can't provide my son with the best conditions, but I will give him everything I can to cultivate him well."

"Dongbo, you've already done quite well to go from a commoner to a Heaven-Rank Knight and even buy a territory to become a noble," the burly Lionman laughed.

This middle-aged man was the lord of the surrounding hundred-mile territory—Baron Dongbo Lie!

A baron was the lowest noble rank in the Longshan Empire of the Xia Clan. When the empire was first founded, the granting of noble titles was very strict. Now, over nine thousand years later, this behemoth had begun to decay, and the buying and selling of some lower titles were even officially permitted.

Back then, Dongbo Lie and his wife decided to buy a noble title and a territory only after they had a child. They named this territory 'Snow Eagle Territory' after their son, which showed just how much they cherished him.

Of course, this was merely a small territory within Yishui County.

"I didn't cultivate Battle Qi until I was twenty, but my son is different. He's only eight this year, and I reckon he'll be able to cultivate it by the time he's ten. Haha, he'll definitely be much stronger than me." Dongbo Lie looked at the boy, his eyes filled with a father's doting and anticipation.

"Judging by his strength, ten or so is about right," the burly Lionman agreed.

They had experienced so much that their judgment was naturally very accurate.

"Father, you were so far away, yet the stone you threw could pierce such a thick tree?" The boy stood beside the large tree. He tried to wrap his arms around it, but he couldn't even reach halfway. A large hole had been punched through the trunk. "Such a thick tree... if I had to chop it down, it would take me a long, long time."

"Now you know the power of a Heaven-Rank Knight," the burly Lionman said. Beside him, Dongbo Lie smiled smugly; even a father likes to show off in front of his son.

"Is it as powerful as a god?" The boy deliberately curled his lip.

"A god?"

Dongbo Lie and the Lionman Tong San were instantly rendered speechless.

The founder of the Longshan Empire, the 'Great Emperor Longshan', was a powerful deity; this was something almost every citizen of this world knew. Dongbo Lie was considered a fierce warrior in the army, but compared to a god? There was simply no comparison.

"It seems five hundred extra throws this evening isn't enough. Let's make it one thousand," Dongbo Lie said, smacking his lips.

"Father!" The boy's eyes widened. "You, you..."

"See? You still dare to talk back to me. Remember, you'll only suffer if you argue with your father. Alright, let's head back," Dongbo Lie said.

The Lionman Tong San took a black flute from his neck and blew a low, deep note that carried through the mountain forest.

Soon, twenty armored soldiers arrived in a hurry from the distance.

"Bring the prey back," Dongbo Lie ordered.

"Yes, My Lord," the soldiers replied respectfully.

Dongbo Lie and the burly Lionman took the boy, Xue Ying, to the highest point of the mountain. There, a large number of horses and nearly a hundred soldiers were waiting. On an open, snowy patch of ground, a huge white fur blanket was spread out. Sitting on the blanket was a purple-robed woman with a mysterious and transcendent aura. Beside her was a cute two- or three-year-old child running around unsteadily. The soldiers looked at the purple-robed woman with reverence.

Because this purple-robed woman was a powerful mage!

"Shi Tou, look, who's here," the purple-robed woman said with a smile. The two- or three-year-old child immediately turned to look, his eyes lighting up the moment he saw them.

"Brother, hug! Brother, hug!" The child wiggled his bottom and ran over.

The purple-robed woman also watched this scene with a smile.

"Shi Tou." The boy Xue Ying immediately walked to the front and crouched down. His younger brother, Qing Shi, threw himself into his arms: "Brother, hug! Brother, hug!"

Xue Ying picked up his brother and kissed him.

"Shi Tou, we caught a wild deer today, look." Xue Ying pointed to the deer being carried by the soldiers behind him.

"Y-y-deer? Y-y-deer?" Little brother Qing Shi widened his dark, round eyes, making unclear sounds.

His younger brother, Dongbo Qing Shi, was only two years old. Although he tried hard to speak, his words were not yet clear, and he didn't quite understand the meaning.

"It's a wild deer, a type of beast from the mountain behind our home," Xue Ying said.

"Xue Ying, give your brother to me," the purple-robed woman said as she stood up and walked over.

"Yes, Mother." Xue Ying handed his brother over.

The purple-robed woman said, "I brought some osmanthus cakes that are still warm in the basket. Go and eat them quickly."

"Pastries?" Xueying's eyes lit up, his mouth watering instantly. Feeling as though he were about to drool, he immediately sprinted over.

"I want some too, I want some too!" His younger brother, Qingshi, immediately struggled in their mother's arms; when it came to 'eating pastries,' he was the most enthusiastic, even though he was usually quite disobedient during regular meals.

"Of course there's some for you, you little glutton." The purple-robed woman looked toward Dongbo Lie and the lion-man Tong San, who were also walking in from outside. "You two hurry up as well; I've prepared some food for you, too."

"Haha... Master is not only formidable in magic, but her culinary skills are excellent as well," the burly lion-man said.

This lion-man had been a slave in his youth before becoming the purple-robed woman's servant and follower. Although many years had passed and their bond was like that of family, the burly lion-man still insisted on calling her 'Master.'

After eating his fill, Xueying looked toward the distance. Because their campsite was on a mountaintop, he could see other mountains and vast stretches of farmland at a glance; everything within his line of sight was their own territory. His father and mother had ended their days of adventuring because of his birth, purchasing a noble title and a vast expanse of land. This territory had been named—Snow Eagle Territory!

Dongbo Xueying stretched his back, his face full of joy.

He had parents who doted on him, a cute younger brother, and many kind-hearted subjects in his territory.

Dongbo Xueying was truly satisfied with a life like this...

The only thing that gave him a headache was that his father's training was a bit too grueling.

"I have to add a thousand short-spear practice sessions, plus the original thousand... and there's the more important spear technique, and..." Dongbo Xueying's little face twisted into a bitter expression.

******

Night fell, and a crescent moon hung in the sky.

The wind was howling.

"Boom~~~"

Thousands of meters above the ground, a massive bird, resembling a patch of dark clouds, was flying at high speed.

This giant bird had a wingspan of over twenty meters and possessed four wings in total. Its flight speed reached nearly the speed of sound. It was none other than a terrifyingly ferocious Magic Beast, the 'Four-Winged Vulture.' Sitting cross-legged on the back of this Four-Winged Vulture were two figures: a man in silver armor and a gray-robed person holding a dark purple wooden staff.

"Where are we?" the gray-robed person asked.

"Reporting to Master, we have already entered the territory of Yishui County. I estimate we will arrive at Snow Eagle Territory in half an hour." The silver-armored man looked down at the land below, his gaze cold as he clearly identified their location.

"In half an hour, I will be able to see that younger sister of mine." The gray-robed person's voice was complex. "She really knows how to hide; after fifteen years of being tracked by our family, she has managed to evade us for so long..."

The Four-Winged Vulture streaked through the night, heading straight for Snow Eagle Territory!

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