Intelligence

"Xueying, what exactly did you discover?" Although Zong Ling trusted Xueying, he still felt completely bewildered.

"I don't know either." Dongbo Xueying shook his head. "It was just a feeling—that if we stayed there any longer, we could lose our lives at any moment."

"The Curved Blade Alliance has had their lair in that mountainside for so many years, and they've been fine, haven't they?" Zong Ling asked, puzzled.

"That, I don't know." Dongbo Xueying smiled. "Let's not worry about it. Uncle Zong, we've accomplished our mission; it's time to go home."

"Mm, it is time to go home." Zong Ling smiled happily as well.

The two walked side by side toward the encampment.

Stationed within the camp was a hundred-man troop from Snow Eagle Territory.

"My Lord."

"My Lord." The patrolling soldiers within the territory called out respectfully, and soon, the captain of the hundred-man unit, Captain Yang Cheng, came to greet them.

Captain Yang Cheng asked in surprise, "My Lord, Master Zong Ling, why are you back so early today? Usually, you don't return until nightfall; it's still quite early."

Dongbo Xueying smiled.

They had entered the Destruction Mountain Range at the crack of dawn to hunt the Silver Moon Wolf Pack, and after killing the Wolf King, they had headed back. They had only been slightly delayed by the Curved Blade Alliance along the way, so it was indeed still an hour or two before nightfall.

"Captain Yang Cheng," Dongbo Xueying said, "Uncle Zong and I are preparing to set off now to return to Snow Eagle Territory. You all should remain stationed here and head back tomorrow during the day."

"Returning to Snow Eagle Territory?" Captain Yang Cheng looked delighted. Camping in the wild, freezing cold, was nowhere near as comfortable as being in the castle.

"Correct," Zong Ling said. "The Lord and I will head back first; you must keep the soldiers in order."

"Rest assured, Master Zong Ling." Captain Yang Cheng patted his chest in guarantee.

Soon after.

Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling each mounted a Frost-Flying Colt and began to race toward Snow Eagle Territory!

The Frost-Flying Magic Beast Colts had excellent stamina and load-bearing capacity. Even though the Silver Moon Wolf King's pelt weighed nearly two thousand jin, the Frost-Flying Colts maintained a fast pace throughout the journey. Whenever the mount he was riding grew tired, Dongbo Xueying would swap with Zong Ling to let the colts rest.

Night had already fallen.

On the flat, frozen-hard road, the two Frost-Flying Colts turned into two streaks of wind, galloping forward at high speed.

"We're almost there." Dongbo Xueying saw a towering mountain in the distance—it was none other than 'Snow Stone Mountain', named after himself and his younger brother!

"Finally back." Zong Ling also revealed a smile.

"At this hour, Qing Shi should be about to have dinner." Dongbo Xueying felt cheerful. The purpose of this trip to the Destruction Mountain Range had been fully achieved, and the harvest was even greater than expected. At the very least, his brother's apprenticeship was now a certainty.

The two Frost-Flying Colts galloped along the mountain road.

They charged upward along the path.

"My Lord." There were soldiers guarding the checkpoint on the mountain road. They recognized at a glance that the figures on the two Frost-Flying Colts were their own Lord and the steward, Master Zong Ling, and they were all very respectful.

The journey was unobstructed, and they galloped all the way to the castle gates.

"Open the gate!"

Dongbo Xueying shouted from atop his horse.

"Ah, it's the Lord." The patrolling soldiers quickly recognized them. "Quick, quick, lower the drawbridge, open the castle gate."

"Young Master Qing Shi, Young Master Qing Shi, the Lord is back, the Lord is back!" Servants inside the castle also shouted loudly, rushing to report the news.

Rumble, rumble...

The castle drawbridge was slowly lowered, and the gate was pushed open by the soldiers with great effort.

As the gate opened, Dongbo Xueying looked on from his horse and saw a boy dressed so thickly he looked like a little bear, running toward them joyfully.

"Brother!" Qing Shi's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Haha." Dongbo Xueying dismounted and handed his horse to a nearby soldier.

He immediately watched as Qing Shi ran over, then scooped his younger brother up. Although he was carrying nearly two thousand jin of Wolf King pelt on his back, Dongbo Xueying was a powerful knight capable of standing a horse on his arms; holding his brother was effortless.

"Brother, you said you'd be back in ten days or half a month, but it's been a full eighteen days," Qing Shi said quickly. Including the travel time, it was indeed eighteen days.

"I was delayed, delayed. Have you had dinner yet?" Dongbo Xueying asked.

"I was just about to eat when I heard Brother was back." Qing Shi was excited, then his eyes brightened. "Brother, what kind of pelt is that on your back? It's so beautiful, so white, and so soft." He even reached out to touch it.

"This pelt hasn't been cleaned properly yet. Once it's finished, I'll let you play with it," Dongbo Xueying said. "Come, let's go have dinner."

He carried his brother and walked into the castle.

At the castle entrance, one more person had appeared: the sturdy lion-man, Tong San. Tong San was grinning from ear to ear; he was truly happy. Seeing Zong Ling and Xueying return, and even carrying that massive Silver Moon Wolf King pelt, he understood that this trip had been a great success. With his years of experience as an adventurer, he recognized at a glance that the pelt was definitely from a Silver Moon Wolf King—ordinary wolves didn't have such large pelts, nor were they this beautiful!

"Uncle Zong, Uncle Tong, come, let's go eat together," Dongbo Xueying said.

"Let's go, together." Tong San and Zong Ling both laughed heartily.

"Roar, roar, Brother is back, he's back!" While being carried by Dongbo Xueying, his younger brother Qing Shi cheered happily.

And on the other side.

The backbone of the Curved Blade Alliance had been wiped out, suffering heavy casualties, and the remaining underlings naturally scrambled to gather whatever treasures they could from their lair before scattering in every direction. Once they fled, the news that "the Curved Blade Alliance has been eradicated by the young lord of Snow Eagle Territory" spread like a gust of wind.

Late at night.

Yi Water City, Dragon Mountain Tower.

"Lord Si An." The white-haired elder You Tu stood outside a room door, speaking in a low voice.

The middle-aged man with black hair let out a yawn, his eyes half-dazed, and said casually, "You Tu, you've woken me up in the middle of the night—what is it?"

"Lord Si An, a major event has occurred in our Yi Water City!" the white-haired elder whispered.

"A major event? What kind of major event?" Lord Si An asked, puzzled.

"The Curved Blade Alliance has been destroyed!" the white-haired elder said softly.

Lord Si An was stunned.

The Curved Blade Alliance?

The largest and most powerful bandit group within the entire territory of Yi Water City? The Curved Blade Alliance, led by the formidable Meteor Knight 'Curved Blade' Gai Bin, with a retinue of Heaven-Rank mages and Heaven-Rank Knights—destroyed?

"Is the information correct?" Lord Si An asked, finding it hard to believe. "The alliance led by Gai Bin? The entire Curved Blade Alliance is extremely cunning; they slip away the moment things look bad. How could they be wiped out?"

"Yes, it is indeed the alliance led by Gai Bin," the white-haired elder nodded. "Even Gai Bin himself was killed! Every single Heaven-Rank and Earth-Rank mage and warrior of the entire Curved Blade Alliance, and even the vast majority of the ordinary knights and mages... all wiped out! And they were destroyed by a single person."

"Who?" Lord Si An asked.

"It is that young lord who is rumored to have become obsessed with the spear," the white-haired elder whispered. "Dongbo Xueying!"

Lord Si An was shocked.

A single person, destroying the entire Curved Blade Alliance?

What kind of strength must that be? At the very least, it would be Meteor-Rank, and it was highly likely he was a Silver Moon Knight!

"Where is the detailed dossier?" Lord Si An asked.

"Here." The white-haired elder immediately presented the dossier. "The news just arrived. Our people at Dragon Mountain Tower have already captured a few of the remaining low-level bandits from the Curved Blade Alliance, and we can bring them to see the Tower Master tomorrow."

Lord Si An flipped through the dossier, no longer feeling the slightest bit of fatigue; he was now completely wide awake.

The intelligence network of Dragon Mountain Tower was the most extensive in existence.

The preliminary report already contained almost a complete record of what had transpired.

"If this intelligence is true, then the current number one expert in Yi Water City is likely this young lord," Lord Si An whispered to himself. "It is truly unimaginable. How old is he, really? That couple, Dongbo Lie and Moyang Yu, truly gave birth to an extraordinary son!"