Intelligence

"Xue Ying, what exactly did you find?" Although Zong Ling trusted Xue Ying, he was still baffled.

"I don't know either." Dongbo Xueying shook his head. "It was just a feeling. If we'd stayed there any longer, we could have lost our lives at any moment."

"The Curved Blade Alliance had been based in that mountainside cave for years. Nothing ever happened to them, did it?" Zong Ling asked, puzzled.

"I don't know about that." Dongbo Xueying smiled. "Let's not worry about it. Uncle Zong, we've already accomplished what we set out to do. It's time to go home."

"Yeah, it's time to go home." Zong Ling smiled happily too.

The two of them walked side by side toward the camp.

A hundred soldiers from Snow Eagle Territory were stationed there.

"My lord!"

"My lord!" The soldiers on patrol in the territory greeted him respectfully. Before long, Yang Cheng, the captain of the hundred-man squad, came out to welcome them.

As he approached, Captain Yang Cheng asked in surprise, "My lord, Lord Zong Ling, why are you back so early today? You usually don't return until nightfall. There's still plenty of time before dark."

Dongbo Xueying smiled.

They had entered the Destruction Mountain Range early that morning to hunt the Silver Moon Wolf Pack. After killing the Wolf King, they had headed back. They had only been delayed a little by the Curved Blade Alliance, and there were still one or two hours before dark.

"Captain Yang Cheng," Dongbo Xueying said, "Uncle Zong and I are leaving now to return to Snow Eagle Territory. You should stay here and bring the soldiers back tomorrow, while it's still light."

"You're returning to Snow Eagle Territory?" Yang Cheng's face lit up. Camping outdoors every day in the freezing cold was nothing compared to the comfort of the castle.

"Yes," Zong Ling said. "The lord and I will go back first. Make sure you look after the soldiers."

"Don't worry, Lord Zong Ling." Yang Cheng patted his chest in assurance.

Soon, Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling each mounted a Frost-Flying Colt and set off for Snow Eagle Territory!

The Frost-Flying Magic Beast Colts had excellent endurance and could carry heavy loads. Even with the Silver Moon Wolf King's pelt, which weighed nearly two thousand pounds, the Frost-Flying Colts maintained a brisk pace. Whenever one of the colts grew tired, Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling switched mounts, letting it rest.

Night had fallen.

Two Frost-Flying Colts raced along the road, packed hard and frozen solid, like gusts of wind.

"We're almost there." Dongbo Xueying spotted a towering mountain in the distance. It was Snow Stone Mountain, named after him and his younger brother.

"We're finally back." Zong Ling smiled too.

"At this hour, Qing Shi should be having dinner." Dongbo Xueying was in high spirits. Their trip to the Destruction Mountain Range had gone exactly as planned, and they had gained even more than expected. At the very least, there was no longer any doubt that his younger brother could become an apprentice.

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

They raced steadily uphill.

"My lord!" Soldiers guarded the checkpoint along the mountain road. They immediately recognized their lord and steward Zong Ling on the two Frost-Flying Colts and greeted them with great respect.

They passed through without hindrance and galloped all the way to the castle gates.

"Open the gates!"

Dongbo Xueying shouted from horseback.

"It's the lord!" The patrolling soldiers quickly recognized him. "Quick! Lower the drawbridge and open the castle gates!"

"Young Master Qing Shi! Young Master Qing Shi! The lord is back! The lord is back!" Servants inside the castle called out, hurrying to spread the news.

Rumble—

The drawbridge slowly lowered, and the soldiers pushed open the castle gates.

Through the open gates, Dongbo Xueying saw a boy in the distance, bundled up so thoroughly he looked like a little bear, running toward him excitedly.

"Big brother!" Qing Shi's eyes lit up.

"Haha!" Dongbo Xueying dismounted and handed the reins to a nearby soldier.

Then, smiling, he watched Qing Shi run up and scooped his younger brother into his arms. Even with the nearly two-thousand-pound wolf pelt on his back, Dongbo Xueying was a powerful knight who could support a horse on his arm. Holding his little brother was effortless.

"Big brother, you said you'd be back in ten days or half a month, but it's been a whole eighteen days!" Qing Shi said. Counting the time spent traveling, it really had been eighteen days.

"We got delayed, we got delayed. Have you eaten dinner yet?" Dongbo Xueying asked.

"We were just about to eat when we heard you were back." Qing Shi was thrilled. Then his eyes brightened. "Big brother, what kind of pelt are you carrying? It's so beautiful—so white and soft!" He reached out to touch it.

"It hasn't been cleaned properly yet. Once it's ready, I'll let you play with it," Dongbo Xueying said. "Come on, let's get dinner."

Holding his younger brother, he headed into the castle.

Another person had appeared at the castle entrance: the burly Lion-Man, Tong San. He grinned broadly, genuinely delighted. Seeing Zong Ling and Xue Ying return with the enormous Silver Moon Wolf King pelt on their backs told him they'd had a great deal of success. Years of adventuring had given him a keen eye; he recognized at once that the pelt belonged to a Silver Moon Wolf King. No ordinary wolf had a pelt that large—or that beautiful.

"Uncle Zong, Uncle Tong, come on. Let's eat together," Dongbo Xueying said.

"Let's go!" Tong San and Zong Ling laughed heartily.

"Roar, roar! Big brother's back! He's back!" Qing Shi cheered happily in Dongbo Xueying's arms.

Meanwhile, on the other side,

the Curved Blade Alliance's core members had been wiped out, and the alliance had suffered heavy losses. The remaining underlings naturally grabbed some of the treasures from their headquarters and scattered to flee. Once they were out, news that "the young lord of Snow Eagle Territory has wiped out the Curved Blade Alliance" spread like wildfire.

Late that night,

at Dragon Mountain Tower in Yi Water City,

"Lord Si An." The white-haired old man, You Tu, stood quietly outside a room.

The black-haired, middle-aged man yawned, his eyes half closed, and said casually, "You Tu, why did you wake me in the middle of the night? What is it?"

"Lord Si An, something major has happened in Yi Water City!" the white-haired old man said quietly.

"Something major? What happened?" Lord Si An asked, puzzled.

"The Curved Blade Alliance has been wiped out!" the white-haired old man murmured.

Lord Si An froze.

The Curved Blade Alliance?

The largest and most powerful bandit group in all of Yi Water City's territory? The one led by the powerful Meteor Knight Curved Blade Gai Bin, with a host of Heaven-Rank Mages and Heaven-Rank Knights under him? They'd been wiped out?

"Are you sure the news is accurate?" Lord Si An asked, unable to believe it. "The Curved Blade Alliance led by Gai Bin? They were incredibly crafty and always fled at the first sign of trouble. How could they have been wiped out?"

"Yes, it was Gai Bin's alliance," the white-haired old man confirmed. "Gai Bin himself was killed! Every Heaven-Rank and Earth-Rank Mage in the alliance, along with nearly all of its ordinary knights and mages, was wiped out! And it was all done by one person."

"Who?" Lord Si An asked.

"The young lord who's said to be obsessed with spear training," the white-haired old man said quietly. "Dongbo Xueying!"

Lord Si An was shocked.

One person had wiped out the entire Curved Blade Alliance?

What kind of strength would that take? At least Meteor Rank—perhaps even the Silver Moon Knight level!

"Where's the detailed report?" Lord Si An asked.

"Here." The white-haired old man immediately handed over the report. "The news just came in. Our people from Dragon Mountain Tower have already caught several of the Curved Blade Alliance's surviving ordinary bandits. We can bring them here to see the lord tomorrow."

Lord Si An read through the report, no longer feeling the slightest bit tired. He was completely alert.

Dragon Mountain Tower had the most extensive intelligence network.

The preliminary report had already recorded almost everything that had happened.

"If the report is accurate, then this young lord may now be the strongest person in Yi Water City," Lord Si An murmured. "It's almost impossible to believe. How old is he? Dongbo Lie and Moyang Yu truly had an extraordinary son!"