Kong Youyue

The news that Grand Mage Bai Yuanzhi was living on Snow Stone Mountain quickly spread throughout Yishui Territory.

On Snow Stone Mountain, along the mountain path.

"Stop." A checkpoint had been set up along the path. Snow Stone Castle wasn't somewhere just anyone could visit. A group of soldiers watched as several young men and women approached. They were dressed plainly and had an ordinary air about them; at a glance, they were clearly commoners.

"What do you want?" one of the soldiers barked.

"Good sirs," a rather pretty young woman hurriedly said, "we heard that a Grand Mage is living on Snow Stone Mountain, so we'd like to request an audience with him. We hope to become his disciples."

"That's right, good sirs. Please make an exception and let us meet the Grand Mage," the young people pleaded.

They were all young, their hearts full of hope for the future!

What a lofty status a mage had. They all wanted to become mages, too.

"Heh." The gaunt middle-aged man in charge of the checkpoint sneered. "You little ones, let me ask you this: do you have any talent for magic?"

"We don't know."

"The Grand Mage will know whether we have talent once he sees us."

The young men and women hurriedly answered.

"What a joke!" The gaunt middle-aged man scoffed. "How precious is the Grand Mage's time? He won't meet just anyone. And you've come here without even knowing whether you have any talent for magic? Do you think the Grand Mage will examine you one by one?"

"Maybe one of us has great talent and will be a favorite of the Grand Mage," a girl immediately said.

"Enough, enough." The middle-aged soldier shook his head. "Move along. I've already seen countless daydreaming youngsters like you these past few days! Young people, face reality! When I was your age, I joined the army to learn Battle Qi and went through life-and-death ordeals. Who do you think you are, that the Grand Mage would take you as disciples?"

"To tell you the truth, the Grand Mage gave orders long ago that he wouldn't receive visitors at all! He won't even see nobles, let alone people like you," the middle-aged soldier said.

"Ah."

The young people looked at one another helplessly.

The soldiers guarding the checkpoint were devoted to their duty and refused to let them through. No amount of pleading would help.

Not long after,

a carriage came speeding over, followed by a large group of cavalry. The carriage was ornate, with what appeared to be magic arrays set into it. Though it raced along, the carriage itself remained perfectly steady.

"Stop!" the Snow Eagle Territory soldiers called out all the same.

"We're from the Cao Clan of Yuncui Territory. Our master wishes to pay a visit to your lord," the carriage driver said.

"The Cao Clan of Yuncui Territory?"

The soldiers exchanged glances.

There weren't many great clans in Yi Water City. The Cao Clan of Yuncui Territory could just about rank among the top ten. Back when Snow Eagle Territory had been weaker, the Cao Clan had already been a cut above it! Now that Dongbo Xueying was regarded as the greatest expert in all of Yi Water City, the gap between the Cao Clan and the Dongbo Clan was even wider.

"No more than ten soldiers may go up the mountain," said the gaunt middle-aged checkpoint captain. "That's an order from the lord. I hope you understand."

"This..." The carriage driver hesitated.

"Fine, Old Pan. You five come up the mountain with me. The rest of you stay here." A voice came from inside the carriage.

"Yes."

Five formidable-looking knights followed the carriage through the checkpoint and up the mountain.

"We're here to visit the lord, too. Let us go up the mountain!" one of the young women who had been waiting nearby, unwilling to give up, immediately called out.

"Heh. You're here to visit our lord? The Grand Mage won't see you, so why would our lord?" The gaunt middle-aged man shook his head with a sneer. "All right, give it up."

In the days leading up to the New Year, Snow Stone Castle was livelier than ever.

Never mind the commoners hoping to get lucky; quite a few nobles from across Yishui Territory had come to pay a visit, too. Since the Grand Mage wouldn't receive guests, they sought an audience with Dongbo Xueying instead! They wanted Dongbo Xueying to ask the Grand Mage to take one of their children as a nominal disciple. They figured that since the Grand Mage had settled here, he would surely show the territory lord, Dongbo Xueying, some respect.

But—

Dongbo Xueying refused to see visitors as well! Zong Ling handled them all.

In the morning,

a male servant hurried to the bamboo pavilion on the back mountain, but it was empty. Dongbo Xueying was nowhere to be seen.

"My lord! My lord!" the servant shouted.

His voice carried...

Halfway up the back mountain, a mountain spring cascaded down from above and crashed into a pool below. A stream meandered away into the distance.

Beside the pool, Dongbo Xueying stood on a boulder, listening to the sound of the spring as he practiced a set of punches. It was the Battle Qi technique, the Flame Three-Stage Method. As he practiced, power surged through his body. Every move flowed with graceful coordination, perfectly engaging the strength in every part of his body and naturally drawing in the power of fire from Heaven and Earth.

The power of fire in Heaven and Earth continuously flowed into his body, transforming into flame Battle Qi.

"Breathe in, breathe out..."

With each move and each breath, Dongbo Xueying felt as if countless flames were burrowing into his body. As it absorbed the power around him, his body continued to grow stronger.

He had only awakened his Primordial Bloodline recently. Both his Battle Qi and his body were growing rapidly. He practiced his punches to gain perfect control over every bit of strength that was increasing so quickly.

"My lord." A voice came from afar.

"Hm?" Dongbo Xueying abruptly stopped and looked up.

I've refused to see all those nobles. Why are they still coming to me? Dongbo Xueying wondered. He casually picked up the Flying Snow Spear beside him.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

He became a blur. An ordinary person would have seen only a shadow flash by before Dongbo Xueying vanished from sight. That was the terrifying speed of a powerful expert!

A blur flashed in front of the bamboo pavilion, and Dongbo Xueying appeared.

"What is it?" Dongbo Xueying asked.

The male servant jumped at the sudden appearance of his lord. When he heard the question, he immediately answered, "Lord Zong Ling said that the old lord's friend, Lord Kong Hai, has arrived. He asks you to come over."

"Uncle Kong?" Dongbo Xueying nodded.

Apart from Uncle Zong and Uncle Tong, his father had very few friends! His grandfather had fled to Yi Water City as a beggar during a famine. As an outsider, he had been isolated and bullied in the mountain village. After he died while hunting in the mountains, Dongbo Xueying's father had enlisted in the army without a single tie holding him back. Once he had mastered Battle Qi and left the army, he continued to risk his life on adventures.

His father had made a few friends in the army, but he had spent so long adventuring away from home that he had lost touch with most of them. Only Kong Hai had visited often. Dongbo Xueying had met him many times as a child. After his parents were taken away, Kong Hai had come to visit him once. And every year since, Kong Hai had sent New Year's gifts, which Dongbo Xueying had reciprocated, keeping their connection alive.

But with his parents gone, it had been a long time since Kong Hai had come in person.

"Haha, Xueying! It's been years, and you've become the greatest expert in Yi Water City. Impressive!" In the reception hall, a chubby middle-aged man stood up with a smile when Dongbo Xueying entered.

"Uncle Kong Hai." Dongbo Xueying smiled and nodded.

Kong Hai secretly regretted it.

After leaving the army, he had become a merchant—sociable and well connected, with friends everywhere. Dongbo Lie had been just one of his many friends. After Dongbo Lie and his wife were taken away, he had visited Snow Stone Castle once to comfort the young Dongbo brothers, but never returned. Still, out of a merchant's habit, he had kept sending New Year's gifts to maintain their connection.

Every year, he sent gifts in bulk to friends in all directions. For the friends who mattered most, he made a point of visiting in person.

He hadn't paid much attention to the sons his old friend had left behind. But who could have guessed that this Dongbo Xueying would destroy the terrifying Curved Blade Alliance all by himself? It was simply unbelievable!

"Come, You Yue. Greet your big brother Xueying." The chubby Kong Hai took the hand of the green-clad girl beside him.

"Big brother Xueying." The girl in green blushed shyly.

"You Yue?" Dongbo Xueying smiled. "You've grown so much. I remember seeing you when you were little, though you probably don't remember. You were only four or five then."

He had met Kong Youyue when he was a child. She was Kong Hai's eldest daughter, three years younger than Dongbo Xueying.

"I came today because I wanted to ask you a favor, Xueying," Kong Hai said with a smile. "You Yue has a talent for magic, and I'd like her to become a disciple of the Grand Mage. A nominal disciple will do! I've brought the five thousand gold coins required to become one. But the Grand Mage has so many nominal disciples that he probably won't pay much attention to an ordinary one. I'd like you to put in a word for her, Xueying. That way, the Grand Mage will surely take more of an interest in You Yue."

"Oh, that's a small matter. Don't worry, Uncle Kong Hai." Dongbo Xueying nodded.

The Grand Mage made prospective disciples pay dearly.

Fifty thousand gold coins for a personal disciple!

Five thousand for a nominal disciple, and there were only a limited number of places.

But fifty thousand gold coins was an astronomical sum for the nobles of Yi Water City. So far, only Dongbo Xueying had satisfied the Grand Mage by presenting him with the Silver Moon Wolf King's heart!

Five thousand gold coins for a nominal disciple was also a lot. Many nobles wanted to ask Dongbo Xueying for help to save a little money.

But Kong Hai had prepared the five thousand gold coins! All Dongbo Xueying had to do was put in a word. It really was a small matter.

"After You Yue begins studying magic under the Grand Mage, she'll be living on Snow Stone Mountain for a long time. I hope you'll look after her, Xueying," Kong Hai said.

"That's no problem. There are plenty of houses in the castle. I'll set one aside for You Yue," Dongbo Xueying said. He usually practiced in the bamboo pavilion on the back mountain, so arranging something like this would take only a word.

"Hahaha... Come to think of it, your father and I once talked about arranging a match between you two if you got along well," Kong Hai said with a hearty laugh.

"Father!" You Yue's face turned bright red.

"It's up to you two. Your parents said the same thing back then—there's no pressure," Kong Hai said with a smile. "If I had the greatest expert in Yi Water City for a son-in-law, hahaha, I'd be grinning from ear to ear."

"Father, that's enough." You Yue couldn't take it anymore. She was still young and shy, and she couldn't stand hearing this.

Kong Hai smiled at his daughter.

He really had talked about arranging a match for their children when he and Dongbo Lie and his wife had chatted back then. But Dongbo Lie and his wife had both said, "It depends on what the children want."

Yet now he was bringing it up again!

It was because... he thought highly of Dongbo Xueying and hoped his daughter would marry him! If it really happened, the standing of the Kong family would rise right along with his.

He didn't even care about Grand Mage Bai Yuanzhi! Apprenticeship? As a merchant, he could have his daughter study under any Heaven-Rank Mage. Why spend five thousand gold coins to apprentice her to the Grand Mage?

Those five thousand gold coins weren't for the Grand Mage!

They were for Dongbo Xueying!

Because the Grand Mage lived on Snow Stone Mountain!

He wanted his daughter living on Snow Stone Mountain, spending her days with Dongbo Xueying! Given enough time, there was a good chance the two would grow close.

A merchant needed to be far-sighted and know when to invest. Kong Hai had started out as an ordinary soldier and risen to become a merchant of some renown. He was certainly capable.

That very day, Dongbo Xueying personally introduced Kong Youyue to Grand Mage Bai Yuanzhi!

After taking the five thousand gold coins, Bai Yuanzhi's face blossomed with smiles, and he promised to train Kong Youyue well.

Kong Hai left that evening, entrusting Dongbo Xueying with looking after Kong Youyue.

Actually...

Dongbo Xueying was no longer that young. He had been precocious since childhood and could easily see what Kong Hai was thinking. Kong Hai had also deliberately made his intentions obvious! As for the little girl he had met when they were young, Kong Youyue, Dongbo Xueying honestly had no such feelings for her. She was still young; after the New Year, she would only be thirteen. Her body hadn't fully matured yet. She was just a green, inexperienced girl.

"Whoosh." "Whish."

The spear swept through the air.

Dongbo Xueying practiced alone at the bamboo pavilion on the back mountain. His spear shadows whistled, and the Flying Snow Spear stirred up drifting snow. The black-clad boy's figure seemed to flicker amid the snow, as if he and the spear had become one.

"Xueying, Xueying!" Lion-Man Tong San came running over in person, taking long strides. His feet cracked the frozen snow beneath them.

"Uncle Tong?" Dongbo Xueying lowered his spear.

"Lord Si An, the master of Dragon Mountain Tower, has arrived," Tong San said.

Dongbo Xueying's eyes lit up. At last, he was here. Was there finally news of his parents?

"Let's go." Dongbo Xueying didn't bother to tidy up or change clothes. He hurried with Tong San toward the castle.