Gathered Together

The permanent population of Qinghe Prefecture City exceeds ten million, and one can only imagine its sheer scale. Although the main thoroughfares within the city are exceptionally wide, the Snow-Treading Horse could only advance at a "strolling" pace. It took nearly an hour to cover the eighty-odd miles from the city gate to Dragon Mountain Tower, and by the time they arrived, the sky had turned completely dark.

"Finally here." Dongbo Xueying looked at the Dragon Mountain Tower before him.

In front of Dragon Mountain Tower, rows of massive Fire Crystal Lamps illuminated the area. This place was far more majestic than the Dragon Mountain Tower in Yishui County; the perimeter wall alone must have spanned a mile or two.

Large groups of guards were patrolling the surroundings.

"Dismount." The two black-armored guards standing at the main entrance possessed an extraordinary aura; they were likely at least Meteor Rank.

Dongbo Xueying dismounted, flipped his hand to reveal his Black Iron Token, and said, "The prefecture city should have already received news of my arrival."

One of the black-armored guards walked over and smiled. "Is it Dongbo Xueying from Yishui City?"

"It is I," Dongbo Xueying nodded.

"We received news of your arrival long ago. Just leave your horse to me; you may head inside, and someone will lead you to your quarters," the black-armored guard said, taking the reins.

"Sorry for the trouble." Dongbo Xueying handed over the horse and walked straight through the main gate of the massive Dragon Mountain Tower wall.

Inside the sprawling Dragon Mountain Tower, lush trees provided shade, and the flowers and plants were quite beautiful.

Fire Crystal Lamps were placed among the greenery, and although it was already dark, the entire Dragon Mountain Tower was illuminated almost everywhere by their glow.

"Lord Dongbo, please follow me," a maid greeted him. "Outside guests are all lodged in Jiahui Garden to the east. A small courtyard has already been prepared for you there! It would be best for you not to leave Jiahui Garden... other areas may be restricted zones of Dragon Mountain Tower. Tomorrow morning, someone will naturally come to escort you to meet the Tower Master."

"Understood," Dongbo Xueying nodded.

Inside Dragon Mountain Tower, the paths were paved with stone, surrounded by various exotic flowers and lush vegetation. On some of the courtyard walls, one could even faintly discern the patterns of magic arrays.

After walking for a while, they arrived in front of a garden gate.

"This is Jiahui Garden," the maid said, leading the way. "Your courtyard is inside."

"There are quite a few courtyards here," Dongbo Xueying remarked with a smile, looking around. There were dozens of small courtyards arranged in two rows, facing one another.

"The prefecture city has many tasks, and experts from all over often come here. Today is actually a quiet day; Jiahui Garden is only half-full. Usually, the entire garden isn't enough to house everyone," the maid laughed. "This is your residence for tonight." With that, she pushed open the courtyard gate.

Suddenly, the gate of the courtyard opposite also creaked open.

Dongbo Xueying turned to look.

The gate of the opposite courtyard opened, and a maid emerged carrying a food tray. A young woman in green robes was preparing to close the door when she saw Dongbo Xueying across the way, immediately realizing that this young man in black was the one moving into the opposite courtyard.

A mage, Dongbo Xueying sensed.

The young woman in green robes possessed that mysterious aura unique to mages—the aura of mana! Furthermore, she radiated a faint, icy chill. Dongbo Xueying was all too familiar with this; his mother and younger brother both specialized in ice-type spells, and this woman was clearly a master of the same.

However, her aura feels even stronger than Bai Yuanzhi's, Dongbo Xueying thought, surprised.

He was surprised by the beauty of this green-robed mage, and by her youth!

His younger brother was the most handsome man he had ever seen. As for this green-robed mage... she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on! Her beauty was like an ice lotus on a snow-capped mountain, possessing a truly unique temperament. Yishui City had its share of beauties—You Yue, for instance, was easily in his top ten—but this green-robed mage was instantly crowned the most beautiful in his mind, all because of that temperament! A very unique temperament!

Mages are full of wisdom; the more powerful the mage, the more profound their knowledge. This woman looks so young, yet she seems even stronger than Bai Yuanzhi, Dongbo Xueying mused in astonishment.

He did not know that while he was surprised by her, the green-robed mage was also faintly sensing the extraordinary nature of the young man before her. Years of contemplating the heavens and the earth had caused Dongbo Xueying's sharp edge to become more restrained, his aura more natural and simple. It was precisely this restrained, simple quality that secretly shocked the green-robed mage: He is clearly not a mage, yet he has managed to temper his heart to such a degree?

Mages placed extreme importance on the heart and the soul.

The two merely exchanged a glance, nodding politely with a smile.

"Creak." The green-robed mage closed her courtyard gate.

Dongbo Xueying stepped into his own courtyard as well.

"Lord Dongbo, I will bring you some food shortly. I shall not disturb you further," the maid said before retreating.

******

The next morning.

Not long after he finished breakfast, a maid from Dragon Mountain Tower came to invite Dongbo Xueying; today, the details of the mission would be announced.

In a quiet hall.

Dongbo Xueying stepped inside and immediately spotted a burly, white-haired old man. The old man nodded slightly upon seeing him.

"My lord, please find a seat. Once everyone has arrived, the Tower Master will be here shortly," the maid said.

After sitting down, Dongbo Xueying picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down. Just then, someone else walked into the hall—it was the green-robed mage he had seen the night before. Her gaze swept across the room, landing on the burly white-haired old man and Dongbo Xueying. She was slightly surprised; what a coincidence, living across the hall yesterday and meeting again today. She nodded slightly to both of them and took a seat.

"Is that Mage Jing Qiu?" The burly white-haired old man's eyes lit up. "I didn't expect to see Mage Jing Qiu here. What a coincidence! This old man is Tang Xiong!"

Dongbo Xueying was surprised.

Dragon Mountain Tower had long since provided a list of the formidable figures within Qinghe Prefecture, which he had already studied.

Tang Xiong was one thing; he was a Silver Moon Knight over one hundred and sixty years old. At his age, there was naturally little hope of breaking through to the Title-level.

As for Mage Jing Qiu... she was truly extraordinary.

She was the pride of the entire Qinghe Prefecture, a figure akin to a favored daughter of the heavens. Yu Jingqiu hailed from an ordinary family, yet she entered Changfeng Academy to study magic, breaking through to Meteor Rank mage by the age of twenty. She was subsequently retained by Changfeng Academy as an instructor and achieved the Silver Moon Rank by the age of twenty-three! Based on the records, Yu Jingqiu should only be twenty-five years old now.

Twenty-five years old, yet already a seasoned Silver Moon Archmage; such talent was truly terrifying. A Transcendence Archmage within Changfeng Academy had even taken her on as a personal disciple. Being so young... there was nearly a ninety percent certainty she would step into the Title-level.

"So it is her." Dongbo Xueying felt a sudden realization.

"Hahaha..." Suddenly, two more people walked in from outside.

One was a somewhat cold and gloomy youth, the other a black-haired elder.

The cold youth was dressed in extraordinary attire; the robe on his body could even cause shifts in the surrounding aura, clearly a rather powerful piece of alchemy armor.

"Jingqiu, I didn't expect to find you here." The cold youth was excited and thrilled. "Haha, I chose a mission at random for this excursion, never expecting to run into you, Jingqiu. This is too coincidental; it seems we share an extraordinary bond."

The green-robed female mage frowned slightly: "It is quite a coincidence."

The cold youth swept his gaze across the room, spotting the white-haired elder and a black-clad youth even younger than himself. A flicker of displeasure crossed his eyes. He glanced at the burly white-haired elder and said dismissively: "Move aside."

"Is that Lord Borong?" The burly white-haired elder Tang Xiong obediently stepped to the side, not daring to disturb him and the female mage.

Borong?

Dongbo Xueying realized who the other party was: Si Borong!

He was one of the top figures of the younger generation of the Si Family in Qinghe Prefecture. Si Borong was over fifty years old this year, and as a Silver Moon Knight, his lifespan would generally approach two hundred years. At fifty-something, he could still maintain a very youthful appearance! Because he was relatively young, he also held a high hope of stepping into the Title-level in the future. Thus, his status within the Si Family was considered quite high.

The Si Family held absolute sway over Qinghe Prefecture.

If they said you were guilty, you were guilty! That was why even Tang Xiong, who was also a Silver Moon Knight, acted somewhat obsequiously; after all, he could not afford to offend them. Finding any excuse to arrest a Silver Moon Knight was a trivial matter for the Si Family. Only by breaking through to the Title-level could one possess the power to crush the mundane; only families established by Title-level experts were qualified to have a relatively equal dialogue with the Si Family.

The cold youth then sat down beside the female mage, leaning in quite close: "Jingqiu, why do you always avoid me? You make me so heartbroken."

Whoosh.

The green-robed female mage stood up and left her seat immediately. However, the hall was only so large; she took a look around and walked over to Dongbo Xueying's side, sitting down with one seat of distance between them.

"Jingqiu." The cold youth Si Borong walked over. Suddenly, he glanced at Dongbo Xueying beside her, clearly feeling he was an eyesore, and frowned coldly: "Move."

Dongbo Xueying held his teacup, took a sip, and ignored him entirely.

Si Borong's expression turned ugly at once.

"Hmph!" Si Borong let out a cold snort.

"Haha, has everyone arrived?" A laugh echoed from outside as a bald, red-robed elder walked in.