The Gains, and the Return

In the pitch darkness, Yu Jingqiu felt a strange mix of emotions.

At first, under the Divine Envoy's oppressive aura, she had given up and prepared to face death. But then Dongbo Xueying, who had always seemed so ordinary and unremarkable, stepped forward and revealed a power that shocked her, killing the Divine Envoy head-on! Just then, Lu Huairu had gone mad and chosen to take them all down with him. Si Borong had even used her as a shield, putting her back in a seemingly hopeless situation.

And once again, she had been saved.

Surrounded by darkness and buried beneath countless rocks, Yu Jingqiu felt a storm of emotions.

Boom! With a loud crash, Dongbo Xueying exerted force with one arm and shoved up the countless rocks pressing down on the shield. Rocks flew in every direction.

"Let's go."

Dongbo Xueying immediately wrapped one arm around Yu Jingqiu's waist and leaped up. At the same time, his shield flashed through the air, striking again and again. In the blink of an eye, he had swung it dozens of times, batting away every falling rock.

Holding a beautiful female mage by the waist might have looked romantic, but Yu Jingqiu was protected by Ice Armor. In his arms, she felt hard and cold, and not at all comfortable.

Thud. Dongbo Xueying landed on a nearby pile of rubble and set Yu Jingqiu down.

"Be careful. Huge rocks could come crashing down at any time, and the whole hall might even collapse again. Don't take off your Ice Armor." As he spoke, Dongbo Xueying scanned their surroundings. Much of the area had completely caved in. In parts of the first and second levels of the Inner Castle, pillars and walls had fallen, supporting some of the stone slabs above.

The supporting pillars and walls were either tilted or already toppled, and rocks still occasionally fell.

Falling rocks posed little threat to capable knights, but for a frail mage, they could be deadly. That was why she needed to keep her protective spell active.

"Mm." Yu Jingqiu nodded. "You..."

Whoosh. Dongbo Xueying had already dashed away. In the distance, he swiftly pried rocks aside with his spear, apparently searching for the bodies.

But the explosion had left even the Divine Envoy's body in pieces. Its power had been enough to kill a Silver Moon Knight, and without protective Battle Qi, Tang Xiong, the Divine Envoy, and Lu Huairu had all been torn apart beyond recognition. Si Borong's body had been left just as badly mangled.

"I found their belongings. Let's go." Dongbo Xueying returned to Yu Jingqiu's side.

"All right." Yu Jingqiu nodded, and the two walked side by side toward the exit. The hall's walls had been blasted apart, and even the level above had collapsed, so it was easy to get out.

Even if there had been no path, a Title-level powerhouse like Dongbo Xueying could have made one.

"Dongbo Xueying, thank you," Yu Jingqiu said, her voice full of gratitude. "Thank you for saving my life. If not for you, I'd be dead."

Given the circumstances, it would have been perfectly understandable if Dongbo Xueying had chosen not to save her.

"It was nothing. For me, it was a small matter, but for you, it was a matter of life and death." A cold glint entered Dongbo Xueying's eyes. "I just never expected Si Borong to be so despicable."

A knight using a mage as a shield?

Dongbo Xueying had certainly seen it all now.

"I never thought he'd do something like that either." Yu Jingqiu's resentment toward Si Borong had faded now that he was dead. "Don't worry, Dongbo Xueying. I won't say anything about Si Borong. I won't tell anyone what happened in there."

Since he had kept his strength hidden until the crucial moment, Yu Jingqiu saw no reason to reveal it for him.

Dongbo Xueying smiled and glanced at her.

"Ah, your leg is bleeding!" Yu Jingqiu suddenly noticed blood on Dongbo Xueying's leg. He had been injured in the explosion.

"Haha, it stopped bleeding a while ago. The blood's dried. It's just a minor injury." As Dongbo Xueying's body grew stronger, its ability to recover had also become more impressive. The flesh wound had already healed completely, and not even a scar remained.

The two walked side by side.

The man wore black, while the woman wore a green robe and was entirely encased in Ice Armor.

"It's Liang Yong." They had walked for a while before they came across Liang Yong's body. The Inner Castle covered an area of one or two miles, after all. The explosion had destroyed only the underground palace and caused some parts of the first and second levels to collapse, leaving the rest of the Inner Castle mostly intact. At least the corridor where Liang Yong lay was still largely undamaged.

"At least he was left mostly in one piece," Dongbo Xueying said.

The two soon made their way out of the Inner Castle. The Lu Clan castle had been completely frozen over, and the servants and soldiers had fled long ago.

Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu looked up. Although the sky was completely dark, Dongbo Xueying's extraordinary eyesight let him clearly see the Flying Boat hundreds of meters above them.

"Come down!" Dongbo Xueying called out, his voice echoing through the silent night.

Whoosh—

The silver Flying Boat that had been keeping watch high above soon descended, landing in the open ground right in front of them.

"Just the two of you?" Two Dragon Mountain Tower personnel stepped out. "Where are the others? What happened to Si Borong?"

"They're all dead." As he spoke, Dongbo Xueying took out three storage treasures. "This armband belonged to Liang Yong, this bracer to Si Borong, and this ring to Tang Xiong. Please return them to their families."

"They're all dead? What happened? How did they all die?" The two Dragon Mountain Tower personnel were taken aback. One of the knights took the three storage treasures. Quite a few people died while carrying out Dragon Mountain Tower missions, and it was customary to return their belongings to their families. The custom had been in place for many years. Of course, whether their companions took some of the treasures was another matter.

The knight glanced at Dongbo Xueying but said nothing more.

Even if he had taken some gold notes or other treasures, there was no proof!

In fact, Dongbo Xueying hadn't taken a single item from the three men's storage treasures. He had even found Liang Yong's armband inside Si Borong's storage treasure! If not for Dongbo Xueying, Si Borong might well have pocketed Liang Yong's belongings.

"I thought Si Borong would have plenty of treasures, but he was pretty poor too," Dongbo Xueying thought to himself. He had refined and inspected all the treasures, so he knew them well. Si Borong's wealth didn't even match Tang Xiong's! Clearly, the great "Si Family" kept a tight rein on its money. A spoiled young master who hated taking risks had only so much spending money.

His clothes looked lavish and luxurious, but his pockets were practically empty. He had nowhere near the wealth of someone like Tang Xiong, who had risen through his own efforts and survived one life-or-death ordeal after another.

Of course, the combined treasures of all three were nothing compared to the Divine Envoy's.

"That Divine Envoy was incredibly rich," Dongbo Xueying thought, still amazed.

He had no idea how the Divine Envoy had risen to power, or that he had even killed a Title-level powerhouse of comparable strength through trickery. That was why he had two storage rings, both with enormous spaces inside.

"I used to scrape by on gold coins. Now I'm probably among the ten richest people in all of Qinghe Prefecture," Dongbo Xueying thought. "Only a few other Title-level powerhouses could match me. I should buy my younger brother a few life-saving mage tools when I get back. I also have some powerful spell scrolls that I can give him."

Spell scrolls could instantly draw on the power of Heaven and Earth to unleash powerful spells, but they needed a mage to guide them. Knights couldn't use them.

Of course... before a Title-level powerhouse, who had reached Unity of Heaven and Man and mastered the power of Heaven and Earth, a spell scroll couldn't draw upon even a trace of that power. It was useless.

The only things that could threaten a Title-level powerhouse were another Title-level combatant or a Transcendent!

"I should also reinforce Snow Stone Castle, and get You Yue a good staff." Dongbo Xueying had never been this wealthy in all his years. The accumulated treasures of a Divine Envoy who had lived for many years made him richer than some ordinary Title-level families.

"Lu Huairu caused the entire underground hall to explode, trying to take us down with him. You'll see for yourselves if you go inside," Yu Jingqiu said, without elaborating.

"Dragon Mountain Tower personnel from Qutai City will take over here soon. We'll take you both back to the prefectural city now."

"All right."

Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu nodded and boarded the Flying Boat.

Only after boarding did Yu Jingqiu remove her Ice Armor. Her eyes gleamed as she looked at Dongbo Xueying, who sat cross-legged beside her. "Dongbo Xueying, once we reach the prefectural city, are you going straight home?"

"Yes." Dongbo Xueying nodded.

"Where do you live in Qinghe Prefecture?" Yu Jingqiu asked curiously.

"Snow Eagle Territory, in Yi Water City. You're always welcome to visit my little territory, Mage Jingqiu." Dongbo Xueying smiled.

"Yi Water City?"

Yu Jingqiu nodded slightly.

The night sky outside the Flying Boat was pitch-black, without a trace of moonlight. The boat sped through the air, the wind faintly audible. Yu Jingqiu's thoughts stirred. She gradually closed her eyes and calmed herself. She would never forget what had happened that day.