Changfeng Knight

Inside the house.

On the bed, Zong Ling was leaning back against the headboard. Tong San sat on a stool beside him, and the two of them looked toward Dongbo Xueying as he hurried in from outside.

"Uncle Zong, are you all right?" Dongbo Xueying asked, looking him over carefully. Uncle Zong had changed into a clean white robe and didn't seem to have any visible injuries, but his face was pale.

Zong Ling smiled. "The Curved Blade Alliance leader really is formidable. If I hadn't had my alchemy inner armor this time, I might have lost my li—" He coughed several times. Picking up a handkerchief, he pressed it to his mouth. The white cloth quickly turned red as blood spread across it.

Dongbo Xueying's heart gave a lurch. He was coughing up blood? Had he suffered internal injuries?

"Uncle Zong." Dongbo Xueying hurried to sit beside the bed.

"It's nothing. I won't die." Zong Ling lowered the handkerchief and tossed it into a basin nearby, then smiled. "What's a little injury like this? Back when I was adventuring with your parents and Uncle Tong, I suffered far worse injuries plenty of times."

"Xue Ying, don't worry. With a Six-Armed Snake Demon's constitution, an injury like this will heal in a month or two." Tong San was remarkably calm. They had lived on the edge of life and death back then and were long used to it. "By the way, Zong Ling, how did you get so badly hurt? You took an entire battalion of soldiers with you. Was the Curved Blade Alliance leader really that strong?"

"He was. Stronger than I expected, and worthy of being the most powerful bandit in Yishui." Zong Ling answered.

"Who is the Curved Blade Alliance leader? What's his background?" Dongbo Xueying asked, baffled.

"I should tell you about these things," Zong Ling said. "After all, the affairs of Snow Eagle Territory will eventually be left to you."

Zong Ling looked at Dongbo Xueying. "As a lord, you have authority over your territory, but you also have a duty to protect it and all the people who live there. When bandits invade your lands to kill and plunder, you have to wipe them out!"

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

"When your parents were here, your mother was a Heaven-Rank Mage. With a powerful mage supporting the army, it could fight much more effectively. And Snow Eagle Territory was equipped with a large number of Star-Breaking Crossbows. No bandits in Yishui County dared to offend us," Zong Ling said. "After your parents were captured, those bandits must have been watching us all along. They were wary of the Star-Breaking Crossbows, too."

Dongbo Xueying knew how formidable their Star-Breaking Crossbows were. His father had equipped them with five hundred!

The crossbows alone had cost fifty thousand gold coins! That was enough to buy all of Snow Eagle Territory. So throughout Yishui County, the Dongbo Clan of Snow Eagle Territory had quite a reputation.

"The taxes in Snow Eagle Territory are low, and the people love their lord. They've had a good life these past years, which has made plenty of bandits envious," Zong Ling said. "After your parents were captured, the bandits started getting restless. At last, the strongest bandit group in all of Yishui County—the Curved Blade Alliance—invaded our territory and began plundering."

"I got word and led a battalion of three hundred soldiers there, all on horseback and carrying Star-Breaking Crossbows. But by then, more than five hundred civilians had already been killed and robbed of everything."

Dongbo Xueying's eyes reddened.

More than five hundred dead?

How could this be...

Those damn bandits! What had the civilians ever done to them?

"When I arrived, I was tracking the bandits' movements. Who would have thought that the Curved Blade Alliance leader—the wicked Gai Bin—was hiding alone in the village they'd massacred? He suddenly ambushed me," Zong Ling said with a sigh. "We were caught off guard, and the three hundred soldiers were thrown into some confusion. I had no choice but to hold him off first."

"The Curved Blade Alliance leader, Gai Bin, is a Meteor-Rank Knight! I've fought Meteor-Rank Knights before and could usually hold them off for a while," Zong Ling said with a sigh. "But Gai Bin's blade was incredibly fast, much faster than a normal Meteor-Rank Knight's. I suspect he knows some special Battle Qi techniques."

Dongbo Xueying knew that much.

Of his father, Uncle Tong, and Uncle Zong, Uncle Zong was the strongest. He was only a Heaven-Rank Knight, but he was also royalty of the Snake-man Race! As a Six-Armed Snake Demon, he was powerful, and in battle he could attack with all six arms at once. His tail also made him more agile and nimble. So even when fighting a Meteor Knight of a higher rank, he could hold out for a while.

"My blade was fast, but his was faster. I couldn't block him, and he struck me three times! Luckily, I had my alchemy inner armor. I suffered some internal injuries, while the three hundred soldiers began firing their Star-Breaking Crossbows, forcing the Curved Blade Alliance leader to flee. He was slightly injured, too," Zong Ling said with a sigh. "His blade was fast, and so was he. No wonder he's so infamous."

Dongbo Xueying was still shaken. Uncle Zong had been struck three times. If he'd been a little less lucky, or if the fight had gone on longer, he might have lost his life!

"Xue Ying, don't worry."

Tong San's voice was deep and resonant. "There are only four Meteor Knights and one Meteor-Rank Mage in all of Yishui County! And among the bandits, the Curved Blade Alliance leader is the only one. Now that he's been injured and has seen how powerful the Star-Breaking Crossbows are, he probably won't risk coming back. We'll be much better prepared next time. If the Curved Blade Alliance won't dare attack, the other bandits certainly won't either."

"Mm." Dongbo Xueying breathed a sigh of relief.

"Gai Bin is a Meteor Knight. Why would he become a bandit instead of doing something better?" Dongbo Xueying asked.

"Hmph." Tong San snorted. "Xue Ying, even some powerful people in this world like getting something for nothing. They enjoy robbing others! They say Gai Bin killed a noble out of greed to steal a treasure. When he was exposed and became a wanted man, he simply turned to banditry."

Zong Ling added, "He already had a bad reputation. No one had managed to catch him in the act, but after doing enough evil, he was bound to be exposed eventually. Once he was wanted, his strength let him hide in the Destruction Mountain Range and gather a horde of desperate outlaws. That's how he's been able to run rampant up to now. Never mind, it's not our problem to worry about. We can't do anything about it anyway."

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

There was nothing they could do.

He was hiding in the Destruction Mountain Range, and even the City Guard Armies from the Empire's cities were reluctant to attack. The Destruction Mountain Range stretched for over a hundred thousand miles, spanning four provinces. It was the largest mountain range in the entire Empire, and countless terrifying magical beasts lived there. Many desperate outlaws hid in the outermost reaches of the range, of course.

The depths of the Destruction Mountain Range were far too dangerous.

For now, I'll leave them alone. Once I'm strong enough, I'll eliminate this scourge, Dongbo Xueying thought.

"By the way, Xue Ying, have you made up your mind about Changfeng Academy?" Zong Ling suddenly asked.

"Xue Ying!" Tong San, beside him, urged. "Changfeng Academy is the best academy in all of Anyang Province, and the most powerful organization there, too. It's far stronger than your mother's Moyang Clan! The academy's head, Changfeng Knight Chi Qiubai, is the strongest person in the entire province. With your talent, you have every chance of getting in. It's winter already. If you don't apply soon, it'll be too late."

"Ten is the final age limit. Changfeng Academy won't accept anyone older than ten," Zong Ling said, looking at Dongbo Xueying.

Dongbo Xueying fell silent.

He had thought about it for a long time.

Changfeng Academy accepted boys under ten from outside. At that age, they were still highly teachable, especially during the period when their bodies were developing—the most crucial time for a knight's cultivation. Some children matured early and began growing rapidly at ten, so the academy's age limit made sense.

Changfeng Academy was the most powerful force in Anyang Province! Its head was the strongest person in the province!

Its students entered as ordinary boys and graduated as at least Heaven-Rank Knights. Quite a few even reached Meteor Rank. But the entrance examination was strict. Still, given Dongbo Xueying's physique and spear skills, getting in would be easy for him.

"I've thought about it for a long time. I've made my decision," Dongbo Xueying said.