The Silver Wing Family

Before long, footsteps sounded at the passage entrance, and they were not Nie Li's alone. Everyone immediately looked up to see Nie Li leading the way, followed by a young woman with snow-white wings growing from her back.

The woman wore light silver-white armor and carried a longsword at her waist. Her features were delicate and lovely, but her expression held a touch of arrogance and scrutiny. Her gaze swept over everyone present, and her aura was steady and weighty. She was unmistakably a Gold Rank expert.

"Come over, everyone. This is Her Highness Sikong Hongyue of the Silver Wing Family. She has agreed to take us to meet the family head." Nie Li lifted his chin toward the others, then turned to Sikong Hongyue and gestured for her to lead the way.

As it turned out, Sikong Hongyue and her people had stopped Nie Li as soon as he reached the village entrance. Instead of drawing his sword to confront them, he had willingly put away his weapon, pressed one hand to his chest in an ancient Winged Folk salute, and offered a greeting in the long-lost ancient language of the Ulan Empire.

Sikong Hongyue's expression had changed on the spot. She was shocked that someone from the outside world could still speak this ancient language, yet wary of his origins.

Nie Li had remained perfectly composed. He merely said that his ancestors had belonged to the Silver Radiance Family. During the Age of Darkness, Demon Beasts had scattered their people, forcing them to flee from place to place for hundreds of years before finally settling in Glory City. This time, they had accidentally stumbled into this place while following the ruins of an ancient site, and he apologized for the intrusion.

At the name "Silver Radiance Family," Sikong Hongyue had been utterly stunned.

The Silver Wing Family and the Silver Radiance Family had originally shared the same lineage. When the Ulan Empire fell a thousand years ago, the two branches had fled separately. The Silver Wing branch had hidden in this underground space, cutting off all contact with the outside world. They had never heard news of their kin again.

Now, suddenly faced with a descendant of the Silver Radiance Family, most of her wariness had vanished in an instant, replaced by an excitement she could hardly put into words.

After confirming that Nie Li meant no harm, Yu Yan had come personally to escort them, intending to take them to meet her royal father, the current head of the Silver Wing Family.

Everyone followed the two of them through the passage and into the village.

The village stood in a spacious underground cavern. Numerous glowing mineral stones lined the road, illuminating the stone houses on either side. From time to time, they saw members of the Winged Folk with wings growing from their backs. All bowed respectfully at the sight of Yu Yan, while their eyes filled with curiosity as they looked at Nie Li's group.

Lu Piao stared, his eyes nearly fixed in place. Lowering his voice, he muttered to Xiao Xue, "They really are Winged Folk! I've only seen accounts of them in ancient books. I thought they were just a legend."

Xiao Xue ignored his fuss and merely reminded him to rein in his aura and not forget his manners by gawking or asking indiscreet questions.

After walking for roughly a quarter of an hour, the group stopped before an imposing residence. Its walls were built from solid blocks of blue stone, and two armored guards stood at the entrance. Both bowed at the sight of Yu Yan, then pushed open the gates.

"Follow me inside. My royal father is waiting in the hall," Sikong Hongyue said over her shoulder before turning and leading the way in.

They followed her through the front courtyard and into the main hall. The hall was spacious, its beams and pillars carved with patterns of outspread wings, lending it an ancient, stately air.

A portly middle-aged man sat in the seat of honor. He wore a brocade robe embroidered with silver-wing patterns, a jade belt around his waist, and a jade thumb ring of exceptional quality. He was the head of the Silver Wing Family.

His face had a sickly pallor, and his breathing was somewhat labored. Occasionally, he gave a cough or two. He looked terribly frail, yet when his gaze swept toward them, it still carried the imposing weight of someone long accustomed to authority.

Numerous armored guards stood on both sides of the hall, each with a long saber at his waist. They stood tall, their auras far from weak, and all had cultivation at Bronze Rank or above. Their posture was ramrod straight, and their wary gazes swept over the newly arrived group without the slightest lapse in vigilance.

Shen Fei's gaze swept through the hall and soon settled on a stone pillar to one side.

A man was chained there with thick iron chains. His upper body was bare, and a pair of pure-black wings hung from his back. Their feathers were dull and stained with blood and dust, drooping listlessly. His body was covered in wounds, whip marks crisscrossing sword cuts, old injuries layered beneath new ones. Some were so deep that bone was visible, making the sight horrifying.

Some wounds had already scabbed over, while others still seeped blood. It trickled down his skin and gathered in a small, dark-red pool at his feet.

The man's head hung low, his black hair hiding his face from view, but his back remained straight. Even with his limbs bound in chains, there was not a trace of defeated submission about him.

Shen Fei's gaze flickered, and a hint of surprise passed through his mind. He had never seen a race with black wings. There were none among Glory City's Three Great Families, and even in the ancient records he had read, the Winged Folk all had white wings. No branch with black wings had ever been mentioned.

He could not guess who this man was, nor did he know why the Silver Wing Family had bound him here and tortured him into this state. But he said nothing and showed no sign of anything unusual. He merely withdrew his gaze, took his place with the others, and quietly waited for Nie Li to speak with the family head.

The hall was quiet, save for the faint sounds of the family head occasionally sipping tea and the guards' steady breathing.

The bound man never once raised his head or made a sound. Like a silent statue, he remained unmoved by the gazes falling upon him.

Standing among the group, Shen Fei occasionally glanced at the black-winged figure from the corner of his eye, silently committing this detail to memory. He could sense that this visit to the Silver Wing Family would probably not be as simple as it appeared.