Chapter 86: Reunion

Overlooking the scene below, Dongbo Xueying felt his heart surge with emotion, unable to contain his excitement.

He clearly observed the main tower of Xue Shi Castle beneath him. His parents were not present, nor was he himself, and only his younger brother and personal servants resided there. At this late hour, only one room in the entire main tower remained lit—the study where Dongbo Xueying used to spend countless hours. The servants would never dare to stay up so late, so it could only be his younger brother.

Whoosh!

Dongbo Xueying’s figure vanished from midair and silently reappeared in the corridor outside the study.

Standing in the hallway, he peered inside through the window.

Within the study, a handsome young man sat immersed in his work. The desk was covered with sheets of parchment, each filled with intricate magical diagrams.

Dongbo Xueying watched from outside the window with a smile.

“Qing Shi, you’ve grown taller and more mature,” Dongbo Xueying murmured, watching fondly. “Still studying magic this late? This little rascal never used to be this diligent.”

The young man, deep in thought over his studies, suddenly looked up, as if sensing something. Through the transparent window, he caught sight of the figure outside and froze in shock, rubbing his eyes and staring intently.

Whoosh.

In an instant, he rushed to the door, flung it open, and stared at the black-robed youth before him.

“Brother, is that really you? Am I dreaming?” Qing Shi hesitated, unable to believe his eyes. Though he had always claimed over the years that his elder brother Dongbo Xueying would return, deep down, he had long accepted the grim reality—there was over a ninety percent chance his brother had perished in the Heifeng Abyss.

“I’m back. What, were you hoping I’d never return?” Dongbo Xueying smiled gently.

Qing Shi suddenly lunged forward, embracing his elder brother tightly, tears instantly soaking Dongbo Xueying’s clothes.

Dongbo Xueying gently patted Qing Shi’s head, then paused in surprise. In the past, his hand would have reached far above his younger brother’s head, but now they were nearly the same height.

“Still as handsome as ever. With that face alone, you’ll never go hungry,” Dongbo Xueying mused happily.

“I should go tell Uncle Zong and Uncle Tong!” Qing Shi released his brother, suddenly recalling something and blurting out, “They’ve missed you so much all these years.”

“Mm,” Dongbo Xueying nodded slightly. “I’ll go with you.”

…

Late at night, the dining hall of Xue Shi Castle’s main tower was alive with excitement. Even the castle chefs had risen in the dead of night to prepare delicacies. None of them showed the slightest impatience; instead, they were all thrilled, for they had heard the news—Lord Dongbo Xueying, the illustrious ruler of Xue Shi Castle, had returned! Life in the castle was sure to improve from now on.

“Announce it to all the soldiers and servants in the castle! This month’s wages will be multiplied tenfold!” Qing Shi excitedly declared in the dining hall.

“Thank you, young master, I’ll spread the word immediately!” the maid replied, equally excited.

On the dining table, wine and pastries were already laid out, while other dishes were still being prepared. Throughout Xue Shi Castle, lights flickered on in many places. Soldiers and servants who had been asleep awoke in confusion, stepping out of their rooms with sleepy eyes only to hear their companions exclaim, “Second Dog, stop dawdling! The lord has returned! Our lord has returned!”

“What lord?”

“Master Xueying!”

“What!?”

The soldiers and servants were in an uproar. Was their most revered lord truly back? And with wages multiplied tenfold this month, everyone was overjoyed.

Inside the dining hall, Dongbo Xueying, Zong Ling, Tong San, and Qing Shi were all gathered.

“You look so excited,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled. “By the way, why are the servants calling you ‘young master’? I’ve been gone six years—shouldn’t you have inherited the lordship by now?”

At Dongbo Xueying’s level of power, ruling a territory was no longer a significant matter.

“Xueying,” Zong Ling smiled broadly, “you wouldn’t believe it. After you fell into the Heifeng Abyss, many in the castle urged Qing Shi to take over as lord… but he refused outright. He said he would wait for you—no matter if it took fifty or a hundred years, he would wait until his dying day. As long as he lived, the lordship would remain vacant.”

“I always knew my brother would return. See? He’s back!” Qing Shi said proudly.

“You’ve changed, Qing Shi. It’s been six years, and I haven’t seen you this animated in all that time,” Tong San laughed.

“Uncle Tong, don’t tease me. Look at you—you’re smiling so wide your mouth might split!” Qing Shi retorted playfully.

“I’m happy today! Hahaha!” Tong San roared with laughter.

Dongbo Xueying smiled as he watched, sensing the genuine joy and excitement radiating from his loved ones. Though Zong Ling and Tong San were not related to him by blood, they had always treated him like family.

“By the way, Xueying, how did you climb out of the Heifeng Abyss?” Zong Ling asked.

“When I fell, I used the wings of Xiang Pangyun’s magical beast corpse to survive the impact. Then, over six years, I climbed my way out from the bottom of the abyss,” Dongbo Xueying replied with a prepared explanation. He could never reveal the secret of escaping through a hidden crack into another world—should that information leak, powerful beings might immediately storm that vast realm.

“Six years climbing out?” Tong San gasped.

“There is a palace-dwelling of an extraordinary being deep within the Heifeng Abyss, surrounded by many guardians. It’s extremely dangerous,” Dongbo Xueying said simply. The existence of the Heifeng Divine Palace was widely known among the extraordinary, so there was no need to hide it. “My power was too weak to approach those guardians, so I had to stay far away. Climbing out from the bottom required careful, slow movement—any disturbance would have meant death. I was lucky to break through to the extraordinary and finally escape carefully.”

This was the prepared story.

After all, no one could contradict him. Disbelieve? Go try it yourself!

“Lucky to break through to the extraordinary?” Zong Ling, Tong San, and Qing Shi all stared at him, stunned beyond words.

“Xueying, you’ve become an extraordinary being?” Zong Ling was the first to recover.

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

There was no need to hide it, for he would soon join the ranks of the extraordinary and head to the Xuehuo World.

…

In Yishui City, at Longshan Pavilion.

Though the sky had begun to brighten slightly, the moon still hung high. The entire city was quiet, most of its people still asleep, save for a few vendors beginning their early preparations.

At this hour, the master of the Si An Pavilion was still fast asleep.

“Master! Master!” You Tu, an elderly man with white hair, had sleep in his eyes but his face was flushed with excitement as he pounded on the door.

Creak.

The door opened.

The Pavilion Master’s eyes were still bleary, his slippers on as he glanced outside and grumbled, “You Tu, what’s all this shouting so early? Look at the time—it’s not even dawn yet!”

“Big news! Important news!” You Tu exclaimed.

“What news could possibly be more important than my sleep? Let’s hear it,” the Pavilion Master said. Ever since Dongbo Xueying’s previous affairs had caused a stir, life had been peaceful and uneventful.

“It’s Dongbo Xueying!” You Tu blurted out. “Dongbo Xueying has returned!”

The Pavilion Master blinked twice, then his eyes widened in shock. “Dongbo Xueying has returned? Are you sure?”

“Absolutely sure! The entire Xue Shi Castle has been in celebration all night! The soldiers and servants’ wages this month have been multiplied tenfold!” You Tu continued excitedly. “Many servants saw Dongbo Xueying himself, dining and chatting with his younger brother in the dining hall for half the night!”

“He fell into the Heifeng Abyss and survived?!” the Pavilion Master exclaimed in disbelief.

He had once been deeply heartbroken.

He had thought a brilliant figure had been tragically lost—an immense loss.

Yet six years later, Dongbo Xueying had returned!

“Shouldn’t we report this immediately?” You Tu reminded him.

“Yes, immediately!” the Pavilion Master snapped awake. He quickly gave orders. “Send the message right away, and prepare a carriage! I will leave for Xue Shi Castle at once! Have someone stationed at the city gate to open it early—the gate won’t open yet at this hour.”

“Understood,” You Tu replied.

Longshan Pavilion had its own unique means of communication.

The Pavilion Master swiftly sent the news upward, not caring how much commotion it would cause. He didn’t even bother to eat breakfast, hastily consuming a few pastries before mounting his horse and leading a group of subordinates straight toward Xue Shi Castle!