Entering through the back gate of the castle, Dongbo Xueying moved like a phantom back to his own room in the main tower of the castle. After setting down the Feixue Divine Spear, he quickly made his way downstairs to the living room.
Inside the living room,
Zong Ling was hosting Master Si An.
“It’s only been a month since we last met, and already a new Mage Tower has been built on Xueshi Mountain!” Holding a cup of hot tea, Master Si An said, “Our Yishui City’s most powerful knights and mages have all gathered on Xueshi Mountain.”
“Just Yishui City. Compared to some powerful experts from outside, it’s nothing to speak of,” Zong Ling smiled.
Whoosh.
A gust of wind, and a black-robed youth walked in.
When Master Si An turned his head and saw him, his eyes lit up. He immediately stood up and smiled, “Your Lordship.”
“Master Si An,” Dongbo Xueying said, “Please, don’t stand on ceremony. Sit down.”
After sitting, Dongbo Xueying immediately asked, “Master Si An, regarding the situation of my parents…”
“You must believe in the intelligence capabilities of our Longshan Pavilion—they are the best in the world,” Master Si An said. “But I must remind you, you need to stay calm.”
“Calm?” Dongbo Xueying’s heart sank, and beside him, Zong Ling’s expression also changed.
“Please continue,” Dongbo Xueying said outwardly calm.
Master Si An understood that this young lord’s heart was definitely not calm, and he secretly sighed before directly saying, “Your mother’s situation is relatively okay. She is a direct descendant of the Moyang Clan, and her older brother, Moyang Chen, is the youngest Silver Moon Grand Mage in the family. Therefore, your mother is merely imprisoned in a forbidden area of the Moyang Clan called ‘Leicha Cliff.’ Although it’s a bit lonely, she has no worries about food and shelter and can devote herself to studying magic. I’ve heard that she has even advanced to the rank of a Starfall Grand Mage.”
“Ah Yu has always had great talent. Indeed, she is the first among us to break through to the Starfall level,” Zong Ling nodded slightly.
“What about my father?” Dongbo Xueying was worried.
If his mother was fine, then the problem must be with his father?
“Your father…” Master Si An hesitated for a moment. “Your mother left the Moyang Clan back then because she refused to accept the marriage arranged by the family. Later, the Moyang Clan chose another very talented direct descendant girl to marry off instead. The father of this girl is ‘Moyang Chenbai.’ He couldn’t protect his daughter back then and has always felt resentful. Since his daughter was married off, he has diligently cultivated for twenty years and now has reached the rank of Silver Moon Knight. With the help of the family’s alchemical armor, he can even display the strength of a Named Rank warrior. Our Longshan Pavilion even awarded him a Bronze Token!”
“Moyang Chenbai has always harbored resentment over that past incident and deeply resents your mother, believing that it was because she ran away that his daughter had to marry an old man,” Master Si An continued.
“How can this be my mother’s fault? After my mother fled, wasn’t it the decision of the senior leaders of the Moyang Clan who arranged the marriage for his daughter?” Dongbo Xueying angrily retorted.
“He dares not challenge the authority of the clan leader, so he takes out his anger on your mother,” Master Si An explained. “Your mother is protected by her brother and imprisoned in the forbidden area Leicha Cliff, so he can do nothing to her. But your father is doing hard labor… so Moyang Chenbai vents his hatred on your father.”
Dongbo Xueying’s face had already turned dark with fury, and the fingers gripping the armrest were pressing so hard that they were beginning to sink into the wood.
“Your father was sentenced to a hundred years of hard labor, working in the alchemical workshops at Dongxiang Lake of the Moyang Clan. Moyang Chenbai often sends people to torment your father and specifically has the mages in the workshop repeatedly heal him—ensuring your father cannot die,” Master Si An continued. “Without the mages repeatedly healing him, your father probably wouldn’t have survived even three years in that alchemical workshop.”
Boom!
Finally, the armrest that Dongbo Xueying’s fingers were gripping shattered entirely. His eyes were filled with killing intent: “Deserved death! Deserved death!”
In his memories, his father had always been like an unshakable mountain—either sternly training him or lovingly doting on him.
“Moyang Chenbai! Moyang Clan!” Dongbo Xueying’s blood surged, and a ferocious aura radiated from his body.
Zong Ling was also furious, his face dark and grim.
Although Master Si An had spoken briefly—
They could both tell that being sentenced to hard labor was already torment enough. But to specifically send people to torture him? Even Dongbo Lie, a Sky-tier Knight, couldn’t endure it, requiring mages to heal him repeatedly?
Dongbo’s chest burned with rage, his fury surging.
“Moyang Chenbai, if I don’t kill you, I swear I am no longer human!” The killing intent in Dongbo Xueying’s heart burned fiercely, but with an outsider present, Dongbo Xueying would not shout such words directly.
Shouting is useless.
It must be done!
“What about the Moyang Clan? What about Moyang Chen? Are they just going to let him torture my father like this?” Dongbo Xueying asked.
“How much do you think the Moyang Clan cares about your father’s life or death? As for Moyang Chen, although he has instructed others to take care of your father, it’s useless. First, Moyang Chen himself must focus on studying magic, and second, Moyang Chenbai has obtained a Bronze Token, giving him a status within the clan that is in no way inferior to Moyang Chen! Moreover, he specifically sends people to torment your father—can Moyang Chen really protect your father forever?”
Master Si An continued, “Besides, Moyang Chen has feelings for his younger sister, but he has no particular affection for your father.”
Dongbo Xueying clenched his teeth as he listened.
He understood.
He understood all of this.
But he still hated it. He truly felt Unwilling to yield (gān xīn)—resentful and unwilling to accept it.
“How can I save my parents?” Dongbo Xueying immediately asked.
“According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, the Moyang Clan enforces its family laws extremely strictly—no one can defy them! Moreover, your mother is imprisoned in a forbidden area, and your father is working in the alchemical workshops at Dongxiang Lake within the clan. Outsiders cannot enter, and there is no way to rescue your father,” Master Si An explained. “Any underhanded or clever methods are hopeless.”
“What about straightforward methods?” Dongbo Xueying asked.
“The relatively simplest way is to obtain the title of ‘Honorary Marquis’ for your father,” Master Si An said. “The rank of Marquis is extremely high, and even a Transcendent cannot arrest someone with that title! To directly imprison or kill a Marquis? The fake Transcendent in the Moyang Clan would not be able to bear the consequences!”
A Marquis is a particularly special rank.
Because titles below Marquis—such as Earl and Baron—can easily be bought with money, but a Marquis cannot be purchased! In fact, Marquis titles are extremely rare.
Under normal circumstances, only when a family produces a Transcendent lifeform can that Transcendent designate one person within the family to receive the Marquis title. This title can be inherited for a thousand years! After a thousand years, it naturally demotes to Earl.
Therefore…
Generally speaking, a Marquis represents the nominal head of a Transcendent family. As for the Transcendent himself? He no longer needs a title.
Therefore, a Marquis cannot be imprisoned, killed, or otherwise harmed. A fake Transcendent has no qualifications to do so, and even a true Transcendent would pay a great price for such an act.
…
An Honorary Marquis cannot be inherited. Usually, it is awarded to those who have made great contributions to the empire. An Honorary Marquis has power nearly equal to an inherited Marquis, differing only in the inability to pass it on.
“If your father becomes an Honorary Marquis, your mother would then be the Marchioness. Then the Moyang Clan must immediately stop all punishments. Any confinement or hard labor must cease, and they cannot dare to offend them in the slightest,” Master Si An explained.
“How can I obtain the title of Honorary Marquis?” Dongbo Xueying immediately asked.
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