Chapter 29: The Past of the Parents

Dongbo Xueying, Zong Ling, and Tong San all stood at the castle’s entrance, watching the members of Longshan Pavilion depart.

Soon, they turned and began walking into the castle.

“Uncle Zong, Uncle Tong,” Dongbo Xueying stepped on the snow beneath his feet, which crunched softly as he spoke, “I’ve obtained the Iron Token now. It’s time you told me about my father and mother’s past.”

Zong Ling and Tong San exchanged glances.

“You should hear it from your Uncle Tong,” Zong Ling said. “He was always with your mother and knows more details than I do. I only know what she told me.”

“Xueying,” Tong San gazed at the snowflakes drifting from the sky, “I originally lived in a remote little Lion Tribe. One day, our tribe was targeted. A powerful merchant caravan wanted to capture us all, and nearly everyone who resisted was killed! After being captured, we were branded as ‘rebels’ and became slaves!”

“Rebels?” Dongbo Xueying was shocked.

Slavery was rare in the Empire nowadays.

It only occurred when someone committed a grave crime—like a commoner killing a noble, or outright rebellion against the Empire. Only those who committed unforgivable crimes would be reduced to slavery.

“Don’t be surprised. The Empire has existed for over nine thousand years and has long since rotted from within. With many top powerful families controlling the system, there are countless dark secrets. As long as they’re not exposed, no one cares. Besides, for a weak little Lion Tribe like ours, without evidence, who would stand up for us?” Tong San sneered.

“I became a slave, sold and resold, until I ended up in the Mo Yang Clan!”

“The Mo Yang Clan is an extremely powerful family in the Eastern Province. The Duo Yu Prefecture of the Eastern Province is completely controlled by the Mo Yang Clan! And their control has lasted for over a thousand years,” the Lion, Tong San, said. “We slaves were given names at random—Tong Da, Tong Er, Tong San, Tong Si, Tong Wu… I was Tong San among them.”

“When the young masters and mistresses of the Mo Yang Clan came to choose their servants, I met your mother.” A faint smile appeared on Tong San’s face. “Your mother was still young back then, about thirteen years old, even younger than you are now.”

Dongbo Xueying listened silently beside him.

“My young mistress was carefree…”

“She played joyfully every day, without any guile toward anyone. She never looked down on me, a mere slave. When I was beaten by the attendants of other young masters in the Mo Yang Clan, she even cried out of worry and anger, and fiercely defended me.”

Tong San looked up at the snowflakes falling from the sky. “These were trivial matters, but I thought my entire life would be spent in the Mo Yang Clan. However, no one expected that when my young mistress turned twenty-four, the Mo Yang Clan forced her into a marriage. Her fiancé was an old man of one hundred and fifty-two years old!”

“One hundred and fifty-two?” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes widened.

His mother was only in her early twenties, and the other party was one hundred and fifty-two?

What kind of joke was that?

“They say that the other family was even more powerful than the Mo Yang Clan, one of the top three great families in the Eastern Province. The Mo Yang Clan, shamelessly, offered a young daughter of their main branch for this marriage alliance,” Tong San said. “Your mother had never suffered any major hardships from childhood. Suddenly facing such a situation, how could she bear it? She took the opportunity to go out for a spring outing and fled immediately.”

“She escaped from Duo Yu Prefecture, even leaving the Eastern Province entirely! After a long journey, she arrived at the An Yang Province.”

“I followed my young mistress, and thus began my life of adventure. Soon, I met Zong Ling, and then met your father, Dongbo Lie.”

“Haha…”

“That time of adventure was truly extraordinary. We faced life and death together, entrusting our lives to each other. That’s how we forged our deep bond. Later, your mother, worried that your father and the rest might be implicated, revealed her origins to us,” Lion Tong San continued.

Zong Ling beside him nodded. “We only learned about the Mo Yang Clan later from your mother. We didn’t care about life and death, so why would we fear the Mo Yang Clan? Haha, of course, we continued adventuring together.”

“Later, your father and my young mistress became a couple,” Tong San smiled. “Even became pregnant with you, and decided to stop adventuring, settle down somewhere, and came to your father’s hometown—the Qing He Prefecture!”

“You know what happened next. We lived quietly in Qing He Prefecture for eight years, but the Mo Yang Clan still found us and took your parents away.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded gently.

So this was how everything had unfolded…

For a powerful family to arrange a marriage was one thing, but to marry her to a man of one hundred and fifty-two? Even a named-level warrior who reached two hundred years old was considered extraordinary. Most usually passed away gradually around one hundred seventy or one hundred eighty.

“The Mo Yang Clan is an ancient family with a history of over a thousand years, with strict family rules,” Lion Tong San said. “Your mother dared to flee, which was a violation of the family rules. Naturally, the Mo Yang Clan would severely punish her.”

“I just don’t understand,” Zong Ling scoffed. “These powerful families, making their younger generations sacrifice like this, don’t they feel ashamed? Or maybe the old masters in power within these families simply don’t care about the younger generations?”

“Zong Ling, the Mo Yang Clan has been passed down for over a thousand years, with countless members numbering in the tens of thousands! The sacrifice of one or two juniors is nothing,” Lion Tong San said.

“Hmph.”

Dongbo Xueying said coldly, “If you’re strong enough, you won’t need to force your young family members to marry some old man over a hundred years old! If a family is truly in decline, then let it decline naturally! Using such disgusting, face-losing marriage alliances to prop up the family’s status is despicable!”

It wasn’t just because he was on his mother’s side, but because Dongbo Xueying genuinely held this belief.

Only when one is powerful will others come to please you.

When weak, let the decline come naturally. After all, no family can remain prosperous forever.

“The Mo Yang Clan even issued an edict to capture your parents. How can we rescue them now?” Tong San shook his head.

“You’ve had contact with Longshan Pavilion. Do you have any ideas?” Zong Ling asked, and Tong San also turned to Dongbo Xueying.

“I haven’t received accurate news yet. Let’s wait another month,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

Judging by the strength of the families.

The entire Empire had a total of nineteen provinces, including land and ocean provinces.

The family of ‘Windrider Knight’ Chi Qiubai, the strongest in the An Yang Province, was the top family of the province! Their influence almost covered the entire province, making them one of the top families in the entire Empire.

Families like the Si Clan of Qing He Prefecture, or the Mo Yang Clan of Duo Yu Prefecture in the Eastern Province, were all families that controlled an entire prefecture. The strongest in the Si Clan, ‘Si Lianghong,’ was a named-level mage who had transformed his body into a Blood Demon, while the strongest in the Mo Yang Clan was a False Transcendent! Families that controlled a prefecture were considered only second-tier families in the entire Empire.

“My current combat energy is only at the Earth Knight level. But with the power of my Ancient Bloodline and my spear techniques, I already rival a Silver Moon Knight,” Dongbo Xueying thought to himself. “In the future, I will definitely surpass Si Lianghong and even that False Transcendent!”

After all, the Woodcutter Knight, who had awakened the Ancient Bloodline, had once killed a Transcendent being with a single axe blow.

That was the level he aspired to reach.

If he reached such a level, he probably wouldn’t even need to speak—the Mo Yang Clan would willingly bow their heads and return his parents.

“I wonder how my parents are now,” Dongbo Xueying was anxious. He was deeply worried about their current condition, fearing that some misfortune might have befallen them. If something truly happened to them, Dongbo Xueying dared not think further, only knowing one thing… he would make the Mo Yang Clan regret it deeply!!!

“Just wait another month. Longshan Pavilion will have news by then,” Dongbo Xueying could only suppress his anxious feelings.

…

Time passed day by day.

Half a month later, his younger brother’s teacher, the Archmage Bai Yuanzhi, actually arrived at Xue Shi Castle.

“Archmage, why have you come? You could have just sent someone to deliver a message,” Dongbo Xueying personally greeted him at the castle’s entrance.

“Haha, so it’s true that the Silver Moon Wolf King was indeed killed by you, my lord! I suspected it before, but now the entire Yi Shui City is talking about it. The Cutlass Alliance, envious of your Silver Moon Wolf King pelt, was ultimately wiped out by your spear alone. Now everyone says you’re the strongest expert in Yi Shui City!” The old man in white robes, Bai Yuanzhi, laughed as he spoke. A group of his disciples behind him looked at Dongbo Xueying with curiosity and nervousness.