Chapter 25: Intelligence

“Xueying, what exactly did you discover?” Zong Ling trusted Xueying, yet still felt utterly confused.

“I’m not sure myself,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “It was just a feeling. If we had stayed there any longer, we might have lost our lives at any moment.”

“The stronghold of the Scimitar Brotherhood has been hidden inside that mountain for years, and they’ve been fine,” Zong Ling questioned doubtfully.

“I can’t explain that,” Dongbo Xueying smiled. “Regardless, Uncle Zong, we’ve succeeded greatly today. It’s time to go home.”

“Yeah, it’s time to go home,” Zong Ling smiled joyfully.

The two walked side by side toward the camp.

Inside the camp, a hundred soldiers from Xueying Domain were stationed.

“My Lord.”

“My Lord.” The patrolling soldiers stationed within the territory respectfully called out. Soon, the captain of this hundred-member troop, Captain Yang Cheng, came to greet them.

Captain Yang Cheng was surprised as he approached. “My Lord, Master Zong, why have you returned so early today? Usually, you don’t come back until nightfall. It’s still quite a while until then.”

Dongbo Xueying chuckled.

They had entered the Destruction Mountains early that morning to slay the Silver Moon Wolf Pack, and had immediately started heading back after killing the wolf king. They had only been slightly delayed by the Scimitar Brotherhood, so it was indeed still a couple of hours before nightfall.

“Captain Yang Cheng,” Dongbo Xueying said, “Uncle Zong and I are preparing to set off now and return to Xueying Domain. As for you and your troops, continue to stay here and return tomorrow morning.”

“Returning to Xueying Domain already?” Captain Yang Cheng’s face lit up with delight. Camping out in the wild during such freezing weather was nowhere near as comfortable as staying in the castle.

“Correct,” Zong Ling said. “Uncle Zong and I will return first. You must lead the soldiers well.”

“Rest assured, Master Zong,” Captain Yang Cheng guaranteed, patting his chest.

Before long,

Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling each mounted a Frost-Feathered Steed and began their journey back to Xueying Domain.

The Frost-Feathered Steeds possessed excellent stamina and carrying capacity. Although the pelt of the Silver Moon Wolf King weighed nearly two thousand jin, the steeds still maintained a fast pace. When the mount beneath him grew tired, Dongbo Xueying would switch steeds with Zong Ling, allowing the steeds to rest.

…

The night had already fallen.

On the road, flattened and frozen solid, the two Frost-Feathered Steeds became gusts of wind, speeding forward swiftly.

“We’re almost there,” Dongbo Xueying spotted a towering mountain in the distance, the majestic Xue Shi Mountain, named after himself and his younger brother.

“Finally back,” Zong Ling smiled.

“By now, Qing Shi should be having dinner,” Dongbo Xueying felt delighted. His mission to the Destruction Mountains had been fully accomplished, and the gains were even greater than expected. At the very least, his younger brother’s apprenticeship would definitely go smoothly.

The two Frost-Feathered Steeds galloped along the mountain path.

Following the winding trail, they ascended rapidly.

“My Lord,” the checkpoint guards on the mountain path recognized the two riders atop the Frost-Feathered Steeds as their lord and steward, Master Zong Ling, and greeted them respectfully.

Without hindrance, they galloped all the way to the castle gates.

“Open the gates!”

Dongbo Xueying shouted from atop his steed.

“Ah, it’s the lord,” the patrolling soldiers quickly recognized him. “Quickly, lower the drawbridge and open the castle gates.”

“Master Qing Shi, Master Qing Shi, the lord has returned, the lord has returned,” servants inside the castle cried out excitedly, rushing to inform.

Boom~~~

The drawbridge of the castle slowly descended, and the gates were forcefully pushed open by the soldiers.

As the gates opened, Dongbo Xueying, still mounted, immediately saw a boy running joyfully toward him from afar, bundled up like a little bear.

“Big brother,” Qing Shi’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Haha,” Dongbo Xueying dismounted and handed his steed to a nearby soldier.

He smiled as Qing Shi ran toward him and scooped up his younger brother in one swift motion. Although he carried the nearly two-thousand-jin pelt of the Wolf King on his back, Dongbo Xueying, a powerful knight capable of balancing a horse on his arm, found carrying his brother effortless.

“Big brother, you said you’d be back in ten to fifteen days, but it’s already been eighteen days,” Qing Shi said eagerly. Counting the travel days, it was indeed eighteen.

“Got delayed, got delayed. Have you eaten dinner yet?” Dongbo Xueying asked.

“We were just about to eat when I heard you were back,” Qing Shi replied excitedly. His eyes then lit up. “Big brother, what kind of pelt are you carrying? It’s so pretty, so white, and so soft!” He reached out to touch it.

“This pelt hasn’t been fully cleaned yet,” Dongbo Xueying said. “Once it’s cleaned, I’ll let you play with it. Come on, let’s go have dinner.”

He carried his younger brother and walked toward the castle.

At the castle gates, another figure had appeared. It was Tong San, the mighty lion-man warrior. He was grinning broadly, genuinely happy to see Zong Ling and Xueying’s return. Seeing them come back with the massive pelt of the Silver Moon Wolf King on their backs, he immediately understood… This expedition had certainly been a great success. With his experienced adventurer’s eye, he instantly recognized the pelt as that of a Silver Moon Wolf King. Ordinary wolves simply couldn’t have such a large and beautiful pelt.

“Uncle Zong, Uncle Tong, come, let’s go eat dinner together,” Dongbo Xueying said.

“Let’s go,” Tong San and Zong Ling laughed heartily.

“Hurrah, big brother is back, back,” Qing Shi, held in Dongbo Xueying’s arms, joyfully cheered.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side,

The Scimitar Brotherhood had been completely wiped out, with heavy casualties among its core members. The remaining low-ranking members naturally scattered, taking whatever treasures they could find from the stronghold and fleeing. As they escaped, the news that the Scimitar Brotherhood had been eradicated by the young lord of Xueying Domain spread like wildfire.

Late at night,

In Longshan Pavilion, Yishui City.

“Master Si An,” the elderly white-haired You Tu stood quietly outside a room’s door.

The middle-aged black-haired man yawned, half-drowsy, and casually said, “You Tu, why did you wake me up in the middle of the night?”

“Master Si An, something major has happened in our Yishui City!” the white-haired elder whispered.

“Major? What major event?” Master Si An asked, puzzled.

“The Scimitar Brotherhood… has been destroyed!” the white-haired elder said softly.

Master Si An was stunned.

The Scimitar Brotherhood?

The largest and most powerful bandit group in all of Yishui City? Led by the mighty Meteor Knight ‘Scimitar’ Gai Bin, with a group of Celestial Mages and Celestial Knights under his command, the Scimitar Brotherhood had been wiped out?

“Are you sure the information is correct?” Master Si An found it hard to believe. “Gai Bin-led Scimitar Brotherhood? The entire Scimitar Brotherhood is so cunning, they’d flee at the first sign of danger. How could they be destroyed?”

“Yes, it was indeed Gai Bin’s Scimitar Brotherhood,” the white-haired elder nodded. “Even Gai Bin himself has been killed! All the Celestial and Earth-tier mages and knights of the entire Scimitar Brotherhood, even the majority of ordinary knights and mages… all have been wiped out! And it was done by a single person.”

“Who?” Master Si An asked.

“It was that legendary young lord who’s said to have gone mad from spear training,” the white-haired elder whispered, “Dongbo Xueying!”

Master Si An was astonished.

One person alone wiped out the entire Scimitar Brotherhood?

What kind of power would that require? At the very least, a Starfall-level, or even possibly a Silver Moon Knight!

“Where’s the detailed report?” Master Si An asked.

“Right here,” the white-haired elder immediately presented the report. “The information just arrived. Our people from Longshan Pavilion have already captured several ordinary remnants of the Scimitar Brotherhood. They’ll be brought before the Pavilion Master tomorrow.”

Master Si An flipped through the report, no longer feeling the slightest bit of fatigue, his mind now completely alert.

Longshan Pavilion possessed the most extensive intelligence network.

The preliminary intelligence report had already nearly recorded the entire situation.

“If this intelligence is true, then the strongest expert in Yishui City now might just be this young lord,” Master Si An murmured softly. “Unbelievable… How old is he? The couple Dongbo Lie and Mo Yangyu had truly given birth to an extraordinary son!”