Chapter 1: Xueying Domain

In the year 9616 of the Longshan Calendar, it was winter.

Within the territory of Yishui County, Qinghe Prefecture, Anyang Province.

A boy of about eight or nine years old, with red lips and white teeth, wearing finely tailored white fur clothing, was darting nimbly through the forest with a quiver of spears strapped to his back. In his right hand, he held a short spear with a black wooden handle, chasing a panicked deer that was fleeing ahead. The leaves rustled and snow fell from the trees as he moved.

“Hmph!”

Mid-leap, the boy suddenly raised his spear high, slightly leaning his body backward as the power from his waist and abdomen surged into his right arm, and he hurled the weapon with force!

Swish!

The spear shot through the air, brushing past a few leaves, covering a distance of more than thirty meters. It barely grazed the edge of the deer’s back, leaving a shallow wound before burying itself deep into the snow-covered ground. Startled by the injury, the deer ran even harder, plunging deeper into the forest, nearly escaping from sight.

Suddenly, a whizzing sound pierced the air as a stone flew out.

The stone streaked like a beam of light through the forest, flying over a hundred meters before striking the trunk of a large tree with a bang, and then accurately embedding itself into the deer’s skull. Despite the deer’s thick skull, it could not resist the impact. Stumbling forward on instinct for another ten meters or so, it finally collapsed with a thunderous crash, shaking the trees and causing snow to fall in cascades.

“Father.” The boy turned his head and said helplessly, “Don’t interfere. I was almost there!”

“If I didn’t step in, that deer would have escaped. Your aim still lacks precision when moving at high speed. Tonight, you’ll do five hundred extra spear throws for training.” The voice was deep and powerful, carrying from afar. In the distance, two figures were walking side by side toward him.

One was a middle-aged man with black hair and eyes, his frame broad and strong, carrying a weapons case on his back. The other figure was even more massive and muscular, over two meters tall, with arms thicker than an ordinary man’s thighs. His head, however, was that of a lion—his wild, yellow mane of hair made him unmistakably a rare beastkin known as a “Lionkin.” He too carried a weapons case on his back.

“Tong San, little brother, look how amazing my son is. He’s only eight, but already as strong as an average adult.” The middle-aged man chuckled.

“Yeah, Xueying is pretty good. He’ll definitely surpass you in the future.” The lion-kin chuckled in return.

“Of course he’ll surpass me. When I was eight, I was still running around in the village with other kids, clueless about anything. It wasn’t until I joined the army that I got the chance to cultivate my battle qi!” The middle-aged man mused, “I can’t give my son the best upbringing, but whatever I can give, I will pour everything into it to raise him well.”

“Dongbo, you’ve already come a long way—from a commoner to a Sky-tier Knight, and even bought your own domain to become a noble. That’s already impressive.” The lion-kin laughed.

Indeed, this middle-aged man was none other than Dongbo Lie, the baron who ruled over a domain spanning more than a hundred miles!

In the Longshan Empire of the Xia Clan, baron was the lowest noble rank. During the empire’s founding, noble titles were granted with great restraint. But now, after more than nine thousand years of existence, the empire had begun to rot, and even the sale of low-ranking noble titles had become officially sanctioned.

Back then, Dongbo Lie and his wife had decided to purchase a noble title and a domain after the birth of their child. They named the domain “Xueying Domain” in honor of their son, a clear sign of their deep affection for him.

Of course, this was just a small domain within Yishui County.

“I didn’t cultivate battle qi until I was twenty, but my son is different. At just eight years old, I estimate he’ll be able to cultivate battle qi by the time he’s ten. Haha, he’ll definitely surpass me by far.” Dongbo Lie gazed at the boy, his eyes brimming with a father’s love and expectation.

“Judging from his strength, ten years old should be about right.” The lion-kin nodded in agreement.

They had seen and experienced far too much, so their judgment was naturally sharp.

“Father, from so far away, you could still throw a stone that pierced a tree this thick?” The boy stood beside the tree, trying to wrap his arms around its trunk, but couldn’t even get halfway around. A large hole had been punched clean through the massive trunk.

“Now you know the power of a Sky-tier Knight.” The lion-kin said, while Dongbo Lie grinned proudly, clearly enjoying the moment in front of his son.

“Is it as powerful as a god?” The boy teased with a smirk.

“A god?”

Dongbo Lie and the lion-kin Tong San exchanged glances, momentarily speechless.

The founder of the Longshan Empire, the “Longshan Emperor,” was himself a mighty god, a fact known to nearly every citizen of the world. Dongbo Lie had been a fierce general in the army, but compared to a god? He was nowhere near that level.

“It seems tonight’s extra five hundred spear throws weren’t enough. Let’s make it a thousand.” Dongbo Lie said with a smug grin.

“Father!” The boy’s eyes widened, “You, you…”

“Just you wait. If you keep arguing with me, you’ll only end up worse off. Alright, let’s go back.” Dongbo Lie said.

The lion-kin, Tong San, pulled out a black flute from around his neck and blew a low, resonant note that echoed through the forest.

Soon, twenty armored soldiers rushed over from a distance.

“Bring the prey back.” Dongbo Lie ordered.

“Yes, my lord!” The soldiers responded respectfully.

Dongbo Lie and the lion-kin walked with the boy, Xueying, to the highest peak of the mountain. There, a large number of horses and nearly a hundred soldiers were gathered. On the open snowy field, a large white blanket had been laid out, where a mysterious and dignified woman in a purple robe sat. Beside her was a cute toddler of two or three years old, still unsteady on his feet as he ran about. The soldiers looked at the woman with reverence.

For she was a mighty mage!

“Shi, quick, look who’s coming.” The woman in purple smiled. The toddler immediately turned his head, his eyes lighting up.

“Carry me, carry me!” The little one waddled excitedly toward them.

The purple-robed woman smiled at the scene.

“Shi.” Xueying immediately stepped forward and squatted down. His younger brother, Qing Shi, ran and leaped into his arms.

“Carry me, carry me.”

Xueying picked up his brother and kissed him.

“Shi, today we hunted a deer. Look.” Xueying pointed to the soldiers carrying the deer behind.

“Yelu? Yelu?” The little brother, Qing Shi, blinked his big eyes and made unintelligible sounds.

At only two years old, Qing Shi was still struggling to speak clearly and didn’t fully understand everything.

“It’s a deer, a wild beast in the mountains behind our house.” Xueying explained.

“Xueying, give your brother to me.” The purple-robed woman stood up and walked over.

“Yes, Mother.” Xueying handed his brother to her.

“I brought some warm osmanthus cakes. They’re in the basket. Go eat them quickly.” She said.

“Cakes?” Xueying’s eyes lit up, his mouth watering as he imagined the taste. Without hesitation, he dashed toward the basket.

“I want to eat too! I want to eat too!” Qing Shi immediately squirmed in his mother’s arms. Mentioning food was always what excited him the most, even though he was often picky about eating regular meals.

“Of course, you little glutton.” The purple-robed woman looked toward Dongbo Lie and Tong San, who had just arrived, “You two hurry up too. I’ve prepared something for you as well.”

“Haha… My lady not only excels in magic, but in cooking too.” The lion-kin chuckled.

In his youth, this lion-kin had once been a slave, but was later taken in as a servant by the woman in purple. Though many years had passed and their bond had grown like family, the lion-kin still insisted on addressing her as “master.”

…

After eating his fill, Xueying gazed into the distance. Their camp was right at the mountain peak, and from there, he could see other mountains and countless farmlands in the distance. All of it was part of their domain. It was because of his birth that his parents had stopped their days of adventure, purchasing a noble title and a vast domain. This domain was named “Xueying Domain” in his honor, a clear sign of their deep affection for him.

Dongbo Xueying stretched lazily, his face full of joy.

He had loving parents, a cute little brother, and many kind-hearted subjects in his domain.

He truly couldn’t be more satisfied with this life…

The only thing that troubled him slightly was the rigorous training his father imposed.

“A thousand extra spear throws on top of the original thousand… plus the main spear techniques…” Dongbo Xueying’s little face twisted into a bitter expression.

…

As night fell and a crescent moon hung in the sky, the wind howled.

“Boom~~~”

High in the sky, thousands of meters above the ground, a massive bird, resembling a dark cloud, flew at incredible speed.

This enormous bird, with a wingspan of over twenty meters and four wings in total, flew at nearly the speed of sound. It was a terrifying and vicious magical beast—the “Four-winged Vulture.” On its back sat two figures cross-legged: a silver-armored man and a gray-robed figure holding a dark purple wooden staff.

“Where are we now?” The gray-robed figure asked.

“Reporting to my master, we have already entered Yishui County. We should arrive at Xueying Domain in about half an hour.” The silver-armored man looked down, his gaze cold as he clearly identified the terrain below.

“Half an hour… and I’ll finally see my dear younger sister.” The gray-robed figure’s voice was complex, “She’s been hiding well. For fifteen long years, she’s managed to escape our family’s pursuit…”

The Four-winged Vulture soared through the night sky, heading straight for Xueying Domain!