Chapter 3: Separation

Dongbo Xueying held his younger brother tightly, feeling both nervous and shocked.

 Was this gray-robed young man really his mother's brother?

 "Brother, it's been so many years," Moyang Yu said with a smile. "I'm truly happy to see you again. You've already reached the Star Realm… Are you a Silver Moon Mage now?"

 "Yes," the gray-robed young man nodded.

 In the path of mages, the Star Realm was divided into three major ranks: Meteor, Silver Moon, and Title.

 This man before them had become a Silver Moon Mage.

 Even within their family, his status was considerable.

 "To reach the Silver Moon level on your own… You must be ranked among the top three of our family's younger generation," Moyang Yu said with admiration. "Once you become a Title Grand Mage, that will be truly incredible."

The gray-robed young man sighed. "There has never been a Title Grand Mage in our family. Crossing that threshold is unimaginably difficult."

 The Title level…

 To achieve it meant earning a unique title recognized throughout the entire Longshan Empire!

It was an absolute mark of respect, a terrifying force that represented the pinnacle of mortal power. Beyond that lay the realm of Extraordinary Beings.

 A Silver Moon Mage, while powerful enough to annihilate an entire army, would stand no chance against a Title-ranked existence—they might not even have the chance to cast a single spell before being overwhelmed.

 The gray-robed young man's tone grew stern.

 "You defied the family laws. You must understand—our family has survived for over a thousand years because of these laws!"

 "Without rules, even the most powerful family will eventually fall into ruin. Our family has endured hardships and risen again, all because of our strict traditions."

 "Breaking the rules means facing punishment."

 His gaze locked onto Moyang Yu.

 "Tell me your choice."

The atmosphere instantly froze.

 Dongbo Lie, the lionman warrior, and Dongbo Xueying—who was holding his younger brother—were all on edge, their tension palpable.

 "I am a noble! I am protected by the Empire's laws!" Moyang Yu stared at her brother. "You cannot violate imperial law to take us away! No matter how powerful you are, if you break the law… you will die as well."

 "A noble?"

 The gray-robed young man shook his head. "Even now, you refuse to give up. Stop hoping for a way out. This time, I came with an official decree."

 Moyang Yu, Dongbo Lie, and the lionman warrior all went pale.

 The gray-robed young man raised his right hand, and a golden scroll materialized out of thin air. As he unfurled it, a mysterious, powerful aura spread throughout the castle.

 Even Dongbo Xueying, holding his younger brother, felt the overwhelming energy. It was a force beyond human comprehension, and he couldn't help but feel an instinctive sense of awe.

 Then, the gray-robed young man's voice boomed across the castle:

 "By imperial decree and the Moyang Clan's order—Clan member Moyang Yu is sentenced to a hundred years of confinement! Baron Dongbo Lie is sentenced to a hundred years of hard labor! Executor: Moyang Chen!"

 Dongbo Lie and Moyang Yu exchanged glances.

 There was a trace of relief in their eyes.

 "A hundred years of confinement? A hundred years of hard labor? That's too long… That's far too long!" the lionman warrior growled in distress. "A normal human lifespan is barely a hundred years! Even if they reach the Star Realm, they'd only live a little over a hundred years! They're already at this age—if they are imprisoned for a hundred years or sent to hard labor for a hundred years… it's the same as sentencing them to die in captivity!"

 "No! Uncle, you're the executor! Please, save my parents! Save them!"

 Dongbo Xueying shouted desperately, still holding his younger brother.

 The word "Uncle" made the gray-robed young man tremble.

 But he shook his head. "I cannot save them. No one can. The Moyang Clan's rules are absolute. No plea can change their fate."

 "Waaa… waaa…"

 The little boy, Qingshi, sobbed in Xueying's arms.

 At just two years old, he didn't fully understand what was happening, but he could feel the suffocating sorrow in the air.

 Dongbo Xueying wanted to cry too.

 But more than sadness, he was frantic with desperation.

 He was already eight years old, old enough to understand the gravity of the situation.

 A hundred years of confinement and hard labor meant his parents would be punished until the day they died!

 His father and mother, his most important family, were about to be taken away forever!

"Save my parents! Please, save my parents!" Dongbo Xueying's eyes filled with tears. "Uncle, you must have a way! There must be a way!"

 "Xueying, don't cry. Shitou, you don't cry either."

 Moyang Yu knelt down, hugging both of her sons. Then, she turned to look at the gray-robed man. "Give me and Dongbo some time… please?"

 The gray-robed young man nodded. "Alright."

 On a nameless mountain within Xueying Territory, there stood a wooden house.

 "Thud, thud, thud…"

 The ground trembled as a lionman warrior—Tong San—rushed up the mountain path on the back of a Frost Beast Colt. The magical beast was incredibly fast, and since Tong San hadn't bothered with armor, he had managed to reach the mountaintop from Snowrock Castle in just the time it took to brew a cup of tea.

 "Zong Ling! Zong Ling!"

 His deep, booming voice rang out urgently long before he reached the wooden house.

 The wooden door creaked open.

 A silver-haired man in a black robe stepped out. His face was human-like, but a massive, nearly two-meter-long, thick green snake tail coiled behind him, impossible to hide.

 A serpentman!

 And not just any serpentman—his human-like features and noble aura revealed that he was of the beastmen's royal bloodline—a Six-Armed Demon Serpent!

 Due to his six arms, he always wore a loose black robe, preferring to keep his unusual physique hidden from prying eyes.

 "Tong San, what's wrong?" Zong Ling asked.

 "Our master's family has finally caught up to her!" Tong San's voice was near breaking. "They even brought an imperial decree!"

 Zong Ling's body tensed, and he slowly shook his head.

 "If the Moyang Clan has already issued a decree… no one can save them.

 Unless one becomes a legendary Extraordinary Being… only then would the Moyang Clan consider letting Dongbo and Moyang Yu go."

 "Then… Then… there's really no way?" Tong San's heart sank.

 He would never forget—

 During the darkest and most painful days of his life, it was that young girl who had played with him, treated him like family. Year after year, she had been his light. When she finally escaped the Moyang Clan, he had followed without hesitation.

 Through countless battles and life-or-death struggles, his loyalty never wavered.

 To him, his master was more important than his own life!

 "There's no way." Zong Ling clenched his fist beneath his robe, his sharp nails digging into his palm.

 His voice remained calm, but in his heart, he was grieving.

 He had fought alongside Dongbo and Moyang Yu through countless deadly trials—how could he not feel despair?

 But there was nothing he could do.

 "Did Ayu send you to find me?" Zong Ling asked.

 "Yes, Master asked me to bring you back." Tong San nodded.

 "Then let's go. We must see them one last time."

 With that, Zong Ling and Tong San mounted their Frost Beast Colts and raced back toward the castle.

 At Snowrock Castle, Dongbo Lie and Moyang Yu were giving final instructions to their son, Dongbo Xueying.

 "Xueying," Moyang Yu said, taking off the pendant from around her neck, "this pendant is a storage artifact. It has an internal storage space and is incredibly rare and valuable. Its worth is equal to the entire Xueying Territory."

 She placed the pendant in her son's hand.

 "From this moment on, it belongs to you."

 Her voice turned serious.

 "You must keep this a secret. Aside from Uncle Tong San and Uncle Zong Ling, do not tell a third person! Not even your little brother. Qingshi is still a child—he might accidentally let something slip."

 The territory was land—it couldn't be stolen.

 But a storage artifact was different. If it were exposed, it would attract countless greedy eyes.

 "Mother, you should keep it." Xueying protested immediately.

 Moyang Yu shook her head. "Your father and I are being taken away. Anything we have will be confiscated."

 She gently pressed her finger against Xueying's fingertip, drawing a single drop of blood. As she chanted a spell, the blood formed a glowing rune before seeping into the pendant.

 Xueying instantly felt a connection to the pendant—his spirit could now sense the space within it.

Inside the pendant, there were various materials, gold coins, and scrolls.

 "I've placed the most valuable items from the castle inside," Moyang Yu said before turning to her husband. "Dongbo, you have something important as well."

 Dongbo Lie took out a golden book from his robe.

 The entire book was made of gold leaf. Since gold never deteriorates, only the rarest and most precious texts were recorded this way.

 "This is a spear technique left behind by an Extraordinary Being," Dongbo Lie said with a smile. "The basics I've been teaching you? They all come from this technique. Those ancient noble families each have three or four manuals left behind by Extraordinary Beings, but our family has only this one—and it's solely about spear techniques. That's why I've trained you in the spear since you were young.

 "Study it well, but never reveal it to anyone. Aside from Uncle Zong Ling and Uncle Tong San, you must not tell a third person—not even your little brother. They were both present when I acquired this book, so they already know about it."

 "Understood."

 Dongbo Xueying took the golden book and immediately sensed a strange energy radiating from it. With a mere thought, he stored it inside the pendant.

 "Let's go outside and wait for your uncles."

 Dongbo Lie and Moyang Yu sat in the hall with their two sons, waiting.

 Soon, two figures rushed inside.

 It was Tong San and Zong Ling.

 "Dongbo, Ayu…" Zong Ling started to speak but hesitated, unable to find the words.

 "Before we leave, we must trouble you both." Moyang Yu smiled. "Tong San, your temperament is too straightforward—you won't be able to manage the territory. So, the land will depend on you, Zong Ling. The responsibility of guiding and teaching our two children will also be yours."

 Zong Ling nodded firmly. "You can count on me."

 Moyang Yu turned to Xueying. "Remember, your Uncle Zong Ling will oversee everything until you turn eighteen. Only then can you officially take over the territory."

 "I understand."

 Xueying held his younger brother tightly.

 Little Qingshi curled up in his brother's embrace. He wasn't crying anymore, but he was afraid.

 At only two years old, he couldn't fully comprehend the situation—but he feared Zong Ling and Tong San.

 After all, to a young child, a lion-headed warrior and a serpentman with a long, slithering tail were terrifying figures.

 Suddenly, Xueying spoke up, his voice filled with urgency—

 "Mother, tell me—where exactly is the Moyang Clan? How can I save you?"

 "Save…?"

 Moyang Yu and Dongbo Lie exchanged glances.

 "Don't think about such things. Just live well, understand?" Moyang Yu said softly. "As long as you and your brother live happy lives, your father and I will be at peace."

 Save them?

 The Moyang Clan's laws were ironclad. The only way they would release Dongbo Lie and Moyang Yu was if an Extraordinary Being intervened.

 For their son to become an Extraordinary Being? They didn't even dare to dream of such a thing.

 But Xueying refused to back down. "Tell me—how can I do it? There must be a way!"

 Zong Ling suddenly spoke.

 "If you obtain the Black Iron Order from Longshan Tower, I will tell you everything."

 Moyang Yu and Dongbo Lie were taken aback.

 They turned to look at Zong Ling.

 "Let the boy have hope," Zong Ling said.

 Dongbo Lie thought for a moment before nodding.

 Xueying was already eight years old—he was smart. He wouldn't forget what had happened tonight.

Perhaps giving him a goal was the best course of action.

 "Yes. If you obtain the Black Iron Order from Longshan Tower, your uncle will tell you everything."

 Xueying memorized the words.

 "The Black Iron Order… from Longshan Tower."

 Late at night.

 The drawbridge of Snowrock Castle was lowered.

 Outside, the silver-armored warrior and the gray-robed young man stood waiting.

 Dongbo Lie and Moyang Yu stood with their sons, saying their final goodbyes.

 "Xueying, take care of your brother, alright?" Moyang Yu said.

 "I will."

 Xueying nodded, his eyes red and filled with tears.

 "Waaa! Waaa!"

 His younger brother Qingshi suddenly burst into tears.

 Moyang Yu couldn't hold back anymore.

 She knelt down, pulling both of her sons into her arms and kissed them over and over.

 Dongbo Lie stood silently beside them, his eyes misty.

 Finally, Moyang Yu clenched her teeth and turned away.

 "We have to go."

 Together, she and Dongbo Lie walked toward the gray-robed man.

 They couldn't help but look back as they moved away.

 "Nooo! Don't go! Don't go!"

 Qingshi screamed, crying uncontrollably.

 Holding his younger brother's hand, Xueying wept too—but then, through his tears, he shouted:

 "Father! Mother! I, Dongbo Xueying, swear—one day, I will save you! Our family will be reunited! We will be together again!"

 "I swear it!"

 "I swear—I will save you! No one can stop me!"

 His desperate oath echoed through the silent night sky.

 Moyang Yu covered her mouth, sobbing.

 Dongbo Lie's body trembled.

 They climbed onto the back of the Four-Winged Vulture, tears still in their eyes.

 The gray-robed young man sighed.

 Save them?

 How?

 Even he—their brother and brother-in-law—wanted to save them.

 But the Moyang Clan's rules were absolute.

 Only an Extraordinary Being could defy them.

 Not even he could do anything.

 And as for Dongbo Xueying?

 No matter how much talent he had, how could he ever hope to become an Extraordinary Being?

 "Go."

 With a mighty flap, the Four-Winged Vulture soared into the sky.

 On its back, Dongbo Lie and Moyang Yu turned to look one last time.

 Down below, standing at the castle gates, were two small figures—one big, one little—so fragile and powerless.

 Their hearts ached.

 How could they bear to leave their children behind?

 "Live well. Live well."

 Moyang Yu silently prayed, vowing that for the rest of her life, she would only pray for her children's safety.

 Xueying watched the vulture disappear into the distance.

 "Don't go… don't go…"

 His younger brother sobbed in his arms.

 Xueying lifted Qingshi up and whispered, "Don't cry, Shitou. Don't cry. Father and Mother are just going on a trip. They'll be back soon. I promise you."

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