In the 9616th year of the Longshan Calendar, winter.
In Anyang Province, Qinghe County, within the territory of Yishui City.
A boy of about eight or nine years old, with rosy lips and white teeth, wearing a finely tailored white fur coat, was carrying a spear pouch and nimbly darting through the forest. In his right hand, he held a short spear with a black wooden handle, chasing a wild deer that was fleeing in panic. The surrounding leaves trembled, and snow fell from the branches.
The boy, while darting, suddenly raised his short spear, leaned back slightly, and transferred the strength from his waist and abdomen to his right arm, then threw it with all his might!
The short spear flew through the air, brushing past some leaves, and after crossing a distance of more than thirty meters, it grazed the edge of the wild deer's back and then plunged deep into the snow, leaving only a blood trail on the deer's back. The wild deer, now more desperate, ran even faster, heading deeper into the forest, almost about to escape.
Suddenly, a whistling sound was heard, and a stone flew out.
The stone, turning into a streak of light, traveled through the forest for over a hundred meters, and with a thud, it pierced through the trunk of a large tree, accurately hitting the head of the wild deer. The deer's hard skull could not withstand the impact, and it staggered, running for more than ten meters before collapsing, causing the surrounding snow to fall.
"Father," the boy turned to look at the distance, somewhat helplessly, "You shouldn't have interfered; I was almost about to hit it."
"If I hadn't, the wild deer would have escaped. Your aim with the short spear while running at high speed still needs improvement. Tonight, you'll practice five hundred more throws with the short spear." A deep, resonant voice came from afar, and two figures were seen walking side by side.
One was a robust middle-aged man with black hair and eyes, carrying a weapon box on his back. The other figure was even more imposing, over two meters tall, with arms thicker than a normal person's thighs, and a lion's head, clearly a 'Lionman' among the rare Beastmen. He also carried a weapon box.
"Brother Tong, look at my son, isn't he impressive? He's only eight years old, but he already has the strength of an ordinary adult man," the middle-aged man said with a smile.
"Yes, Xue Ying is quite good. He will definitely surpass you in the future," the Lionman giant joked.
"Of course he will be better. When I was eight, I was just playing with the village kids, knowing nothing. It was only after joining the army that I had the chance to cultivate斗气 (martial qi)!" the middle-aged man sighed. "As a father, I can't provide my son with the best conditions, but I will do my best to give him what I can and nurture him well."
"Dong Bo, to rise from a commoner to a Heaven Rank Knight and to buy a fief to become a noble, you have already done very well," the Lionman giant said with a smile.
This middle-aged man was none other than the lord of the territory within a hundred miles—Baron Dong Bo Lie!
Baron is the lowest noble title in the 'Longshan Empire' of the Xia Clan. When the empire was founded, the granting of noble titles was very strict. However, after more than nine thousand years, this massive empire began to decay, and the buying and selling of lower noble titles was even officially allowed.
Dong Bo Lie and his wife decided to buy a noble title and a fief because they had a child. The fief was named Xue Ying Fief, the same as their son, showing their deep affection for him.
Of course, this was just a small fief within Yishui County.
"I only cultivated martial qi at the age of twenty, but my son is different. He's only eight, and I estimate he will cultivate martial qi around the age of ten. Ha, he will definitely be much stronger than me," Dong Bo Lie looked at the boy, his eyes full of doting and expectation.
"Judging by his strength, he should be able to cultivate martial qi around the age of ten," the Lionman giant agreed.
They had experienced so much that their judgment was naturally very accurate.
"Father, from such a distance, you can throw a stone to pierce through such a thick tree?" The boy stood next to the tree, trying to hug it with both hands but couldn't even fully encircle it. The tree trunk had a large hole pierced through it. "Such a thick tree, it would take me a long time to cut it down."
"See the power of a Heaven Rank Knight," the Lionman giant said, and Dong Bo Lie also smiled proudly, enjoying the moment of showing off in front of his son.
"Is it as amazing as a god?" the boy asked, pouting on purpose.
Dong Bo Lie and the Lionman Tong were momentarily speechless.
The founder of the Longshan Empire, 'Emperor Longshan,' was a powerful god, a fact known to almost all the inhabitants of this world. Dong Bo Lie was a formidable general in the army, but compared to a god? There was no comparison.
"It seems that practicing five hundred more throws with the short spear tonight is not enough. Yes, let's make it a thousand," Dong Bo Lie said, smacking his lips.
"Father!" The boy's eyes widened. "You, you..."
"See if you dare to argue with me. Remember, arguing with your father will only get you into trouble. Now, let's go back," Dong Bo Lie said.
The Lionman giant 'Tong' took a black whistle from his neck, placed it in his mouth, and blew a low, resonant sound that echoed through the forest.
Soon, twenty armored soldiers quickly arrived from a distance.
"Take the prey back," Dong Bo Lie ordered.
"Yes, my lord," the soldiers responded respectfully.
Dong Bo Lie, the Lionman giant, and the boy Xue Ying walked to the highest point of the mountain, where there were many horses and nearly a hundred soldiers. On a vast snowy field, a large white fur blanket was spread out, and on it sat a mysterious and transcendent purple-robed woman. Beside her was a cute, wobbly toddler, and the soldiers looked at the purple-robed woman with reverence.
Because this purple-robed woman was a powerful mage!
"Stone, look, who's here," the purple-robed woman said with a smile, and the toddler immediately turned to look, his eyes brightening.
"Brother, brother," the toddler wiggled his bottom and ran over.
The purple-robed woman also smiled at the scene.
"Stone," the boy Xue Ying immediately walked to the front and squatted down. His younger brother Qing Shi pounced into his arms. "Brother, brother."
Xue Ying picked up his brother and kissed him.
"Stone, we hunted a wild deer today. Look," Xue Ying pointed to the wild deer being carried by the soldiers behind.
"Yelu? Yelu?" The toddler Qing Shi, with his big, black eyes, made unclear sounds.
The younger brother 'Dong Bo Qing Shi' was only two years old. Although he tried to speak, his words were not yet clear, and he didn't fully understand.
"It's a wild deer, a kind of wild animal from the hills behind our house," Xue Ying said.
"Xue Ying, give your brother to me," the purple-robed woman also stood up and walked over.
"Yes, Mother," Xue Ying handed his brother over.
The purple-robed woman said, "I brought some warm osmanthus pastries in the basket. Go and eat them quickly."
"Pastries?" Xue Ying's eyes lit up, and his mouth started to water, almost drooling. He immediately ran over.
"I want to eat, I want to eat," the toddler Qing Shi immediately struggled in his mother's arms, becoming the most enthusiastic when it came to eating pastries, but he was usually very disobedient during meals.
"Of course, there's some for you, you little glutton," the purple-robed woman looked at Dong Bo Lie and the Lionman Tong, who had also come in. "You two, come quickly. I've prepared some food for you as well."
"Haha... Not only is the mistress powerful in magic, but her cooking is also excellent," the Lionman giant said.
This Lionman had been a slave in his youth and became a servant to the purple-robed woman, following her. Although many years had passed, and their relationship was like family, the Lionman giant still insisted on calling her 'mistress.'
After eating his fill, Xue Ying looked into the distance. Since their camp was on the mountaintop, he could see other mountains and many farmlands in the distance. Wherever his eyes fell, it was all part of their fief. His parents had stopped their adventurous days and bought a noble title and a large fief because of his birth, naming the fief—Xue Ying Fief!
Dong Bo Xue Ying stretched and yawned, his face full of happiness.
With loving parents, a cute younger brother, and many kind subjects in the fief.
Dong Bo Xue Ying was truly very satisfied with such a life...
The only thing that troubled him a bit was his father's rigorous training.
"Practice a thousand more throws with the short spear, plus the original thousand... and the more important spear techniques, and..." Dong Bo Xue Ying's face turned into a bitter expression.
As night fell, a crescent moon hung in the sky.
In the sky, thousands of meters above the ground, a huge bird, resembling a dark cloud, was flying at high speed.
This enormous bird, with a wingspan of over twenty meters and four wings, was flying at near-supersonic speed. It was a terrifying and extremely fierce magical beast, the 'Four-Winged Vulture.' On the back of the Four-Winged Vulture, two figures were sitting cross-legged: a silver-armored man and a gray-robed man holding a dark purple wooden staff.
"Where are we?" the gray-robed man asked.
"Reporting to my lord, we have entered the territory of Yishui County. We should reach Xue Ying Fief in about half an hour," the silver-armored man looked down, his eyes cold, clearly identifying the location below.
"In half an hour, I will see my sister," the gray-robed man's voice was complex. "She really knows how to hide. For fifteen years, she has managed to evade our family's pursuit..."
The Four-Winged Vulture flew straight toward Xue Ying Fief in the darkness of the night!
Tomato's new book is officially released!
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