Dongbo Xueying, Zong Ling, and Tong San stood at the castle gate, watching the people from Longshan Tower leave.
Then they turned and began to walk into the castle.
"Uncle Zong, Uncle Tong," Dongbo Xueying's footsteps crunched on the snow as he spoke softly, "I have obtained the Black Iron Token. Shouldn't you tell me about what happened to my father and mother back then?"
Zong Ling and Tong San exchanged glances.
"Let Uncle Tong tell you. He has always followed your mother and knows more details," Zong Ling said, "I only heard it from your mother."
"Xueying," Tong San looked at the snow falling from the sky, "I originally lived in a remote lion tribe. One day, our tribe was targeted by a powerful caravan that wanted to capture all of us. Those who resisted were almost all killed! After being captured, we were branded as 'rebels' and became slaves!"
"Rebels?" Dongbo Xueying was shocked.
There were already very few slaves in the empire.
Only those who committed major crimes, such as a commoner killing a noble, or directly rebelling against the empire, would become slaves. In short, only those who committed heinous crimes would become slaves.
"Don't be surprised. The empire has been established for over nine thousand years and is already corrupt. Moreover, the families of many top-tier powers hold sway, and there are plenty of dark matters. As long as they are not exposed, no one will take them seriously. Besides, for a weak lion tribe like ours, without evidence, who would stand up for us?" Tong San sneered.
"I became a slave, was sold, and ended up in the Moyang family!"
"The Moyang family is a very powerful family in the Dongyu Province. The Doyu County is completely controlled by the Moyang family, and this control has lasted for over a thousand years," the lion man Tong San said. "We slaves were given random names: Tong Da, Tong Er, Tong San, Tong Si, Tong Wu... I was one of them, Tong San."
"The young masters and young ladies of the Moyang family came to select, and I met your mother," the lion man Tong San's face showed a hint of a smile. "Your mother was young back then, just thirteen, younger than you are now."
Dongbo Xueying listened silently.
"Living carefree..."
"Playing happily every day, without any ulterior motives, not even looking down on me, a slave. When I was beaten by the subordinates of other young masters of the Moyang family, the master cried and even stood up for me in anger."
The lion man Tong San looked up at the snowflakes in the sky, "These were trivial matters. I thought I would live my whole life in the Moyang family, but who would have thought that when the master was twenty-four, the Moyang family arranged a forced marriage for her. The other party was a 152-year-old old man."
"152 years old?" Dongbo Xueying's eyes widened.
Your mother was only in her early twenties, and the other party was 152 years old?
What a joke?
"It is said that that family is even more powerful than the Moyang family, ranking among the top three families in the Dongyu Province. The Moyang family shamelessly sent a direct-line young woman for the marriage," the lion man Tong San said. "The master had never suffered great hardships from childhood to adulthood. How could she bear such a thing? She took the opportunity to escape during a spring outing."
"She fled from Doyu County, even from the Dongyu Province! After a long journey, she arrived in Anyang Province."
"I followed the master, and thus began our adventurous life. Soon, I met Zong Ling and your father, Dongbo Lie."
"Ha ha..."
"Those adventurous days were truly exciting. We faced life and death together, and our friendship was forged in those moments. Later, your mother, worried that your father and others would be implicated, revealed her background," the lion man Tong San said.
Zong Ling nodded, "We only learned about the Moyang family from your mother later. We, who don't even care about life and death, would we fear the Moyang family? Ha ha, of course, we continued to adventure together."
"Later, your father and the master were together," the lion man Tong San smiled, "and even had you. That's when they decided to stop adventuring and settle down, coming to your father's hometown—Qinghe County!"
"You know what happened next. We lived quietly in Qinghe County for eight years, but the Moyang family still found us and took your parents away."
Dongbo Xueying nodded lightly.
So, this is how it all happened...
Forcing a marriage is one thing, but to arrange it with a 152-year-old old man? It's known that even Titleholders rarely live past 200 years, and most die in their 170s or 180s.
"The Moyang family is an ancient family over a thousand years old, with strict family rules," the lion man Tong San said. "Your mother's escape was a violation of the rules, and the Moyang family naturally punished her severely."
"I don't understand," Zong Ling sneered, "Do these great families not feel ashamed to make their people suffer so much? Or do the true power holders in these great families not care about the young generation?"
"Zong Ling, the Moyang family has existed for over a thousand years, with tens of thousands of members. Sacrificing a few young members is nothing," the lion man Tong San said.
"Hmph."
Dongbo Xueying said coldly, "If the family is strong enough, there would be no need to force a young member to marry a 150-year-old old man! If the family is truly in decline, let it decline. Using such disgusting and shameless marriages to consolidate the family's status is repulsive!"
It wasn't just because he was on his mother's side, but this was indeed Dongbo Xueying's view.
Strength means others will come to you.
Weakness means accepting the decline. There are no families that remain prosperous forever.
"The Moyang family has even issued an edict to capture your parents. How can we save them now?" Tong San shook his head.
"Have you found a way since you've been in contact with Longshan Tower?" Zong Ling asked, and Tong San also looked at Dongbo Xueying.
"Right now, we don't have accurate information. Let's wait another month," Dongbo Xueying said.
Judging by the family's strength.
The entire empire has a total of nineteen provinces, including land and sea provinces.
Like the family of the 'Longwind Knight' Chiqiu Bai in Anyang Province, they are the first family in Anyang Province! Their influence almost covers the entire province, making them a top-tier family in the entire empire.
Like the Si family in Qinghe County! Like the Moyang family in Doyu County in the Dongyu Province, they control a county. The strongest member of the Si family, 'Si Lianghong,' is a Titleholder who has transformed into a blood demon, while the strongest member of the Moyang family is a Pseudo-Transcendent. These families controlling a county are considered second-tier families in the entire empire.
"My current martial arts are at the Earth Knight level. With the power of the ancient bloodline and my spear skills, I can match a Silver Moon Knight," Dongbo Xueying thought. "In the future, I will surpass Si Lianghong and that Pseudo-Transcendent!"
Like the Woodcutter Knight, who awakened the ancient bloodline, can kill a Transcendent with one axe.
This is what I need to achieve.
If I have such strength, the Moyang family would likely bow down and return my parents without me even asking.
"I wonder how my parents are doing now," Dongbo Xueying was anxious. He was very worried about his parents' current situation, fearing that something might happen. If anything did happen, Dongbo Xueying didn't even dare to think about it, but he knew... he would make the Moyang family regret it!!!
"Let's wait another month, and we'll have news from Longshan Tower," Dongbo Xueying could only suppress his anxiety.
...
Days passed one by one.
Half a month later, the teacher of his younger brother, the Great Mage Bai Yuanzhi, actually came to Xueshi Castle.
"Great Mage, why did you come? If there's anything, you could just send a message," Dongbo Xueying personally welcomed him at the castle gate.
"Ha ha, it turns out that the Silver Moon Wolf King was indeed killed by you. I suspected it before, and now almost everyone in Yishui City knows. The Crescent Blade Alliance coveted your Silver Moon Wolf King's fur and was ultimately destroyed by your spear. Now everyone says you are the first expert in Yishui City!" The old man in white robes, Bai Yuanzhi, said with a smile, while his disciples behind him looked at Dongbo Xueying with curiosity and tension.