"Damn!" The Meteor Knight in the gray robe felt an inexplicable fear when he saw the young man throw out a scroll.
The young man, however, was staring at him, clearly making the Meteor Knight the primary target of this powerful spell.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, huge green lightning bolts appeared in the sky, striking the ground like giant trees! Among these dense lightning bolts, eight of them twisted and struck the Meteor Knight simultaneously. The gray-robed knight had no way to dodge, and with a loud boom, his entire body instantly turned into charcoal.
A powerful fifth-rank lightning spell, even when cast by a Silver Moon High Mage, requires the recitation of incantations and takes considerable time, with an unimaginable destructive force.
"No!" A young man with a triangular eye and a white robe, hiding at the back and holding a shield, widened his eyes in terror, "I—"
Boom!
His entire body was instantly shattered into pieces! His strength was too weak to withstand it.
These huge green lightning bolts, like giant trees, numbered ninety-nine in total, forming the fifth-rank spell, Lightning Forest!
With Qing Shi's guiding power, he could only勉强 focus them on the Meteor Knight. The other lightning trees... he couldn't precisely guide them, so he tried his best to direct them in other directions to avoid harming the soldiers of Snow Eagle Manor. One of the lightning trees just happened to strike the triangular-eyed young man, which was also his bad luck.
"Aaaaaa." Some of the dark red-armored soldiers were also affected, and those hit by the fifth-rank spell died instantly.
The soldiers of Snow Eagle Manor were originally spread out, and their numbers were few. Qing Shi also tried his best to avoid them with the 'Lightning Forest,' so none of them were struck.
"Quick, run!"
"Quick, quick, run!"
The more than twenty soldiers who narrowly escaped the Lightning Forest were all terrified, riding their horses and quickly fleeing to a distance.
"Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh."
The soldiers of Snow Eagle Manor immediately used the Star-Breaking Crossbows to pursue and kill them.
"Are you okay?" Qing Shi held his girlfriend's hand.
"I, I..." Ji Rong was also a bit frightened, "It was almost over, almost over. Fortunately, you, Qing Shi, have a powerful spell scroll."
"This is a life-saving item given to me by my brother." Qing Shi didn't elaborate further because Dong Bo Xue Ying had strictly ordered him not to reveal it. Today, he had no choice but to use it in a desperate situation.
The pursuing soldiers of Snow Eagle Manor soon returned.
"Master Qing Shi, many of the enemy soldiers escaped. The Star-Breaking Crossbows are difficult to reload, and sixteen of them escaped," the captain immediately reported.
"Clean up the area, and we'll return to Snowstone Castle," Qing Shi said, somewhat uneasy.
...
In the evening.
At the castle gate, Dong Bo Xue Ying, Zong Ling, Tong San, and others gathered, receiving the news from the servants. The drawbridge slowly lowered, and the city gates opened.
Outside the city gates were Qing Shi and his group, who had also brought back some bodies.
"I'll go back to the Mage Tower first," Ji Rong whispered.
"Okay," Qing Shi nodded.
The door opened.
Qing Shi walked to Dong Bo Xue Ying and bowed his head, "Brother."
"Go rest first, we'll talk in the evening," Dong Bo Xue Ying said without blame, noticing his brother's current panic. Qing Shi nodded and immediately entered the castle.
"You come with me," Dong Bo Xue Ying looked at the captain of the soldiers.
The captain immediately followed respectfully.
They walked inside the castle.
"What happened?" Dong Bo Xue Ying asked, with Zong Ling and Tong San listening.
"Lord, today we protected Master and Miss Ji Rong as usual, heading to Yishui City," Captain Wu began to recount the entire process in detail. After finishing, he sighed, "Fortunately, Master Qing Shi cast a spell, or we would have lost more than two brothers."
The gray-robed knight was too fast and had already killed two Snow Eagle Manor soldiers before the Lightning Forest spell struck.
Dong Bo Xue Ying nodded, "The dead soldiers will receive double compensation! Their families will be taken care of by the castle. Each of the other soldiers will receive ten silver coins."
"Thank you, Lord," Captain Wu expressed his gratitude.
"Do you recognize the young man in the white robe?" Dong Bo Xue Ying asked.
"I don't recognize him, and from his tone, he doesn't seem to be from Yishui City," Captain Wu said.
Dong Bo Xue Ying frowned.
This was a bit troublesome.
Killing a noble's son, the matter was neither big nor small! Even from the perspective of the empire's laws, the other party attacked first, and Qing Shi was retaliating! If it was just a common noble, it would be fine, but if it was from a major family, the matter wouldn't be so easily resolved. There might be trouble.
"Xue Ying, since he's not from Yishui City, it will be difficult to investigate. The entire Qinghe County is too large, with so many nobles. Who knows who this is," Zong Ling was also troubled.
"Do you have their bodies?" Dong Bo Xue Ying asked.
"Yes, we brought them back, but the young man in the white robe was completely destroyed by the lightning. The Meteor Knight's body still exists, but because he was hit by multiple lightning bolts, it turned into charcoal, and his features are unrecognizable," Captain Wu said.
"Are there any survivors?" Dong Bo Xue Ying asked.
"At the time, everyone was very angry and didn't hold back. Most were killed by the Star-Breaking Crossbows, and the two who were seriously injured were also killed by the angry soldiers," Captain Wu said helplessly, "There are no survivors."
Dong Bo Xue Ying's brows furrowed with a hint of anger.
It was difficult to identify the other party.
Never mind!
Looking at the entire Qinghe County, if it was an open conflict, Qing Shi's retaliation was justified! If it was a covert operation, even the most powerful figures in Qinghe County, like Si Liang Hong or the terrifying Xiang Pang Yun... Dong Bo Xue Ying was not afraid of them. Moreover, Dong Bo Xue Ying believed that the background of the killed noble's son would not be too exaggerated.
"Investigate," Dong Bo Xue Ying ordered, "Check the remains of the bodies for any clues to identify them."
"I'll arrange it immediately," Zong Ling said, his mind meticulous and actions appropriate, "Three hours should be enough."
"If we can't find out, we'll have to ask the Longshan Tower to investigate," Dong Bo Xue Ying said.
******
The Third Division, stationed in the Qinghe County, was located at the edge of the Ruin Mountains.
Generally, the city guards in various parts of Qinghe County... these local armies were controlled by the Si family. However, the army stationed around the Ruin Mountains was directly under the empire! It was a more powerful and mysterious imperial army, and the Si family could only influence the imperial army in their territory through some networks but could not truly control it.
Moreover, the background of the imperial army was too large. When they entered the Ruin Mountains on a large scale, there were often extraordinary beings behind them!
In a spacious room of the Third Division.
"Second Master."
"The young master is dead."
A group of soldiers stood there in a sorry state.
Sitting there was a one-eyed officer, his face so grim it could drip water, his teeth grinding, "The young master is dead? You useless scum, useless scum! My brother will go mad, he will! Tell me, who did this, and how did it happen?"
"Yes, yes, yes," the soldiers quickly recounted everything.
The one-eyed officer's face twitched as he listened.
He could be a logistics chief in the Third Division only because his brother spent a lot of money and used his connections. His brother was a very crazy person, and everyone in Qinghe County said he was a loyal dog of the Si family! But why use the word 'dog'? Because his brother was very insane and often did crazy things.
And the young master 'Cui Hu' who died was his brother's only son!
"Snow Eagle Manor, Dong Bo Xue Ying's brother? Dong Bo Qing Shi?" The one-eyed officer gritted his teeth, "What a bold move, daring to kill someone from the Cui family! Dong Bo Qing Shi must die! His brother must die! The entire Snow Eagle Manor must be buried with them!"
The soldiers originally only knew it was Snow Eagle Manor, but Ji Rong had loudly shouted that it was Dong Bo Qing Shi, the brother of Dong Bo Xue Ying, threatening the other party. The ordinary soldiers naturally knew the detailed identity of the other party.
"The news must be sent to my brother as quickly as possible," the one-eyed officer could not hesitate and immediately got up to use the imperial army's communication system to send the news to Qinghe City! As a logistics chief, contacting his family was a small matter for him.
...
On a high mountain about ten miles away from the Third Division.
A small wolf with a completely white body but black hooves, and a faint aura of darkness, was looking at the Third Division's camp from a distance. This small wolf... looked only a few months old, still very young, but its eyes were filled with sorrow, pain, and endless hatred.
Shortly after its birth, its mother was hunted by humans.
And just now.
Its father was also hunted and taken to the camp by the soldiers. It followed them quietly using its natural abilities, but now it dared not follow any further, as it would soon reach the human army's camp.
"Child," a gentle voice sounded, and dark energy gathered, quickly forming an old man in a black robe with white hair. His eyes were full of kindness, "Do you hate humans?"
The small wolf looked at the old man and felt a sense of familiarity, growling softly.
Hate.
Of course, it hated!
"Your parents were just ordinary magical beasts, but you possess extraordinary power. However, you need to fully control this power to have a chance to take revenge on humans in the future," the old man in the black robe with white hair extended his hand, and a strange white bone staff appeared, "I will give you this opportunity."
A stream of blood-colored light flew out from the bone staff, enveloping the small wolf. The small wolf's body began to change under the blood-colored energy, gradually standing upright, its fur disappearing, its hooves turning into limbs, and its head becoming human-like.
In just a moment, a naked human child, seemingly five or six years old, stood there.
"This is your human body, a true human body. Humans will not be able to detect any flaws," the old man in the black robe with white hair said, "Only by truly integrating into the human world can you better take revenge on them in the future. Go, before entering the human world, you will follow me for ten years. You can call me... Father!"
"Yes, Fa...ther!" The human child spoke with a slight stutter but clearly.
"Truly extraordinary, able to speak just after transforming into a human form," the old man in the black robe with white hair smiled, "Go."