Chapter 2

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Chapter 2: The Great Battle of Huguan City

Time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, five years had gone by. The Mu family’s child had grown to be very adorable, with big eyes, a small mouth, and a round face topped with a watermelon-style haircut. The child wasn’t very young anymore and was nearly ready to start school.

One day during breakfast, Mu Longtian kindly said to his cute little grandson, “Mu Xiaofeng, today is your first day of school. Are you excited?”

It turned out the child’s name was Mu Xiaofeng. He had been living in the Mu family mansion for five years, and it seemed that today he would leave the large estate and start exploring the outside world.

When Mu Xiaofeng heard his grandpa Mu Longtian’s question, his eyes lit up, and he replied, “Yes, I’m excited! I’ll get to see many friends my age. The younger siblings at home are too small to play with.” After saying that, Mu Xiaofeng quickly shoveled a few mouthfuls of food, eager to finish breakfast and head to school. It seemed that the child was full of curiosity about new things.

However, Mu Taigu and Qu Lingsha, his parents, were reluctant to let him go since he was their only child. Even though the Mu family was a big family in Shuangsheng Town, they didn’t let the child stay there to study. Instead, they sent him to the neighboring big city of Huguan.

At just five years old, the child had to leave home to attend boarding school in a distant city, which made his parents anxious. Qu Lingsha patted Mu Xiaofeng’s head and lovingly said, “Xiaofeng, you must be obedient while you’re away. Go say goodbye to your younger brother, then your father will take you to school.”

Mu Xiaofeng nodded, quickly left the table, and ran towards the Mu family’s ancestral hall. Inside, there was a memorial tablet for Mu Xiaoye, who appeared to be Mu Xiaofeng’s younger brother.

Mu Xiaofeng solemnly entered, offered incense, kowtowed, and then, covering his mouth as if whispering a secret, said to the memorial tablet, “Brother, I’m going to school. At home, everyone has their own siblings to play with, but Mom said you died when you were born. I wish you could come to school with me! When I come back, I’ll bring you delicious food and fun stories from school.” After speaking, Mu Xiaofeng wiped his teary eyes and ran out of the hall.

It seemed that his time at the Mu family mansion hadn’t been smooth, likely facing some exclusion from others.

After packing some clothes, Mu Xiaofeng was taken onto a carriage by his father, Mu Taigu. Before they left, his mother, Qu Lingsha, kept nagging and giving them endless reminders. After all, it was hard for a mother to part with her child at such a young age.

Reluctantly, Mu Xiaofeng said goodbye to his mother. Qu Lingsha waved her hand and discreetly wiped away her tears, her vision likely blurred with emotion.

The father and son played for a long time in the carriage. Around noon, they finally arrived at Huguan City. Huguan was a large city in the northeastern part of the country, the largest city in the northeast.

As they prepared to enter the city, they noticed a dense crowd blocking the gate, suggesting something was happening. Mu Taigu, holding their luggage in one hand and leading Mu Xiaofeng with the other, slowly squeezed through the crowd toward the gate.

As they neared the gate, Mu Taigu saw three tall figures causing trouble at the front. These three were about twice the height of ordinary people. Two of them had green skin, muscular builds, crooked teeth, and large mouths, making them look extremely fierce—clearly strong beastmen, or “Minotaurs.”

The other Minotaur, however, had a snow-white body, wore a tiger-skin cloak, and was much slimmer, appearing frail compared to the other two.

One of the green-skinned Minotaurs shouted loudly, “We’ve been waiting since morning, and you still haven’t approved our documents. Do you expect us to bribe you? Stop hindering our prince from entering the city. If you delay the prince’s important matters, you’ll all lose your heads.” He waved a large knife at the guards, threatening them to hurry up.

It seemed the white Minotaur was the prince mentioned. But the guards dared not easily let them pass without proper verification.

Growing impatient, the Minotaur cursed the officials and their inefficiency. With a swing of his knife at a guard, the guard blocked it with his spear, but the ground beneath him cracked, his feet sinking into the earth.

The Minotaur raised his knife again, but before he could strike, a figure flashed by, drew a sword, and blocked the knife, saving the guard’s life.

This person, clad in blue armor, had long hair with a few silver strands, sword-like eyebrows, and a heroic face. Holding a silver-grey greatsword, he looked like a seasoned warrior, and a skilled one at that.

The Minotaur, furious that his attack was blocked, gripped his knife tightly and leaped at the warrior. The warrior’s hands glowed white as he raised them to block, sending the Minotaur crashing to the ground. Mu Taigu was astonished, silently thinking, “This person has unlocked the elemental power in both hands.”

Mu Xiaofeng was awestruck by the warrior, his eyes shining. He had always dreamed of becoming a great hero, and today, this warrior seemed to embody that future vision.

Curious about his father’s earlier words, Mu Xiaofeng asked, “Dad, what does it mean to unlock elemental power in both hands?”

Mu Taigu smiled awkwardly and explained, “It is said that there are nine elemental nodes in the human body: the crown, mouth, neck, chest, abdomen, hands, and feet. Unlocking these nodes allows energy to flow out easily, greatly enhancing one’s abilities. I have only unlocked three nodes: my right hand, chest, and abdomen. This warrior seems to have unlocked at least four.”

Hearing this, Mu Xiaofeng admired the warrior even more and resolved to become like him someday.

Seeing his companion defeated, the other Minotaur grew enraged and stepped forward to challenge the warrior. But the white Minotaur prince stopped him, saying calmly, “Let me test my skills since we have nothing better to do.” With that, the prince walked forward, nodding slightly to the warrior, “I am Chige, the seventeenth prince of the Minotaur Kingdom of the White Continent. May I challenge you?”

The warrior, momentarily taken aback, didn’t expect such courtesy from a Minotaur, who were generally known for their brutality. “I’m just a soldier, not worthy of a challenge. My name is Qingyuan. Please, go ahead.”

Qingyuan was the warrior’s name. Despite his skills, he modestly referred to himself as just a soldier.

With formalities exchanged, Chige cast several ice spikes at Qingyuan. The prince was a learned user of water magic, an element among the four major categories of magic: fire, water, wind, and earth. Fire was fierce and explosive, water was controlling and gentle, wind was agile, and earth was strong and defensive.

Chige’s ice spikes flew toward Qingyuan, who dodged them with a leap and charged at Chige. The prince summoned a water column to block Qingyuan’s path, but Qingyuan smiled, leaping over it and swinging his sword at Chige.

Sensing danger, Chige’s right hand glowed white as he unlocked the elemental node in it, summoning a thick ice wall to shield himself. Qingyuan’s sword struck the ice wall without harming Chige. Qingyuan’s hands glowed again as he shattered the ice wall with a powerful slash and continued his assault.

Chige responded by summoning more ice spikes, which Qingyuan deflected with his greatsword. Alarmed, Chige unlocked three more nodes, his chest, abdomen, and right hand glowing brightly. Encased in ice armor, he charged at Qingyuan.

With a loud crash, the ice armor shattered, sending shards flying everywhere. Mu Xiaofeng shielded himself but was knocked away by the force. Mu Taigu, also knocked down, couldn’t reach him in time.

Mu Xiaofeng felt someone catch him. Opening his eyes, he saw a golden figure holding him, who said, “Child, you must live well and never reveal my existence. It’s a secret.” The figure then disappeared.

Everyone looked up to see a figure standing between Chige and Qingyuan, effortlessly blocking their attacks with his bare hands. This elderly man had white hair, no beard, and wore simple clothes with two short swords at his waist, exuding an aura of exceptional skill.

A bystander recognized him as Xi Ruhai, the Lord of Huguan City and a great general of the kingdom.

Xi Ruhai bowed slightly to Chige, who returned the gesture. Apologizing, Xi Ruhai said, “I must apologize, Prince Chige, for the delay caused by my subordinates. I, Xi Ruhai, the Lord of Huguan City, welcome you and ask for your forgiveness.”

Chige waved his hand dismissively and smiled, “No need for apologies, Lord Xi. However, your warrior Qingyuan here is quite skilled. Huguan City must be a place of hidden talents.”

Xi Ruhai glanced at Qingyuan, then invited Prince Chige and his guards into the city. Qingyuan, carrying his greatsword, followed, and the crowd dispersed.

Mu Taigu found Mu Xiaofeng and breathed a sigh of relief, worried that his son might get lost

on his first day of school. They gathered their belongings and entered the city to start their new journey.