Chapter 50: Secret Room

"Robin, you let Malizi's whole family go, and you're ready to betray the lord?" Ma Ne Te shouted, his voice echoing across the empty street, part questioning, part threatening.

Robin heard this, froze for a moment, then slowly sheathed his Pulley Composite Bow into the quiver on his back.

He furrowed his brow slightly, his eyes flicking over the arrow containers beside him; each of the two had once been packed with twenty feather arrows, and now only thirty feather arrows remained.

He knew that if reinforcements kept arriving, these few arrows would leave him in danger.

"Betrayal?" Robin sneered, his voice low but laced with undeniable resolve, "I just want to know what really happened to Damia Great Knight Leader's death, and the whereabouts of those knights practicing the Earth Dragon Breathing Method?"

Ma Ne Te's face darkened instantly at the two questions; he understood that Robin had already guessed the trick of the Earth Dragon Breathing Method, and a lord would never let such a person live.

"You know quite a bit, huh?" Ma Ne Te gritted his teeth, forcing the words out. He knew that dragging this stalemate further would only disadvantage his side.

With that in mind, Ma Ne Te waved to the surrounding Knight apprentices, signaling them to retreat the way they came.

"Move!" he whispered, a hint of resentment in his voice, yet forced to make the decision.

They didn't intend to keep wearing down Robin here; the battle had far exceeded their expectations. This time they came to capture Malizi's family, so they traveled light, without shields.

At the same time, he needed to take this news back so the others would learn of the Bow Knight Rebellion.

The Knight apprentices, as if granted a pardon, turned swiftly, cautiously retreating the way they came; their hurried steps made no loud noise, lest they further anger Robin.

Ma Ne Te walked last, watching Robin warily while slowly falling back, his gaze filled with mixed emotions—both apprehension toward Robin and frustration at the mission's failure.

"Robin, you'll soon understand the fate of betraying the lord," Ma Ne Te forced down his anger and resentment, forcing the words out between clenched teeth. With that, he stopped hesitating, turned, and bolted, his figure blurring quickly in the darkness.

His footsteps were rapid and frantic, tinged with the clumsy panic of a rout.

A few seconds later, Robin emerged slowly from the shadows.

His posture was upright, moonlight spilling over him, outlining a resolute silhouette.

His gaze swept the battlefield, quickly locking onto the usable feather arrows.

He hurried forward, crouched, and deftly retrieved seven feather arrows one by one.

After finishing, Robin lingered not a moment; he stored the feather arrows properly and cast a deep glance toward the castle.

At that moment, the castle's towers loomed hazily in the night, like coiled beasts; occasional flickers of light in the city resembled the dangerous, narrowed eyes of those beasts, exuding a faint chill.

A cold wind howled down from the walls, sweeping the street, raising dust and adding a grim edge.

He turned, his steps light and firm, and sprinted swiftly toward the outskirts.

Moonlight stretched his shadow long and long; all around lay a dead, silent wasteland, the withered grass trembling in the cold wind, rustling softly.

While Robin fled, Leimeng's figure slowly emerged behind an ancient dead tree. He was cloaked in shadow, only his eyes flashing a strange light, his mouth curled into a wild, feral grin.

"Everything is proceeding as planned," Leimeng whispered, his voice barely containing madness, as if he stood atop the world, controlling everyone's fate.

The more Lord's Private Guard he dispatched to capture Malizi and Robin, the weaker the city's defenses became, and thus his chances of breaching Winston City grew.

In his eyes, Robin and Malizi's current escape were merely two pieces on an adult's board, advancing the situation step by step according to his design.

"All move!" Leimeng raised his voice sharply, issuing a command that echoed across the open plain.

In an instant, three Knights and over forty Knight apprentices he secretly controlled appeared from all directions, their silhouettes flickering in moonlight like a horde of specters.

They moved quickly, hurried yet orderly, heading toward Winston East City Gate.

Their eyes bore cold numbness, as if they were marching not to a siege but to a feast of harvesting lives.

At this moment, Robin was completely unaware that a larger plot was brewing behind him; he kept desperately fleeing to evade capture and seek the truth.

And Malizi, likewise kept in the dark, was striving to find a way out.

As for Malizi's family, under Tomson's full protection they had successfully escaped the city's pursuit, racing toward safety, yet they did not know a more terrifying crisis was silently looming over Winston City.

In the Lord's Castle Underground Secret Room, the dim yellow light flickered, casting Bloet Lord's silhouette twisted and eerie.

He inhaled deeply, satisfied, a greedy smile appearing on his face, "This is the power of the Great Knight." His voice echoed in the secret room, tinged with barely concealed madness.

Around him, seven Knights practicing the Earth Dragon Breathing Method looked frail, like candles trembling in the wind.

Their backs were linked to tubes as thick as a baby's arm, the other ends winding to the stone chair where Bloet Lord sat.

At this moment, their Life Force had been almost completely drained, their eyes hollow; death was only a matter of time.

"Lord! Ma Ne Te has urgent matters to report," a guard Knight's voice outside the secret room broke the dead silence, tinged with urgency.

"Speak!" Bloet Lord said coldly, his voice bearing the authority and impatience of a superior.

"The Bow Knight Robin has rebelled; it's confirmed he broke through Formal Knight. Silvan and Wen Da have both fallen to his arrows," the guard Knight blurted in one breath, his voice echoing in the secret room, making the already tense atmosphere heavier.

Bloet Lord's complexion darkened terrifyingly, his previously content smile vanished, replaced by anger and a look of "just as I thought."

"That kid really broke through, just kept his strength hidden!" Bloet Lord said, his complexion shifting slightly, then tapped the stone chair's armrest, angrily asking, "Ma Ne Te? What is he doing! He can't even deal with a newly inducted Knight!" His voice rose instantly, full of anger and dissatisfaction at his subordinates' incompetence.

"He is gathering manpower and shields to pursue the Bow Knight; he suspects Robin has already guessed the trick of the Earth Dragon Breathing Method." The guard Knight outside the secret room answered cautiously, fearing to anger the hot‑tempered lord.

Upon hearing that Robin had already uncovered a problem with the Earth Dragon Breathing Method, Bloet Lord's pupils narrowed slightly, a wave of unease rising within him.

He knew the gravity of the matter; if this secret were exposed, his domain would fall into an irrecoverable abyss.

"I understand; we must act according to the plan and absolutely not let Robin and Malizi escape," he said, teeth clenched, each word deliberate, his voice bearing resolve and ruthlessness.

A Knight in the corner, upon hearing Robin's name, saw his eyes flicker with a faint light.

"You are right, but unfortunately I didn't heed your words."

(End of Chapter)