To the people of Anyuan County, today was an exceedingly ordinary, unremarkable day. Everyone did what they usually did; as always, the waters were calm and without a ripple.
But for certain people, it was anything but ordinary, because the battle between Gu Shentong and Xiang Yang would take place today.
The Fu residence in the county town had jade-green tiles and vermilion eaves, winding corridors and magnificent halls. Even among the border counties of Qingjiang Prefecture, it was one of the few estates of such grandeur.
Back when Fu Da Chun faced the great tea merchant Master Zhou of the county, he had been filled with envy and longing. By now, he possessed wealth more than a hundred times what Master Zhou had owned in those years, yet he had also gained countless troubles unknown to others. He could no longer be as carefree and muddle through life as he once had.
Beside the hanging-flower gate, in the courtyard, Fu Da Chun, who had tossed and turned all night without sleep, stood blankly in the yard in only a thin garment. He stared at the sky, which had not yet fully brightened. A thousand thoughts filled his heart, yet it also seemed utterly empty.
Behind him, his ninth concubine, who had just borne him a daughter, emerged from the warm room accompanied by a maid. She quietly approached, draped a warm outer robe over Fu Da Chun's shoulders with some heartache, and urged,
"Since you are worried, husband, why not go up Black Mountain and take a look?"
The Fu family had attained its current wealth and status not only because it was skilled at making money, but largely because of the martial deterrence Xiang Yang brought and his connection to the Divine Constable Gate. Thus, Fu Da Chun's