The Sun-Shooting Mountains lay in southern Yan Province, stretching across dozens of li in rolling peaks and valleys.
Yan Province bordered the Wilderness and was full of dangerous mountains and forests. The Sun-Shooting Mountains directly adjoined the Wilderness, and among their many peaks stood a towering mountain several thousand zhang high, famous throughout the Nine Provinces.
What spread the mountain's fame across the world was its name, Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain—the foundation of one of the eight great sects, the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain.
Yan Province lay at the extreme southern end of the Nine Provinces. The Wilderness had many mountains and little rain, and was famous for its scorching climate. The weather was sunny most of the year, and most seasons were unbearably hot. Even in the depths of winter, the daytime temperatures remained oppressively high.
At the summit of Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, the several-thousand-zhang peak pierced the clouds. The surrounding landscape was a vast expanse of white, covered in ice and snow year-round. It was one of the few high-altitude snow mountains in Yan Province.
Amid the dazzling snow stood a resplendent palace atop the mountain's highest peak. The blazing sun shone down, and the golden palace reflected light for tens of thousands of zhang.
Yet behind the palace, in a secluded snowy forest, two simple wooden cabins stood side by side. As the sun shifted westward and dusk descended, two men dressed in animal hides like hunters sat cross-legged facing each other. Two jars of wine rested on the table before them, while a bonfire burned beside it. The roasted meat over the fire was sizzling at just the right heat, filling the air with an enticing aroma.
The two men sitting on the ground looked extremely alike and addressed each other as brothers. One had jet-black hair, while