The Luoyang Imperial Palace.
In the inner palace, a woman of high standing spoke:
"That wretch's bastard is about to be born. I must trouble you to take care of it for me, Marshal."
The Marshal of the Bad People nodded and silently withdrew.
"Palace maid Su Mei, born to poverty and low station. You schemed to seduce His Majesty and corrupt the bloodline of the Great Tang. For that, you must die."
In a secluded corner of the palace, a mother who had just given birth stroked her child's cheek tenderly. She said to the old woman beside her, "Take him away."
A sudden gust slammed the door open. Lightning flared, and a figure appeared in the doorway.
"The Bad People?"
In the rain, the Marshal walked out carrying the swaddled infant. Behind him, inside the room, the palace maid and the old woman hung dead from two white silk sashes...
Years passed. The child turned thirteen...
"Waiter, tea!"
A masked man entered an inn with a boy.
"Coming!"
"When did the Great Tang fall into such a state?" the masked man said coldly.
The people in the inn drew their blades and surrounded them. "Brother, leave your money behind, then take your son and get out alive. How's that?"
"Seeking a living in troubled times is understandable. But there are better ways to go about it."
"In troubled times, why talk when a blade will settle things?"
The instant the waiter swung his blade, the boy thought, No talking sense into men bent on dying!
The inn erupted in bloodshed.
Before long, the two walked out.
"You don't seem frightened," the masked man said to the boy, his tone indifferent.
"In troubled times, lives are worth less than grass," the boy replied. "A few deaths mean