Summer's heat had finally passed, and the weather had turned cool.
At the edge of the Tai Kun Mountain Range lay Black Stone County.
The town bustled with traffic. Vendors lined both sides of the street, and the shops were packed with customers. It was lively everywhere, with cooking smoke curling into the sky.
A noodle shop stood by the roadside, its stove set up outside beneath a makeshift tent. Three tables sat beneath the rain tarp, and an old man and a young man occupied one of them.
Both were dressed like men of the martial world. The old man's hair had turned white, but he was still sturdy. A broad saber hung across his back, and a strip of dark, worn cloth covered his eyes.
The boy beside him looked about fifteen or sixteen. His skin was dark, a gray cloth was wrapped around his head, and he too carried a saber on his back.
The boy propped his cheek on one hand, looking listless as he waited for the shopkeeper to bring their noodles.
"Xiao Nan, I'll find you an inn to stay at today. I have something to take care of alone," the blindfolded old man said, his hoarse voice steeped in age.
The boy called Xiao Nan was Ye Nan. Hearing his master, he frowned. "Master, what's an old blind man like you going to do? Don't get lost and fail to find your way back."
The blindfolded old man wasn't angered. "Have you forgotten what I told you the day I took you in as my disciple?"
Ye Nan's expression shifted. "You told me to focus on practicing martial arts and never ask about your affairs."
As he recalled the past, his tone changed.
The blindfolded old man took a purse from his robe,