The ninth day of the third month; an auspicious day for travel.
Dusk closed in on all sides, and a layer of gray mist drifted through the wilderness.
More than a dozen figures moved swiftly along a narrow, rugged mountain path. Most were men, though there were two or three women among them. Their auras were uncanny, sharp, or steady, but all were light as swallows, their feet flying over the ground.
The steep mountain path was like level ground beneath their feet. In moments, they swept across more than ten li, climbing and descending, rising and falling, yet none flushed or grew short of breath.
Suddenly, one man stopped and stood on high ground to survey the surrounding wilderness. He wore a dark purple robe and looked to be in his forties, with a commanding face and three long wisps of beard beneath his chin.
Seeing him stop, the others halted as well and gathered protectively around him.
A thin old man in a blue robe approached the imposing middle-aged man, bowed slightly, and said quietly, "Your Majesty, once we cross Heavenly Gate Mountain, we will enter Ming Province."
This blue-robed elder was none other than Attendant Shi, one of the two Grand Attendants who had accompanied Yuwen Xuan.
On Wuwang Peak, Attendant Mu had died a terrible death on the spot.
Yuwen Xuan had also left an arm behind.
Only Attendant Shi, though wounded, had recovered most of the way after more than twenty days of recuperation, even if he had yet to heal completely.
The "Your Majesty" addressed by Attendant Shi was naturally Yuwen Zhong, the King of Wu-Yue.
The Wu-Yue Kingdom occupied Wu Province, southwest of Ming Province. The two territories bordered one another, divided by Heavenly Gate Mountain.
When Attendant Shi brought the gravely wounded