Outside Dingfeng Town ran a small river. It flowed in from the south, bent around the town, then wound eastward.
The people who had founded the town had chosen the high ground north of the river because it made drawing water easy. Over time, their settlement had grown into Dingfeng Town.
The river wound past several towns in the Northlands. It was called the Harvest River, and many of the towns along its course bore names invoking a bountiful harvest.
Yingfeng Town, Dingfeng Town, Dafeng Town, Fengrao Town, Fengfu Town, Fengzu Town... All those names held the first builders' hopes for a better life.
All they had wished for, after all, was a good harvest.
People needed food and clothing to live.
Pan Long and He Ping'an walked to the Harvest River. A patch had been cleared on its snow-covered surface. Beneath the thick ice, the water still rushed along, while Li Wu waited for them above it.
Li Wu looked nothing like he had before. He had changed into armor of gold and silver, and in his right hand he held a bright-red spear. He looked formidable.
The spear's shaft was much thicker than an ordinary spear's. It had no tassel, and its short, broad head looked less like a point than a small shovel blade. One glance told Pan Long that it might not be suited to thrusting, but its cutting power far surpassed that of an ordinary spear.
A slash from that weapon would be little different from a blow with a broadsword.
Li Wu's expression was grave. The smile he usually wore had vanished without a trace. As he watched them approach, undisguised fighting spirit shone in his eyes.
"I..." Pan Long reached the riverbank and, feeling the atmosphere had grown too heavy, tried to say