Dusk.
In the village outside the Jin Family Old Residence, people whispered among themselves in the streets and alleys.
Their eyes darted about warily, constantly watching the people around them.
The moment anyone approached, they scattered like startled Bird and beasts.
"Hey, did you hear those strange noises coming from the Jin family's residence?"
"Never mind that, there've been a lot of people coming to the village lately. How come there are even saber fighters?"
"The Li family's second boy..."
"The Zhang family's Gouzi..."
"The Song family..."
They reeled off name after name, though most belonged to the Jin family. In a short span of time, many people had vanished from the village.
Then they noticed someone coming over.
"Stop talking, stop talking."
"The saber fighters are coming. Don't say anything."
They nudged their relatives and neighbors in the arm, warning them to keep quiet.
They watched the newcomers pass.
Several burly men swaggered by with sabers.
"Saber fighter" was a term peculiar to that era.
The term itself was neutral, but more often than not, saber fighters were no good.
Martial heroes used their strength to flout the law. In these troubled times, when even the imperial court offered little meaningful deterrence, saber fighters were practically no different from bandits.
Their reputation was hardly a good one.
These were ordinary villagers. How could they dare provoke such men?
The saber fighters watched the people scatter, but had no desire to chase them.
Afraid?
They were not the only ones afraid. Everyone was.
Saber fighters lived on the edge of a blade, but they feared the unknown too.
In truth, they had no confidence either.
The Jin family had paid handsomely to hire them as guards, but even gathered together, they felt uneasy. Far too many people had come to