At dawn, morning mist still curled over the walls of the private courtyard assigned by the Heaven Patrol Office in Cloud Pattern Town.
Inside, Yi Yang put on the newly issued official robes of an Acting Patrol Commander. The dark gray fabric was finely stitched, with a Red Cloud-Thunder Pattern embroidered in gold thread over the shoulders.
Once the sixty-year-old man donned the outfit and straightened his back a little, the dignity of his high office suppressed much of the earthy air that years of chopping wood and hard labor had carved into his bones.
He studied his reflection in the washbasin. Blessed by the old steed in the stable Heavenly Mandate and nourished by the physique of the qi-blood sixth level, the marrow washing and blood exchange realm, his deeply furrowed face had an unusually rosy glow, and quite a few black strands now mingled with his graying hair.
He pushed open the courtyard gate, and its wooden hinges gave a long, grating creak.
The youngster Huang Yushu stood on the flagstones outside. Dew had soaked the hem of his clothes, and his saber hung securely at his waist. His bloodshot eyes held a stubbornness that would not turn back even after crashing into a wall.
"Are you planning to visit Sunbright Tower today, sir?" Huang Yushu stepped forward and saluted with cupped hands.
Yi Yang smoothed his cuffs and looked at him. "Why haven't you gone back to Cloud Pattern Town? Weren't you promoted to Patrol Captain and given command of a squad? What are you doing standing guard here?"
Huang Yushu straightened his back. "I want to serve under you, sir. I made that decision before. Even serving tea, fetching water, running errands, or doing odd jobs would be better than staring at lifeless things. Besides, Sunbright