Lamplight flickered inside the inn, and murderous intent lay thick in the air.
The young man raised his head. He looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, with fine brows, bright eyes, and sharply sculpted cheeks. An air of easy freedom lingered about him, and his fitted pale-yellow robe made him look especially fresh and radiant.
The most handsome man Liu Xiaowen had ever seen was his junior brother Xing Fang, yet this youth was every bit his equal, with a different bearing-as free as a wild goose above the frontier, as lofty as clouds hanging at the edge of the sky.
Everyone nearby looked over, unable to help admiring his good looks. But a braid hung beside the youth's left ear, a custom of men from the Liao Kingdom, and it stood out sharply.
Shen Baoxiang was puzzled too, wondering why a Liao man was here. He reached out and tugged the youth to his feet, making him stagger.
With Li and Liao at war, the appearance of a Liao man here was rather sensitive. The black-armored man pointed briefly, motioning for the youth to sit elsewhere, without making further trouble for him.
"The struggle between Li and Liao is a contest between their imperial houses. It has nothing to do with our Shen Household."
"So what if the Liao people come? Even if they wipe out the Song Clan, they'll still have to obediently follow the Seven Sects' orders. Would they dare oppose the entire Immortal Dao of Great Li?"
Shen Baoxiang and most others thought this way. The Great Li Song Clan held virtually no real power now and could not control the Immortal Dao. What difference did it make who sat on the throne?
The youth stretched, showing no anger on his face, and calmly walked