A gray sky, endless light rain, a steady drizzle washing over Zhao City's walls and stone-paved streets.
Days of rain had shrouded all of Zhao City in gloom.
Everyone was waiting for news from Luo Palace. Luo Houhong had lain unconscious for three days.
Everyone knew that when this happened to someone of the Luo State Ruling House, it meant they were about to ascend beyond the nine heavens to meet the Sage King.
Every household in Zhao City had already prepared white mourning cloth, quietly awaiting the final moment.
The bells rang out from Luo Palace, announcing to all the Luo People that another Lord of the State had passed away.
A moment later, all of Zhao City was engulfed in the grandeur of chants praising the sage.
Luo Zai sat beside the bed in deep sorrow, while his younger half-brother Qiao Cheng outright wailed.
Only now did Qiao Cheng finally understand what his elder brother had meant all those years ago by "the living will always grieve."
Forcing down his grief, Luo Zai ascended as Lord of the State.
Then he began arranging his father's funeral. Though the funerals of the Luo State Ruling House were held to lofty standards, conducted entirely according to the Rites of Zhou,
in practice they were very simple, almost meeting the Mohist School's standards for frugal burial.
There were no countless precious treasures buried with the dead, no gold filling the coffins, and certainly no living people sacrificed to accompany them.
The Son of Heaven remained the Son of Heaven in the underworld, and commoners remained commoners. This was an immutable law, so the Son of Heaven required human sacrifices to accompany him in death.
But the Luo Clan were the Sage King's descendants in life, and in death they would ascend