Rustle, rustle~
Frost swept across the Northwest, but Lin'an City, beside the southeastern sea, was still shrouded in a fine autumn drizzle.
Evergreen flowering trees grew on a small hill beside the river, with a burial mound nestled among the green hills and clear waters.
Dressed in green, her cool, beautiful face bare of makeup, Luo Ning knelt before a married couple's shared gravestone, burning spirit money in a brazier.
After so many years, the heart-rending grief of her girlhood had faded from her face, but sorrow still lingered in her lovely peach-blossom eyes. Her lips moved soundlessly, presumably recounting the little moments of the years gone by.
Buried behind the gravestone were the former master and mistress of Eastern Mausoleum Manor. Their names had never resounded throughout Great Wei, but in Jiangzhou, they had been heroes of some standing.
The manor master, Luo Ying, had been born among the common folk of Lin'an City. He had entered the school at six, starting with fetching water, chopping firewood, and other chores. Thanks to his intelligence and talent, he had then become the young mistress's little coachman. After ten diligent years, he had mastered both literary and martial skills, won the old manor master's favor, and married into the Luo family.
It should have been a fine tale celebrated throughout the martial world. Unfortunately, Eastern Mausoleum Manor already had a senior disciple whose talent and comprehension surpassed Luo Ying's, but who was too proud to marry into another family.
The old manor master was both the head of a school and the head of a family. When choosing an heir, he naturally favored Luo Ying, whose talent was ordinary but who was already one of the Luos.
Masters favoring their own descendants was commonplace in the martial world. Proud disciples would