As the year's end approached, a light snow began falling over Cloud Peace City.
The neighborhood residents poured out of their homes to buy New Year's supplies ahead of time. Along the streets, storytellers of the martial world set up temporary stalls to earn a few taels of tea money:
"One day on earth is a year in heaven. Though our Hero Ye only ascended to heaven in broad daylight a few days ago, he's already spent years sweeping across the immortal realm..."
"Old man, haven't you got that backward?"
"Pipe down. Are you listening or not?"
"I'm listening... Has Hero Ye slaughtered his way through the immortal realm too?"
"Do you even need to ask? Even a passing dog would get slapped twice, never mind the people up there..."
Just as the street idlers gathered to spout nonsense, the clear jingle of horse bells sounded from the end of Skywater Bridge:
Jingle, jingle~
With so many visitors around these days, the bells attracted no attention. Only a few nearby pedestrians noticed a small convoy entering the street at Skywater Bridge.
Two carriages followed behind three mounted martial artists. The leader wore black clothes and a bamboo hat, with a Chi Dragon Blade-the kind now seen everywhere in the martial world-hanging behind his waist and a great fat bird perched on his shoulder. At first glance, he looked very much like Night Great Yama, the current Number One Under Heaven.
But there could be seven or eight people dressed that way on a single street, so he drew no attention at all.
To the Black-Clad Saber Wielder's right rode a swordsman dressed as a scholar, a familiar face around Skywater Bridge. He used to drink tea with Chen the Chief Escort at the Escort Agency, but had disappeared for