The autumn wind blew gently, caressing the unnamed hills.
In his prime, the lord protector of Chikuzen who had once been proclaimed by his lord Ouchi Takayoshi as the "unparalleled great general of the western realm," Tao Qingxian, stood solemn-faced with eyes closed and hand on his katana atop the hill. Draped in a sumptuous red armor inlaid with gold, his towering stature stood out among the Dongying samurai, each no taller than five feet. His brooding and weighty presence deterred all the samurai guarding him from looking directly at his figure.
A ninja, cloaked in black leather armor, swiftly emerged from the woods and knelt in the textbook-perfect gesture of dogeza at the foot of the hill, respectfully announcing, "Reporting to my lord, the invading army of eastern demons has set foot on your territory, now less than ten miles away."
Without opening his eyes, Tao Qingxian commanded in a stern voice that carried an intrinsic authority, "Scout again!"
