It was noon.
Outside the city walls of Tanzhou in the Great Jin Kingdom, a bright sun hung high in the sky.
The continuous rainy spell of the past fortnight had just passed, leaving the damp bricks on the city walls yet to dry fully, and the air still lingered with a moist scent of earth.
Outside the arched gate of the city wall, over ten city guard soldiers stood on both sides, each holding a large halberd and looking somewhat lethargic under the scorching sun.
Although Tanzhou was not located in the heartland of the Jin Kingdom, it was far from the border, and there had been no warfare for hundreds of years. These garrison troops, deprived of opportunities to gain military exploits for promotion, had mostly accustomed to a comfortable life, living each day as it came.
At this moment, a middle-aged captain, his physique somewhat out of shape, walked out of the city with a sword slung behind his back.
Seeing the somewhat spiritless soldiers on both sides, he frowned, straightened his chest, and called out somewhat displeased,
"What's wrong? Haven't you eaten enough or what? All of you, cheer up! Today is the joyous day when the Prefect is arranging an engagement for his son. Don't cause any trouble."
"Yes!" All the city guard soldiers, hearing this, stood up straight and responded with renewed vigor.
"Mr. Liu, I heard that Commander Zhao and Captain Hu have all gone to the Prefect's residence for the feast. Only you, sir, still care about the city defense. We truly admire you from the bottom of our hearts," said a young soldier who looked like a skinny monkey, his face filled with smiles as he complimented.
Originally, there was no problem with this soldier's flattering words, but little did he know that Captain Liu was somewhat resentful about being on duty today. Immediately, his face darkened, and he snorted coldly.
As he was about to open his mouth and scold the skinny soldier to vent his anger, suddenly his eyes narrowed, gazing towards the official road far outside the city.
Due to the continuous heavy rains earlier, the originally well-repaired official road had become somewhat muddy. A black steed, its body stained with blood, was stumbling through the mud, running towards Tanzhou City.
On the horse's back, a tall man dressed in black armor leaned forward, his face buried in the mane, with two bloodied hands hanging weakly on both sides of the horse.
In one of his hands, he tightly clutched a silver-white broken sword, also stained with blood.
"That's... the Prefect's personal guard. Quick! Don't you go and welcome him over..." The middle-aged captain was startled when he recognized the man's attire and hurriedly called out.
Several city guard soldiers immediately rushed out and brought the horse back.
When everyone hurriedly lifted the tall man off the horse, they discovered that his body was extremely light, his face as pale as paper with almost no trace of blood, and his breath was faint, clearly beyond help.
Seeing that the man's lips were still slightly moving, the middle-aged captain quickly leaned down, put his ear close, and listened carefully.
After a while, the tall man's trembling lips stopped, his eyes slowly closed, and he was gone.
The middle-aged captain slowly straightened up, his face dark as he instructed,
"Come, a few of you, take the horse back to the post station for treatment, and bring the man to the prefectural office. The rest of you, continue to guard here. Report immediately if there's any situation!"
The city guard soldiers did not dare to slack off and immediately responded, acting swiftly.
The middle-aged captain took another look at the corpse of the personal guard, turned around, and ran towards the city.
...
North of Tanzhou City, there was a straight street spanning several tens of zhang wide, paved with smooth, flat bluestones that had been swept clean, reflecting a faint blue glow.
On both sides of the street stood high walls adorned with vermilion and green tiles, neatly lined with grand mansions and courtyards.
In the middle of the street, on the north side, crouched two massive stone lions, each reaching over a zhang in height. Behind them stood a broad vermilion gate, adorned with a huge golden plaque inscribed with the three powerful characters "Prefect's Residence".
Inside the residence, all the corridors and eaves were adorned with vermilion lanterns and decorative silk balls. The servants and maidservants bustled about, each with a smile on their faces, creating an atmosphere of joy and festivity.
In the courtyard of the second complex, there were dozens of banquet tables filled with local gentry, wealthy merchants, and lower-ranking commanders and captains from Tanzhou City.
Meanwhile, in the banquet hall within the courtyard, there were another seven or eight tables filled with dozens of people, all engaged in lively conversation and toasting their cups.
Despite the small number of people at these tables, every one of them was among the most powerful figures in Tanzhou.
In the north corner of the banquet hall, adjacent to the wall, stood a twelve-panel grand screen embroidered with a golden peacock that had not yet spread its plumage. Its head was held high, its expression proud, its aura not inferior to that of the Phoenix, the king of birds.
At the head of the round table in front of the screen sat a middle-aged man dressed in a silver-embroidered purple robe. He was tall and his face was square, with short black whiskers under his jaw. His eyes were内敛with a commanding aura, giving him a natural air of authority.
This man was none other than Tang shu, the Prefect of Tanzhou.
Although most of the people seated at his table were dressed in casual attire, they were all distinguished figures, including the Mayor, Prefect, and Garrison Commander of Tanzhou.
Especially the person seated to Tang shu's left, who seemed to have a unique aura. Although only in his thirties, his face was lined with wrinkles, and his black hair was neatly combed, yet there were strands of frosty hair at his temples, tied back behind his head. He wore a reddish-brown robe, and his eyes and brows were filled with joy.
The people around him looked at him with respect, constantly offering him toasts.
Even Tang shu treated him with considerable courtesy.
This was not because of his higher rank, but because of his rather special status.
He was Li Chen, the only swordsmith revered by the Tang family.
Moreover, it was said that he was a disciple of the National Preceptor of the Great Jin Kingdom. Currently, he was the most promising swordsmith in the entire kingdom, likely to forge an exquisite magical sword before reaching fifty and ascend to the ranks of the great swordsmiths.
"Brother Li, today, the marriage between my son and your daughter is arranged, fulfilling a wish for both of us. We must celebrate with a full cup, hahaha..." Tang shu lifted his cup in a toast to Li Chen, saying with a hearty laugh.
"Brother Tang, Xiao's mother passed away early. LiChen only has this one precious daughter. If that Tang jian dares to make Xiao suffer in any way, I won't let him off easily," Li Chen lifted his cup, his face turning serious as he spoke.
"Brother Li, don't worry. If Tang jian dares to bully your daughter, you won't need to lay a hand on him. I'll break his hands myself," Tang shu waved his hand, saying with a smile.
"Not just in Tanzhou, but even in the entire Jin Kingdom, I doubt you could find a young talent like Tang jian. He's become a renowned swordsmith in the prefecture at such a young age, and even in the capital, his name is praised. I don't believe you'd break his hands, the hands of a future great swordsmith," said a middle-aged man with a somewhat unremarkable appearance seated on the other side of Tang shu. This was Lu Fengyi, the Mayor of Tanzhou.
"Tang jian is indeed a good boy, making his old man proud. But to marry your daughter would absolutely be his fortune. If he dares to make her suffer, I'll break not just his hands but his legs too," Tang shu said with a smile.
"Speaking of which, where are Tang jian and Miss Li? I can't seem to find them," Lu Fengyi asked with a look of disbelief.
"They were just here a moment ago. After toasting everyone, they disappeared. Maybe they went to the lotus garden in the front courtyard," Tang shusaid somewhat helplessly after scanning the banquet hall.
At this moment, outside the banquet hall, there was a sudden urgent cry:
"Prefect Tang, something... something terrible has happened!"
This cry startled everyone in the banquet hall, causing the scene to fall silent.
Under the gaze of everyone, a slightly overweight middle-aged captain, panting and led by a butler, ran towards the banquet hall.
…
The entire Tang Manor occupied a vast area. Apart from the three courtyards, there were gardens in both the front and back yards.
In the front yard lay an elliptical pond spanning several acres, filled with lotus flowers. A white jade corridor bridge curved through the middle, and several uniquely designed pavilions dotted the space between the bridges.
It was the season for lotus flowers to bloom. The lotus garden was a sea of green leaves, with pink lotus flowers blooming among them, like gold embellishments on jade, complementing each other beautifully.
Inside a pavilion at the center of the pond stood a teenager dressed in a snowy white robe with a red hairband tied around his head. He held a black lacquered bait box in his hands and wore a gentle smile, gazing at the pond outside the pavilion.
He appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. Although his face had begun to show the masculine contours of an adult, he still retained some traces of youthful innocence. He wasn't exceptionally handsome, but he exuded a vibrant energy.
Beside him stood a petite girl wearing a pink lotus dress. She seemed to be of similar age, but her figure was quite remarkable, with ample curves where they should be and no flaws in her slenderness.
The girl had a delicate face, with slightly flushed cheeks and two shallow dimples that seemed to hold honey. Her smile was as sweet as eating candy, making one's heart feel warm.
The teenager grabbed a handful of bait from the box in his hand and casually threw it into the pond outside the pavilion.
Immediately, a splash arose on the water's surface, and dozens of fat carp in gold and red hues crowded together, fiercely competing for the bait.
"Tang jian, you must become a swordsmith even greater than my father," the girl said suddenly, gazing at the carp fiercely competing for the bait on the water's surface.
"Of course! My master has also said that I have great talent in swordsmithing, and my future achievements will not be inferior to his. I will become the greatest swordsmith in the entire Great Jin... No, the greatest spiritual swordsmith. And Xiao Xiao, you will be the greatest spiritual swordsmith's wife," Tang jian said, clenching his fist and speaking with vigor.
"What are you saying... You're not shy at all," the girl named Li xiaoxiao said, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Upon hearing this, Tang jian turned around and looked at the girl's lovely, bashful expression, his smile intensifying.
"This is for you. I made it myself. Don't lose it..." Li xiaoxiao didn't look up at Tang jian. She suddenly took out a red sachet from her sleeve and handed it over, saying softly.
Tang jian was slightly surprised. He quickly took the sachet from Li xiaoxiao's hand and examined it closely.
The sachet had a very unique shape, resembling a miniature sword. It had all the structures of a sword, such as a pommel and a guard. The blade was embroidered with the character "Li" in black thread.