The streets of Plum Blossom Town were never quiet.
Vendors shouted over one another, children chased paper kites through the market, and the scent of roasted chestnuts drifted through the spring air.
High above the crowd, someone lay lazily on the curved roof of an old teahouse.
One leg hung over the edge.
A wine gourd rested beside him.
The young man closed one eye as he watched the busy street below.
“So noisy…”
He sighed dramatically before taking another sip of wine.
“Young Master!”
A panicked voice echoed from below.
Three men dressed in black and crimson pushed through the crowd.
“There you are!”
The young man smiled without moving.
“I’ve been here the whole time.”
“You disappeared for three days!”
“I was enjoying the scenery.”
“You skipped every meeting!”
“I was enjoying the scenery.”
“You stole Elder Zhao’s horse!”
“…It liked me.”
The three disciples stared at him in disbelief.
One rubbed his forehead.
“Our Clan Leader is going to kill you.”
Gu Yan finally sat up, laughing.
“If Father wanted me dead, he would’ve done it years ago.”
Before anyone could reply, a frightened scream rang through the marketplace.
A horse, startled by a broken cart, charged wildly through the crowd.
People scattered.
A little girl froze in the middle of the street.
“Run!” someone shouted.
She couldn’t.
Everything happened in a heartbeat.
Gu Yan’s smile disappeared.
Without hesitation, he leaped from the rooftop.
His black robes fluttered behind him like the wings of a raven.
Before the horse reached the child—
He caught her.
With one arm around the little girl, he twisted through the air and landed safely on a market stall.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
The little girl clung to his sleeve.
“…Thank you, Gege.”
Gu Yan smiled warmly.
“Next time, don’t stand in the middle of the road.”
He gently set her down before brushing the dust from his sleeves.
One of his disciples frowned.
“If people saw that…”
“They’ll think the Crimson Wolf Clan has a heart?”
Gu Yan laughed.
“What a terrible reputation to ruin.”
The disciples couldn’t help smiling.
Rumors called their young master reckless.
Arrogant.
Unpredictable.
But only those closest to him knew the truth.
Whenever someone was in danger…
Gu Yan always moved first.
That evening, a messenger hawk landed on his shoulder.
A single scroll was tied to its leg.
He unrolled it.
The Grand Martial Assembly begins in seven days.
His smile widened.
“So…”
“The famous Jade Sword will be there.”
One of the disciples blinked.
“You’ve heard of Shen Yichen?”
“Heard of him?”
Gu Yan looked toward the distant mountains where Azure Cloud Clan stood hidden among the clouds.
“They say he’s never smiled.”
“They say he follows every rule.”
“They say he’s impossible to provoke.”
Gu Yan chuckled.
“…Now I really want to meet him.”
Far away, beneath the same evening sky…
Shen Yichen quietly packed his sword for the journey ahead.
Neither of them knew…
that fate had already begun weaving their paths together.
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