Lord Shadow

YONG MOUNTAINS

HEADQUARTERS OF THE MARTIAL ALLIANCE

A man is standing on top of the balcony of a high tower, clouds is only one feet away above him.

Below him is the large trees that dotted the landscape of the Yong Mountain range.

This area constructed by many martial artists in the past is the headquarters of one of the most powerful orthodox force in the martial art world.

This is the headquarters of the Martial Alliance ruled by the Seven Elders of Wulin. The man looks at the scenery, his eyebrows creased and it is clear his heart is not calm.

There is ambition in his eyes and a fire of determination

He was wearing an elegant black robe that accentuate all the features of his body. Slim and lean, there is this aura of power that radiated around him.

He looks at the large expanse of land beneath the mountain and he harrumphed. He looks back at the letter and he read it once again.

He did read what happens in Silhae so he was not surprised. But he is still angry at the failure.

He clenches the letter he got from his messenger and throw it into the brazier.

‘Useless! All three of them are useless’ He exclaimed. He then takes a dep breath and calm himself down

The he said to himself

‘I still have a chance. That young man would not live long now that the whole martial art world knows that he possesses the Flowing Sword Art manual. If I could grab the chance…..hehehe. I need to send someone to help him when the time come. Then he would trust me’

The man in the black robe then smiles wickedly and continue looking out from the balcony, smiling as he closes his eyes

***

ZHOU EMPIRE

JINGLING

The winds of winter bows coldly this time of the year on the thirteen year of Ji Fa reign of Zhou.

Fortunately, the cold did not freeze the river but normal people would hardly row their boats in the Zhou River in winter.

The trees on the other side of the river sways gently, resisting the cold wind.

The boat keeps on moving forward with only two people in the large boat.

The boat could be considered a leisure boat but there doesn’t seem to be any pleasure girl in the boat and there doesn’t seem to be anyone playing melody or songs

Instead there is only two old man. One of them is rowing the boat while the other one lay himself under large umbrella.

It is clear whoever these two old people are they have high internal energy to be able to be out of the chain of the large boat, enduring the blowing of the cold winter

An old man with long flowing beard, his face is covered by a large bamboo hat read a piece of paper detailing the new ranking of the List of Swordsman.

His eyebrows creased when he saw the name on the thirtieth ranking of the List of Swordsman

The old man sighed and said

‘This is not right. I did show him the ten moves of the Flowing Swords Art but I also saw how the young man had no hope of mastering it’

He the tilt his head trying to remember his meeting with the young hero.

Then he added, more to convince himself of his judgement

‘His thinking is too rigid and his style is too boring. That is also the reason I show it. Because I don’t think he could master it. Even though I myself could not practice the Sword Arts, that did not mean I do not understand it essence. If he really used ten moves of the Flowing Sword Arts with his strength and his expertise, he should not be able to fight Yu Rong and Feng Xiao at the same time not to mention Xu Meng. Did I judge him wrong?’ He said to himself

Not far away from him, another old man, wearing all white, possessing long white hair with white flowing beard, rowing the boat heard what this companion is saying

He shakes his head as he continues rowing.

He rows its slow yet the boat moves flowing in natural movement like that slow rowing is enough.

Then that old man in white said to the bamboo hat old man

‘Li Xian, this would not be the first time you were proven wrong. Why? Are you regretting?’

Li Xian is none other than Old Dragon Li.

But the only people that could call him Li Xian in this world is only a few. They are either his equal, his senior or someone who surpassed him in his attainment of martial arts.

‘Humph’ The old man only harrumphed and then silently retreated into the cabin to brew a hot tea.

Coming out he brought a cup to the old man rowing the boat. The old man stops rowing the boat for a while as the wind pushes the boat forward.

He takes the tea, and take a sip. Li Xian then ask

‘Tian Wu, do we even need to flee to Beiyuan?’ The whole martial art world will be shocked if he heard the old man name.

The whole martial arts world is searching for Tian Wu right now. Tian Wu is none other than Old Immortal Tian

Like Yu Rong and Feng Xiao and Xu Meng presumes it was true that by knowing the location of Old Dragon Li, one would get the location of Immortal Tian.

Both of them were rivals in their younger days but when they grew old, their relationship turns into that of a friendship.

The Immortal in the South, the Dragon in the East.

Tian Wu lives in Yong thus the line the Immortal in the South. Li Xian however while he did originate from Yong, he made his name in Eastern Yuan giving the line of Dragon in the East

Tian Wu only smiles bitterly.

‘There are dark forces in Yong’ he reply

Li Xian then ask

‘What is the dark force?’

Tian Wu shake his head and said

It would be better for you not to get involved too deeply.’

Saying that he sighed and Li Xian did not say anything else.

The winds of winter blows as the old man kept rowing through the Zhou river heading to the Thirty-Six Cave Sect to meet Demonic Monarch Xie.

***

The Old Immortal and the Old Dragon Li and evne the dark hand from the backgorudn is slowly revealed.

Thsi story was actulaly one of teh story I wanted to write years ago. The story shoudl have bene titled Martial Kingdom but it never comes into creation. In a way it becomes the inspiration for this world.