“How mysterious…” The madam exhaled.0

Her brothel might fly the flag of the Tang Sect, but real patrons were scarce, and the jianghu in Cloudpeak Province was complex. West of Sword Mountain, the Tang Sect and old clans jostled; east toward the Central Plains lay patchwork powers, each hiding its own masters.0

Why so many powers had crept in, the madam couldn’t say, perhaps tied to the chaos brewing back in the Jade Capital.0

True giants from the Central Plains disdained this poor frontier, yet plenty of veterans looking for a quiet retirement drifted here instead, seized a mountain, and played local lord.0

Come to think of it, the Tang Sect itself had risen only five years ago. Rumor said its enigmatic matriarch hailed from the Central Plains. Her connections were sky-high, methods unfathomable, and a...0