A tall, striking man with a high nose, deep-set blue eyes, and a face sharp as if carved by a knife was walking down the street with two foreign women. He was very young, powerfully built, with a saber and a sword slung across his back. A fierce, untamed aura radiated from him, like a savage wolf.
The two foreign women each wore a curved saber at the waist. Their clothes were magnificent, their figures tall and lithe; they moved with the agility of she-leopards. Although thin gauze veils covered their faces and their features could not be seen in full, the eyes that showed were brilliant and full of spirit. Nine times out of ten, they were beauties.
Suddenly, a man with a slight foreign accent exclaimed in surprise, “Qian Luoyi of the Turks! Why are you here?”
The tall man looked over, the corner of his mouth curling slightly. “So it is Foli Fa,” he said. “I am escorting Princess Ayi on a mission to the Central Plains.” He spread his hands vaguely toward the two women beside him and introduced them. “These two beauties of the Western Regions are disciples of Holy Mother Saphina of the Eternal Life Holy Cult, the greatest religious sect on the great steppe. The one in purple is named Huo Qingge; the one in colorful robes is Xiao Yiguli. Their martial arts are formidable, their twin curved sabers are renowned across the great steppe, and they surpass many male masters. They are as famous as the Central Plains’ Wu-Hook Frost-Snow and Chess-Sword Linglong, and there is even hope that they will advance to the innate realm before thirty.”
The man called Foli Fa looked astonished. He first saluted the two women, then pulled the tall man aside. “A word in private.”
Qian Luoyi assented and followed him to one side. Foli Fa lowered his voice. “I do not believe Princess Ayi could persuade someone as proud as you.”
“The Xianbei and the Central Plains are about to form an alliance. If the Turks intend any great move, Brother Qian Luoyi, I hope you will give me warning in advance, for the sake of the time we hunted the white camel together.”
Sorrow suddenly crossed Qian Luoyi’s face. He said quietly, “My coming to the Central Plains is not for the public affairs of my homeland, but for a private matter.”
“I have a close female confidante from a great sect of the Central Plains. Our bond had reached the point of lifelong vows, but because the Eighteen Tribes of the Steppe and the Central Plains were enemies, we had no choice but to part.”
“I only wished to bless her with peace and safety, free from calamity, to live to a hundred years with children and grandchildren around her knees. I never thought that a lecher calling himself White Chrysanthemum would rampage through several provinces. Not only did he ruin more than ten daughters of great houses and kill or wound many innocents, he also tortured and murdered my beloved. This hatred Qian Luoyi carves into his bones day and night. I will kill him by the cruelest means to comfort her spirit.”
Foli Fa was overcome by Qian Luoyi’s grief. For a long time he could not speak. At last he sighed. “I have heard of this matter as well. The various masters of the Central Plains also seek to exterminate this villain. You must act carefully and avoid clashing with the Central Plains martial world.”
Qian Luoyi smiled coldly. “In all my life, when have I ever feared anyone?”
“White Chrysanthemum will surely die by my hand!”
“If anyone contests that with me, I do not mind letting them know what the new-generation Wolf God of the Turks is like.”
Foli Fa shook his head and resolved not to persuade his friend further. He knew how deeply grieved and how furious the other man must be.
The Eighteen Tribes of the Steppe had once held a martial contest and named thirty-six Divine Generals. His friend had ranked first and was the only innate-realm master under twenty-five on the great steppe. No one could withstand his wrath!
… Qian Luoyi: My original character setting was Sun Mingke’s first nemesis in life…
Chapter 3