Chapter 1 Deadly Harvest

The spear was as thick as a duck egg, bathed in an orange hue by the setting sun; as the orb of day sank westward, the trailing red sunlight sprinkled over the hand grasping the spear, then the neck, and finally the face.

The boy had a head of short black hair, wore a loose white tank top, black shorts, and layered cloth shoes. One foot forward, one foot back, his elbows steady, the spear stable in his grip.

The old man sat on the red brick steps, tapping his tobacco pipe bowl.

"Not bad! Tong Lin, I'm not afraid to tell you the truth, Zheng Yijian was killed by me. I poisoned his wine, making his body fester and leaving him to die a horrible death! Your second brother, too, was poisoned by me, including the Tianling Swordsman, the Dixing Immortal, the West Swordsman, South Swordsman, North Swordsman, and all the friends and heroes who have crossed paths with you. Every single one of them, I poisoned!"