On this night.1

Li Hao walked a dog through the bustling streets around the Steadfast Duke’s manor. He sauntered casually, taking in the sights through his glasses. He even followed a street to its end, pausing roughly two thousand meters away from the complex. A large plaza was located at the end of the street, many couples were out for evening strolls or dancing. White streamers for mourning fluttered by the duke’s estate.0

Li Hao saw many powerhouses entering and leaving the manor. They were different from those outside—much more quiet and all of them deeply pained. Various sounds traveled into the young man’s ears and he could soon pick out strains of conversation from around the plaza.0

“Important people from all of the eastern provinces have apparently come for the memorial ceremony tomorrow. The duke seems to have suffered a huge loss and the eastern provinces are growing unstable. I wonder if something big might happen tomorrow, maybe to keep the situation under control.”3

“The hell does it have to do with us? That’s for those highfalutin’...2