Ling Province.
Under a large willow tree.
Figures were scattered about a roadside tea stall. A crowd had gathered around an old blind man, and the crisp sound of a pipa, like pearls of jade falling onto a platter, rang out.
"He tells of the Zhenxi Army, and of our Jiedu Envoy, Lord Bai! To save the people of Xuan Yang from fire and water, to spare them the cruelty of the Ximo barbarians, he knew a great war was coming, yet he insisted on staying..."
"When the battle between the two sides reached a stalemate, Lord Bai took a mere thousand cavalry, charged a thousand li deep into the heart of Ximo, and in four days, he conquered four kingdoms, erecting a skull pyramid..."
"By the time the Ximo reinforcements arrived, all they could find were the withered bones of their own Sovereign. There was no trace of our Lord Bai."
...
The crowd of Lingzhou People listened, utterly captivated.
