September Thunder

[Reading Huang Ying after Gu Long] [The Great Emperor's Legendary New Martial Arts Series, September Thunder] A new-school wuxia novel: At Baqiao Bridge in Chang'an, the ancient bridge lay quietly across the heart of the river. No birds sang. Dawn was just breaking, and a waning moon hung in the clear blue sky. The morning breeze stirred the willow branches. For decades, those branches had held parting sorrows and been drenched by bitter tears. How many people had stood here gazing wistfully at the clouds, reluctant to say goodbye? The morning rain in Weicheng made the willows look even fresher, yet beyond Yangguan, to the west, old friends would be few and far between. Whether it was a family parting or friends going their separate ways, these willow branches stood for kindness and loyalty, for souls and dreams, for hearts and shadows. Though separated from Chang'an, they remained joined forever. Whether wandering to the ends of the earth or crossing countless mountain passes, the willows beside the arching bridge were beacons of a traveler's longing for home, forever rippling with humanity's ideals. Chang Huhua and the others, however, were in a different frame of mind. They certainly hadn't come here for sightseeing. There were eighteen in their party, all dressed as merchants. Three hundred imperial assassins had already entered ahead of them, coming from different directions and using different identities...