The Grudges and Gratitude of Chaiyu Ancient Road

In the first year of the Taichang reign (the era name of Zhu Changluo, Emperor Guangzong of the Ming dynasty), the imperial court was corrupt and the situation dire. Numerous outlaw brotherhoods sprang up among the people, claiming to “rob the rich to aid the poor and punish the wicked to protect the innocent” as they opposed the government. The most powerful was the Sword Brotherhood of Yunyang Prefecture (present-day Yunxi County, Shiyan City, Hubei Province), which enjoyed the people’s support. Its headquarters stood at Liulin Manor in Yunxi County. The court saw it as a grave threat and ordered its annihilation. Outnumbered and surrounded by government troops, the Sword Brotherhood was destroyed. With no other choice, Zhang Guizhong fled with Luo Ziying along the Chaiyugou trail on the ancient Shangyu Road (the Chaiyugou trail lies on the north bank of the Luo River in Shiyuan Village, Chengguan Subdistrict, Luonan County, Shaanxi Province. It is 15 li long, and its exit is in Shiyanggou, Shiyang Village, Shipo Town, Luonan County). The prefect of Yunyang ordered the magistrate of Yunxi County to wipe out the remaining members of the Sword Brotherhood. After receiving the order, the magistrate sent the newly appointed constable Dai Lengmo with troops to pursue them along the camel track at Chaiyugou. After a fierce battle, Zhang Guizhong met his end.

Only at Chaiyugou did Dai Lengmo learn that Luo Ziying was his former fiancée. Dai Lengmo had once been a favored pupil of the Sword Brotherhood, under the name Yao Shunfeng. Ten years earlier, he had fallen off a cliff and lost his memory. The family who rescued him gave him the name Dai Lengmo. Ten years later, by a twist of fate, he became a constable in Yunxi County, setting this story in motion.

(This story is entirely fictional.)