Smoke and Clouds Along the Ancient Road

In the early years of the Republic of China, Kangcheng was a major town in the southwest, deep in the Qinling Mountains, guarding the throat of the Tea Horse Road. Within the city, the four great families of Cui, Wan, Zhu, and Zhang were deeply rooted and held sway over the region. The Cui family had built its standing through commerce, trading goods across the Western Regions. Warmhearted and devoted to the light, they secretly supported the Red Army's growth. The Wan family rose from humble origins, ruthless and cruel. They formed the Divine Corps and entered the Kuomintang through banditry, standing in direct opposition to justice. The Zhu family had controlled caravan trade for generations and was tied to the Cui family by generations of marriage, their fates bound together. The Zhang family curried favor with the powerful, governed the local Nationalist government, and colluded with the Wan family, acting as two sides of the same coin. Amid the flames of war, camel bells on the ancient road mingled with the thunder of guns and cannons. The younger generation of the four families was swept into the tide of the times, and amid fierce clashes of interest, love and hatred, and faith, they forged a stirring epic of the southwestern Qinling, where personal vendettas intertwined with the greater cause of nation and homeland.