The winter of the third year in Cheng'an was extremely harsh. Outside the city of Zhongdu, the shuo wind whipped up the snow foam and slapped it on the face, like fine ice needles. Huang Hu reined in the restless black horse under his crotch, and the pale light reflected from the icy lake made him squint his eyes. On his sixteenth birthday, his father allowed him to take his personal guards out of the city for a hunting trip. This was an honor only reserved for the young commander of the Northern Command.
