The Jianghu Edict

The sects of the martial world, the Jingshen Southern Sect, the Fuqin Eastern Sect, the Jinzhan Northern Sect, and various smaller groups, have always kept a clear divide between themselves and the imperial court.

When the sects first rose to prominence, the court tried to suppress them. Unexpectedly, the major sects joined forces to resist. Their members were all extraordinary practitioners, able to fly, fight, and wield remarkable skills. No matter how heavy-handed the emperor was, he could do nothing, so he had to give ground and agree to a pact with the sects: neither side would interfere with the other. The sect members despised the court's hypocritical posturing, while the people of the court looked down on these worldly commoners.

Shen Tuizhi was one of the disciples of the Jingshen Southern Sect, known as the Fourth Young Master Yun.

In the eyes of ordinary people, joining a sect was a great honor. Not long ago, he'd been expelled from his sect, and today he'd become half a member of the imperial court. His status had changed back and forth over the past few days. Shen Tuizhi turned the phrase "one of our own" over in his mind and thought, "If people knew what I was going through right now, the sect would probably gossip about me..."

Theme: After a long division, comes unity