The Rise and Fall of Heroes

As the saying goes: A victor becomes a king, a loser becomes an outlaw. But what about heroes? Another saying goes: A hero is not judged by success or failure. So why should you care whether I win or lose? In the end, it all comes to nothing. The dead leave behind a name, and a leopard leaves behind its skin. Either way, we all return to the earth, so why not live boldly and make a grand spectacle of it while we can? This is the sequel to The Record of Measuring the Rivers. I'm marking the start of this new project and listing all the plot threads I've opened. I suppose I've explained myself too.