The scarred valley was still settling into silence when the ripples of what had transpired began to spread.
Sword intent still lingered like a storm in the heavens, etched into the clouds and carved into the land. But while the scar of battle remained fixed in the Ashfall Plains, the story of the battle began moving with a speed even faster than sword light.
By the time healers were rushing to bind the Grand Elder's arm and Lin Mu had been laid down by his companions to rest, word had already left the valley.
Witnesses carried it on trembling lips, jade slips flared with hurried recordings, and talismans streaked like meteors toward every sect, clan, and court with ties to Ash Crown City.
And foremost among those who seized the tale was the Smoldering Rock Merchant Union.
