New Yu Era 1327, early May
At the west gate of Hexi Prefecture City, Hou Yujie, clad in dark red attire, led over a hundred black-clad guards, dusty and weary from travel. Although they rode warhorses, they moved slowly, their faces showing clear signs of fatigue. Only when they reached the city gate did their expressions relax considerably.
"We are finally home!"
"This trip took almost two months, right?"
"Seventy-four days. We left for Jiujun County on the sixteenth of the second month."
"It feels like it's been several years."
...
Before Hou Yujie could get close to the gate, a small squad of soldiers approached from afar and knelt respectfully: "Greetings, Fourth Master!"
"Rise. Has anything significant happened in the city while I was away?"
"Three things: In March, a fifth-rank demon caused havoc in the city, and Fifth Master personally took action and killed it;
