Chapter 1: The Prince of Unyielding Spirit
The forest is cold and dead silent.
In the pitch-black night, a man covered in blood strides forward resolutely, his eyes filled with hatred and pain. He doesn’t know how much longer he can hold on, nor if the darkness ahead will ever end.
The blood on him doesn’t belong to him. It belongs to the guards who swore to protect him until their death. And those guards, their bodies must have already turned cold in the eerie forest, possibly even gnawed away by wild beasts, bones remaining none. Thinking of this, the hatred in his eyes grew even more.
In his ears, the loyal guards’ shouts echo: "Your Highness, go quickly, as long as the green mountains last!"
Then scorching blood splattered all over him, all over his face.
Green mountains, green mountains...
Where are his green mountains now?
Does he still have hope? Alone and by himself, can he rise again?
From afar came a jumble of sounds.
He slightly turned his head to see a cluster of torches moving swiftly from afar. Those people are still in pursuit, the torches illuminate the area. Turning his head forward again, it’s darkness that seems to swallow up a person.
Without hesitation, he continued to quickly run forward. His life no longer belongs to him alone. How could he betray the expectations of so many?
But after three days and nights of exhausting escape, he was already at the end of his strength. His speed had become slower and the torches behind him were getting closer.
"Up ahead!"
"Quick, chase!"
"Ten thousand gold for his head!"
The voices from behind were full of excitement and greed.
Closer, closer...
Yet he didn’t give up, still trying his best to run forward, stumbling along the way.
Suddenly, a light appeared ahead.
Appearing abruptly right in front of him.
A bright yellow lamp appeared clearly in front of him. It didn’t flicker, didn’t dim, just suspended quietly in the forest at night.
He stared fixedly at the lamp, subconsciously running toward the light.
This lamp, it’s definitely not a trap, and he didn’t know why he was so certain.
When he ran with all his might to the lamp’s proximity, the footsteps of the pursuers were also closing in.
When he saw the scene before him clearly, he froze.
It was a three-story building, its vermilion painted carved beams looked especially lavish under the gentle light, very sophisticated in design, the style of high-class nobility that shouldn’t appear here amidst the mountain forest.
Looking up, there hung the lamp he saw, suspended at the highest point of the top floor, now close enough to see clearly, it was an exceptionally translucent Dragon and Phoenix Glazed Lamp. There were two rows of lanterns hanging on either side of the shop’s name plaque, illuminating the words on it clearly.
Everything is available.
Why did he instantly think it was a shop? Because there was a giant golden ingot standing at the shop’s entrance, shining brilliantly! Surely this isn’t made of real gold?
How could there be a store here? In this desolate mountain forest, someone actually set up shop here? And the shop’s named Everything Is Available. Everything’s here? What arrogance.
When he saw the couplets on the door, he became even more surprised, with a sense of indescribable disbelief.
Left couplet: Credit allowed, no swindling young or old
Right couplet: Pay promptly or you’ll see if I can’t beat you senseless
Horizontal inscription: Not a shady shop
This, this isn’t a shady shop? And also, the couplets are completely asymmetrical.
Though it wasn’t the time to criticize this, he couldn’t help but think that.