In the autumn of 322 in Great Chu, a merchant caravan entered Yan State from Si Province via the Jade Gate. Although the caravan leader made this journey every year, this year something seemed different.
"Father, in past years we always brought in herbs and grain, but this year it's all silk! That's the stuff of rich families. In a place like Yan State, filled with Jianghu folks who live by the sword, even if they can afford it, they wouldn't use it!"
In the middle of the caravan, within a horse-drawn carriage, a young man around twenty-something looked around at the somewhat desolate land and thought about the news he had heard, puzzled by his father's sudden decision to change the merchandise this year.
