The young woman in black wound deeper into the alley, passing houses where large, festive red lanterns hung from the eaves. Unlike the other outsiders who had flocked to this town, she had no powerful clan or sect at her back, no renowned allies at her side. She had come here alone.
Not far ahead, a young man in brocade robes stood admiring a green jade seal held aloft in both hands. The seal, about the size of a child’s palm, was carved with
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