I started writing this for the Jin Yong fan fiction site a while back when the site was still active but never finished enough to submit a chapter to them. Didn't have a title for it, so I came up with the least creative subject title until something better pops up. I guess, try it on for size? <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">
Time is like a released arrow, shooting by in a blink of the eye. Heroes, peasants, rich, and poor alike, all return to the yellow soil in death.
The Ming Dynasty had established itself for over eighty years already since its first emperor, Chu Yuen Cheung. The name "Ming" was derived from the Ming Sect that had played a fundamental role in the up-turning of Mongolian rule but after Chu came into power, he betrayed the sect and ordered the uprooting of Ming Sect members. Now the Ming Sect does not exist any longer and Cheung Mo Kei, its former leader, has also passed away half a century prior.
On a small road to Shantung, a man in his early fifties walked briskly along the rolling hills, accompanied by his first two disciples. The man's name is Fong Zheng, the current leader of Qing Tong Clan. His first disciple is a young man in his late twenties--last name Cheng, first name Yuen Jin--of medium stature, and carries a long sword in his left hand. The second disciple is Lau Hong, five years younger, slightly taller, and also carries a long sword in his left hand. All three carry a pale-yellow bag on their shoulders, their faces covered with "wind and dust", suggesting of traveling from afar. Winter had settled in at Shantung province and as the three hurried past, they could also see their breaths alongside the gray, frozen scenery. After two more hours of traveling, night descended, and they reached a small village called Ng Family Village.