A section of Knight's Light

  [======????=====]????????????????????The State of Yan is located south of the Great Wall and north of the Yi River. Among the seven states, it is a small and weak country, and its ruler and officials are afraid of Qin. But fortunately, the territory is slightly far from the powerful Qin, and Qin is currently busy occupying Zhao and preparing to invade Han, giving Yan more room to breathe.

  Ji City, the capital of the State of Yan, one of the Seven Warring States. In contrast to the chaotic world, it is also a peaceful scene. This is a bustling street with people coming and going, wine shops with high-hanging banners, and stone blocks outside each shop's door are carved with reliefs: either single beasts floating in mid-air, or pairs of beasts fighting, hands and feet flying... comparable to the mansions of giant rich men or small palaces in other countries.

  Two men walked side by side, looking very intimate.

  "The sun is high, Brother Tian, why are there so many fewer merchants?" One of the young men under thirty asked, "It wasn't like this when we came to Ji City last time!"

  "Ha! You don't know, do you, Elder Brother?" The big Han man in his late forties smiled wryly and replied: "In these chaotic times, who can guarantee their safety from morning to night? Such prosperity is rarely seen, where people gather and goods are abundant. If we can just make a living, that's already not bad."

  "That's true, looking at the people coming and going here, I suppose many of them should be immigrants from war-torn areas?"

  "Yes, Brother Gao invited this way!" With a polite gesture, the two of them walked into a wine tavern one after another.

  It is indeed:

  A heroic figure in troubled times sings a song of wine

  The fallen leaves also bring sorrow.

  What is the origin of all things in the world?

  How many words under the banner of Qi Guan!

  This small wine shop has also gathered dozens of wine guests. Talking about the world, discussing life, telling stories of strong Qin and chatting about heroes, it's all there, but also lively.

  "Is there still a private room available?" Seeing that the main hall was already full, the big man shouted to the waiter in the wine shop and asked: "Can you arrange a room for us? My brother and I have something important to discuss." After finishing speaking, he gave some money to the waiter. The waiter smiled and led the way, saying: "Come on, private room, two heroes!"

  "Great Hero?" At this time, a drunkard behind them burst out laughing and looked at the two of them, laughing even more: "In today's world, there are only three Great Heroes, how did two suddenly appear here?"

  "Hahaha......" Suddenly, the laughter filled the air, mostly with a sarcastic tone. In a chaotic world where survival is difficult, how many people would give up on happiness built on others' suffering?

  "So then, I ask you, old chap!" The handsome young man was not to be outdone, his face slightly angry and his eyebrows furrowed as he asked: "In your eyes, who in this world can be called a 'great hero'?"

  "Hey, Gao brothers, let's go inside and talk!" The big man who came up together patted his shoulder and whispered: "Not being a hero or not, above can't protect the country from the strong Qin enemy, below can't live in peace with the common people, what a vain name!"

  "Is he a great hero?" The wine guest didn't spare anyone, holding the clay bowl and taking another big gulp, swaying back and forth as he stood up, walked to the front of the two men, looked them up and down, and said: "In today's world, there are only three great heroes. 'Chivalrous Hero' Tian Guang is intelligent and brave, calm and composed, with exceptional martial arts skills, and is a treasure of our Yan State. Then there's 'Heroic Hero' Gao Jianli, a man of both literature and military prowess, who values loyalty above life itself. And finally, there's 'Sword Hero' Ge Nie, the number one swordsman in the world today, who upholds justice and is the most chivalrous expert among the three heroes! Heh heh, have you guys heard of them? Hahaha..."

  "You..." saw the wine guest laughing and spilling wine all over the place, even wetting the big man's robe. The handsome young man was about to get angry, but was stopped by the big man beside him with one hand.

  "Sorry, sorry!" The big man made a bow and said: "This old brother is laughing at us, we two brothers are just country bumpkins, never seen the city, sorry, sorry......" Then he quickly pulled the young man to follow that wine official and leave.

  As his friend walked away, he heard a burst of mocking laughter from behind. The young man was indignant: "Tian Dage, that guy is so rude, why did you..."

  He waved his hand and the big man laughed, "Brother Gao doesn't have to worry about such a small matter. Besides, others can consider both of us as great heroes of our time, haha!"

  "Is that Big Brother Tian? Brother Gao?" The wine officer who led the way asked in surprise, "Could it be that you two are 'Chivalrous Knight' Tian Guang and 'Heroic Knight' Gao Jianli?"

  "Hmm, haha!" The two of them exchanged a smile, and it turned out that the two who had just arrived were indeed the two heroes mentioned by the drunkard earlier. Tian Guang hastily handed over some more money to the wine shop owner and smiled: "My brother and I have important matters to discuss inside, please don't disturb us, and thank you for taking care of this!"

  "Where, where?" The wine officer retreated repeatedly and quickly returned the goods he had just received to Tian Guang, saying: "I didn't know you two were great heroes! Whatever you order, I will definitely do it. How dare I take your money? It's not allowed!"

  "Just keep it to yourself." Grabbing the wine officer's hand, Gao Jianli said unhappily: "Just don't reveal my and brother's whereabouts, you go arrange food and drinks for us!"

  "Yes...yes!" He repeatedly expressed his gratitude, and only then did the wine official accept the goods and retreat.

  "Big Brother Tian, that guy outside is really arrogant and rude, he splashed wine all over you, why are you...". Just as he sat down on the mat after entering the door, Gao Jianli's temper flared up again.

  "Haha, that person is absolutely right!" Tian Guang looked at his friend's angry face and laughed: "'Haoshuai' Gao Jianli, a versatile talent in both literature and martial arts, a good fellow who values loyalty above life. Haha, that person didn't say anything wrong, what are you blaming him for?"

  “Hmph...” He let out a sigh, and Gao Jianli also had to suppress the idea of going out to find someone to vent his frustrations: This Tian Guangge was indeed steady, and with a hint of resentment, he said: “It’s just you, Brother Tian, who can endure this, even after being splashed with wine all over your body, you can still hold back your temper. Let alone me, even if Jing Ke were here, I’m afraid he wouldn’t let that guy off easy either.”

  "Jing Ke, that's right, Jing Ke!" Upon hearing the two words "Jing Ke", Tian Guang's expression turned tense, with worry and anxiety written all over his face: "Brother Jing Ke must have met with a great calamity..."

  "What? How is this possible?" Gao Jianli loudly exclaimed: "I and Jing Ke brothers several times drank wine and sang songs, last time was just this year's matter, a year hasn't passed how could such big...big things happen?"

  He gave a subtle hint to Gao Jianli not to be too loud, then Tian Guang sighed and said softly: "The news from my friends and disciples outside, Jing Ke... he's gone mad... Brother Gao, don't rush for now, let me tell you slowly."

  It turned out that in this year, Jing Ke had committed no less than five murders. According to the news from Tian Guang's friends and scattered disciples: Jing Ke first killed a family of four in an inn in Lishang City after getting drunk; then he appeared naked at a widow's house in Niejiacun Village and killed the widow's brother; such cases had already occurred five times within a year.

  Listening to Tian Guang speak, Gao Jianli's hands clenched into fists, almost crushing the wooden chair: "Tian Dage, where did you hear this? I know how Jing Ke is as a person, how could I not? If we're talking about great heroes, he's no worse than you, me, or Ge Nie!" His face filled with anger, he asked: "If you didn't mishear, then it must be intentional slander against my brother Jing Ke!" After finishing speaking, he stood up and was about to leave.

  "Brother Gao, please listen to me finish speaking!" Tian Guang hastily stood up and intercepted him, saying: "I, Tian Guang, have lived half my life, seen countless people, what kind of person will do what kind of thing, don't I know?" He then gently pulled Gao Jianli back down to sit again.

  "Brother Gao, I don't believe these are the doings of Jing Ke's brothers either. He has always been a man of honor, eliminating evil and promoting good, and all heroes under heaven respect him somewhat." Seeing Gao Jianli's impatient expression, Tian Guang hastily said: "It's just that things are suspicious at present. Every time there is a murder case, he is always on the scene, but every time it's either madness or confusion, with no knowledge of anything. The strangest thing is that whether they have been captured and even locked in prison, whenever you see him again, it will always be at the scene of a new murder case!"

  "Oh?" Gao Jianli asked hastily, "Then does Tian Dage know who helped him escape and then who was the first to discover Jing Ke's brothers again?"

  "Right, Gao brother is indeed clever! Tian Guang patted his thigh and said: "The key is right here. You and I don't know who will save whom, so every time Jing Ke brother escapes from the great prison, do you think it's because of Jing Ke brother's own ability?"

  "No, it's impossible!" Gao Jianli wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead and asked: "As far as I know, Jing Ke and his brother were talented men, but they weren't the kind of people who would do such a thing. Moreover, how could he repeatedly injure people and yet escape each time? Could it be..."

  He stroked his beard, and Tian Guang looked out the window, muttering to himself: "Is that so? Has someone been framing him all along? What's the purpose of that then? It seems there will be an explanation later."

  "What?" Gao Jianli asked in surprise and suspicion, "Will there be an explanation later? Is it that Jing Ke's brother is also coming here?"