Outside Yanmen Pass, August 25, noon.
The autumn wind whipped up withered grass, spinning it across the empty plain. One hundred paces outside Yanmen Pass, three wooden tables were pushed together to form a long table two zhang in length. The surface was covered with plain linen, and armchairs were placed at both ends. Xia Huai'an walked over at a leisurely pace, wearing an indigo scholar's gown with a dagger hanging at his waist. Seven personal guards, including Wang Qingzhi and Li Shanlin, followed closely behind. They wore light armor, carried rifles at their waists, and had gazes as sharp as eagles.
Opposite them, Left Wise King Tuoba Lie strode forward draped in a golden-threaded wolf-fur cloak, a curved saber slung at his waist. Seven or eight Beidi guards followed him, all broad-shouldered and fierce-eyed.
Chapter 243