Raising the Flag

The first reaction the citizens of Jade City had upon hearing about Mister Zao Tong's death was indignation.

The old macheteman was already semi-retired and rarely involved in matters of jianghu. How could one not grieve over his death after knowing that he was brutally murdered in his twilight years?

There was no doubt in everybody's mind that the murderer was the Dragon King.

On the night of Mister Zhao's death, a black flag was put up on a wall of his house, and none of his neighbors understood its significance. The next day when a curious soul went over for a closer examination of the flag, he found out that the red blotches on it seemed to be made of blood. Sensing that something was amiss, he broke into the house, only to find Mister Zhao's corpse sprawled on the bed.

A large laceration stretched from Zhao Tong's chest to his abdomen, and his bed sheets were covered with blood.