Phoenix High God Zhe Yan cringed in utter disgust. Shivers like millipede legs traveled from his head to his tail feathers. It gave him the willies to know some cultures stuffed beautiful birds before cutting and consuming the poor thing like heathens. Some used herbs and seasoned bread crumbs, while other preferred sticky glutinous rice.…
Forbidden City It was that time of day when he visited his royal father, and this evening, Mo Yuan excerpted his Emperor father’s favorite, Zhuangzi’s The Butterfly Dream. The Crown Prince’s manner of linguistic eloquence and verbal expression was refined, smooth, and soothing for a young man his age. Much like a still calm pond…
Nine Heavens White-haired diety, Dong Hua, the Emperor Lord, one of the oldest five Great Kings of Heaven, had never coveted attention, reverence, or praise. His had been a long life, even for an immortal. His long silky hair had once been shiny raven black but now was the color of snow reflective of his…
Nine Heavens Heavy was the musky fragrance of the strong incense that always burned in her front salon. It was deep, dense, and thick that one could taste patchouli and sandalwood’s notes if they breathed through their mouths. “You must gain your father’s favor!” She screeched, and her voice hurt his ears. Sheer fear kept…
Mortal Realm Changying~ ‘There are many kinds of healers in this vast universe. Some educate themselves in medicine for status, honor, and recognition. Others become doctors and gain great satisfaction caring for suffering people and treating those in need. Some rare gifted individuals are born with an intrinsic ability to pre-detect illnesses before any symptoms…
Joseon Shao Qing Yuan~ If the Bai family motto is ‘Battle Born and Born to Defend.’ The Shao family motto would be, ‘What a bunch of pretentious phonies! Those Bai bastards aren’t anything special or flawless as they seem. If we dig deep enough, we’ll find some dirt on them. Pure white as their name, my ass! I…
Bai Qian Joseon~ Years ago, Bai Qian and her cousin Crown Prince Won created a secret place to sneak him out to play. In the most eastern section of the palace was an open yard. Within that vast area, neatly stood rows upon rows of brown earthen ceramic containers holding all sorts of pantry stables…
Mo Yuan Since the beginning of our dynasty, every noble family, depending on their merits, is recorded in the royal annals. Their moments of fame and glory, mentioned here and there similar to ink spatters upon the ancient scrolls. Only the Bai family has their own section in the royal library. Close to five dozen…
Mortal Realm History had set the foundation. The imperial traditions established long before their births still dictated their daily lives and practices. Being a part of the royal line wasn’t always fanfare and grandeur. Existing within the red walls of the forbidden city was a life of constantly being watched, studied, judged by everyone, from…
The Forbidden City Shao Wan~ The lively scene of birds playing shook in her tensed hand. Vibrant colors swished more than swirling as the soft green, and bold fuchsia silk fan wavered to and fro erratically. Every anger-fueled flip of her wrist caused Shao Wan’s golden and jade bracelets to make clamorous clinking sounds and…
Joseon His first impression surprised him. She wasn’t what he expected to see. Bai Qian had been a mystery to all, never seen been by anyone other than her immediate family. The stories and rumors were rampant fueled by her father’s false representation of her, making Ye Hua wonder why Lord Bai had painted such…
Shao Wan Imperial Consort Wan understood the reasons many called her the most stunning woman in the entire Dynasty. Full of vanity, she beamed to herself, studying her beautiful reflection and delicate features in the mirror while her eight assistants busily dressed and prepared her for the day. Roughly slapping a hand away from her…
Bai Qian Bai Qian lived without standing on ceremony and rigid customs even though she was Ming’s future Empress. Growing up in a Buddhist monastery had been a peaceful and carefree existence. She was born there and spent her entire life, well fifteen years, within this temple, located a mere two hours walk from Hanyang,…
Hello again, I know, I know. I go dark for a year, and now I’m constantly yapping about everything. How very like me. Black or white. Feast or famine. All or nothing. Anyhoo, I’m sorry, but I deemed it necessary to put this statement out there before continuing my recent story. Our beloved immortals but…
Some declared the Gods created them in their Celestial likeness. Pure excellence radiated from them more than any of the other royal offspring. Ming’s legitimate identical imperial twins bore the regal poise from generations of royal blue blood breeding. And along with their Empress mother’s unequaled graceful beauty, the young men were devastatingly handsome. From…