Under celestial dreams, Xianxia and Wuxia worlds unfold
Chapter 42 Bai Qian~ Evening shadows pooled like ink against the ancient stone walls of the Kunlun bedchamber, while candlelight danced across a folding screen of carved sandalwood and Silk of Cloudborne Ascension (云升绸, Yún Shēng Chóu), where silver-winged cranes soared between wisps of painted clouds, ascending toward immortal realms hidden in swirling mountain mist. […]
Chapter 30 Since getting married, Ruilin and I haven’t spent a day apart. We had eaten every meal together, shared the same bath water, slept with our wrists knotted beneath the same pillow. Now, after a glorious year and a half, the honeymoon was ending in a manner neither of us could have prepared for. […]
Chapter 29 Bai Qian~ It’s been 16 months, 20 days, and 6 hours—over a year—since she began her mortal trial. The passage of time has become a cruel and formidable adversary in the ongoing search for Ying’er. Each month, we gather quietly in the ethereal realm of Nine Heavens for Ye Hua’s sake, understanding he […]
Chapter 24 Phoenix Emperor Feng Yi~ “Emperor, Gugu is here.” At first, the Phoenix Emperor appeared as if he hadn’t heard, sitting motionless on the dais, one hand resting on the carved wood of his throne’s arm and in his other a book with his previous chess games with Yi Nuo who was impossible to […]
Chapter 23 Yi Nuo~ When Lue Lue returned with the tonic, I bolted through the open doors with such force that I knocked her against the doorframe. The sharp sound of the tonic bowl shattering echoed in the air behind me. A pang of worry shot through me, fearing I had hurt her, but my […]
Chapter 22 Bai Qian At my age, few can treat me like a child, but Zhe Yan always will—to him, I’ll always be Xiao Wu or little girl. “I’m glad you’re lying down, Xiao Wu. You need to rest. Yingpei told me you haven’t slept in days and have developed a fever,” Zhe Yan said, […]
Chapter 18 Bai Qian~ There are fates far worse than finding oneself amid a lively celebration at a breathtaking mountain-top school, surrounded by cherished loved ones and with an abundance of wine flowing endlessly. For example, I might be relentlessly stalked by an unstoppable, tireless, formidable beast. I could be engulfed in flames, burning until […]
Chapter 16 Yi Nuo~ I’ve lost my purpose? This matter preyed on my mind lately, creeping into my thoughts unbidden no matter how often I pushed it away. If Mother Abbess were here by my side, she’d tell me to share my gifts of which she thought I had many with everyone I meet, but […]
Chapter 15 Ye Hua~ “Brother-in-law, are you still celibate?” I cringed beneath my composure. She brought up something she shouldn’t have, and the question landed like an accusation, casually yet pointed in its delivery. Had the servants overheard her, the whispers would have made it across all eight realms by noon. The silence from my […]
Chapter 13 Yi Nuo~ He cradled a glass jar filled with intricately folded paper swans, handling it like a vessel of precious gems. The glass caught the light and cast tiny rainbows on the walls. With utmost care, he extracted one swan and unfolded it, his fingers moving with the gentle precision reserved for treasures, […]
Chapter 11 Third Grand Prince Hongshi~ Dove trees, heavy with heart-shaped leaves and clusters of red blossoms, surrounded the gazebo at the heart of the imperial garden. Blooming wisteria draped the covered walkways, its lilac flowers hanging in fragrant cascades. “Hong’er,” my mother teased in a laugh like tinkling silver bells that hasn’t changed since […]
Chapter 10 Ruilin~ Feeling restless, I had been writing poems about Princess Changying when my attention was drawn outside by the familiar noises that seeped through the open window. It was before sunrise, a time of grey and uncertain light when the boundary between night and day is blurred, and the land is submerged in […]
Chapter 8 Prince Ruilin~ “My father is coming today and bringing along an important guest from the capital who plans to sponsor the temple.” It’s Ya Qi, the girl who I fear wants to eat me. She is standing in and covering the entire doorway with her broad frame. I find it shocking that anyone […]
Chapter 7 Yi Nuo~ Before dawn, far from the others in the temple’s secluded west wing courtyard, I practice martial arts. The spot’s avoided, whispered to be haunted by my mother’s ghost, but to me, it’s tranquil. A small pond that once held a twenty-five-year-old Coy fish mirrors the undisturbed sky above. Cherry trees in […]
Chapter 6 Yi Nuo~ Hot mung bean soup is usually my favorite, but not today. Ya Qi intentionally knocks my bowl as she walks by, causing it to end up in my lap, covering me with thick red soup. “Oops, I’m sorry, Yi Nuo,” she says, not looking sorry at all and smirking. She lifts […]
