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“A bargain?” Xue Miao leaned against his wheelchair beneath the moon, narrow eyes studying an unexpectedly interesting intruder. “What do you possess that could serve as a bargaining chip?” Cen Sheng ...

The hall went silent. Wang Guizhi steadied herself against the table, all color gone. Jing Shishi hid behind Xue Wenyan. Xue Wenyan snatched Xue Miao’s letter. “Mother, the censor is investigating the...

Pain flooded every bone in Cen Sheng’s body. She tried to scream, but a rag stuffed her mouth. Gongs and drums thundered outside. A suona wailed through the winter night. “Seal the coffin!” The last t...

Lady Li’s every word carried the same regret: if she had spoken sooner, perhaps none of this would have happened. Murong Qing did not know how to comfort her. Everyone interpreted guilt differently. W...

“Minister Shangguan…you know the stories about the plum blossom, don’t you?” Murong Qing asked when she saw recognition in his face. Of course he did. The Plum Blossom Thief had committed another crim...

Night fell over Chang’an, and the Jinwu Guard began its usual patrol. The patrol officer led from the front. As he scanned the street, a cat cried somewhere nearby. Perhaps someone had startled it, or...

For the next several days, Shang Zhu’s movements were nearly restricted. Did He Yi’an, the sect leader, truly have nothing better to do than follow him? “Your Excellency,” Shang Zhu asked consideratel...

After living on Silent Reflection Peak for years, Shang Zhu knew exactly where its silence ended. He left the wooden house beneath trees older than Lingyun Sect itself. Each had developed a spirit—and...

“Heh…” Flames licked mercilessly over Shang Zhu’s body. There was nowhere to hide inside the pill furnace, and fresh kindling kept falling from above. His wonderful master and Bai Tiansheng had done t...

“Alpha.” The word echoed through Rain’s mind. This world recognized far more than the old binary of man and woman: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. The law forbade forced matches and denied anyone the right to...

Rain looked up. Celestina’s smile softened again. “May I?” Her voice was careful. Rain sat straighter, crushing the tissue in her hand. Celestina’s eyes lowered as if she had detected the slightest wa...

New York, after eight at night. The private room occupied the top floor of an exclusive restaurant. Beyond its floor-to-ceiling windows, the lights of Manhattan flowed like a golden river. Silverware,...

Qiu Yang settled into the smithy. Before dawn the next morning, Old Liao was already hammering iron out front. Hearing the blows, Qiu Yang rose, washed her face, entered the shop, and crouched beside ...

Zhao Jian'an stared at Qiu Yang for a long time before saying, “Then leave tomorrow.” Qiu Yang noticed nothing unusual. She nodded. “All right.” That night, she packed her bundle. She folded her cloth...

When Qiu Yang rose the next morning, Zhao Jian'an was already in the courtyard. Crouched beside the well, he splashed water over his face, then stood and shook it from his hands. “Come out with me tod...

That night, Qiu Yang lay in bed thinking over Uncle Zheng's words. She turned them over again and again. After several passes, she realized something: deep down, she was not surprised. It felt strange...

Life in the apartment building was like a dream. Su Mosheng no longer woke in the deep of night. He thought of that girl with the stubborn eyes. Their farewell had not been a grand one. Unlike Su Mosh...

Cloudy days were like a crumbling, besieged city, and within that city, a torrential rain had begun to fall. The endless waves were about to swallow my heart. In this profound and beautiful illusion, ...

Fang Runing descended three floors before she truly understood what Fang Ru'an had meant by “there are more of them now.” The stairwell looked the same, but something stood on every landing: figures i...

Xiao Die had been feeling a vague unease lately. She didn't know whether this premonition came from reality or from her loneliness. When a person's loneliness reaches a certain point, it turns into fe...