A Dream of Rivers and Mountains

During the Zhengtong and Xuande eras of the Ming dynasty, Xu Jingnian was born into a family of martial artists in Changshan. When he was young, his entire family was massacred. Daoist Ciyun later took him to Bazhong, where he spent ten years cultivating before venturing into the world and heading to the capital.

It was just after the Tianshun coup that seized the throne, and the capital was rife with intrigue. Xu Jingnian rose and fell amid the treacherous currents of court politics. He threw himself into the fray and paid dearly, yet, caught between the empire, the women he loved, and the martial world, he forged a life of extraordinary twists and turns.

This book is inspired by historical records and folk tales. Some characters correspond to real historical figures, but many elements have been invented or artistically adapted.