Cards of the Prosperous Tang: Strange Tales of Chang'an

At nightfall in Chang'an, the ghost market opens.

Li Yan crouches by the wall of a demon den, chewing on a cold bun, when the bronze slip in his sleeve suddenly turns hot. The wild-haired “ghost” inside the wall turns out to be the lingering soul of Huo Qubing, who died long ago!

He grits his teeth and activates the System. His first card, “Champion Marquis,” tears through the night. A silver spear knocks away the ghost mask, and every demon in the street drops to its knees.

From then on, the academy’s odd-job boy becomes Chang'an’s wildest legend. Need to impress everyone at a poetry gathering? No need to memorize poems: summon Li Bai’s “Poet-Swordsman” card to recite an unheard half-verse of “The Road to Shu Is Hard.” Can’t solve a murder?

Have Han Xin’s “God of War” card lay an ambush on all sides, and the killer will walk right into it. Even when the emperor is plagued by border troubles, Li Yan can summon Guo Ziyi’s “Great General” card. The old general claps him on the shoulder and laughs, “Young friend, your card-commanding skills are even more satisfying than when I led troops in my day!” But when Li Yan takes Su Wan’s “History Scroll” and opens the door to the remnants of the Historians’ Hall, he discovers that the light of every card has already illuminated a path for him: from humble beginnings to head of the Historians’ Hall, from the prosperous Tang dynasty to secrets buried for a thousand years.