The River-Stopping Blade

Overnight, the entire Changfeng Escort Agency in Yuyang Commandery was framed. Zhang Linchuan, its young master, fled for his life under the protection of veteran escort leader Meng Tieshan, carrying the longevity lock his father had left behind.

In the Yellow River's “Ghost's Lament” whirlpool, what lies beneath: a sunken ship, or the truth behind the “Qingping Case” from twenty years ago? Do the marks inside the longevity lock point to the blades of the Grain Transport Gang, the ironclad evidence of the Six Fan Bureau, or the candlelit shadows and axe blows behind the palace walls?

He meets Pei Xuezhou, a woman of mysterious identity. Her flowing sleeves conceal silver needles, as well as her attempts to sound him out. He is drawn into the bloody feud between two factions of the Grain Transport Gang. The clash between the blue and black banners unexpectedly reveals collusion between the Demon Cult and the imperial court.

When Meng Tieshan entrusts him with a blood-written letter, and the dragon-patterned pendant is pieced together at the bottom of the river, Zhang Linchuan finally understands: his father left him not a blade of revenge, but an edge that can cut through the fog shrouding both the martial world and the imperial court.

But the road ahead is long. The Yellow River still flows, and old grudges surge like the tide. Where should his blade fall?