Chang’an Reflected in the Dust of the Jade Terrace

The Great Yin dynasty is in turmoil, with war raging on every side. Su Yao, a modern history student, opens her eyes to find herself a concubine-born daughter of the impoverished Su family, bullied by everyone. The half jade pendant around her neck holds a secret left behind by her mother. Armed with a photographic memory and keen insight into the political climate, she fights her way out of a desperate situation in the woodshed. She uses the rhetoric of the School of Diplomacy to foil her family's schemes, relies on the mechanisms described in the Mozi to escape pursuit by the martial world, and draws the attention of immortal cultivation sects with her spirit marrow physique.

She first meets Chu Yichen, the legitimate eldest son of the Langya Chu clan, during an assassination attempt. His white robes are stained with blood, and he bears the dual burdens of his family and the cultivation world. Yet when his cold gaze falls on her, he is moved by her words: "To survive in troubled times, you needn't be choosy about your methods, only true to your heart." From testing one another to entrusting their lives to each other, they stand by one another amid the power struggles of the great clans. They carve out a path to survival in the Yinsha Cult's plot to break its seal, and when confronted with the century-old fate of the "spirit marrow sacrifice," they choose love over defying fate.

She is a concubine-born daughter of a poor family, yet dares to rival the great clans. He is Heaven's favored son, yet willingly sets aside his pride for her. When the Yinsha Cult Master returns with the grudges of a past life, and the seal begins to weaken as the world teeters on the brink of collapse, they stand hand in hand atop Soulbreak Cliff. She uses modern wisdom to solve the dilemmas of the past, while he uses his clan's bloodline to protect peace for all. At last, the fires of war die out and cooking smoke rises. The light of Yao that once illuminated the woodshed becomes a beacon of prosperity shining over Chang'an.

This is an epic of growth in a time of turmoil, and a heartfelt confession that crosses time and space. The most moving thing is not the legend of defying fate, but two souls who, even in the dust, are willing to become an undying light for each other and for the world.