Born beneath strange celestial omens, Su Jinse was blamed for her mother’s death. That same year, her hometown suffered a three-year drought, and people branded her a jinx. At three, she was said to have “died young,” but in truth her father secretly sent her away to study under the most powerful practitioner of the unorthodox arts in the land. Fifteen years later, a mysterious organization called Calamity Terrace appears in the martial world. Its master never shows their face, yet knows everything happening under heaven and will sell anything. From secrets within the inner chambers to military defense maps and the emperor’s whereabouts, if you can afford the price, you can even “buy” a disaster of just the right scale. The entire Zhongyong Marquis household is accused of treason and sentenced to execution. Su Jinse gives a faint smile and posts a new message on Calamity Terrace: “For sale: the truth behind the Zhongyong Marquis treason case. Highest bidder wins.” At once, every faction in the capital springs into action. She sits back and watches the tigers fight, turning the court into a muddy mess. Pei Yuan, the powerful chief minister, is her biggest customer. Gentle as jade and compassionate toward all, he is hailed as a saint by the people. Time and again, he buys from her information that could spark chaos, all to calm the situation and protect the common people. Su Jinse finds him hypocritical and amusing, and teases him whenever she can. Then, during one transaction, she shows up in person, only for Pei Yuan to trap her in a meticulously prepared net. He drops his gentle facade, his eyes burning with obsessive madness. “Every storm you’ve stirred up should have been for me alone. A jinx? Then be a source of calamity for me, and me alone.”
