The White-Robed Cloud Wanderer

The results of the imperial examinations are announced, and Liu Yunci, a gifted scholar from a poor family, places first in the palace exam. Clad in white and peerlessly graceful, he is appointed to the Hanlin Academy and becomes a close aide to the emperor, earning the title “White-Robed Minister.” Everyone in the capital believes he is the Star of Literature descended to earth, unaware that he is also a disciple of the reclusive sword sect Listening Snow Tower. He possesses peerless martial arts and a secret mission from his masters: he has entered the court to investigate a long-buried, far-reaching massacre in the martial world and suspicions of treasonous collusion.

The imperial court is a treacherous place, rife with shifting schemes. Qin Song, the Grand Chancellor, wields power across the realm and builds factions for private gain. Gu Qianlan, commander of the Imperial City Division, misses nothing and keeps everything under close watch. Prince Jing, Xiao Jingyan, is ambitious and seeks to save the realm from collapse. Moving among these competing forces, Liu Yunci hides a swordsman's edge beneath a scholar's appearance. With extraordinary cunning and martial skill held in reserve, he conceals barbs in poetic exchanges and teases apart the clues amid deadly dangers at every turn.

One conspiracy leads to another, and the case gradually points toward the highest echelons of power. On one side are the codes of honor of the martial world and the kindness of his masters; on the other are the safety of the state and the lives of all its people. Beneath the white robes, is there a heart devoted to upholding justice, or an ambition to set the world in turmoil?

When he finally draws close to the truth, he discovers that what he must fight is the entire decaying order. The frail scholar will at last cast off his white robes and bare his blade! This is a battle of intrigue and chivalry that begins at court and ends in the martial world!