The Stars of Wangchuan Have Yet to Sink

Introduction to Starfall Across the River of Forgetfulness The Star-Crossing Tower on the banks of the River of Forgetfulness is the last place where departed souls look back. Its master, Xing Ci, spends his own lifespan to let countless souls relive the regrets of their lives, yet he has forgotten who he is. He remembers only that the star chart on the tower’s third floor must not be touched, that sorrow always lurks in his maid Yue Ya’s eyes, and that the waters of the River of Forgetfulness have not changed temperature in a hundred years. That changes when the spirit of Shen Yan Ci, a general who guarded the northern frontier, arrives bearing memories of a “calamity star.” In those memories, the “ill-omened star” who wore white stained with blood and unleashed black mist a hundred years ago looks exactly like the reflection in Xing Ci’s mirror. With the appearance of a star-patterned jade pendant, the fluttering wings of the memory butterfly Ling Xi, and a visit from Su Wan Ying, master of the Jianghu Pavilion, Xing Ci’s sealed past is gradually laid bare. He was not born to guide souls across the river. He was the “Calamity-Devouring Star,” capable of absorbing the disasters of the mortal world, framed by the imperial family as the source of chaos, sealed by his mentor and imprisoned in the Star-Crossing Tower for a hundred years. On one side is Yue Ya’s steadfast resolve that protecting the tower means protecting him. On the other is Shen Yan Ci’s conviction that the truth must not be buried. There is Xie Jing Lan’s scheme to covet this power, and Mo Chen’s entanglement in a century-old feud that cannot be repaid. As the seal on the star chart weakens and the calamities that have accumulated threaten to turn on him, Xing Ci finally understands: for a hundred years, he has not been guiding departed souls across the river, but confronting a fate that was rewritten for him. The waters of the River of Forgetfulness continue to flow, carrying unspoken regrets and long-awaited hopes. Gazing at the first sprout of star grass by the riverbank, he asks softly: How long does a fallen star need to shine again? Perhaps the answer lies in the faint glimmers of love and redemption that slip out, unwittingly, each time he guides a soul across the river.