Year of the Fire Horse: The Locked Unicorn Pouch

In the first spring of the Bingwu year, a cold fog shrouded the estate. Beside the seven horse-headed figurines in the Shen family’s ancestral home, a gold-painted Qilin-embroidered pouch concealed secrets spanning generations, while a bronze mirror reflected a bloody mystery from three years ago. Shen Zhiyi, the last guardian of the Shen family’s Qilin crest, clutched half of a “Know and Guard” jade pendant as she entered the secret chamber. She did not know that this step would draw her into a shocking contest involving the fate of the nation, the family, and the human heart. Her family has been slaughtered, her father is missing, and her uncle’s Black Snake lackeys close in at every turn. Lu Jin’s silver-threaded steed keeps her safe along the way. From solving the ancestral home’s riddles to being cornered in Yinma Alley and fighting across the Cold River ferry, she awakens the Qilin crest with her Shen bloodline. Golden light shields her, and she commands the waters to break the formation. But she discovers that behind the pursuit lies Prince Ding’an’s wicked ambition to seize the secret realm of the previous dynasty. Joined together, the yin and yang Qilin crest plaques can unlock the treasure and military texts beneath the Temple of Heaven’s altar, command the fortunes of heaven and earth in the Bingwu year, and lay claim to a vast empire. From the waterways of Jiangnan to the imperial palace in the capital, ambushes line the roads and attacks block the waterways. The Qilin crest reveals its power, old allies return to her side, and warmth lingers in their glances. Though only a woman, Shen Zhiyi shoulders her family’s generations-old duty to guard the Qilin. With the Qilin jade plaque in her left hand to steady the nation’s fortunes and a short blade in her right to protect the people, she stands shoulder to shoulder with Lu Jin, braving deadly lairs, exposing conspiracies, facing assassins, and battling a rebel prince. Horses thunder across a thousand rivers, while the Qilin guards one heart. The secret record is no calamity; it is human nature that brings disaster. The winds of the Bingwu year sweep over stone-paved streets and whip across the frigid river’s towering waves, finally reaching the Temple of Heaven in the capital. When the yin and yang plaques join, golden light shines upon the altar, and Shen Zhiyi finally understands: the Qilin crest guards not the treasure and military texts, but peace throughout the land and safety for its people. A deadly contest of zodiac-inspired intrigue, and a powerful romance between two people who vow to protect the Qilin and stay true to their hearts, in the Year of the Horse