The Orphan of Beiliang: I Will Conquer the Realm for Your Revenge

In the third year of the Great Qian era, snow blankets Beiliang, three feet deep, stained red with blood. King Xu Hu of Beiliang leads a hundred thousand men in a desperate defense of Yanmen Pass, holding back the three hundred thousand cavalry of the Northern Mang from sweeping south. But he does not fall to the blades of the Northern Mang. He dies to an arrow shot by one of his own. His three sons are killed in battle, the royal banner falls, and a hundred thousand soldiers of Beiliang are buried beneath the yellow sands. As he lies dying, Xu Hu looks at the thirteen blood-soaked figures behind him and pushes seven-year-old Xu Wei into their arms. “I, Xu Hu, have lived without betraying the Great Qian or its people. Today, in the name of the King of Beiliang, I entrust my child to the Thirteen Dragon Guards of Beixiao.” “As long as the Xu family has an heir, Beiliang is not truly lost.” Thirteen voices answer “We obey,” their cries shaking the snow and wind, a blazing flame in the heart of winter. From that day on, there is no more King of Beiliang, only thirteen wanted notices and a bloodstained Dragon Guard banner. The court wants her dead. The martial world wants her dead. The Northern Mang wants her dead, too. But they have forgotten that among these thirteen are Zhuge Qingyun, a scheming tactician who can calculate the fate of the world; Xiao Jian, a half-saint sword immortal; Iron Hand, who can shatter mountains with a single palm; Wang Wu, the Mad Blade, whose blade thirsts for blood… And Xiao Yan, the sixth man, forever lounging around with a folding fan in hand, yet capable of leading people into a trap so thoroughly that not even their bones remain. Zhuge Qingyun says, “If the world has no place for us, then we'll destroy it.” And so the Thirteen Dragon Guards unleash a storm of blood that sweeps across the land. They walk through the darkness and dance on the edge of blades, wielding schemes both subtle and bold, along with swords, spears, and every weapon under heaven, to carve a path to survival for that orphaned girl. Some are buried on the battlefield, some perish in the martial world, and some burn up their lives to set one final deadly trap. Along the way, corpses pave the road and bones form the steps. When the blood debts have finally been repaid, the dragon banner will rise once more in Shu Province!