Sima Cheng, the greatest general of Zhaolan, stained her black iron armor with blood until even the people of Moyi trembled at her name. Shen Zhiyi, Zhaolan’s foremost intelligence operative, turned the court and country into a chessboard, with every piece in her palm.
One guarded the nation’s borders in the open, while the other protected its heart from the shadows. They should have had nothing to do with each other, but the ruler’s suspicions and the political struggles of their fathers and brothers thrust them into a fateful clash.
At the Taiyulou, one used romance as a pretext to sound the other out, but a single kiss made her lose control. In the general’s manor, one used marriage as a cover to deceive others, but for the first time, her heart slipped beyond her control.
When blade met blade, and sincerity collided with schemes:
Would they join forces to topple the suspicious court of Zhaolan? Would they each let go and retreat into the martial world, never to meet again? Or would one of them ultimately fall by the other’s sword?
They could only choose once. And this time, their choice would decide who lived and who ruled the land.
