Old Rain, New Dust

As the greatest con artist in the martial world, Lin Nianzhen lives by the principle, “If I have no morals, no one can guilt-trip me.” It has landed her in the middle of a spectacular mess.

She was only looking for a powerful patron, so she disguised herself as Shen Ruyi, the deceased junior sister of the Tianxuan Sect. But she never expected to stumble into the biggest trap in the Great Su: these people were on their way to assassinate Qi Hanci, the most powerful minister in the court.

The members of this “revenge tour group” heading to Sijing to die are all wonderfully unhinged in their own ways:

Her senior sister, Ruan Qingyun: A cold-faced martial arts fanatic with extraordinary talent. She suspected Lin Nianzhen was an impostor from the start, but chose to turn a blind eye and quietly protect her.

Their guide, Wei Chenyuan: A scheming, obsessive man who plans ten steps ahead. He plots while coughing blood, coolly watches Lin Nianzhen put on an act, then casually recruits her as a pawn.

Liu Buyu, a former imperial secret guard: A cold-blooded assassin on the side. The former emperor's terrifying executioner, now lost among the common folk, he has all kinds of deadly devices up his sleeve.

Run away? Her legs are too weak.

Come clean? She might get her head chopped off.

So Lin Nianzhen has no choice but to open her “Survival Guide to Putting on an Act”:

With her aloof yet protective senior sister, she routinely plays the victim and acts cute, while fighting fire with fire and stealing only from thieves.

With the scheming, obsessive male lead who plans ten steps ahead, she pretends to be fragile, then accidentally dumps a bowl of scalding soup all over him.

As for the cold, watchful assassin, she'll just have to treat his social anxiety.

Of the four people at the heart of the group, everyone but her has a story steeped in blood and vengeance.

Lin Nianzhen alone takes her role in this deadly serious tale of power struggles and revenge very seriously: making everyone laugh.