Bloom by Day, Fade by Night

[Ensemble cast + pure love + a jianghu atmosphere]

If you find the setup in the first few chapters boring, you can start reading from Chapter 17.

“To us!” Zhu Youzhou immediately caught on, lifted his wine jar, and roared.

“Ah...” Shen Qiuchao spoke softly. “Compared to life at the academy, I prefer roaming the jianghu, living freely beneath the heavens, drinking every fine wine in the world and seeing every beautiful sight.”

“There'll be time for that someday,” Zhu Muxi said slowly. “After we leave the academy, I'll protect the world and roam the jianghu with you.”

“Count me in!” Zhu Youzhou said excitedly. “From now on, the three of us will share life and death, no matter how far we travel!”

A smile appeared in Shen Qiuchao's eyes, and Zhu Muxi nodded slightly. The three exchanged glances beneath the falling plum blossoms. No elaborate ceremony, no blood oath, just three rough wine jars clinking hard together in midair.

“To the world!” Shen Qiuchao declared.

“To freedom!” Zhu Youzhou laughed.

“To us,” Zhu Muxi added softly, bringing the toast to a close.

“Hey, what do you think Jiangnan in those storybooks is really like?” Shen Qiuchao asked wistfully. “Is it even more prosperous than Chang'an?”

“Who knows? We can go see for ourselves someday.”

“It's a deal, then!”

“The three of us will travel to the ends of the earth and see every mountain and river under heaven...”

Pure love, without a doubt. The ending is tentatively HEA. There are plenty of twists and clues to savor, so it's definitely worth reading closely.

Dear readers, don't wait until it's finished to start. Following a novel as it updates is an experience in itself.