In Republican-era Changsha, everyone among the Nine Gates knew that Qi Tiezui loved money and valued his life above all else, had the sharpest tongue around, and never got a fortune wrong.
A ghost train stormed into Xingcheng at night. Curses ran rampant in ancient tombs, and deadly mechanisms filled the underground passage to the Yellow Springs.
Everyone thought all he could do was hide, run, and name an outrageous price.
That was until Su Qingyuan, a cold-faced young woman of the mystic arts, came through the night, using talismans to subdue a hundred evil spirits and her sword to break through the dark forces.
From then on, a bickering pair joined the tomb-robbing game:
He read the hexagrams to avoid danger, all bluster and cowardice; she wielded talismans to suppress evil, sharp-tongued and fiercely protective.
With danger at every turn in the tombs, they traded barbs and saved each other day after day, arguing their way through Changsha, Xisha, and Gudongjing.
Zhang Rishan watched from the sidelines, munching on seeds, and silently witnessed it all:
The diviner who cherished his life more than anyone else in the world would risk his entire fate for her;
The coldest mystic maiden in the world would soften for him alone, year after year.
He could calculate a thousand hidden turns with a single reading, but never predict when his heart would stir.
A deep, bickering love that spanned half a lifetime, from Republican-era China to the end of their days.
