Chen Xuan opens his eyes and finds himself the young lord of Cloud City. His father has fallen in battle, their provisions are gone, and thirty thousand Northern Barbarian cavalry surround the city. Fewer than three thousand soldiers remain to defend it. Worse still, the blood of a succubus flows through his veins, a bloodline all five kingdoms would kill him for.
But his mind is filled with five thousand years of poetry.
On the city wall, a recitation of "Man Jiang Hong" brings tears to the eyes of the entire army. Amid the chaos of battle, half of "The Swordsman's Journey" becomes sword energy that decapitates the enemy. With one hand, he builds an army; with the other, he establishes the "Heavenly Secrets Pavilion." In public, he is the lord of a besieged city. In secret, he commands the world's intelligence network.
The eldest princess of the Wen Song dynasty comes to "bring him into the fold," but one of his poems, "Climbing High," throws her heart into disarray. A lone daughter of a military family points her spear at him, yet his words, "The general dies after a hundred battles," bring tears to her eyes. The girl selling wontons beneath the city walls turns out to be the sharpest blade in the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
The Northern Barbarians return, and undercurrents stir among the five kingdoms. Everyone wants him dead, yet no one can do without him.
He has no desire to contend for the world. He only wants to protect the lone city behind him. But this game of the world insists on pushing him into the role of player.
"The city gates are closed. If you want to attack Cloud City, ask my poetry first."
(Multiple female leads)
