This Child Must Not Be Spared

[Reading Guide]

1v1, happy ending, both are each other's only one

A mature, steady, wooden swordswoman × a shameless, coquettish, flirtatious strategist

An unconventional childhood-friends-to-lovers story, with the classic they-will-be-the-death-of-each-other dynamic

Slow burn, melodramatic twists, and rekindled love after a breakup. They hurt and use each other in turn; crossing swords and facing death are commonplace. Please understand if this isn't for you.

[Blurb]

As the saying goes in the martial world, heroes are passionate. Jiang Yingchao is the exception.

Once, someone seeking to right a wrong asked an old friend, "How much is sincerity worth?"

For anyone else, the answer would surely be that it was worth more than a fortune.

But she answered, "Not a penny."

Because an old friend is merely playing a part. Sincerity is naturally like the moon reflected in water: best admired from afar. If you throw yourself into the water, all you'll get is soaked clothes and a nasty chill.

To move between the imperial court and the martial world, one must cast off affection and attachments to travel light.

"How do you know that sincerity only hurts, and can't be fished out?" the other person pressed.

"...Xie Minghe," she said coolly. "Your disguise is decent, but if you're going to plead your own case, at least change your way of speaking."

The martial world also says that heroes are passionate, and Xie Minghe is among the finest.

When Jiang Yingchao returned to the capital from the borderlands, she drove him off in a sorry state at their very first meeting. Yet he secretly delighted in it.

Only she understands him. With an old friend like that, what more could he ask for?

He layered disguise upon disguise and went to great lengths to get close to her. He felt both ashamed and fortunate: ashamed to have hidden so much from her, yet fortunate to have earned a place at her side.

He nervously kept his sincere affection for her to himself, waiting for the right moment to lay it all bare.

But just before that moment arrived, the other's sword was at his throat.

"I was just imagining things," he heard Jiang Yingchao say with a self-mocking laugh. "Young Master Xie, you offered yourself to me to secure the realm. You truly deserve to be called heartless."

The heartless say, "This man must not be allowed to live."

The lovestruck say, "This heart is reserved for her alone."

Theme: We young people should stand tall and strong, and rely on ourselves.