Fu Shu is a liar.
She has a partner in crime named Li Si.
To sneak into the Ji family, a household of renowned mechanism-makers, and steal something, the two of them put on a show outside the Ji residence, pretending to be selling herself to bury her dead husband.
The Ji family's young master, Ji Xingxue, falls for it, and she manages to get inside.
Ji Xingxue is obsessed with craftsmanship. He seems aloof and proud, but he's warmhearted beneath the cold exterior. Being his maid is easy for Fu Shu, and she can even secretly learn his craft.
But she has a secret: she suffers from skin hunger. Li Si used to help ease it, but now she'll have to find a way on her own.
After holding back for half a month, Fu Shu sneaks into Ji Xingxue's bed while on night watch.
The young master is startled, but he doesn't push her away.
After that, she keeps pushing her luck, until one day Ji Xingxue catches her hand as she reaches for his belt. Blushing, he says softly, "I understand your feelings... But don't rush. Let's wait until we're married before we... do that."
Fu Shu is shocked. Seeing that the situation has gotten out of hand, she can only call it off ahead of schedule.
She steals the Ji family's token of recommendation to Wentian Academy in Yongdu and promptly makes her escape.
A month later, she and Li Si use the token to enter Wentian Academy, but with no one to vouch for them, they can only become outer disciples.
That won't do!
Fortunately, the academy's senior disciple, You Jianhuai, comes to teach the outer disciples every month.
He's gentle, modest, and refined, and never looks down on the outer disciples. Fu Shu happens to save him during a training expedition.
As he has no way to repay her for saving his life, You Jianhuai soon brings Fu Shu into the inner sect, where she becomes his junior sister.
But the inner sect is full of gifted elites, and the competition is fierce.
Fu Shu has no choice but to focus on her studies. She gradually finds her footing in the inner sect, though one person continues to dislike her: Xin Yuanyi, who ties with her in every exam.
He's a prodigy in every sense of the word. His family, looks, and talent are all top-tier, and after their first contest he becomes determined to compete with her, keeping an eye on her at every turn.
Then one day, Fu Shu's old affliction flares up again. Mistaking Xin Yuanyi for her senior brother, she takes liberties with him, and their relationship becomes complicated from then on.
Not long afterward, Ji Xingxue arrives at Wentian Academy for the inter-academy competition.
Fu Shu's habit of keeping several men on the hook is finally exposed. When the three of them come looking for her one after another, she falls back on her old method.
She sneaks into the academy's back mountain, steals its most precious treasure, and makes another escape with Li Si.
Later, the legendary City in the Clouds, long thought to have vanished from the Far East, reappears and summons mechanism-makers from across the world.
Ji Xingxue, You Jianhuai, and Xin Yuanyi all attend.
When they meet again, the three grit their teeth and sneer, "Let's see where you can run this time!"
Oh no. This time, she really can't get away by running off and leaving her home behind.
[Plot-focused version]
Fu Shu's world has never known light. Every time she wakes from a midnight dream, she sees a dead city drenched in blood and piled with corpses.
Ten years ago, the City in the Clouds, a sacred pilgrimage site in the hearts of all mechanism-makers, was destroyed overnight.
Some say it was because the city created monsters that were neither human nor ghost, and brought its destruction upon itself.
The greedy invaders committed unforgivable crimes, then turned around and blamed their victims. Fu Shu has not known a single peaceful night's sleep since.
She emerged from a city of piled bones not to ask the world for some empty gesture of justice.
The City in the Clouds' puppet army will cut off the heads of every evildoer.
She will be the judge.
A heroine who's warm on the outside but cold at heart, driven by desire rather than feelings, vs. a devoted mad dog (Li Si) / a beautiful, sweet, naive young master (Ji Xingxue) / a gentle, fatherly man (You Jianhuai) / a handsome, proud rival (Xin Yuanyi)
Blurb written on June 25, 2026, and screenshotted. Do not steal the concept.
Reader's guide: All the men are virgins, with a harem rivalry setup. Half plot and half romance, melodramatic, and indulgent in the author's tastes. Please don't use it to judge your values.
The setting is fictional, with mountains of original worldbuilding, in an Eastern steampunk era.
Core message: There is a city in my heart.
