The Zhang family’s ancient tower has crumbled, and their patriarch has been missing for more than ten years. Rumors abound among the clan: some say he died behind the Bronze Gate, while others say he long ago forgot the mortal world.
Only Zhang Haike, Zhang Haixing, and Zhang Jiuri refuse to believe it. Zhang Haiqi refuses to believe it, as do Zhang Hailou, Zhang Haixia, and the other Zhang descendants scattered far and wide.
They change their appearances and slip into modern cities, following one fragmentary clue after another through the jungle of steel and concrete in search of an elusive name: Zhang Qiling.
Then, in an unremarkable little town, they meet “Zhang San,” wearing an old coat, with an ordinary face and clouded eyes. Zhang Hailou even bumps into him without giving it a second thought.
No one recognizes him.
Until one rainy night, amid blood and fire, a blue qilin marking spreads upward from his collarbone: a qilin strides through the flames, looking down on all creation.
Everyone falls to their knees, hearts pounding, tears of joy streaming down their faces.
“Patriarch!”
But the Zhang family’s crisis goes far beyond finding their patriarch. Zhang Nian, a prodigy from a branch family, has already laid a vast trap. He intends to prove that he is better suited to lead the Zhang family than this “derelict patriarch.”
He closes in at every turn, each move deadly, unaware of what sort of being he has provoked.
Zhang Qiling raises his eyes.
The qilin returns to its place, and the Zhang family will never fall.
[I love Zhang Qiling and wanted to write a fanfic about him. This is a story about the Zhang family finding their patriarch again.]
Theme: A king needs no throne; the qilin will always find its way home. The Zhang family is searching for more than a patriarch: they seek a faith worth following with their lives.
