No Taboos

In the nine provinces of Yanchuan, there are four celestial lamps, each illuminating one direction: spring in the east, summer in the south, autumn in the west, and winter in the north.

As long as all four lights burn, the land remains at peace. If they go out, nightmares awaken in the depths of people's hearts.

Tian Xiangling, owner of the waterside pavilion in the ancient city of Yinsheng, was born bound by a curse called the Hundred Questions. She seems lazy and money-loving, and rarely says anything serious, yet she holds the Zhaoxue zither case, which can hear the voices of nightmares. She respects neither gods nor fate, and is best at demanding an inopportune fee for her trouble when others are desperate.

Then the spring light of the Eastern Lamp Terrace goes out, and the names of the city's residents begin to be cut away one by one from door plaques, family records, and memories.

At the old paper market, she meets Lin Zhixia.

Once the sword cultivator who guarded the Broken Moon Pass, Lin Zhixia is known throughout the land as the Severing Mountain Sword Lord. She carries the Green Branch Sword and is cool and taciturn. Her blade can cut down nightmares and sever old karmic ties, but it has never been able to cut through the last words she never managed to deliver.

One refuses to bow and beg fate for mercy.

The other has long been used to walking through the long night alone.

Forced to travel together by the rifts in the four lights, the two go from the Yinsheng waterside pavilion to the old paper market, from the Eastern Lamp Terrace to the Well of Returning Names, pursuing the black-paper contracts left behind by Ning Zhezhi, the one pulling the strings.

They will meet Taozi, who can repair things by breaking them; Xiaojiu, a talking paper bird; and nightmares that sew human hearts into paper. And with every brush with death, they will discover that the so-called century-long cycle may not be the world repeating an old dream. Perhaps someone has simply refused to let a certain person truly die.

But the final question Ning Zhezhi leaves behind is sharper than any nightmare:

If the person you love will one day kill you with her own hands, will you still save her?

Tian Xiangling says, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because before she gets completely lost, I have to bring her home."

After hearing this, Lin Zhixia only tightens her grip on her sword.

At first, they think they need to repair the four celestial lamps. Later, they realize what truly needs mending are the names severed by time, the truth buried by reincarnation, and the red thread between them, nearly snapped in two.

In this life, Tian Xiangling will bring Lin Zhixia home.

And Lin Zhixia will shield her from every falling ray of light before the sky comes crashing down.

The century-long cycle will end at last.

But this time, they will not bow to fate.

Together, they will tear open the sky and see who is waiting for them beyond its gates.

Theme: Through the crisis of the four lights going out and a sea of nightmares drawing near, this story explores order and freedom, divine will and the human heart. When the gods meant to protect all living things become the source of darkness, true hope comes from the courage, trust, and responsibility of ordinary people. "No prohibitions, no taboos" does not mean being fearless. It means daring to protect those you love despite your fear, and taking responsibility for your choices.