The Jade Branch Scheme

This short story is complete. Enjoy!

Yuzhi Manor stands atop a snowy mountain and takes its name from the Yuzhi plum trees that grow only at such heights. It is one of the most powerful clans in the martial world, yet each generation has only two direct heirs. The manor's Yuzhi Formation martial arts are the foundation of its legacy, but the formation's origins are not so pure... The young master of Qingxin Sect was betrothed to the eldest son of Yuzhi Manor in childhood, yet the sect leader wants to be more than his father-in-law... The second son and the steward each have their own plans, and even the snow bandits who appear out of nowhere have some connection to the Yuzhi Formation...

Perhaps the game of desire is played in everyone's heart. It imprisons all living beings for their entire lives, so those who seek benevolence cannot attain it, those who seek love cannot be loved, those who seek martial prowess cannot succeed, and those who seek revenge cannot avenge themselves.

[I'm hopeless at titles...]

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