A Talisman to Keep You Safe

Main story complete, currently revising. Thank you, dear readers, for your support ((^з^)

Two strong leads, happy ending, sweet romantic tension, subtle Chinese horror, ensemble cast | Original title: Invite Me to Yunlan

Yu Meiyao is the legitimate daughter of a marquis's household, yet she grew up amid the spirit-filled mountains and rivers of a village.

She has no power, influence, or money, only a set of unique and peerless mystical arts.

So when she returns to the capital to mourn and reclaims her place in the Yu family, what she takes back is far more than wealth and glory.

A funeral hall stirred by an eerie wind, haunted by vengeful children;

A wandering soul clinging to a paper figure, crying out its grief;

A noblewoman whose eternally youthful skin conceals a sinister secret...

Yu Meiyao needs only a drop of blood, a talisman, and a spoken incantation.

No crooked sorcery, deluded obsession, or monstrous ghost can escape her grasp.

For she was born to be the finest heir to the art of divination.

She hides in the shadows, steering events with a single hand and turning the world of princes and nobles upside down.

But when she turns around after all that, she finds a pair of deep eyes watching her from the dark.

Yue Shanglan is an overlooked prince, famous for nothing but his otherworldly, handsome looks.

Yu Meiyao is not one to chase after a pretty face, but she cannot exactly refuse when one comes knocking.

"Sign a soul contract and protect me from death, Your Highness. Just don't kill the donkey once the millstone is ground." Yu Meiyao blinked her beautiful, innocent eyes, feigning vulnerability.

Yue Shanglan thought it over for a moment and agreed. She only wanted some reassurance, after all.

But then she said... she wanted to borrow his body?

Only when that strange soul forcefully possessed him without his consent did Yue Shanglan understand what it meant for "the Dao to rise one foot, and the Devil to rise ten."

But by then, it was too late to regret it.

They had agreed to keep things strictly transactional, but little by little, he began acting more and more strangely.

She sought justice for the dead, while he quietly cleared away obstacles left by the previous dynasty;

When she was surrounded and attacked by sorcerers, he risked his life to cut down every assailant.

Blood and chaos surrounded the throne, while countless souls perished beneath her talismans.

As the power over a thousand miles of territory gradually shifted into their hands, his steps were slowly carrying him toward her.

After several rounds of testing each other, it turned out...

One was as serene as a spring breeze, skilled in martial arts and adept at lying low. Behind his elegant, graceful smile, hidden weapons slipped from his sleeves, striking in an instant.

The other was calm and dignified, concealing her true abilities with mystical arts. She drew blood at her fingertip, painted a talisman, and recited an incantation. In a flash of spiritual light, she subdued spirits and banished evil.

They opened their hearts to each other and worked together in perfect harmony.

Fear not the road ahead. Come, let us journey to Yunlan together.

[Reading Guide]

1. Subtle Chinese horror, though I personally don't find it scary.

2. The dynasty is fictional. Official titles and institutions draw on historical references, but most of the worldbuilding is my own.

[Shameless Plug]

My next novel will also be historical romance, titled The First Emperor.

It's on my author page, and the blurb is already written. I won't be making major changes later!

If it catches your eye, please add it to your reading list!!!

Please, please, please!!! Thank you!!!

-------------Blurb for The First Emperor--------------

"Disguised as a man | Mutual pining | Two strong, devoted leads | Secret identity revealed | Sweet, no angst"

A sweet, haughty, domineering, and cunning crown "prince"

×

A righteous to a fault, cultured and martial, stern and loyal minister

Characters and outline are all set. Thank you for your support, and please add it to your reading list! Thank you!

Synopsis

Yan Changxun, orphaned son of the Duke of Loyal Valor, is of illustrious birth and deeply valued by the emperor.

Everyone says he is a heaven-sent genius.

He can wield his brush to criticize the world and use his sword to take an enemy general's head.

His graceful bearing and imposing presence have won the admiration of countless people.

So at the age of twelve, he was personally selected by the emperor to enter the palace and serve as the crown prince's study companion.

It was plain to everyone that the emperor intended to favor and groom him.

Yan Changxun entered the Eastern Palace with a heart full of passion.

He was inseparable from the crown prince, but little by little, he began to notice something was off...

The young crown prince was as lovely as a carved doll, gentle and soft-spoken.

He was clever, but perhaps the empress had spoiled him too much. He was always clingy and liked to act cute.

How could a grown man behave that way?

Where was his imperial dignity? His sense of propriety?

Yan Changxun wanted to teach the crown prince a man's courage and the upright bearing of a true gentleman.

But the young crown prince was impervious to reason and only smiled at him.

Bright-eyed and charming, he was unbearably adorable.

Yan Changxun also discovered that the young crown prince seemed to like makeup and face powder!

Oh no... Could His Highness be attracted to men?

But... the child was so well-behaved, thoughtful, clever, and kind.

He would grow up to be a wise ruler who benefited the realm, someone worthy of respect and devotion.

Just look at those sweet dimples that appeared whenever His Highness smiled, as if they were filled with honey~

...Oh no, oh no! Was he going to end up liking men too?

When Yan Changxun realized this, he was so frightened that he no longer dared to enter the Eastern Palace casually.

Luckily, on his fifteenth birthday, an imperial decree came, and he volunteered to go to war, traveling far away to the frontier.

Six years later, he returned victorious.

The crown prince now ruled the world, commanding the respect of all lands.

That straight-backed figure sat upon the dragon throne, awe-inspiring without even trying.

Behind the dangling jade beads of his crown was a pair of eyes that revealed no emotion.

The emperor was now a true Son of Heaven, and was about to take consorts into his harem.

It seemed Yan Changxun had imagined things back then...

Yan Changxun looked up at the throne once more. Their eyes met, stirring his heart, yet for a moment neither knew what to say.

At last, the emperor spoke:

"General, I am greatly relieved to see you return victorious. In a little while... why don't you come sit with me in my chambers?"

He happily agreed.

He stepped into the inner chambers. The phoenix-patterned curtains swayed, and a sweet fragrance teased his senses.

The slender figure, now out of his imperial robes, looked hazy behind an embroidered silk screen.

Yan Changxun could hear but not see him. Then he heard:

"Why don't you come closer and talk with me, my dear subject?"

His throat bobbed. An inexplicable nervousness and anticipation seemed to set a thousand little bugs crawling over his skin...

He could not explain it. They were only sovereign and subject meeting again...

So why did it feel like the anxious joy of lovers reunited after a long separation?

A crown princess who is sweet on the outside and cunning within × a righteous-to-a-fault, loyal, stern general

A childhood friendship, and the secret of disguising herself as a man;

Mutual pining, and the careful steps they take toward each other.

Theme: If you have a clear conscience, why fear ghosts knocking at your door?