Take Up the Sword

Former titles: The Sword-Wielding Fortune Teller, Those Years I Spent Leading a Rebellion in Ancient Times

The pitch-black dusk twisted the shadows into grotesque shapes. The underground prison city reeked of blood and cruelty, and not a single inch of land had escaped being stained by someone's death.

The prison boss crushed the hard ore in front of Yi Jin with one stomp. He leaned down, his towering figure looming over her, his oppressive presence suffocating.

"New here. What'd you do to get locked up?"

Yi Jin lowered her head and fell silent for a moment, then answered him very seriously:

"Save the world."

Original blurb:

Also told from the hero's perspective as: After My Guardian Deity Summoned Me Instead, My Guardian Deity Is a Walking Disaster

Yi Jin was transported to ancient times. She brushed the dust off herself and calmly got back to her old trade: fortune-telling. She could find auspicious burial sites for the wealthy and locate lost farm oxen for peasants. Yi Jin welcomed every customer, determined to be a hardworking wage slave of the Jingxu Dynasty.

The Jingxu Dynasty was in turmoil, and its people were suffering. When being an honest wage slave nearly starved her to death, she took the path most common among the dynasty's commoners:

Raising a rebellion and claiming a mountain as her stronghold.

She had eyes that could see through fate, a left hand that could borrow power from the gods, and three ancient coins for fortune-telling, plus a swordsmanship skill that was "almost" the best in the world.

The story begins with a disgraceful case of stolen tax silver and ends with a change of imperial rule.

"I mean to claim the world and rebuild our land, and I am ready to give my life for it." She stood among the reeds with her sword in hand. The setting sun ahead cast a golden-red glow. "This road runs red with blood. Will you all follow me?"

Note: The hero is the second-strongest fighter among mortals.

Content warnings:

1. The main cast are all flawed people who stubbornly pursue their own goals without regret.

2. This is somewhat of an ensemble story. The heroine won't appear in every chapter. (Very little romance.)

3. My writing is limited. I'm learning as I write and writing as I learn... I may go off track and the story may fall apart along the way, but I have a fairly detailed outline for the main plot, so that probably won't fall apart.

4. A warning from the author after completion: My left and right brains are constantly at war, and I no longer know what might set off warning bells. In short, if anything feels off, just get out of here...

Theme: Pursue your goals relentlessly.