Poetry's Song, Blades' Roar

Blurb One: Xie Miao, a young county princess, and Ling Cheng, the only daughter of a family of military commanders, have known each other since childhood and are as close as sisters. But Xie Miao has been frail and sickly since birth, and countless imperial physicians have declared that she won’t live past fifteen. Ling Cheng’s greatest wish is for her to live a healthy, happy life. Somewhere in the martial world lies a place called Longevity Valley. Rumor has it that its divine physician can bring the dead back to life and restore flesh to bare bones. The day young Xie Miao was sent to Longevity Valley for treatment, Ling Cheng accompanied her for mile after mile. When Ling Cheng finally returned to the capital, she learned that everything had changed. Her father had been falsely accused of rebellion, imprisoned in disgrace, and her whole family had been wiped out. Only Ling Cheng escaped by chance. She vanished, and no one knew where she went. Xie Miao’s greatest wish is for her to be safe and sound. Years later, Xie Yuanjue, a young physician just beginning her adventures in the martial world, and Ling Suihan, a lone swordswoman bent on revenge, cross paths again and come to know each other amid the mortal world’s twists and turns. Neither of them ever imagined that the other was the childhood friend she had spent years missing. Blurb Two: The Great Chong dynasty flourishes in an age of peace and prosperity, but beneath the pageantry, undercurrents stir. In Chang’an’s Wuri Ward, four women from vastly different walks of life, each harboring her own secrets, happen by chance to move into a run-down courtyard called the Tanhua House. At first, the four women suspect and distrust one another. But through one conspiracy after another, they come to entrust each other with their lives and their trust. They also make their names known throughout the martial world, earning the elegant epithet: “Phoenix and Dragon Maiden, Guanyin and Yama.” Yet just as they open their hearts to one another, just as they come to see Tanhua House as their shared home, a storm that will shake the world quietly draws near. Reader’s guide (very important): 1. The main cast consists of four women, and there will be plenty of friendship. Main pairing: Ling Suihan/Xie Yuanjue. Secondary pairing: Yan Rushun/Yin Ruoyou. 2. A long, ensemble, plot-driven story, with romance as a secondary element. There’s angst along the way, but the ending is happy. 3. The setting is fictional, loosely based on the Tang dynasty, but many details are made up. 4. The heart of wuxia is “xia,” the spirit of the hero. By the later part of the story, all four members of the main cast will grow into heroes who put others before themselves and fight for their country and people. At first, though, they have some obvious flaws. You can criticize the author or insult the supporting characters all you like, but please don’t insult the author’s four beloved heroines. Blurb for the next novel, As the Moon Waxing In the final years of the Chong dynasty, war erupts everywhere and rival powers vie for supremacy. The Qin family began as bandits, but in only a few short years, they became one of the most formidable forces among the various rebel armies. Everyone says it’s because they have a remarkable daughter. Qin Yi is a brilliant strategist and warrior, capable of anything. Her Xingye Army is unstoppable, victorious in every battle. But during the campaign, her father falls gravely ill and dies. His final decree gives the throne to his son and appoints Qin Yi as regent. The sole reason: Qin Yi is a woman. How could a hen be allowed to crow at dawn? Even though she won nearly the entire realm with her own army, there could never be any question of letting her ascend the throne. On the vast plains, a young strategist bows deeply to her: “From beginning to end, Your Highness, you alone are the ruler Song Xuan has chosen to serve for life.” Song Xuan, head of Qiwushu Academy, earned a fine reputation while still young. A master strategist and decisive leader, she can comfort the people and safeguard the realm, and her students are spread across the world. She is the chief strategist of the Xingye Army, and in the eyes of the world, a leading figure among scholars. Yet no one knows that this “leader among scholars” harbors a great secret. After hiding it for years, an accident leads Qin Yi to uncover it by chance. It turns out that they are the same kind of person. Not long afterward, Qin Yi presents Song Xuan with a women’s robe and hairpins. Beside the flickering candlelight, the young general makes her a solemn promise: “Since you were born a woman, would you be willing to wear these clothes one day and stand at the pinnacle of the court, above all its officials?” Reader’s guide (very important): 1. A long, ensemble, plot-driven story, with romance as a secondary element. 2. The setting is fictional, based on a period of chaos like the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. The characters and factions have no real-world counterparts, and many details are made up. 3. The pairing starts out as a war goddess x strategist, and later becomes founding empress x founding chancellor. The first and middle parts focus on fighting to unify the realm, while the later part focuses on governing it. 4. One character disguises herself as a man, but they only begin dating after learning the other is a woman. She also resumes her identity as a woman in the first half of the story. 5. The story takes place a hundred years after Poetry and Blade. It is the second book in the Chongjing trilogy, but is entirely separate from the previous novel, so you can start here. Theme: Keep striving and never give up, even in difficult circumstances