Across the Four Wilds

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[Keywords] Main plot, jianghu, wuxia, a little political intrigue, a touch of ensemble cast, a touch of steampunk, younger man, two strong leads, both inexperienced and devoted, the male lead's one-sided love becomes mutual, HE

When Gu Miao was five, her father brought home a child and told her, "You must protect him, even if it costs you your life."

The child always followed close behind her, calling her "Senior Sister" every other breath. Gu Miao thought, I will protect him forever.

Later, her father used water cold as ice to carve a design into her body and charged her, "This belongs to him. You must guard it forever."

The design was called Four Corners of the World. Whoever possessed it could claim the realm.

After that, the Panjia Army descended out of nowhere. The manor lord disappeared, the retainers scattered, and the Wolxue Manor was destroyed overnight.

To protect the child, Gu Miao had no choice but to leave him behind.

Ten years of hardship passed. Everything had changed. A carefree young man became a traitorous minister in the space of a single night.

With hundreds of pursuers behind her and a sheer snowy precipice before her, her senses clouded and her body broken, Gu Miao thought she would never escape this disaster. Then, through the haze, she caught sight of him.

His blue robes were as before, his face unchanged. The little boy had grown up, his dark eyes unreadable. He said, "Who dares touch her?"

At the same time, the alliance leader was murdered, chaos engulfed the jianghu, Linbing invaded, eunuchs seized power, and Beiyu had become a lone boat adrift in a raging storm.

And it all began with the Four Corners of the World.

No one knew where it was, whether it even existed, or that it was right under their noses, carved into the body of a woman who looked barely alive.

The jianghu's tumultuous tides tossed a tiny boat about. Gu Miao only had to fan the flames to set the entire chaotic world scattering like fish and birds.

Whether she wanted to or not, ever since that child entered Wolxue Manor, Gu Miao had been trapped in a whirlpool from which there was no escape...

Every step leads through the jianghu, every swordstroke shapes a life.

This is a wuxia story about a traitor to Beiyu and a remnant of the former dynasty.

"Xiao Ye, do you want the Four Corners of the World?"

"What? If I say yes, will you show it to me right here, Senior Sister?"

[Mad traitorous minister Senior Sister × Sinister, jealous former-dynasty remnant Junior Brother]

[Content warnings] [Content warnings] [Content warnings] Important things must be said three times. [Please read the warnings, or I'll cry]

1. The heroine is beautiful, powerful, and tragic, and she is quite mad. She suffers intense physical abuse, and her background is tragic. The only guarantee is that the male lead treats her very well. Please consider carefully if you cannot handle tragedy.

2. Not every character is perfect. The story explores the selfish and dark sides of human nature. Some characters will be redeemed and others will not. The selfish will meet bad ends, but if you cannot accept even the slightest flaw in a character, please run along.

3. Most of the characters' choices are forced choices made because of the situation. These are not choices they can make instantly, nor are they guaranteed to be right. Character growth takes time, and every choice they make will have its reasons, which will be explained gradually in the story. Please do not force yourself to keep reading if you cannot wait.

4. Some aspects of the dynastic setting draw on history. Official titles are a mishmash, researched but not exhaustively.

5. The heroine is strong and the story is told from her perspective, but she is not the sort of "strong female lead" who seeks to rule as king or emperor.

6. More to come if I think of anything.

Theme: Never disdain small beginnings; keep working steadily over time.