The Man and the Blade

Cool, taciturn, tsundere, sickly beauty of a hall master, the gong X a wild, unconventional, unhinged, expendable soldier, the shou

*

Shang Changci, the sixth young master of Wuxiang City, suffered from a heart condition from childhood. Once, he had been a spirited young man whose name was known throughout the land. The pride and unyielding spirit that defined the first half of his life should have stood tall and proud like a pine tree in winter, bending to no one and breaking for nothing. But when his father suddenly passed away without leaving him a single word, the bloody infighting within Wuxiang City snapped that spirit completely.

Wuxiang City was a place he had fought tooth and nail to defend, wielding the Yindong Sword as he walked over corpses and spilled blood. One purge to crush the rebellion and eliminate his rivals cost him every last vestige of the affection he had shared with them as a child. His siblings all came to see him as cold and heartless, and kept their distance.

The only one who remained by his side as always was Bo Xuan, the human weapon he had taken in by chance at the gates of the Life and Death Sect when he was young. The years had not changed him: he was still bright as the moon, a young man with a long saber at his waist and red robes fluttering around him. He was Shang Zhuo's keen blade and sturdy shield, slaying every formidable foe and standing against every hardship.

"My lord, seeing you like this pains me."

Bo Xuan tucked a vivid red plum blossom into Shang Zhuo's hair, cradled his pale, gravely ill face, and knelt before him solemnly. "I'll go find medicine for you. We have to live together... for a long, long time."

But private feelings and the family legacy were hard to reconcile. After twelve years apart, the two met again, and Bo Xuan finally learned of the schemes Shang Zhuo had woven beneath all that tenderness. Old grudges and past affection, love and hate, were all tangled together.

Shang Zhuo sent him to Jiangnan and gave him a powerful token that could save his life. Twelve years ago, he had chosen a way for Bo Xuan to live. Twelve years later, he still bestowed a bright and open road upon him.

"But I don't want to walk this road with you anymore."

*

Ten years of desolation, a bright road ahead.

Spring waters flow through Jiangnan. Then, from afar, news arrives that his beloved is dead.

Bo Xuan takes up his saber and, under cover of night, slays his way up Wentian Mountain.

[Reading Guide]

1. This is a serious wuxia story focused on the plot and the protagonists' romance, with side stories for the supporting characters. It will probably be long. The title does not refer to the shou alone. Strictly speaking, about six characters fit the title, so it has a somewhat ensemble feel.

2. A mutually doting, equally matched couple; sickly beauty and mad dog; fake enemies-to-lovers; fake gong dies and shou goes mad (the gong doesn't die, it's a fake-out). The story isn't about good and evil: there are no villains or evil characters. The plot gets a little angsty.

3. The first volume follows Changci and Bo Xuan's separation. The middle volume covers some of Changci's story from his youth to the present, and these two parts are unconnected. The final volume picks up where the first volume left off. This is a long story, so updates will be irregular.

Theme: Seeing the light in human nature