The Night Wanderer

[50% anti-spoiler protection, 24 hours.] [See below for cultivation levels.] [My take on cultivation, a crematorium for all beings + the White Moonlight of the Six Realms] I. Chu Lian had died once before. She had lived gloriously for seven hundred years, giving her all to treat others well. Her close friend was born with a damaged soul that was unstable, so she spent half her essence to make a secret medicine to nourish it. Her sweet, obedient junior brother had a tragic background, so she personally stepped in and carefully plotted to secure him a bright future. Her beloved master had to undergo the Eight Sufferings tribulation, so she went to Mount Wu and, despite others telling her she was being foolish, endured the heavenly lightning to obtain an oracle that would free him from his predicament. All that passion had been for nothing. One day, a coup erupted in the Nine Netherworlds. Chu Lian's brother, a man of sinister and violent temperament, led his troops to the foot of Wangxiang Terrace, killed her father, and pointed his sword at the Ninth Heaven. The Realm of Tianxiao was in an uproar. Chu Lian fell from honored guest to traitor and demon. Her accolades vanished, replaced by a deluge of curses. On the day the Thousand Butchers' army entered the Realm of Tianxiao, Chu Lian's former friends filled Ziheng Heaven. Every one of them belonged to an orthodox sect or an esteemed family. Dragging her chains, frail and disheveled, Chu Lian knelt outside the hall and took a sword strike from the person she loved, delivered through the closed doors. Her cultivation was completely destroyed. Imprisoned alone in the Myriad Blossoms Illusion, her friend squeezed her neck and forcibly destroyed her spiritual palace, then dug out her Nascent Soul. The junior brother she had raised with her own hands revealed his treacherous ambitions. With his wings fully grown, he betrayed the sect. Before leaving, he forced Chu Lian into a master-servant contract, hurled insults at her, and humiliated her again and again. Once a heaven-blessed prodigy, she became a mere wreck and vanished from the Six Realms. II. Eight hundred years later, the Six Realms gathered to celebrate the investiture of the princess of Baiyu Capital, all festive and jubilant. Amid the commotion, the foremost immortal abode in the Realm of Tianxiao lost a traitor. It was a trivial matter, but the powerful figures of every realm reacted as if the world were ending. The Divine Venerable emerged from seclusion and sealed the realm, the Ghost Emperor sent out his army, and the Demon Emperor's restrictions spread across city after city. They turned everything upside down in their search. And yet they could not find that one person. III. Chu Lian had to struggle mightily to crawl out of Sumeru Valley, and an old ghost was still riding on her back. The first thing she did after getting out was cast aside all decorum and curse at the sky for two hours straight, spewing out one eloquent string of insults after another without repeating herself. The irritating old ghost, meanwhile, lounged beside her with his robes wide open, all flirtatious charm. Propping his head up, he watched Chu Lian and laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying himself. The old ghost was a man named Ji Guixian. He had no memories and knew neither his origins nor his age. Shamelessly, he squeezed into Chu Lian's body, ate and slept with her, and shared her senses. Chu Lian had thought that after all the vicissitudes of life, no one in this world could upset her composure. But it was only after meeting Ji Guixian that she finally understood: Everyone has their own will, and a foul mouth is bound to get you killed. When you truly want to beat someone up, there is absolutely no way to hold back. Bonus scene: At the Huayang Lantern Fair, the last freshly baked Lingshan pastry came out of the oven. Chu Lian and Ji Guixian fought over it. Chu Lian pinned Ji Guixian's hand down, the sword hidden in her zither poised beneath his brow. She said earnestly, "Good sir, it's the last Lingshan pastry, and I haven't had one in eight hundred years. Let me have it." The old ghost Ji refused to let go. His eyes glittered with amusement as he boldly hooked a finger around hers. In a tender, breathy voice, he made her skin crawl: "Little Lian, can I trade you a kiss for one Lingshan pastry?" Chu Lian gagged and released it, her face expressionless. "I don't want it anymore. I'll send you to your death instead." On a snowy night at Mount Wu, someone waits by lamplight for their loved one to return. A story of two weary souls saving each other. Like chilled plum soup in summer, sweet and sour, with no angst. 1. A crematorium for all beings + the White Moonlight of the Six Realms + two powerful leads who save each other 2. A bitter, deeply wounded, heaven-blessed female lead, the White Moonlight of the Six Realms x an immortal, sharp-tongued, flirtatious, ruthless male lead [Screenshots sent to my friend for safekeeping] 3. Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refinement, Body Integration, Mahayana, Tribulation Transcendence, Unity with the Dao and Sainthood (Sage) Coming soon: a quirky, sweet historical romance, A Sick Person's Guide to Avoiding Treatment A wicked celestial beauty who's ill in the head x an ambitious rebel emperor who is afraid of his wife. I. Song Fuke was born into humble circumstances. Her parents died when she was five, and at six she was sold into slavery. At seven, by a twist of fate, she rescued the crown prince from rebels. She and the emperor's only son depended on each other for ten whole days in the mountains. From then on, she earned the prince's trust and rose to become the emperor's adopted daughter and a princess. Over the next ten years, she went from being secretly mocked to receiving praise from everyone. They praised her as compassionate and kind, the ideal noblewoman, a Guanyin Bodhisattva without a golden sheen. Only Song Fuke knew she wasn't a good person. She pretended to be gentle and kind, indifferent to fame and fortune, but in truth she ingratiated herself with the crown prince, cultivated ties with court officials, showed little loyalty or compassion, and coveted power. But what had she done wrong? She knew she could rely only on false affection, and she was terrified of falling back into a life where anyone could trample on her. Only after falling from her horse and falling into a coma did Song Fuke awaken from a long dream and realize that she was a character in a storybook. In the story, she died on the spot after falling from her horse. Then a girl who looked about sixty percent like her appeared and inherited everything Song Fuke had painstakingly built, winning everyone's sympathy without lifting a finger. The calculating son of the prime minister fell into a love-hate entanglement with her, manipulated political power and stirred up turmoil at court, then was thrown into prison by Duan Yunxiao and sentenced to execution after the autumn harvest. The refined and honorable top scholar went to any lengths for her and formed cliques for personal gain. In the end, Duan Yunxiao convicted him and imprisoned him in isolation, and he killed himself at home. After countless hardships, the crown prince finally became emperor with Duan Yunxiao's protection. He then became entangled with her, and after realizing who he truly loved, he searched the entire realm for her in a jealous rage. Finally, Duan Yunxiao rose to the highest position in the court, led twenty thousand cavalry into the palace to save the emperor, changed the dynasty, and took the throne for himself. He welcomed the girl as his empress. The deposed emperor burned himself alive in the palace, sacrificing his life for his country. The story was certainly exciting, full of twists and turns. But Song Fuke had two questions. Why did she have to die? And... "Who the hell is Duan Yunxiao?" #I poured my heart and soul into building this for ten years. Why do you get to be the protagonist?# II. Duan Yunxiao was born on the streets. His father was unknown, his mother died young, and he joined the army just to get enough to eat. He had struggled and fought his way through life, becoming hardened and ruthless. On the surface he seemed forthright and honest, but in truth he was ambitious as a wolf and bent on seizing power. After being the first to scale the walls and beheading the enemy general, he was promoted to general and returned to the capital, brimming with ambition and basking in glory. Just as he was about to begin his meteoric rise, he left court and saw an intricately carved carriage slowly stop in front of him. A jade ruyi of the finest aquamarine lifted the curtain, and the Jade Emblem Princess, famed for her virtue and deeply cherished in the palace, leaned out to look at him. Not long before, Princess Jade Emblem had fallen from her horse and suffered a serious illness. Tonics from both the Eastern Palace and the imperial palace had poured into her residence ever since. Now her lotus-like face still bore traces of illness, her brows were graceful and serene, her eyes bright as stars, and the red beauty mark between her brows seemed to burn against the heart. "General Duan," Jade Emblem said to him, her voice soft as snow. "You've worked hard." One sat, the other stood. One was high, the other low. Amid the clamor, their eyes met. With just one look, Duan Yunxiao saw that she was a fake Bodhisattva and a true viper, a hypocrite who traded on her reputation. She was just like him. III. On the night before Duan Yunxiao's enthronement, Song Fuke inexplicably fell gravely ill again. Burning with fever and delirious, she was wrapped tightly in a quilt in Duan Yunxiao's arms. She mumbled, "Duan Yunxiao, I'm going to die." Duan Yunxiao bent down to kiss her feverish cheek and promised again and again, "No, you won't die." By the time dawn came, Song Fuke had finally fallen asleep. The court ritual officials had been waiting outside for a long while. Duan Yunxiao got up and went to the courtyard to consult the imperial physicians, but even after hearing their answer, he still felt uneasy. Then he remembered how, when children in his old neighborhood got sick, their parents would pour the dregs of their medicine onto the road and let carts and horses crush them, carrying the illness away. So he scattered the dregs along the covered walkway and paced back and forth over them as his silent ministers watched. As he walked, he wondered: Had he committed too many killings? Had that hurt Song Fuke? The heavens were blind. If Song Fuke was suffering because his sins were coming back to haunt him, then why should she be the one to pay? Let the retribution come for him instead. If it wasn't that, why should Song Fuke have to suffer? Let all the illnesses and pain come to him instead. He only wanted Song Fuke to live a happy, peaceful life and never be sad again. Reading note: This is a fictional setting, and the author has limited knowledge of ancient history. The author is very sensitive, extremely sensitive. Pretty readers, please don't hurt the author. If you drop the story, there's no need to let the author know. [Blurb written on 2024.9.11, revised on April 14, 2025. Screenshots and an email have been sent to a friend for safekeeping] Theme: Treasure the people who are with you now