Crossing Swords Beneath the Bright Moon

Quality over daily updates. If there's no update by ten at night, don't wait up. (Wulin profile: bewitching female puppeteer x ruthless hero-investigator, sword immortal, and young alliance leader) In the twenty-third year of Qianyuan, Cheng Biyue, the greatest martial artist in the Jianghu, colluded with the demonic cult and wreaked havoc among the righteous sects, bringing calamity upon the entire martial world. Fortunately, the six great sects fought to the death and ultimately prevailed over evil. The demonic cult was defeated. The traitor Cheng Biyue killed his master to seize a treasure and harmed his fellow martial artists. He was beheaded and put on public display, then ground to dust, finally easing the hatred in the hearts of the martial world. Four years later, the remnants of the demonic cult had been wiped out, and the Jianghu was flourishing once more. Amid a beautiful spring landscape, the bewitching woman Xue Chan, known as the "Red-Clad Puppet Immortal," burst onto the scene. With her red skirt billowing, she wielded silver strings and ghost needles, controlling living human puppets. In a single day, she slaughtered two gangs, putting every martial sect on high alert. Later, everyone discovered three more terrifying things: 1. Although Xue Chan was "delicate and frail" and only knew puppetry, she had mastered the martial arts of countless schools, leaving few openings. 2. A puppet swordsman with peerless swordsmanship accompanied Xue Chan. He wore white and had ink-black hair, and looked remarkably like Xie Xuezhuo, the young leader of the martial alliance. 3. On closer inspection, wasn't that damn well Xie Xuezhuo himself?! The martial world: ... How are we supposed to play this game?! 1. Jianghu martial arts, mystery investigations, revenge and punishing scum, undercover intrigue in the martial world, ensemble cast 2. Plot-focused, slow-burn CP, morally complicated main cast, both leads are each other's only partners, happy ending 3. Traditional low-fantasy martial world + Chinese-style fair-play mysteries + mystery-solving within a wuxia setting. No imperial court, no fantasy elements. Some story arcs involve dark, cult-like elements and the eerie atmosphere of the martial world. 4. XHS/Weibo: @Boyue Qiyan 5. Synopsis captured on January 3, 2024 [Please add my upcoming book, The Brocade-Clad Pair, to your collection!] Synopsis: Luo Lingxi was born in a marquis's manor and raised in a convent. Her parents forgot about her for eighteen years, remembering her only when her elder sister wanted to break off her engagement. Her future brother-in-law had a notorious reputation and had been injured and left disabled. Her mother couldn't bear to let her elder sister fall into the hands of a scoundrel, so she wanted Luo Lingxi to marry him in her sister's place. Luo Lingxi slapped the table. "I'm taking this deal!" - Wei Guanlan was the commander of the Northern Garrison's Embroidered Uniform Guard. He oversaw criminal cases and controlled the imperial prison, dealing with everyone from imperial relatives and ministers to street peddlers. His methods were brutal and ruthless, and the court and populace feared him like an evil spirit. On her wedding day, the wedding procession stretched for miles, and the entire capital pitied Luo Lingxi. She had agreed readily, but thinking of the countless innocent souls who had died beneath that living Yama's blade, she was still so nervous during the wedding ceremony that she nearly crushed the wedding sash in her hands. Unexpectedly, at that very moment, Wei Guanlan's palm was also slick with cold sweat at the other end of the wedding sash. He was a fake. He was even more nervous than she was... - The story is complex. This synopsis only reveals the first layer. - Alternate-history Embroidered Uniform Guard / mystery investigations at the heart / multiple secret identities / marriage before love The completed mystery novels The Cranes Cry in the Jade Capital, The Coroner's Startling Case, The Record of Cleansing the Tassels, and The Cranes Cry in Chang'an are available in the author's catalogue~ Theme: Good and evil are repaid in kind.