[Blurb]
Over a thousand years ago, Ming Yu served diligently at Shangqing as a Fate Warden. She had no idea that one Fate Warden died every thousand years. When her turn came, she too could not escape that curse-like fate. She died in the war between immortals and demons, then reincarnated as a mortal named Han Mingyu.
Han Mingyu spent the happiest days of her life at Yaoshan. There was just one problem: with an ordinary mortal's body and heart, she could not cultivate immortality. It had never bothered her, but with her lifespan nearly at an end, she tried every possible way to save herself. She took up the ancient and peculiar profession of Spirit Washer. It sounded impressive, but in truth, the job traded karmic burdens for extra years of life, leaving her to bear a curse that clung to her.
What made Han Mingyu even more despairing was that the Daoist who had read her fortune was a fraud.
The Lord of Yaoshan, Holy Sovereign Yun Hua, showed Han Mingyu a way forward: rather than spend her days in regret, why not carve out a different fate at the end of the road?
After descending the mountain, Han Mingyu encountered her senior brother Xie Hengyu, who had fled and was living in hiding. He was blind in both eyes and in a delicate situation. She believed he was gentle and virtuous, with his own reasons, but she would never believe he harbored sinister ambitions.
So she took him along with her.
*
The Xie family's collateral branch was caught up in a struggle for power, and only eight-year-old Xie Hengyu survived by a stroke of luck.
He sought refuge at Yaoshan and became an immortal cultivator. Brilliant and exceptionally gifted, he was Lady Xiang's most prized student.
Lady Xiang had an adopted daughter, Han Mingyu. Xie Hengyu was fond of her from the moment they first met, but the shy little girl was afraid of strangers and dared not get close to him. He could only patiently guide her until he won her affection
For decades, they were fellow disciples, close friends, and more than anything, family.
But Xie Hengyu wanted more. He wanted to become her... cultivation partner.
His radiant junior sister attracted several admirers, both openly and in secret, and Xie Hengyu was consumed by inner turmoil.
Fortunately, they had met early that year. He had once gotten his wish and kissed her hand, sealing it with a promise.
Junior Sister, he had waited many years, and he did not want to wait any longer.
Reader's Guide:
#A touch of Chinese cosmic horror
#Gentle senior brother, aloof as a mountain peak × calculating, two-faced junior sister. The main story has a one-on-one ending.
#There will be alternate routes, planned across multiple worlds, with multiple endings.
#Extensive original worldbuilding. The Spirit Washer profession and the ranks of immortals differ from conventional Daoist settings: Immortal, High Immortal, Profound Immortal. Profound Immortals are extremely rare.
#Xie'an City. The name has multiple pronunciations, and it is an important place in the wider world of this novel.
#The author's completed novel
