Strange Tales of Xuanyang

[A companion story in the same series, Strange Tales of Changyang, is now available. Please add it to your collection!]

Rebellious, tsundere ghost girl VS a pretty-faced, snake-hearted schemer

[Xuanyang Headlines] Shocking! That, that, that rebellious Shen family's eldest daughter is having an affair with her useless young master!

Six hundred years ago, in the ancient kingdom of Nanxu, there was a princess of exceptional beauty and talent named Changning.

Princess Changning was widely read and brilliant. Though she was not of imperial blood, she was born lucky and admired throughout Yuanjing.

That all changed when Nanxu stood on the brink of destruction. The Imperial Preceptor revealed the truth: Changning had drained the last of Nanxu's fortune. After that, the princess vanished without a trace, her fate as mysterious as her origins.

The history books record a poem by this celebrated woman of letters, titled “Ode to a Pig”:

Pig, pig, pig

Loves to eat batter

A nose pointing up to the sky

Two big buttocks

-

When she was very young, her brother once told her, “Heaven abhors perfection, and so does the human world.”

That's why her name is Xiaoman.

To find her brother, who vanished without a trace, Xiaoman goes to the ruins of Xuanyang to uncover the truth behind the city's destruction and search for the fabled elixir of immortality, said to bring the dead back to life and restore flesh to bones.

In the height of the scorching summer, snow falls in the city. Xiaoman, dressed too lightly for the weather... freezes to death.

Then, in a single moment, she transmigrates a hundred years into the past and becomes Shen Qian, the willful and domineering eldest daughter of the Shen family.

Xiaoman: “...I really can't thank you enough...”

As Xiaoman investigates the elixir of immortality, she discovers that her brother's disappearance was no accident. The truth behind the Shen family's downfall a century ago and the buried past of Xuanyang gradually come to light...

The main couple's romance spans three lifetimes and six hundred years.

The main story is tentatively divided into six arcs:

[Thirteen Offerings] Souls, return! Thirteen gods sacrifice an evil spirit child

[The Blood Bride] A joyous July wedding, where blessing and disaster are hard to tell apart

[The Gate of Life and Death] A fatal Ghost Festival, blood and chaos at the altar

[Plum Blossom Overture] Childhood sweethearts, caught in schemes until they part as strangers

[Nanxu's Bones] Humans and demons take different paths; dry bones are buried as a dynasty falls

[City of Xuanyang] The elixir of immortality, and the strange tales of Xuanyang still echo today

P.S.

● The hero and heroine are not related by blood in any way!

● The heroine is eccentric and rebellious. The hero is love-struck and two-faced, pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger. The main cast aren't perfect, and the plot is exaggerated and melodramatic.

● Arcs one and two lean toward supernatural horror; arc three focuses on mystery and deduction; arcs four and five focus on political intrigue and romance; arc six reveals the truth and wraps everything up (a very clear division of labor).

● The author loves flashbacks and past-life stories. Arcs one, two, three, and six take place in a fictional Republican-era setting, while arcs four and five take place in a fictional dynasty.

● There are many characters, with six to eight in the main group. Their relationships are complicated, and the story spans a long period. The overall setting combines a fictional Republican-era world with a fictional dynasty.

● The romance is a slow burn, and the writing is gentle and unhurried (which really just means wordy). The hero has little presence early on.

● Everything in this story is made up. The author isn't an expert, just an amateur hobbyist, so please don't overanalyze it.

● Read for fun, and steer clear if it's not for you. I absolutely hate plagiarism and will curse out anyone I catch doing it. Please don't post warnings about problematic content in the comments. Thanks for understanding.

//Song recommendations//Even better when enjoyed alongside the story//Just the author's personal opinions

Xiaoman × Daxue: “Stay With Me” / “Round and Round”

Lou Huining × Lou Hehe: “A Letter for You” / “Silk Marionette”

A Qing × Huo Zheng (Chen Daosheng): “Worth It”

Liang Chen × Sheng Meijing: “A Many-Loves Heart”

The Fall of Nanxu: “Fleeting Light”

//These are the songs the author played on repeat while writing.//

//Please don't flame if you dislike them. Suggestions welcome~~//

---------Check out the upcoming stories!-----------

Prequel to this novel, historical political intrigue without fantasy, The Lost Strategy of Shangyang, currently serializing...

Companion modern-day supernatural thriller, Strange Tales of Changyang, currently being drafted...

Modern supernatural BL, The Yin-Yang Paradox, please add it to your collection!

Theme: The greater good of family and country