Dew Turns to Frost

Some pretend to be dead, some pretend to be blind,

Some admire flowers through the fog, while others go wild and claw at the night.

Some put on airs as charming playboys with no attachments, while others walk their dogs all the way to the ends of the earth.

Is it her or him? Is it him or "him"?

In a nutshell: Taoists are best at training dogs, and nothing goes better with a meal than a sulk.

P.S. A little mystery, a little ensemble cast, a little angst, a little sweetness, a little body-double trope, a little groveling, a little female empowerment, a little power struggle, a little underworld, a little imperial court. Wondering just how little "a little" means? It's 40% across the board.

[The Serious Blurb]

Xun Weishuang lost both her parents when she was young. At fourteen, she was sent to Jinyang Abbey to serve as a study companion to a down-and-out princess. A strange and bloody Ghost Festival ritual became her nightmare from then on. In that nightmare, some risk everything in pursuit of justice, while others take countless lives to cover up the evidence.

Struggles at court are often entangled with tests of human nature.

Beneath layers of illusion, some are intoxicated by power and live in a drunken stupor, while others give their lives and become sparks that set the prairie ablaze...

Autumn sorrow comes as the year wanes, and heavy dew has turned to frost.

P.S. The male lead is Xie Buliu. The emotional thread is seeded in the dream sequences, but those scenes focus on easing into the mystery and setting the stage. The push and pull in their relationship comes more in the middle and later parts. This is my first novel, and I absolutely won't abandon it!

Theme: Make the most of the present