The Spirit's Trace at Snow Lake

Chapter 58 (Opening chapter of Volume 5), expected update: October 29

Plot Overview

Legend has it that the Xuejing Mountain Manor cost a fortune to build, and that each of its successive masters was among the most prominent figures in Xuejing City, the local seat of power in the State of Liao.

The manor harbors deep secrets. Its master changes mysteriously every twenty-some years, keeping an eerie cycle alive for a century.

Strange incidents often erupt at the nameless lake by Mirror Snow Lake: death, madness, and disappearances unfold in turn. The shocking secrets of an ancient planet are buried deep beneath it, beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Xue Jinyu is a renowned doctor from a family of doctors in Mingxin Valley, State of Fu. His medical skills are superb, but he takes life as it comes. On the day of his wedding at nineteen, his bride ran away. His father died of illness, debts went unpaid, his clinic was struggling to stay afloat, and then it burned down. This elegant young gentleman had no choice but to take his servants out to collect debts, reduced to a most wretched state.

Xue Jinyu had hoped to collect the money owed to him and return home to enjoy an easy life as soon as possible. But fate swept him up like a gale, drawing him ever deeper into an old dream of intertwined grudges and bloodshed that had lasted a century.

Main romance pairing: a mentor, an immortal with an exceptional constitution and a powerful tech oligarch (top) x his stubborn rabbit-spirit disciple, born with a terminal illness (Cheng)

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※ A few notes:

1. The story has two male POV characters, Xue and Yu, with some chapters featuring the female lead Cheng's POV.

2. The plot moves quickly, and the characters are shaped by what happens. Reading only for the romance may affect your experience. The plot-to-romance ratio is roughly six to four.

3. The first volume is quite detailed by design, and may take some time to follow. The first two volumes are a little unfocused, and will be revised later. You can also start from Volume 3, skipping some details and explanations of the setting for now.

Character Profiles

Xue Jinyu: A gifted doctor's son, short on money. Heir to the Xue family clinic in Mingxin Valley, State of Fu, and later successor to Xuejing Mountain Manor. Quick to understand, open-hearted, and bright as sunlight on a river. At first, he practices medicine and saves lives, takes things in stride, and is always ready with a sarcastic remark. Later, his magic becomes incredibly powerful, and he's very good at taking care of those around him. Outwardly wise and cool as snow, inwardly a warm-hearted romantic. A rational, devoted lover, and Yu Qiu's colleague (and rival in love). Representative plant: white plum blossom.

Likes: zoning out and lying flat, growing herbs and vegetables, studying medicine, and caring for his lover.

Not good at: the zither. Though he has a natural understanding of music, he has no interest in it.

Cheng Qiao'er: An orphan with no one to rely on. Born with pink hair and stunning beauty, she seems surprisingly lacking in confidence. Honest and emotionally perceptive, though she has a strong mind of her own. She used to be an impulsive, lovestruck drama queen. Born with an incurable hereditary illness, she survives and grows up under her master Yu Qiu's constant treatment and care. Her romance has both a master-disciple route and a childhood-friend route, with the master-disciple route as the main pairing. The childhood-friend route takes up only a small portion. The pairings are 1v1 at different stages, and the story ends in a semi-open, reunion-style comedy. Representative plant: peach blossom. (Note: The romance follows its own logic. The female lead won't shamelessly pursue two people at once.)

Yu Qiu (Yu He): A changeling and exceptionally charismatic beauty. Originally the heir of Prince Yu, known as Qiu, he possesses the talent of "immortality," beyond anything a mortal can aspire to. The true power behind the largest international underground black market, Darklight City, and the planet's leading scientist. His martial arts are just as unfathomable, and he excels with both sword and saber. Cheng Qiao'er's master and the object of her affection during her girlhood, her first love. He has the air of a cool, aloof antagonist, does good deeds without seeking recognition, and doesn't care what others think of him. He seems like a purely rational person who cultivates the emotionless path, but is actually full of passion. He is the soul of the entire plot. Representative plant: orchid.

Likes: studying medicine, making drugs, mechanical arts, swords and sabers, and playing the zither.

Not good at: cooking for himself. If the female lead or a servant isn't around, he either eats carelessly or simply fasts to cultivate.

Reading Guide:

1. The expected main story order, for reference (Note: Chapter 0 is told in flashback.)

The Poppy Arc -- Tancheng Arc -- Xuejing Mountain Manor Arc -- Thousand Spirits Gathering Arc -- Crimson Snow Sakura Arc -- The Young Master of Quan Arc -- Qingqiu Arc -- Cheng Qiao'er's Memoirs -- Wanxi Arc -- The Immortal Spirit Deer Arc

2. The complete story is divided into seven volumes, with around 130 main chapters, twelve bonus chapters, and two short side-story bonuses. The estimated total is about 500,000 characters.

3. A dramatic, cathartic story with protagonists readers can root for and a happy ending for everyone. It's not an angst-heavy story. The protagonists will face some hardships, but there won't be suffering just for the sake of it.

Theme: Love others and love yourself