The Peach Blossom Spring's Record of Forgetting the River

Shen Tingliao visited Kongya Mountain at night and encountered rain. The road was too slippery to travel., Miscellaneous Notes from Jingxi: Gazetteer

[Cold, sharp-tongued, master strategist who wants to rule the world, stubborn and in denial bottom VS refined, otherworldly, flirtatious top who knows exactly how to handle him]

A painting of Peach Blossom Spring and the River of the Dead reveals a secret buried for a hundred years. The Calamity of Impermanence is coming, and no one in the martial world or the imperial court can escape the disaster.

Shen Tingliao felt a headache coming on.

His senior brother had returned from a long journey at the worst possible time. He had reached the pinnacle of the sword dao and was only one step away from the Celestial Realm. Once he crossed that threshold, he would become one with heaven and earth. As long as he stopped interfering in mortal affairs and avoided entangling himself in karma, ascending to escape disaster would be only a matter of time.

But...

In a chaotic age, the land was shattered and conspiracies lurked everywhere. Back then, Shen Tingliao was trapped in the demonic realm, tormented by inner demons. His senior brother had teased his lips and tongue, bewitching as a spirit transformed from the wilderness.

"I don't cultivate the merciless dao," Wen Yue said with a soft laugh as he held him. "No matter how many dangers lie ahead, I only want to walk this path with you. When are you going to tell me you love me?"

*

Through all the seasons of the mortal world, even through countless twists and turns in dreams.

"Wen Buchen, why wouldn't you ascend?"

"That day, I reached the peak of the Celestial Realm. The gates of heaven opened to let me pass. I looked back at the mortal world and saw someone setting out a game of chess, their gaze as resolute as strong liquor."

My junior brother.

In the contest for the Great Dao, I looked back from the Celestial Realm. My dao heart shattered because of you, yet in that moment it also became whole. From then on, it beat by your side, until death.

A story about everyone getting up to something before a great calamity arrives.

Reader's Guide:

1. Long, slow-burn, serious story with an ensemble cast.

2. Older top and younger bottom, one-on-one, happy ending.

3. Both leads have side characters and antagonists with unrequited feelings for them. The bottom has a mild everyone-loves-him trait, but he doesn't return those feelings.

4. The story is set in an entirely fictional world, though some cultural and geographical details are inspired by reality.

5. The plot is firmly planned and won't undergo major changes. Updates to older chapters are for correcting errors and won't affect later reading.

6. Daily updates.

Theme: The nation and the world.