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On the western frontier lies an ancient trade route known as the Silk Road. At its starting point stands the major town of Shazhou, home to the century-old silk-trading Suo family. The family's only daughter is named Zhenru, and the jianghu calls her the Lady of the Killing Order.
They say the girl's childhood name is Guanyin. She has a charming tongue and a clever heart, but beneath her sweet words lies a serpent's heart. Do business with her and you'll lose your money; get involved with her and you'll lose your life. One suitor after another has met an untimely end, and she still smiles coolly at the ones who haven't given up, declaring that anyone who wants to marry her must wait until "Mingsha Mountain topples and Crescent Moon Spring runs dry."
Just as she wished, the would-be suitors fled in terror, while her old father worried himself white-haired. Then disaster struck the family: her uncle and his household moved in, intent on taking everything. Faced with danger, Zhenru stayed calm and made a decision that very night: find a dead man and marry him.
*
A mysterious death-row prisoner has arrived at the local jail. People call him the Asura King. No one knows where he came from, and he's killed countless people, yet he's loyal and devoted to those he cares about. Even on the eve of his execution, he wants to repay the enormous debt owed to his benefactor. Most important of all, he looks just like someone in a mural. He'd make quite the impressive husband.
Zhenru ran the numbers, then beckoned him over with a finger. Yuan Feiluan, what a perfect husband.
When she first met him in prison, she bribed the guards with a hefty sum and asked him to pretend to be her husband for a few nights before he was led to the execution block. Afterward, he would go to the execution ground and she would become a widow. Once she'd inherited his vast fortune, she'd burn spirit money for him in gratitude.
Yuan Feiluan said nothing. So Zhenru gently persuaded him with the principles of business:
"Let's talk business. In this line of work, you only sign the finest contracts. I'm like golden amber wine, fine glass ornaments, and soft silk brocade. We are destined to form a good bond, my lord. All it will cost you is a tiny little price..."
A low voice drifted through the cell: "Even if the price is my life?"
Zhenru wore her signature fake smile. The two flower-shaped beauty marks by her dimples flashed so brightly they nearly blinded him.
The reckless man, who had once traveled the world with merchant caravans, hunted wolves in the desert winds, and battled sharks through raging waves, stared at her for a long while, then sighed. "Oh, Father!"
Zhenru sneered inwardly. So much for the Asura King. With death staring him in the face, he was still crying for his father...
"It's an internationally understood business expression." A scarred hand reached through the bars and clasped her delicate hand, the one that would make a fortune. "Deal."
*
Much later, Zhenru looked through her old accounts and sighed that man proposes, but Heaven disposes. Her deal with that dead man had been by far the worst bargain she'd ever made.
And yet it had also been the most priceless...
After all, who could buy the wish they made together in the Buddhist caves of Mingsha Mountain, the stars they counted by the campfire beside Crescent Moon Spring, the love song that rose with the camel bells, or the sturdy arms that shielded her from the sandstorms?
[Reading Guide]
1. Both leads are each other's only partner. One-on-one, happy ending.
2. A partially fictional late Tang setting, with business, mystery, and Tang tales elements.
Synopsis created on September 29, 2025. Plagiarism will be pursued.
Theme: Follow your interests and pursue your endeavors
