The Book of Changes: Qin

Rooted in the Great Way of the I Ching, the yin and yang of Heaven's Way, and the cycles of gain and loss, this story places the orthodox tradition of the Wuxian clan, passed down from the ancient Shang dynasty, and its generations-old mission to safeguard the I Ching at its very core. It traces the origins of the Shang interpretation of the I Ching and spans a thousand years of dynastic rise and fall, changes in the human realm, and transformations in Heaven's Way.

Faithfully following the historical record of the pre-Qin era, it weaves into a millennium-spanning system of the I Ching every major turning point in the rise, peak, and fall of the Great Qin: Ying Zheng's assumption of power, the rebellion of Lao Ai, the removal of Lü Buwei, the unification of the Six States, the standardization of script and axle widths, the construction of the northern Great Wall, the southern campaign against the Baiyue, the burning of books and burying of scholars, the upheaval at Shaqiu, Zhao Gao's seizure of power, and the Daze Village uprising. Through the I Ching's principles of yin and yang, waxing and waning, and the cycles of the world, it fully reconstructs and illuminates the course of the Qin dynasty from its rise to its fall.

The story features sweeping, realistic ancient battlefield scenes, with army marches, formations, attacks and defenses, and the killing power of Heaven's timing all aligned with the I Ching's cycles of cold and heat, advances and retreats of yin and yang, and shifts of fortune. Every character's martial arts, footwork, combat techniques, and responses to the uncanny are derived from the principles of the sixty-four hexagrams. Their moves follow Heaven's Way, their advances and retreats follow the I Ching, and their violence accords with yin and yang. The Wuxian way of safeguarding the I Ching is deeply bound to individual martial arts, military campaigns, and court intrigue.

Written in a realistic, understated style reminiscent of Jin Yong, the story centers on the Wuxian lineage's thousand-year mission to protect the I Ching, uphold the Way, and restore order to the world. Through historical turmoil, it reveals the rise and fall of Heaven's Way; through martial arts and the principles of the I Ching, it explores the good and evil in people's hearts.