In the final years of the Tang dynasty, the Twelve Jingming Sacred Steles, which celebrated the heroic founders of the dynasty, were destroyed. A prophecy spread among the people: "When Jingming returns, the Tang will fall." From then on, the martial world of the Tang was no longer quiet, and the imperial court and the jianghu became intertwined through Jingming. Jiang Yunke, an orphan with no interest in joining the jianghu, was nonetheless swept up in its conflicts. At the Mount Tai Fengshan ceremony, he made a name for himself across the land, and was consequently drawn into the court's political intrigues as well. By a twist of fate, he obtained the Jingming Sword, ranked first in the Twelve Jingming Manual, drawing the attention of the various forces seeking to overthrow the Tang and the feudal lords. Tired of a world in turmoil, he resolved to retire to the mountains, only to discover another secret about his origins and become entangled in an even greater game…
(Note: This is fantasy wuxia, set in an imagined world inspired by ancient China. Its dynasty has no connection to real history. Please don't read too much into any discrepancies in place names.)
