The Thirteen Ghostly Blades

During the Zhenguan era, grain wagons in the borderlands are robbed one after another, bringing an old military case back to light. Lu Shisan, whose movements are ghostlike and whose blade strikes are impossible to predict, and Zhou Yulian, a healer who saves lives, follow the trail of a wooden plaque carved with a snake pattern. Their investigation leads them through a maze of mysteries at relay stations, strange formations, and rumors of witchcraft and curses. News from the Liaodong army and the tracks of Khitan merchants point the way to Chang'an. Li Shimin summons Yuan Tiangang, while Li Chunfeng offers his counsel based on calendars and celestial observations. In court, their debate seems to concern the will of Heaven, but a struggle for power lurks beneath the surface. As the storm draws closer, Lu Shisan and Zhou Yulian only grow more devoted to one another. No matter how perilous the mystery or how turbulent the times, their hearts remain unmoved by sinister arts and sorcery. When the Thirteen Blades are drawn, what comes to light is not only an old case from the borderlands, but also the human hearts buried beneath a golden age.