The Song of the Nine Heavens: A Bizarre Case in the Great Song Dynasty

At the first beat of the drum, grass and trees spring to life. At the second, memories fade to blank. At the third, old wounds return.

At the fourth, songs and music vanish. At the fifth, one begs the heavens. At the sixth, the heart's secrets are revealed.

At the seventh, a hidden light stirs. At the eighth, the road disappears from view. At the ninth, flowers bloom on the far shore.

Some say the Nine Heavens Drum is a person. Some say it is a treasure. Others say finding it can fulfill one's greatest wish.

As Gu Changming and Dai Guozi follow the twists and turns of a baffling case, they discover that the Nine Heavens Drum has always been close at hand. Similar symbols left behind and messages passed along by all sorts of people force them to stumble onward in their search.

With pressure mounting across the court and beyond, and war clouds gathering over Western Xia and the Liao, the true mastermind is finally exposed. All that remains is for someone with keen eyes to unravel the clues one by one.