a post-cyberpunk xianxia epic
Deep in the body of the mountain, past hall after looming hall of nascent pearls, glowing cores lighting Luanshi’s sacred tunnels with the light of past lives, Hua Jin was slack-jawed. Awe struck the poor inlayer hard, lit his wonder with the ambience of a thousand artifacts. Each one was encased in a glassy iridescent […]
PRESENT DAY. The mist was heavy on Yunji the following morning, hanging like a milky specter over the jagged landscape. Craggy precipices too shallow for anything but birds were the only sight to break through from afar; the morning blanket rested plushly atop the heads of wind and elevation molded evergreens that thrived on weaving […]
Xueyu’s footsteps were loud as he passed through the inner corridors of Luanshi’s evening hallways, bustling with disciples running hither and thither in their rush to dinner, heard even over the excitement of new visitors. The sun was already gone but the gentle glow of mountain lights illuminated the strange building’s space with a warm […]
Alone again, Ren Li leaned back on his elbows, watching Jin pick through the Luanshi supplies laid out for his work. Were it not for the fondness coursing torrid through his very own veins, Li wouldn’t have believed he could ever be so impertinent—he was still, a silent invitation waiting either for the inlayer’s work […]
The Pai’ou Tracer Pavilion was a lavishly kept building aglow with electric lights. Filled with treasures and supplies donated predominantly by the Zhenxi clan’s secretive inlayers, there was an air of quiet luxury woven through the utilitarian space making it feel calm despite the suffering that transpired within its walls. Xueyu laid Ren Li out […]
“You’re really beautiful like this. You look like you’re wearing the night with your hair like that.” The older boy’s head turned askew, as if the angle would alter the majesty he greedily took in. “I don’t normally get flustered, but you’re really something special, Laike. Sometimes I have these moments when I’m looking at […]
Laike always felt most comfortable under the cover of dark. After leaving the elder Tian prince and the blonde to settle into the guest accommodations, Laike was quick to drag Yuhui out of the stone halls of Yunji’s Cultivator Dormitories. Despite his ability to go unseen and unheard, the shadowcraft boy was well aware other […]
The entry to Luanshi’s Cultivator Dormitories was an austere looking building built of black iron wood, ancient rivets, and reclaimed glass. It protruded from the hollowed out side of Yunji, more welcoming than an undressed cave mouth with its low electric lights and its painted screens, its hearth with water always ready for tea. The […]
Tian Xiaoxu was the first to dismount when they came upon the two leaders of Luanshi’s hallowed halls. Immediately, he was on his knees before Jiling, hands held before him in deep respect, begging the Lady of the Mountain’s favor and aid in their deep trouble scenario. “Lady Jiling of the nascent swarm, Master Xueyu […]
“Psst.” A sharp hiss of breath echoed over the open space of the training yard cordoned off for Xueyu’s elite disciples. “Psst!” It rang out again, impatiently cutting through the calm mountain air and elevation-thinned atmosphere. The being the noise was coming from was a tall, lean girl whose hair was as pale as the […]