a post-cyberpunk xianxia epic
“Yes, you,” the old woman confirmed. “Come here.” Hua Ruizhi stepped up onto a short riser to lean over the counter displaying her bizarrely sorted collection of florals before she pointed at a stool. For all the strange objects stacked and clustered around the entrance of the shop, the interior smelled overwhelmingly of flowers rather […]
Leaning against a low scrap-metal outcropping in a salvaged wall, Jin gestured to the knee-high padded bench-table in the middle of the room—a makeshift setup somewhere between examination table, drinking lounge, and bed. “Strip and sit. Lemme see what you got.” He paused. “…Sir.” With a nod, the noble began to remove his clothes, fingers […]
Fanxing’s northern end was held by the bend of a river which streamed down from the mountains beyond the city’s outer limits, rushing waters always dotted with specks of light like pearls. The river’s edges diligently sought new land to swallow and spread, erosion kept at bay by hand stacked stone walls all along the […]
Ren Li rose with the silent song of the sun. By the time the heavy flecking of velvet night succumbed to the pastel crescendo of new morning, he was already taking tea; he was reviewing his schedule for the day; he was making notes based on anticipations and rendering clockwork from time not yet passed […]
The Ren family, devoted allies of the Tian clan, lived nearby Skyline manor, close enough that their children spent their entire lives running from mansion to palace and back again. This morning was no different. Fanxing’s streets were greeted by a bright eyed youth of nineteen who woke every morning with a grin and a […]
Head tilting back, Yila was all scarlet grin, all carmine smile—she settled astride Quan’s lap, layers of red silk riding up her thighs, warm like the memory of the sun in the cold comfort of night. “I beg your every golden word,” she taunted, lithe arms draped over his shoulders, snaking about his neck. When […]
Feng Quan’s failure didn’t go without reprimand. When they arrived home, Swordmaster Feng Ban forced the defeated Quan to his knees below the old dove tree’s sea of ghost blossoms and placed a bowl of water in his pupil’s outstretched hands. “Meditate on this for twenty-four hours, Quan, so you remember,” the long-haired swordmaster said […]
“H-ah—” The young prince snapped awake at the jostling of his bed, dark eyes wide when they met the boy he managed to trick out of his shadows. Yuhui didn’t move, but he did settle into a quiet delight when he saw Laike was the cause of his disturbance, memory quickly falling into place from […]
laike— even as i sit in my room, i am consumed by the silence you’ve delivered me.even as i sit in my room, i am enveloped by your memory. if i close my eyes, the day breaks through, buti can remember with resounding clarity what it was liketo breathe in the void of youand feel […]
Sunset was already falling away into night by the time the Luanshi convoy returned back to their home on Yunji Mountain. The sun’s long yawn steadily receded into darkness, laying the bright fires of day to rest beneath the hard line of the horizon and stars were called to return by the pounding of hoofsteps […]