The wooden doors, which had been lacquered to a vermillion, opened wide; the two sides, people and horses, one within and one without, stood facing each other across the distance; even this small distance in the middle howled with gusts, the scattered dry leaves bringing a rasping, quiet sound on either side. Jiang Changbai's heart had already stirred up in a perilous situation; she almost subconsciously was about to call out the name of the person before her, but these three characters were once more pressed down by the concentrated gazes of the people behind her. It couldn't possibly be her. Jiang Changbai inwardly admonished herself, and then arranged a calm appearance like an undisturbed, ancient well, and took a step forward, raising her voice to ask, "You distinguished person are?" The plain-clothed woman, hearing these words, seemed to be somewhat hurt, her countenance falling. "Dianxia, don't you [1] remember me?" A single sentence aroused a tho...

Translator's note: With 2025 beginning, I wanted to start a new project, and decided to choose one I'd been reading and enjoying lately which didn't have a translation for others to read from. I'll be adding Seeking Immortality in Vain to Novel Updates, so those who wish to track it on there can do so. - The capital was in complete chaos. Four months before, the state preceptor had raised an army from the border, and, under the pretence of clearing corrupt officials from the court, marched unchallenged the entire way, using barely more than two months' time to half of the Great Li's territory from north to south. One month before, the current Emperor Tai had taken his trusted aides to flee south in secret; under the secret imperial edict, the sickly Prince Ling had stayed behind on his own to defend the capital, and the rest of the aristocrats and nobility had also run and fled. In such a great capital city, there actually only remained the unknowing commoners. ...