刀不语

あらすじ

The Reticent Blade is, first and foremost, a wuxia novel, meaning that the world and its character's powers and abilities are more grounded. Instead of cultivators who can soar through the heavens and shatter planets, you will find martial artists who can still perform superhuman feats but not so fantastical as to tear through space or achieve immortality. The world of The Reticent Blade is one of medieval China, loosely based upon the time period of the Ming Dynasty. It is a time of chaos and strife, where war and death are rampant. We follow the intertwining story of several protagonists and antagonists as they navigate the chaotic times, unraveling the threads that connect the past, the present, and the future of the world. The Reticent Blade is a story of heroism, love, revenge, and cruelty. The Reticent Blade is a story of both the righteousness and vileness of the jianghu.

Someone once asked me, "What is the jianghu?"

I thought for a moment, and what came to mind was…

A jug of unrefined wine on a weathered table,

A lone silhouette fading into the distance under the setting sun,

A nameless grave bathed in moonlight,

The smoldering incense in my grasp, its final wisps dissipating.

They then asked me, "Where is the jianghu?"

I smiled faintly and lifted my gaze beyond the window. Out there, beneath the vast heavens, countless jianghus lay.

A single soul carries his own story.

When two paths cross, a jianghu is born.