Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
During his early years as Yinglong, he largely kept to himself. It was when the great Yellow Emperor fought Chiyou and needed help to save people from floods that Kai felt compelled to take action in the human world. He drank the water up, saving the humans, but he became so heavy he could no longer fly up to the heavens.
However, the Yellow Emperor’s generous gratitude drove Yinglong to keep an eye on the humans for several centuries, working to keep the flood waters under control and bring rain to the crops.
It was only in the past millennia that he grew bored and pulled away from the human world, preferring to hide in his hoard or sleep at the bottom of deep lakes and rivers. Of course, all of that changed when Xiang was brought to his hoard.
Wu Yichen (nickname: Didi, Yiyi) – Wu Yichen was one of the last disciples taken in by Zhang Shi Lei, though he didn’t have much choice at the time.
Yichen’s father, Wu Jinhai, was the king of the Wu vassal state. Emperor Wu was growing concerned (paranoid) about Wu Jinhai’s loyalty to the Dragon Throne, so he declared that Wu Jinhai’s only son (Wu Yichen) would be sent to the Sword of the Heavenly Garden Sect for training. Since Emperor Wu trusted in Zhang Shi Lei’s loyalty to him, he was confident that the young prince would be well cared for and learn proper obedience toward the throne while forcing Wu Jinhai to remain obedient if he ever wanted to see his son.
However, after settling in Luoyang and the sect, Prince Wu Yichen never saw his hometown of Guangling again.
Wu Yichen was only eight when he arrived at the sect, a year behind the arrival of Li Xiang and Zhang Junjie. When he arrived he was all arrogance, bluster, and big talk, but his gege Zhang Xiao Dan and Chen Bo Cheng, who were nineteen and fourteen years old, respectively, were able to firmly make it clear that he would see no special treatment because of who he was.
It took Yichen only a few months to settle in and start feeling the natural camaraderie that existed among the disciples. He loved studying at the sect and adored the grandmaster’s warm and compassionate nature. Zhang Shi Lei never made him feel like a political prisoner or a pawn, but a beloved disciple.
Wistari Elnaril Reymaris (nickname: Rei, my prince): Rei is the Crown Prince of the fae. Only living son of King Ash and Queen Belladonna—though he’s pretty sure neither of his parents would admit to spawning him now. Ever since they dragged Wu Yichen into their world and made him a plaything, Rei’s relationship with his parents and nearly all of his kind declined.
But then, he wasn’t the first crown prince, nor was his mother the first queen. Their predecessors had fallen thanks to the evil schemes of King Ash. After discovering that bitter truth, Rei began counting down the days until his father decided that he, too, wanted to steal the throne.
At first, he was indifferent to Yichen’s presence, but his stomach turned at the unrelenting torturing and mocking. When he interceded on Yichen’s behalf out of frustration, Ash took it as a sign that his son was rising against him, and ordered that he would take the rest of the vampire’s torture, resulting in countless scars and eventually an injury to his left knee that gave him a small but permanent limp.
That only strengthened Rei’s resolve against his father and fired his hatred for him.
Meanwhile, to prove her unwavering loyalty to her husband over her son, Queen Belladonna cut off Rei’s right pinky finger in another torture session.
From Rei’s first defense of Yichen, he stuck as close as he could to the vampire to protect him, vowing that he would return him to his clan when the door between worlds appeared. In return, Yichen told Rei countless stories of the clan mates who’d become his family, and about a warm world so unlike his own.
Rei fell in love with Yichen decades ago, his heart won over by his perseverance, strength, and wry sense of humor, but he has never told Yichen of his affection and never will. They are from two very different worlds, and there is no way for them to be together without one of them dying. He is content to just remain at Yichen’s side for as long as possible and return him to his family.
Chen Bo Cheng (nickname: Er-ge, Chen-ge, Shidi, Ah-Cheng) – Chen Bo Cheng was the second-born son of a wealthy family in Luoyang. His father was a politician, and his mother was the daughter of a wealthy silk merchant. While his older brother was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a politician as well, Bo Cheng was permitted a bit more freedom. They had hoped that he would go into business, but he showed an early interest and aptitude for martial arts and the military.