A Sabbatical on Yu Zhu

     

Pictures courtesy of Baidu

First of all, hello to all the readers of this blog and story.  Thank you so much for the support, without you all, I would have never been able to carry on so long.  However, I’ve started to realize that the quality of my writing isn’t up to par and doesn’t communicate the scene and story to my satisfaction. Which in turn makes me unhappy with characters and their development. So, as most have probably noticed, my speed at which this novel is written is getting slower and slower. Because I love this story and want to uphold its integrity, I want to take my time and release it all once I’ve finished it, rather than update it haphazardly.

My goal is to have this done in a few months. Hopefully by autumn. By my estimation, there’s still about 30-40 chapters to go. I want to give the right endings that everyone deserves in the story and have time to go back and fix the released chapters.

Writing has been a great way to destress for me so I definitely will be finishing this story. Concurrently, I’ve started writing another story that’s set in the same universe, and will be releasing it with Yu Zhu at the later part of this year.

Thanks for understanding!

Chapter 36 – The Dangerous Game

  

(Zhu Zhan Ye)                                             (Zhuo Hao)

 

(Pictures Courtesy of Sina Weibo and Ibukisatsuki, also thanks Suteki Da Ne for the blog post about my novel and the idea of putting up paintings!)

Thanks for the patience everyone! This is the newest chapter. Please enjoy!

Yue Kingdom

In the setting sun, Yu Zhu’s scarves soaked the red gold rays, their pale shimmering colors reflecting and dancing in the dying light. Yu Zhu looked on impassively as the young man sighed, “Beautiful. Even better than the ones in the capitol” His expressive eyes seemed to probing her, ” Your skills are astounding for one so young. Here is what I owe you for the wager.” The crowd that had gathered to watch the young embroidery mistress handily beat the handsome young stranger in a wager, murmured their agreement

Chapter 35 – Lin Yu’s Dance

 

(Zhu Zhi Xiao as Huang Wu)               (Yang Rong as Lin Yu)              （Lin Geng Xin as Zhuo Hao)

*actors I would like to play the characters of my novel

 

Lin Yu walked out the little room, carefully closing paper screen door quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping Yu Zhu. She sighed as she looked up at the sky, where was elder brother and grandfather? She had always wanted to go on a grand adventure, but now that she was on one, there was an ache in her heart for those she loved.  She wondered wistfully. Tonight she wanted to leap into the air and fly until she reached the moon, there was wild restlessness in her blood.

But she was forbidden to use magic in the human realms. Instead she took a deep breath of the heavy orange blossom scent of the summer air. Autumn was coming, the spicy air of change called to her spirit.

Chapter 34 – I Will Protect You

 

 

(Chen Xiao as Zhu Zhan Ye*)              (Liu Shi Shi as Yu Zhu*)    (Hu Ge as Xu Long Hui*)

*actors I would like to see play the characters in my novel

“Yu Zhu!” Lin Yu ran in her multicolored silk scarves trailing her like gentle mist, “I heard from the horse thieves that you’ve gone and gotten on some young lord’s bad side?” She sat down and gulped a cup of tea, “I ran out of the dance house as soon as I heard the news!”

Yu Zhu sighed as she carefully stiched gold silk into a creamy white handkerchief, “Some silly little lord came to trouble me.” Yu Zhu frowned, “I can’t be sure, but I think he was the one chasing me the other night. I tried to make him leave by being rude, but that only made him mad. So he made some stupid little challenge.” Yu Zhu rolled her eyes, “I hope he’s rich enough to steal from” She smiled wickedly, “I’ll know more by tomorrow, I guess.”

“That’s men for you.” Lin Yu sighed, “Sometimes they’re so thick, I wonder if their head is only made of bone and nothing else.” Yu Zhu laughed, and Lin Yu said eagerly, “If he’s making trouble for you, I’ll bite his head off.”Lin Yu’s serpent tongue flickered out as the skin on her hands turned into light white scales. She twirled, and twenty scarves rose in the air, “Have no fear, with as wonderful snake demon like me by your side, we can get this done in no time.”

Chapter 33 – A Challenge

 

(Chen Xiao as Zhu Zhan Ye aka Young Master in my novel)     (Lin Geng Xin as Zhuo Hao in my novel)

The daily rhythms of the Ku Wen monastery about the vast city of Bei Xing, gently filled the silent morning air, lifting the spell of sleep and bringing the city to life. Yu Zhu opened the shutters to her little shop of the corner of the busiest street in the city.

“Little Girl!” The warm hearted woman of the bun stand waddled over, “You’re embroidery’s becoming very famous all over town, and you’ve only been here a few months. Even the magistrate’s wife, they say even she’s taking notice!” The woman’s eyes widened at the gravity of the compliment, “If you keep selling like this, you’re going to be famous across the kingdom.”

Chapter 32 – The Midnight Thief

 

（Chen Xiao as the Young Master in my novel)           (Lin Geng Xin as the Zhuo Hao in my novel)

 

Yue Kingdom, Human realms

“Young Master.” The magistrate of the Northern province bowed and handed the young man a cup of wine. His shaking voice echoed in the empty main hall of the Magistrate’s elegant house, the young man sat high on the dais casually glaring at the older man.  The magistrate’s hands shook as beads of sweat began forming on his brow.

Chapter 31- Return

(Liu Shi Shi as Yu Zhu) (Wallace Huo as Wei Yun) in my novel.

The sun began clawing its way out of the ground as Wei Yun’s story ended. He turned his icy calm face towards Tu Suo

“The Jade Rabbit was banished to the moon by the Duke of the 7 Stars. I started a war with the Emperor. But neither of us could win.” Wei Yun looked at the fading moon, lost in thought.

Grandfather too gazed at the moon, “She watched from the moon as her love ones died and her empire fell.” There was tears in his eyes, “I failed her.”

Chapter 30 – Half-Blooded

  

(Ariel Lin as the Jade Rabbit)                       (Wallace Huo as Wei Yun)

“This is too soon.” Mei Yan gasped as sweat poured down her cheeks, “This baby isn’t due for at least a month. She shouldn’t be coming now” Her body writhed and convulsed, she could feel the baby fighting to get out.

The Jade Rabbit knelt down, “Mei Yan, concentrate, if this baby comes now, it will kill you both.”

Wei Tian stood by the doorway, he was as still as a stone statue. Mei Yan screamed as pain ripped through her abdomen like a hot knife. Blood gushed onto the bedding, the pain was too much.

Chapter 29 – I Will Wait

 

(Yang Mi as Mei Yan)                  (Hauwick Lau as Wu Kang)

 

Heaven-  300,000 years ago 

“Wei Tian. Stop pacing.” Wei Yun was calmly fishing in the milky way, his creamy white robes floated calmly in the coulds, “She’s only been gone for a few days.”

“Seven. She’s been gone seven days. That’s seven years on earth. She’s never been this late” Wei Tian gripped his jade pendant, “I’m going down there.”

“Brother.” Wei Yun threw his rod aside and stood up, he ran after his brother, “Stop. If you think there’s a problem, go to the world mirror and look for her, stop running headlong into things.” Wei Tian brightened, he grinned at his brother and sped off.

Chapter 28 – Wu Kang

 

(Yang Mi as Mei Yan)                (Hauwick Lau as Wu Kang)

A beautiful woman stood on the edge of a light green lake, surrounded by tall mountains and windblown pines. She tossed silk threads into the air, her green robes whipping around her by the strong winds. The green threads writhed and turned, splitting into millions of strands, each attaching to a blade of grass, renewing the color of the entire field and beyond. Blue-green threads  colored the lake while thousands of different color strands sank into the air and ground.

Mei Yan smiled as the last of the silk was sewn into the sky. The Jade Rabbit appeared, “Is this the last of it? We’ve been here for nearly a year” The other girl nodded, and the the Jade Rabbit sighed, “Go be with your human, cherish the last day you have with him. And keep your promise.” Mei Yan came over and hugged the other girl. With a flash she was gone.

Chapter 27 – A Day In Heaven, A Year On Earth

    

(Yang Mi as Mei Yan)*                           （Ariel Lin as the Jade Rabbit)*

*Actresses that I would like to be the characters

Celestial Palace – Home of the Emperor of Heaven and Gods – 300,000 years ago.

Four people sat under falling peach blossoms of the Eternal Gardens.  A beautiful woman carefully unwrapped hair thin red-orange silk from a young man’s arms. He smiled at her, his lovestruck eyes seemed to never leave her face. Mei Yan was careful to avoid Wei Tian’s eyes as she sat and worked. Wei Tian’s arms felt sore, but he never even twitched as he held the silk for Mei Yan.

“How is it, brother.” Wei Yun drawled, as he lazily waved the clouds to form little shadows that amused him, “That when you are on a battlefield they say your face alone can scare away ten thousand demon warriors. And now that the war’s over, you look like a puppy.”

Chapter 26 – The Pact

“Wei Yun” Yu Zhu called out softly as she stood softly on the wall, she tried not to make too much noise as she squinted in the dark spring night. A silvery figure appeared beneath the willows, a handsome young man in looked up at the purple robed girl. She grinned impishly. “You promised to show me how to make snow.”

Wei Yun raised a hand and instantly the sky began to fill with snow. Yu Zhu’s eyes sparkled with pleasure as she twirled down to the ground. Wei Yun  drank in the sight as if there was nothing else in the world.

Chapter 25 – The Royal Crow

 

*(Zhu Zhi Xiao as Huang Wu)         *（Luo Jin as Tu Suo)             *(Yang Rong as Lin Yu)

*These are the people who I would like to play the character of the novel.

Tu Suo walked in and Lin Yu attacked him. She ran into him headlong, he caught her and swung her around, just like he always did whenever she did this, even when they were children.

Lin Yu laughed, “I’m 900 hundred years old now, a full grown demon, stop!”  Tu Suo smiled, his eyes twinkling, “when you stop trying to attack me, i’ll stop throwing you into the air.”

Chinese Novel Yu Zhu – Updated Character Sheet

At this point I’ve written a ton of chapters for this story and I know how difficult it is to keep track of every character, and there will be a couple more that I’m going to introduce in the next few weeks. So I’m updating the character sheet below, whilst trying not to give too much of the story away.

Chapter 24 – The Snow and the Rabbit

(Wallace Huo as Wei Yun)         ( Liu Shi Shi as Yu Zhu)

“You’re staring out the window again”

Yu Zhu jumped and looked around, Lin Yu cradled her head in her hands looked at Yu Zhu, her eyes were golden slits. Whenever Lin Yu was at home, she preferred to have her true eyes and sometime went by her true form.

Yu Zhu turned away, “Was not.”

“Was too. You’ve been staring since that Wei Yun came yesterday. You’re a terrible liar.”