At the Water's Edge [在水邊之旁]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Cover image by Lemntii (2025).

A Tale of the Jade Road. (Original work, not MTL)

[Cross-posting to Wattpad and Scribblehub.]

"Do you understand how I could hurt you? I don't think you realise-""I don't. I really don't. I can't think of anything worse than what has already happened."*The demon hunter, Miss Fén, has been called to save a town from the hundred-year scourge of a vengeful ghost. But things are certainly not what they seem and this initially simple-looking job becomes a saga of intrigue, from a little village to the highest realms of power.When they discover that both she and the 'ghost' have been betrayed by the same person, how will they take their revenge?

What to expect:- Intrigue and politics- Daoist references- Discussions of mental health, some horror and gore elements- Strong but not OP characters- A super slowburn female x female romance

The Tales of the Jade Road are a collection of stories set in the same universe, a historical East Asian-inspired fantasy world where the East and the West are linked by a long trading route, the Jade Road. Other Tales include:I'm really not the Saviour!,Eitsu's Nine Lives(Wattpad and Scribblehub only) andGinseng and Yew.

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2023
Author: Frankie Cheng

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 138
Views: 37,964

Reviews

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Community Reviews(5)

PixxieRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is great and the Pronouncation Guide is placed a lot better here than Eitsu's nine lives. The way you describe things is absolutely amazing and the characters are top notch. It's such an amazing read and I would recommend anyone to check it out. Keep up the good work.
Rain AmbyllRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I had a lot of fun reading 'At The Water's Edge'. Solid pacing, a coherent and flowing narrative, and a sense of wonder all contribute to a solid story. Even the us eof flashbacks helps to tie everything together. This is one I'll keep reading with every new update.
STYLE: Straightforward and well written, the prose is easy to understand and the structure helping the flow paint a picture if the mind. 3rd person omniscient helps us see the world around, lending to a sense of urgency when needed.
STORY: Well thought out narrative with flashbacks and worldbuilding. The story is slow when it needs to be, pausing for the reader to admire the world they have immersed themselves in. Excellent use of scene changes to keep the flow and keep the reader engaged.
GRAMMER: Immaculate, nothing wrong here. The author even gives us indicators of how things should be pronounced. Full marks.
CHARACTERS: Plenty of backstory helps us to relate, or at least understand the characters we are given. A good use of flashbacks tells us who they are and their motivations. Excellent.
Overall, a solid read. I was immersed the entire time and I'll be keeping an eye on this one in the future. Thank you for providing such an interesting read.
dar2de2Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
If you like your fantasy grounded in true consequences for political plots, murder attempts, uprisings and schemes with a huge side of fantasy lore, slow burning romance and queer love, this story is for you. The author writes compellingly, leading to me spamming the whole 40+ chapters in one day. They do well to make you care for the characters and their struggles and whilst the names get confusing (for the main characters have a few different identities they go by as the story unfolds), they leave enough context clues to pick up on who is who. This is a complex story of hope and I thoroughly cannot wait for the remaining chapters.
flyingnimbusRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Beautifully written, At Water's Edge is a diamond in the rough. The story opts for picturesque scenery and well-paced dialogue over the cliché xianxia tropes. We are not far in the story, but I already find myself enraptured by the depths of the world's mythology.
I must also credit the author for taking the time to actually put effort into respecting Asian naming conventions, and even going so far to include pronunciation/definition footnotes. I was surprised how refreshing it was to see an admittedly low bar cleared with such ease.
To the author: I just want to say thank you for sharing such a wonderful start to a story, I hope you get the recognition you so clearly deserve!
sirshing eyeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story makes me cry so much. Every character has demons, literal or not. They're trying so hard and suffering so much, and it keeps getting worse. It breaks my heart.
The author does a very good job of writing a story which marries emotion and politics and soul. It's such a beautiful story about history and trauma, and how it keeps going.