Immortal

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.

The protagonist of the novel, Liyen, is the immortal daughter of the immortal Queen Caihong of the Golden Desert. She is also the mortal granddaughter and only living heir of Lord Zhao Likang of Tianxia. The narrative first introduces her as a girl of “weak constitution.” Though physicians cannot identify her condition and she is not necessarily ill, she “never felt well either—constantly tired, a step behind the others. Nothing seemed to dispel the chill in [her] flesh, how it always felt like winter” (4). After she is poisoned by waters from the Wangchuan River, a lock of Liyen’s hair turns white, like “the glitter of starlight” (5). This is a peculiar feature the mortals initially do not understand, but this element of Liyen’s appearance hints at the Wuxin curse placed on her when she drank the water.

Liyen’s grandfather greatly inspires her. She admires his calmness, patience, and devotion. Though these attributes do not come easy to her, she adopts them in her rule over Tianxia after his death. All that Liyen does in life and in service to her kingdom adheres to the theme of

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