![Rival and Lover [Wuxia Slice of Life]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalroadcdn.com%2Fpublic%2Fcovers-large%2F181636-rival-and-lover-wuxia-slice-of-life.jpg%3Ftime%3D1785421106&w=640&q=75)
by Estantia
In a world of martial arts and spirits, most stories that get retold are full of grand fights and the fate of Empires. Some stories start more quietly, in days of peace where tight bonds form. Flowing Silk Ribbon was raised in the Golden Phoenix temple of the Imperial City. Being part of such an important institution means dealing with bullies, making friends despite anxiety and navigating growing feelings for someone far above his station. He'd take fighting ghosts over dealing with the quagmire that is noble family politics any day, but how can he not want to help when the noble children seem so lonely? This is the story of how Flowing Silk Ribbon grew up, fell in love, and left to begin his travels. --- This can be an alternate start point for the series or treated as a side story of The Eye of the Unborn Serpent. Fully written and releasing Monday and Thursday. What To Expect: - Slice of Life with found family- Noble society being awful- Prequel that turns the series into a plot-focussed danmei. (Gay romance)- This is a prequel. The HEA is for the end of the series, not here- Sweet moments to get you invested, then stabbed in the feels
No streak history
Rank updated 13 Aug 2026, 04:15 UTC
Entry forecast updated 13 Aug 2026, 04:15 UTC
Overall Rising Stars shadow rank
deep field · ~#3852 of 7,531 · 3802 below #50
By genre
beats 99% of similar stories
not enough data yet
beats 57% of similar stories
Mid-pack, room on both levers
Traffic and conversion both sit mid-field for a story this size. Growth here compounds from consistency: steady cadence feeds traffic, and a sharper hook lifts what each view is worth.
At this conversion, the Drama Rising Stars bar (≈1 new followers/day) costs about 19 views/day — the story currently gets ~5.
Benchmarks: 8,060 active Royal Road stories, percentiles within the 2–4 chapters band, cohort of 2026-07-02. Conversion is measured as followers gained per 1,000 views lifetime.