Chen Yanzhi pushed open the old house’s wooden door, its paint peeling and cracked. A stale smell washed over him, mingling dampness, rotting wood, and a faint scent of herbs. Sunlight filtered through the courtyard, falling across moss-covered flagstones in shifting patches of light and shadow. This was where his grandfather had spent his whole life, and the warmest refuge in Chen Yanzhi’s childhood memories. Now he was the only one left.
He had been laid off by a major tech company, and his girlfriend had chosen that moment to break up with him. Hit by both blows at once, he felt like a deflated ball. All he had left was this old house and the stone his grandfather had left behind.
“Grandpa, I’m home,” Chen Yanzhi said softly. His voice echoed through the empty courtyard. He set down his luggage in the main room and looked at the dark stone on the offering table. The Sky-Gazing Stone. Before his grandfather died, he had placed it solemnly in Chen Yanzhi’s hands and said only, “This is the lifeline of the Chen family. Keep it safe.”
The stone felt cool and smooth in his hand. Its surface was covered in irregular patterns, like the paths of stars or ancient runes. Chen Yanzhi tried to touch it with his mind, but nothing happened. He sighed and put it back on the offering table. For now, he had more pressing real-world problems to deal with.
