For a boy living in the mountains, the village had three rules:
First, never take the strange stones from the mountains.
Second, never touch the idols in the caves.
Third, never look up at the sky above.
Yang Qian broke two of the rules in a single day and was strung up in a tree by the villagers.
He protested to his master, Cheng Lingyu: “The strange stones in the mountains have been siphoning away the village’s fortune for years. Why can’t I take them? The idol in the cave eats a pair of children every year. I only smashed it to uphold justice on Heaven’s behalf!”
Cheng Lingyu took Yang Qian down and patted his head. “You did nothing wrong. Everyone knows you did nothing wrong.”
“If that’s true, why are they treating me like this?”
“They’re afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“Afraid of the sky above them.”
Cheng Lingyu looked up, meeting the Lord of the Heavens’ gaze, their eyes locking.
