The Great Chao Dynasty worships the Rootless Holy Mother. Its people are divided into two kinds. Officials and noble clans sever their roots, becoming Rootless Purists who wield power. Commoners, meanwhile, keep their bodies intact and are reduced to filthy creatures fit only for labor and reproduction.
1
As a child, I dreaded the purification ritual. Incense mingled with the stench of blood as the sharp knife came down. I swallowed a lifetime of screams. My adoptive father, Chen Tuan, was a Purist in the Imperial Household Department. He took me away from the ritual and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. “Zhizhu, does it hurt?”
I shook my head.
“Good. There will be far more painful things ahead. Wisdom, art, and patience are what it takes to survive.” He
