In Republican-era Yuncheng, the Fang family’s old mansion is a maze of unfathomable depths.
Tong Yuyao arrives in Yuncheng as an unwanted burden, only to be treated to a life of luxury and doted on. Old Master Fang treats her like his own granddaughter, kind and fair. Her stepmother is naive, and though her biological father is weak-willed, he occasionally shows her concern. For a time, she believes that this cold and powerful family has finally given her a little warmth.
Until she accidentally discovers the truth.
Her supposed adoption is part of a carefully planned conspiracy decades in the making. The supposed family affection is honey laced with arsenic. The Fang family has schemed at every turn, raising her to become a vital “key” that can unlock an ancient feng shui formation hidden by the Tong family’s ancestors, one capable of seizing immense fortune.
When the sorcerer behind it all reveals himself, and an old acquaintance of the You family arrives with a secret letter, Yuyao finally understands: she is not only a sacrifice, but also the last bloodline and hope of the Tong family.
Beneath the Longmen Mountains, the formation is about to awaken.
Will she be “Jinyu,” crushed inside a gilded cage? Or will she break free of her chains and reclaim the fate that belongs to her?
The sorcerer has revealed himself, and the formation is about to awaken. Before it can devour her, she must break her chains and shatter the gilded cage holding her captive.
