The things Shen Linyuan knew best in this life were the musty smell of Jiangcheng’s old alleys at four in the morning, and the medical bills he couldn’t cover even after working three jobs.
It wasn’t until strange markings crawled across his younger sister’s wrist and an abandoned puppet whispered in his ear that he understood: there was something more terrifying than poverty, and that was becoming a pawn on someone else’s board.
Clutching a broken sword that fed on pain, he entered the mists of the Wardens’ Pavilion.
A senior he trusted showed him the way, while a comrade who had risked his life for him took a fatal blow in his place.
Every clue pointed to that one name, and every piece of evidence fit together perfectly.
But when the broken sword had drunk its fill of blood and layer upon layer of rust fell away,
what it reflected was the very hand that had offered him medicine for his wounds:
the hand that had taught him to write, to guard his heart, and what it meant to protect others.
Now the sword burns in his grasp, and the truth cuts like a blade.
How can he sever this colossal lie, woven in the name of “protection”?
This novel is highly recommended [note]