There are dead things at the bottom of the Mute Pit.
Dead things don't listen to people.
But when Qin Yuan shouted, the stone man planted itself at the doorway and stood perfectly still, guarding it for him.
He was a bastard, with no father or mother. He slept in ruined temples and gnawed on hard flatbread. Everyone in town laughed at him.
He was alive, too. The Mute Pit wouldn't eat him, the ancient walls made way for him, and even an ancient puppet dead for a million years recognized his voice.
Until one day, someone offered a bounty worth half a city's fortune for his capture, alive.
He didn't know what he was.
He only knew he could make a stone obey, make a door acknowledge its master, and tell a withered branch, "Break for me."
The lowest rank was called "Servant."
Above it were eight more ranks. The highest was called "Dao."
The power to set rules for heaven and earth.
A bastard, a dusty little beast, and seven spirit stones taken from the dead.
Eyes across the world were searching for him.
He had only one path: head south, grow stronger, and become so strong that no one would dare touch him.
Readers are welcome to have a taste of it. It's not a loss if you join the trap 😳